WifiBuilder

Testing Nuts About Nets' WifiBuilder  left an indelible impression: just about anyone can slap a wireless router or access point (AP) in a home or business and set up a WLAN, but it takes robust diagnostic tools like WifiBuilder to setup a wireless network optimized for performance and throughput. All wireless networking devices emit RF energy and measuring RF characteristics can help IT troubleshoot interference and performance issues. Using the vendor's proprietary technology, IMMI (Indirect Measurement of Microwave Interference), WifiBuilder can use the information it gathers to determine whether performance can be improved using a different channel, or to properly position antennas and 802.11 wireless devices to maximize range and throughput. WifiBuilder is an innovative solution and a great way to get a handle on interference issues in a wireless network.

WifiBuilder is comprised of hardware and software. The hardware is a Cisco Linksys WRT400N access point with a custom Linux image from Atheros with Nuts About Nets' diagnostics code. The software component is the Profiler24x Diagnostic Software, which you install on the Windows computer from which you want to test. Pricing for both the WifiBuilder AP plus Profiler24x Software is $429.90 USD (plus shipping and handling.) That may seem expensive, but, really, it's a bargain—particularly to wireless networking professionals who perform site surveys and deploy WLANs for clients. Nuts About Nets offers the customized WRT400N for $279 with the Profiler24x software making up the rest of the cost. This is pricier than other dual-band routers currently on the market like the Cisco Linksys E4200 Maximum Performance Wireless-N Router ($179, 4 stars) but this isn't your typical router because of the diagnostic capabilities.
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WifiBuilder AP : Angle
WifiBuilder AP : Front
WifiBuilder AP : Side
WifiBuilder AP : Ports


An easy setup process and excellent documentation (courtesy of the vendor's website), makes this a tool that even those who are not quite networking gurus, can deploy and use. Interpreting the results in the number of charts displaying interference and channel information can take a bit to master, but it's well worth learning, especially if you are professionally building wireless networks.

Setup
For those new to network configuration, Nuts About Nets has a handy PDF guide which walks you step-by-step through setup. The adapter on the computer directly connected to the AP is configured with a static IP address.

The next step is to install the Profiler24x Channel Analyzer – this is the diagnostic software that accompanies the AP. It's used to install, troubleshoot and monitor 802.11 wireless networks in the 2.4 GHz band.

Setup is an overall smooth process especially for those already familiar with Windows and wireless networking.

You can set WifiBuilder up in diagnostic or production mode. In Diagnostic mode, the AP runs as a standalone network device. This is really handy for consultants who move from site to site.

However there is one setup caveat; currently, you cannot run the product in both diagnostic and production mode at the same time. This is because while the AP is in diagnostic mode, it is switching from channel to channel measuring RF energy and available throughput. If clients were attached while it was simultaneously being used as an AP, those clients would lose connectivity. Nuts About Nets states that the capability to perform diagnostics without losing client connectivity will be in the next version.

I first tested WifiBuilder in the standalone diagnostic mode. For this mode, you need to have two network interfaces on a PC; one is connected to the machine's usual internet connection and the other to the AP. This setup is required because the adapter connected to the AP has to be on a different subnet than the adapter connected to the Internet. You can set this up on a machine that has two Ethernet adapters. My test machine didn't, so I had the wireless adapter connected to my WLAN with an active Internet connection on one subnet and the AP connected to my laptop's one Ethernet port.