Spectrum Analysis with Ekahau Analyzer

April 9, 2020 By Rowell Leave a Comment

As an IT professional, there are too many tools to select from. It’s easy to get carried away and have some tools that whose purpose may overlap.

There are a handful of spectrum analyzers available for purchase. Some better than others, yes.

But one of those tools, the Ekahau Sidekick, can be multipurpose.

A few ways the Sidekick can be used:

• Validation site survey
• Packet Capture
• Spectrum Analyzer
• Stores Ekahau project files

I have separate tools that can perform each of those functions. But I hate carrying so many tools in my bag. It hurts my back.

Ekahau Analyzer

As part of the Ekahau Connect subscription, Ekahau released a much needed application called Ekahau Analyzer.

I assume it was born out of the many requests by Wi-Fi experts who did not want to open Ekahau Pro to perform spectrum analysis.

By leveraging the power of the Sidekick, one could connect it via lightning or USB-C to an iPhone or iPad to get high resolution output from the Sidekick.

I can do with one less tool, right? Maybe.

Ekahau Analyzer can validate the health of your Wi-Fi network by comparing it to a Requirement Profile.

It’s an easy pass/fail indication. But I didn’t see an option to change the Requirement Profile within Ekahau Analyzer. There isn’t a way to map that information anywhere on a floor plan so you’ll have to note the location manually.

Most importantly, you have a view of both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz spectrum. The measurements are fast and with high resolution.

I wasn’t able to see that any interference was detected for me so I’ll have to assume that capability isn’t there yet. As a Wi-Fi professional, you’d have to identify that based on your education and experience.

Is Ekahau Analyzer Worth It?

It’s a good start for Ekahau Analyzer. I can see the application improving. What I’d like added to Ekahau Analyzer is the ability to add notes, zoom into a specific frequency, have export capabilities, and a separate waterfall view.