BOISE, Idaho, October 4, 2019– MetaGeek this week released version 5 of inSSIDer, the newest version of the hugely popular Wi-Fi scanner first launched in 2007. inSSIDer 5 is the first application to combine Wi-Fi scanning, RF spectrum analysis and Wi-Fi packet analysis into a comprehensive view of the Wi-Fi environment.

The inSSIDer 5 release follows on the heels of 4 other launches in the last 6 months, including the Rampart network management web application (June 2019), the Wi-Spy Air + Air Viewer mobile troubleshooting solution for iOS and Android (May 2019) and MetaGeek Plus, the network management service that was quietly launched back in the fall of 2018.

Taken together, these new products represent a complete Wi-Fi management system, with tools for planning, verification, monitoring and troubleshooting. This marks a shift for the company, which has long been known for its single focus on troubleshooting wireless interference. MetaGeek CEO Brian Tuttle acknowledged the transition, which he says reflects a shift in the market. “It is a broadening of focus for us,” he said. “Wi-Fi has become so ubiquitous, and so mission-critical for our customers, that it just isn’t enough for them to troubleshoot problems that come up; they have to prevent them from happening in the first place.”

MetaGeek’s solution to Wi-Fi network management and monitoring is unorthodox. Customers of the company’s MetaGeek Plus service can use either Wi-Spy Air + Air Viewer (iOS/Android), or inSSIDer (Windows) to view and record Wi-Fi network performance characteristics, traffic patterns, and the conditions of the wireless environment overall. Samples of these data points in different network locations, known as “Snapshots”, are sent to MetaGeek’s cloud-based Rampart application. In Rampart, network administrators can see how the wireless environment and network performance and utilization are changing over time. Tuttle identified the ability to monitor change in the environment as a game changer:

“Traditional network monitoring tools are just what they sound like–they monitor the network. That’s great for wired networks, which are relatively insulated from outside change. Wi-Fi networks rely on the shared, unlicensed medium of RF bandwidth and airtime, which is completely open to outside changes. To anticipate and prevent performance problems, it’s essential to monitor not only your own network, but other networks and interferers that share your same band. Those outside factors can change much more dramatically than the network itself.”

MetaGeek products will automate the collection of Snapshots in future updates, but Tuttle believes MetaGeek’s customers benefit from active involvement in monitoring. “For me, collecting snapshots is a good way to remind myself how dynamic Wi-Fi environments are.”

MetaGeek has an enhanced “Pro” version of the MetaGeek Plus service for their customers that manage multiple networks and locations. Pro customers have the ability to share data across a team of installers and technicians. In addition, the company plans an Expert tier of the MetaGeek Plus service that will provide access to the advanced desktop troubleshooting tools Chanalyzer and Eye P.A., upon which the company built its reputation. “Our tools have always been about empowering our users,” Tuttle notes. “As the task of managing Wi-Fi networks becomes more all-encompassing for our customers, we’re making the MetaGeek family of tools more holistic to fit that need.”

About MetaGeek
MetaGeek, a leader in Wi-Fi visualization, troubleshooting, and optimization, enables users to manage Wi-Fi networks that work. With a complete line of analytics hardware and software solutions for Wi-Fi, more than 150,000 customers worldwide rely on MetaGeek to improve the performance of their Wi-Fi networks. For more information about MetaGeek solutions and Wi-Fi troubleshooting, visit www.metageek.com