Commercial WLAN Analyzers

To illustrate commercial product breadth, here is a representative
(non-exhaustive!) list of commercial WLAN analyzers. We’ve included
manufacturer’s suggested retail prices for several of these products, but prices
change and volume/site licenses are usually available, so please consult vendor
websites for further information.

AirMagnet Laptop ($3,499) and Handheld ($2,995) are
software products designed to perform 802.11a/b/g WLAN analysis on Windows
XP/2000 or Pocket PC platforms, respectively. Companion wireless IDS
(Distributed) and site survey (Surveyor) products are also available from
AirMagnet.

Baseband Technologies LinkFerret Network Monitor and Protocol
Analyzer ($295) is a Win32 program that supports traffic capture and
analysis for Ethernet and 802.11b/g networks. A Remote Agent is also available
for distributed traffic capture.

Berkeley Varitronics Systems (BVS) sells a suite of WLAN analysis products,
including Yellowjacket 802.11a
and Yellowjacket 802.11b/g Analysis Systems. Yellowjacket runs on a
off-the-shelf or integrated IPAQ Pocket PCs; GPS, directional antenna, and
Bird’s Eye indoor mapping software options are also available.

Fluke Networks OptiView
Series II Integrated Network Analyzer is a portable analyzer sold in
hardware form. An OptiView wireless option is available to monitor 802.11a/b/g
networks.

Javvin Network Packet Analyzer ($249) is a
general-purpose Win32 protocol analyzer that can be used with 802.11 adapters,
but does not support RFMON mode traffic capture.

Network General (formerly NAI/McAfee) Sniffer
Wireless ($6,995 perpetual license) provides 802.11a/b capture and expert
analysis on both Win32 and Pocket PC platforms.

Network Instruments Observer
($995) is general-purpose protocol analyzer for Windows 2000/XP/2003 that can
record and analyze local or remote 802.11a/b/g traffic. The Observer line also
includes Expert ($2895) and distributed Suite products.

TamoSoft CommView for Wi-Fi ($499) is
a Windows 2000/XP/2003 program that provides packet capture, monitoring, and
analysis for 802.11a/b/g networks.

Tektronics WCA11G Signal
Analysis Win32 software works in conjunction with the WCA300, a
hardware-based Communications Analyzer, to analyze 802.11 a/b/g RF signals. This
is a dedicated spectrum analyzer, but not a protocol analyzer.

WildPackets AiroPeek ($995) is a
Windows XP/2000-based protocol analyzer for 802.11a/b/g networks. An “Expert”
version (AiroPeekNX, $3,495) and a hardware probe (RFGrabber) are also
available.

Reprinted from ISP Planet.