NetSpot

NetSpot is a software tool for wireless network assessment, scanning, and surveys, analyzing Wi-Fi coverage and performance.[1] It runs on Mac OS X 10.6+ and Windows 7-8-10 and supports 802.11n, 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g wireless networks. NetSpot uses the standard Wi-Fi network adapter and its Airport interface to map radio signal strength and other wireless network parameters, and build reports on that. NetSpot was released in August 2011.[2]

NetSpot

Developer(s)	Etwok Inc.
Initial release	August 2011 (Mac OS X) February 2016 (Windows)
Stable release	2.12 (Mac OS X) February 2020 2.12 (Windows) February 2020
Written in	Objective-C
Operating system	OS X v.10.6 +, Windows 7-8-10, Android OS 6.0+, iOS 10.0+
Platform	x86
Available in	English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese
Type	Wireless site survey
License	free, or paid
Website	www.netspotapp.com

Functions

NetSpot provides all professional wireless site survey features for Wi-Fi and maps coverage of a living area, office space, buildings, etc.[3] It provides visual data to help analyze radio signal leaks, discover noise sources, map channel use, optimize access point locations. Also, the application can perform Wi-Fi network planning: the data that are collected help to select channels and placements for new hotspots. Survey reports can be generated in PDF format.

Usual uses

• Mapping Wi-Fi
• Mapping Wi-Fi signal strength[4]
• Optimizing networks[5]
• Trouble-shooting networks[6]
• Visualizing wireless networks[7]
• Diagnosing signal problems[8]
• Analyzing wireless network coverage[9]

Release history

Version	Platform	Release date	Notes and significant changes
1.0.216,	Macintosh	August 2011	Initial public release[10]
1.1.259	Macintosh	November 2011	Ability to draw a map inside of NetSpot New visualization: Signal to interference ratio[11]
1.2.308	Macintosh	December 2011	New improved advanced algorithm for APs' location detection Detection of different networks transmitted by the same AP, their signals are ignored when building an interference map
1.3.335	Macintosh	July 2012	New project wizard OS X Mountain Lion compatibility[12]
2.0	Macintosh	October 2012	New Wireless Discover Mode Manually relocate APs Pro and Enterprise versions introduced.[13]
2.1	Macintosh	May 2013	New visualizations: Frequency Band Coverage, PHY Mode (a/b/g/n) Coverage The Scan Interval can be adjusted in Discover mode New Advanced Export to generate customizable PDF reports Frequency data can now be viewed in Discover mode[14]
2.2	Macintosh	August 2013	Full support of IEEE 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard Alternative detailed view of data points indicators OS X 10.9 Mavericks compatibility
2.10.953[15]	Macintosh	October 2018	New localization: Japanese The color scheme in the sidebar is more contrasting and visual now When switching among surveys, selected visualization is kept Corrected measurement values in some of the visualizations Note: macOS Mojave 10.14 will require users to enable location services to run NetSpot. Available on Setapp
1.0[16]	Android	November 2018	The 1.0 version only has a Discover mode at this time: new beautiful and easy-to-use interface, all necessary features at hand… and it is free.
1.1[17]	Android	September 2019	Chromebook support* has been added Nice and sleek improvements throughout the interface The app is now using the latest SDK The issue with name filters not being applied in some cases is fixed The app has been optimized for even better performance on tablets
2.11[18]	Macintosh, Windows	October 2019	Support for macOS 10.15 Catalina updated OUI lists for better AP vendor identification fixed: Dark mode is currently disabled until NetSpot 3 fixed: The animation shown during scanning fixed: Issues while working with the high-resolution maps
2.12[19]	Macintosh, Windows	February 2020	macOS: Support for 802.11ax (aka WiFi 6). Support for WPA3. The vendors list has been updated. Fixed: Details graphs for networks broadcasting on 5 GHz. Windows: Support for 802.11ax (aka WiFi 6). Support for WPA3. Improved: General performance of the app during the active scan. The vendors list has been updated. Fixed: The app crashing with WLAN service disabled. Fixed: A minor bug while moving the second scan point. Fixed: A minor bug with two survey starting points on the map.

See also

• iStumbler – an open-source utility to find wireless networks and devices in Mac OS X
• KisMAC – a wireless network discovery tool for Mac OS X
• WiFi Explorer – a wireless network scanner for Mac OS X

References

1. Matt Elliott. "Find the dead spots in your Wi-Fi network with NetSpot". Retrieved December 21, 2015.
2. MacNN. "NetSpot offers free Wi-Fi network surveying software". Retrieved August 12, 2011.
3. "NetSpot: WiFi Site Survey for the Rest of Us".
4. "Create a WiFi signal strength map with NetSpot for Mac :: by Techerator".
5. "NetSpot helps you optimize your Wi-Fi networks :: by Macworld". 2011-11-29.
6. "Trouble-shoot your WiFi network with NetSpot :: by Dr. Macenstein".
7. "Mac-NZ review :: NetSpot WiFi visualisation software".
8. "Diagnose Wi-Fi Signal Problems With NetSpot :: Lifehacker".
9. "Analyze Wireless Network Coverage In Mac With NetSpot Survey Software :: by Addictivetips".
10. "NetSpot – The only Native Wireless Site Survey Software for Mac". Archived from the original on 2012-09-10.
11. "NetSpot 1.1 - new version of Wi-Fi mapping software for Mac".
12. "NetSpot 1.3 release notes: what's new, what's hot in this update". 2012-07-03.
13. "How To use your Mac to survey your home or office Wi-Fi network". 2012-10-19.
14. "NetSpot 2.1 Release Notes: What's New in Version 2.1?". 2012-05-24.
15. "NetSpot 2.10 minor update - Japanese localization is added". 2018-10-17.
16. "NetSpot WiFi Analyzer for Android has been released". 2018-11-06.
17. "NetSpot for Android v.1.1". 2019-09-27.
18. "The minor update of NetSpot v. 2.11". 2019-10-04.
19. "NetSpot 2.12 — new update for macOS and Windows". 2020-02-06.

External links

• Official website