Thank you for downloading inssider by MetaGeek. With inssider, MetaGeek's wireless network scanner, you'll be able to improve your Wi-Fi performance by performing a quick survey that helps you choose the best channel for your network. OVERVIEW inssider for Android includes a complex channel scoring algorithm that rates channels based on co-channel or overlapping interference from neighboring networks. Channel decisions should not be made from just the access point s perspective. Before you decide on which channel to use, load up inssider and walk around through every area someone would want to use the Wi-Fi. Here is a simple step by step to get the most out of inssider: 1. Swipe right to the Networks screen. 2. If your network isn t already selected, tap and hold on your network to begin optimizing it. inssider will display a star next to the network you have selected. 3. Walk around the areas where you expect Wi-Fi coverage to reach. Ideally you will want an average signal strength above -75dBm for optimal performance. 4. Once you have finished walking the area, swipe left to the Channels screen to see the best channel to choose for your WLAN. 5. To restart Wi-Fi optimization, tap the Reset button at the top of the screen. Note: To use inssider strictly as a Wi-Fi scanner instead of as a Wi-Fi optimizer, find the blue starred network on the Networks screen, and tap and hold it until it is deselected. LEARN
When you first launch inssider for Android, you ll see our LEARN tab. This is where you ll find information about our upcoming free webinars which will help you learn more about wireless networking, as well as tips & tricks for your Wi-Fi. If you do not have an immediate internet connection, you'll start on the Networks screen. Swipe your screen to the right and you ll move to the Networks screen. NETWORKS On the Networks screen you ll see a list of all nearby access points that your device can detect, along with some detailed information. The sort order of the network data can be changed using the setting (see SETTINGS section below) What does the displayed information mean? Connected Icon: the green Wi-Fi icon indicates the network to which you are currently connected. SSID (Network Name): Abbreviation of Service Set Identifier, which is the name an 802.11 wireless network uses to identify itself. MAC Address: This is a unique hexadecimal identifier for each wireless network. In an infrastructure network, this will be the Wi-Fi radio s MAC Address. In an Ad-Hoc environment, this will be a pseudo-randomly generated MAC Address. Channel: Each wireless network operates on a specific Wi-Fi channel. Channels 1-14 are in the 2.4 GHz frequency range, while channels 30-160 are in the 5 GHz range. For best performance in the 2.4 GHz band we recommend channels 1,6, and 11. learn more (http://www.metageek.net/support/why-channels-1-6-and-11/) Security: inssider will display the following standard security settings: Unsecured, WEP, WPA, WPA2, and WPA2 + WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) and an associated icon for easy identification. The lock icons represent the level of protection the network s security offers: Broken Lock: WEP, WPS, or any wireless security encryption that can be easily broken into. WPS uses PIN numbers to pair, and they are highly vulnerable to brute force attacks. This icon will also be displayed if a network is using WPA2 with WPS enabled because of increased vulnerability. Closed Lock: WPA or WPA2 wireless security encryption. These are the best security options available today. We recommend WPA2 with WPS disabled, which is the most secure. Open Lock: indicates that a network is unsecured. RSSI (Signal Strength): Abbreviation of Received Signal Strength Indication, which is the amplitude level of the wireless network as seen by a computer's wireless card. This number will be shown with an associated signal level icon. TIP: the smallest negative number is the highest signal strength.
NETWORK OPTIMIZATION You can select a network for channel optimization from the NETWORKS screen. Information about that network appears on the NETWORKS, CHANNELS, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz screens. By default, inssider will select for optimization the network to which your device is currently connected. Solid Star: the solid star indicates the network is currently selected for optimization. Outline Star: the outlined star indicates the network is available for you to select for optimization. After selecting a network to optimize, you will see a graph of the network s signal strength over time, as seen in the screenshot. The most recent signal strength data is on the right end of the graph. To deselect a network tap and hold the network with a blue solid star. This will display all of the networks in the channel graph. NETWORK DETAILS To see more detailed information about a network, tap on its name and you'll have access to additional information like Access Point vendor and average signal strength over time. (see screenshot) To select a different network to optimize, simply tap and hold a network on the main list. You'll notice that the star changes from an outline to solid upon selection.
CHANNELS Swiping again to the right, you will now see the Channels screen, giving you a quick overview of each available Wi-Fi channel. The Channels Screen is comprised of 2 columns - Channel and Channel Grade. The channel with the highest percentage score and best color bar is the channel you should use for your wireless access point. The sort order for the channels list can be changed using the settings (see SETTINGS section below) What do the columns mean? Channel: The left-most column displays all the Wi-Fi channels within the 2.4 (and 5 GHz, if selected) band. Channel Grade: The next column displays channel grade, which is shown as a relative percentage. This number is determined by calculating the effect of all visible networks on each channel. 100% represents the best possible channel and 0% is the worst channel for a wireless network. The percentage score is determined by the number of existing networks sharing the same channel and the number of overlapping networks on neighboring channels. Overlapping access points will decrease a channel's grade because they cause non-cooperative interference on the channel. For 2.4 GHz, channels 1, 6 and 11 are preferred as they are non-overlapping. learn more (http://www.metageek.net/support/why-channels-1-6-and-11/) The color bars displayed below are a quick way for you to determine which channels are best. Green: BEST / 80-100% Yellow: OK / 30-79% Red: DON'T USE / 0-29%
Note: AP = Access Point. CHANNELS GRAPH for 2.4 & 5 GHz Swiping again the the right, you'll see 2.4 GHz Channels Graph. Each wireless network (or Access Point) operates on a certain frequency most commonly referred to as a "Wi-Fi channel". 2.4 GHz: It is best to operate multiple access points on the same channel than on an overlapping channel. When channels overlap, it results in adjacent channel interference. This screen shows where networks overlap and the signal strength of each network indicated by its height. 5 GHz: inssider for Android can also show you the channel graph for the 5 GHz band, as long as your device supports 5 GHz. You can toggle the 5 GHz on or off through the settings menu (see SETTINGS below). This option will be disabled if no 5 GHz networks are detected. When using 5 GHz for Wi-Fi, you'll find channels 36-64 and 100-165 available for use. Channels in 5 GHz do not overlap like 2.4 so choose a channel that does not contain another network for best results. What do the colors mean?
Blue: indicates your selected network. Yellow: indicates networks existing on the same channel. It is better to share a channel than it is to have two networks overlap. Red: indicates networks that overlap your selected network's channel. SETTINGS The Action Bar provides access to settings for inssider. The timer indicates how much data has been collected for channel grading. The data collection can be reset using the RESET button. Additional settings can be found by using the settings button in the upper right hand corner of the application, or by pressing the physical MENU button on a equipped device.
Show 5 GHz channels will enable/disable display of 5GHz channels in the channels list and the 5GHz channel graph. The sort options affect both the NETWORKS list and the CHANNELS list. RETURN TO THE LEARN SCREEN (index.html)