Setting up and utilizing inSSIDer on your computer

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I. Installing inSSIDer on your computer

II. Using inSSIDer on your computer

Discover the essential Wi-Fi analysis tool for your computer with inSSIDer. This tool supports scanning your wireless networks with the WiFi adapter, allowing you to understand their signal strength, the channels they are using, and provides a wealth of useful information about each network. In this article, Mytour will guide you on how to install and use inSSIDer on your computer.

With inSSIDer, you will quickly grasp your Wi-Fi landscape and understand how neighboring Wi-Fi networks are interacting. InSSIDer displays detailed information about Wi-Fi access points, including channels, signal strength, maximum data speed, and security. It also reveals how nearby Wi-Fi networks are impacting your home Wi-Fi.

Using InSSIDer on your computer

After scanning and analyzing your Wi-Fi configuration, inSSIDer reveals what's performing well, what needs improvement for faster network speeds, and issues that should be addressed promptly. Based on this, you make changes to enhance your Wi-Fi. Here's how to set up and use inSSIDer on your computer.

I. Installing inSSIDer on your computer

The installation of inSSIDer on your computer is straightforward, similar to how you download and install other software.

Step 1: Download InSSIDer from the provided link in the article. Then, click on the exe file to proceed with the installation.

Step 2: Log into InSSIDer with the email and password you registered. If you don't have an account, simply click Create an account and complete the account registration steps.

After logging into InSSIDer, this is the interface you'll encounter. Next, let's explore how to use inSSIDer on your PC together.

II. Using inSSIDer on your computer

1. Navigation

inSSIDer categorizes access points, networks, clients, and channels into 3 tabs: Networks, Clients, and Channels.

* Networks Tab

Within the Networks tab, inSSIDer presents information through 2 sections:

- Networks Table:

Displays a list of all wireless access points, wireless networks, nearby channels, signal strength, devices connected to a selected AP, security protocol, mode, and maximum supported data speed.
- Networks Graph: Shows a graphical representation of nearby wireless networks, their signal strength, how they share channels, and overlap with each other.

* Clients Tab

When connected to a compatible Wi-Fi adapter, inSSIDer will also display all devices around you, whether they are linked to a network or not. In the Clients tab, we have information about:

- Client: Displays the device name or provider and/or MAC address.

- Network: Shows the network that the device was last seen on.

- Signal: Signal strength of the client device.

- Channel: Wi-Fi channel on which the device was last active.

- Data Rate: Connected data rate of the client device.

- Retry: Percentage of retry attempts.

- Last Seen: Displays when the client device was last detected.

Additionally, you can select a client device to view summarized information about that device.

* Channels Tab

The Channels tab focuses on the status of each Wi-Fi channel. The Channel table shows:

- WiFi Utilization: Frequency of ongoing Wi-Fi activities on the channel or the frequency the channel is currently 'in use.' Only one wireless device can use a channel at a time, so lower channel utilization is preferable.

- On-Channel Networks: Number of wireless networks on the same channel. The fewer, the better.

- Max Signal: Maximum signal strength of networks on the channel.

- 802.11b Present: Deployment of legacy data rates (1, 2, 5.5, 11 mbps) on networks using this channel, which can slow down Wi-Fi access traffic for all networks on this channel.

2. Filter - Filtering

Alongside the software's three main tabs, you'll notice the filter bar. It allows you to filter networks and clients by SSID, MAC address, and AP Alias (or provider/name).

3. Timeframe - Timeframe

In View > Timeframe, you can choose the timeframe you want to view network and spectrum data. For example, if you select 5 minutes, you'll see the last 5 minutes of network and spectrum data. This means that even if a network has been removed in the past 5 minutes, it will still be displayed in inSSIDer.

4. Key Terms and Symbols in inSSIDer

- 802.11: The letters displayed in this column inform you about the 802.11 protocols that the Access Point is utilizing.

- Access Point: This is the hardware to which the WiFi device connects. Sometimes they function as a router and are commonly referred to as wireless routers.

- Channel: Each wireless network operates on a specific Wi-Fi channel. Channels 1-14 are in the 2.4 GHz range, while channels 36-165 are in the 5 GHz range. For optimal performance in the 2.4 GHz band, it's recommended to use channels 1, 6, and 11.

- Co-Channel Network: Each access point on the same channel collaborates and negotiates for transmission. This can potentially slow down the performance of all connected devices.

- MAC Address: This is the unique identifier for a wireless network or BSSID.

- Security: inSSIDer will display networks using the following standard security settings: Open (Unsecured), WEP, WPA-Personal, WPA-Enterprise, WPA2-Personal, and WPA2-Enterprise. Among them:

+ Unlocked padlock icon: Indicates an insecure network. No data on the network is encrypted.
+ Broken padlock icon: WEP is an insecure encryption method. This encryption can be compromised within minutes.

- Closed padlock icon: WPA or WPA2 wireless security encryption. These are the best security options currently available. It is advisable to use WPA with disabled WPS for added safety.
- Signal: The amplitude level of the wireless network detected by the computer's wireless adapter, also known as RSSI or 'Received Signal Strength Indicator.' inSSIDer provides a graphical chart representing signal strength over time.
- Connection icon: Indicates the access point you are currently connected to. This icon also appears in ESS, allowing you to identify the specific access point to which you are connected on your network.

Here is the essential information about the inSSIDer software. This tool is designed to uncover issues affecting Wi-Fi performance, elevating Wi-Fi network discovery to a new level. Anyone glancing at inSSIDer's interface can quickly spot suboptimal channel locations, low signal strength, and a host of other information almost instantly. Thanks to this, you can promptly devise reasonable troubleshooting solutions.

Securing your WiFi password is crucial for businesses, companies, and individuals nowadays, as a breach can lead to unauthorized access to your connected computer systems, potentially exposing sensitive documents. Establish a habit of changing your WiFi password regularly to mitigate potential risks.

Read more: change WiFi password

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