WiFi Explorer is a

wireless network A wireless network is a computer network that uses wireless data connections between network nodes. Wireless networking is a method by which homes, telecommunications networks and business installations avoid the costly process of introducing c ...

scanner tool for

macOS macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...

that can help users identify channel conflicts, overlapping and network configuration issues that may be affecting the connectivity and performance of

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wave ...

networks.

History

WiFi Explorer began as a desktop alternative to WiFi Analyzer, an iPhone app for wireless network scanning that was pulled out from

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

's App Store in March, 2010, due to the use of private frameworks. Since its first release, WiFi Explorer incorporated features that were not included in the last available version of WiFi Analyzer, such as support for 5 GHz networks and 40 MHz channel widths. Starting in version 1.5, WiFi Explorer included support for 802.11ac networks, as well as 80 and 160 MHz channel widths. On June 22, 2017, a professional version of WiFi Explorer, WiFi Explorer Pro, was released. WiFi Explorer Pro offers additional features especially designed for WLAN and IT professionals. The standard version of WiFi Explorer is also available on

Setapp Setapp is a subscription-based service for macOS and iOS applications released by the Ukrainian software company MacPaw in 2017. It provides access to a growing collection of software from different developers for a fixed monthly fee. App catego ...

Features

Standard

* Displays various network parameters: ** Network name ( SSID) and

MAC address A media access control address (MAC address) is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) for use as a network address in communications within a network segment. This use is common in most IEEE 802 networking techno ...

(BSSID) ** Manufacturer ** AP name for certain

Cisco Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, ...

and

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devices ** Beacon interval ** Mode (802.11a/b/g/n/ac) ** Band (2.4 GHz ISM and 5 GHz UNII-1, 2, 2 Extended, and 3) ** Channel width (20, 40, 80, and 160 MHz) ** Secondary channel offset ** Security mode (WEP, WPA, WPA2) ** Support for Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) ** Supported basic, min and max data rates ** Advertised 802.11 Information Elements * Graphical visualization of channel allocation, signal strength or

Signal-to-noise ratio Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR or S/N) is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. SNR is defined as the ratio of signal power to the noise power, often expressed in deci ...

(SNR) * Different sorting and filtering options * Displays signal strength and noise values as percentage or dBm * Ability to save and load results for later analysis * Metrics and network details can be exported to a CSV file format * Selectable and sortable columns * Adjustable graph timescales * Editable column for annotations, comments, etc. * Customizable network colors * Full screen mode * Comprehensive application's help

Professional

* Passive and directed scan modesUnderstanding the Scan Modes in WiFi Explorer Pro
/ref> * Spectrum analysis integration * Apple's iOS AirPort Utility integration * Enhanced filtering * Support for remote sensors * Support for networks with hidden SSIDs * Support for external USB Wi-Fi adapters via the External Adapter Support Environment (EASE) * Additional organization options for scan results * Dark and light themes

Limitations

Due to limitations of

's CoreWLAN framework,CoreWLAN Framework Reference
/ref> the standard version of WiFi Explorer is unable to detect hidden networks (except when connected to it) and does not support external USB Wi-Fi adapters. The Pro edition supports passive scanning, which can detect hidden networks, and can make use of external adapters via the External Adapter Support Environment (EASE).

System requirements

* macOS 10.10 or higher (64-bit)

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.intuitibits.com/products/wifi-explorer/ Wireless networking MacOS network-related software el:WiFi Explorer