Currently one of the great concerns of Internet users is security. When connecting to the Internet on most occasions for comfort and mobility we opt for Wi-Fi networks. However, one of the concerns of users is that cybercriminals access their Wi-Fi network and end up stealing the bandwidth. Not to mention that they can steal our confidential information, and that if a crime is committed from our connection, the first ones who are going to ask for responsibilities are us. In this tutorial we are going to learn about the best programs to manage WiFi networks in Windows, to know everything about our wireless network and also about the rest of the WiFi networks around us.
What changes should we make to our Wi-Fi network
These changes that we are going to mention below should be made when our ISP or Internet provider gives us a router or we buy a new one. However, if for some reason you have not done so, it may be a good time to do so.
The first thing we are going to have to do is access the router configuration via the web. On many occasions, especially in operator routers, your access data can be found on a sticker that comes below. Once inside we have to go to the Wi-Fi section and proceed to make the following changes:
- Change the SSID or Wi-Fi network name to a generic name. Sometimes they have the name of our operator or brand, and we are giving clues to the attackers.
- Set a new strong password containing at least 12 characters. It must include uppercase, lowercase, numbers and special symbols. You have to change the one of the bands that has the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz.
- Check the encryption that we have established , minimum WPA2 and if it is supported by WPA3, although if you use WPA3 you must take into account that the WiFi clients that you are going to connect must also be compatible.
- Always deactivate the WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) of the router, so as not to use it since it is an insecure protocol that could cause them to enter the WiFi network.
Once we know all the basic changes to make to our WiFi network to keep it secure, we are now going to see different programs to analyze the WiFi networks around us.
Recommended programs
The objective of this type of program is to visualize all the WiFi networks around us. Thanks to these programs we will be able to monitor all the wireless networks around us, seeing what WiFi networks there are, on what WiFi channels they are broadcasting, the type of security they use, if we have interference with neighboring networks, and it will even show how many clients we have connected to the different wireless networks around us.
Next, you will be able to see the most recommended programs for Windows operating systems.
Acrylic Wi-Fi Home
Acrylic WiFi Home is one of the best programs that we can use to visualize WiFi networks. This program has been developed by the Spanish company Tarlogic and one very positive thing is that it has a fully functional free version. This tool is compatible with the latest Microsoft Windows operating systems including Windows 10 and Windows 11.
The free version of the program is called Acrylic Wi-Fi Home . We find a WiFi scanner that displays WiFi information in real time. It also scores our network, identifies channel problems, checks coverage and improves the performance of our home WiFi network. Among its main functions we can find:
- Wi-Fi network viewer in which Wi-Fi 6 networks are distinguished with the 802.11ax standard.
- View of WiFi channels in 2.4GHz and 5GHz.
- Analyze the distribution of networks by WiFi channels.
- It offers graphs of signal level and power of our wireless networks.
- View hotspots around you as well as devices like smartphones, laptops, and more.
- We will get information about nearby APs in relation to their signal strength, channels, encryption and more.
You can download Acrylic Wi-Fi Home from here . However, we also have Acrylic Wi-Fi Professional with more features which has a 5-day evaluation version and can be purchased for a price starting at €20. If you are going to use this program a lot, we are sure that you will like the professional version because it incorporates many additional features for more advanced users.
Wi-Fi Analyzer
WiFi Analyzer is a program that has been developed for home users. For this reason we find an ideal tool for users with little experience in scanning WiFi networks. This program is responsible for analyzing the times of our network and converting them into visually easy-to-understand data that also includes graphs. Thus, for example, it can suggest which channel we should use to reduce interference. Thanks to its way of proceeding we can find the best channel and detailed information about our router.
This tool simply offers us an analyzer for wireless networks. In its basic version it comes free of advertising and we have everything you need to analyze WiFi networks. On the other hand, we must mention that it has a Pro version with more features. The program requires a minimum of Windows 10 and we can download it from the Microsoft Store from here .
vistumbler
Another program to manage WiFi networks is Vistumbler, which we could define as a wireless network scanner. In addition, it is a free open source program for Windows. The minimum we need is Windows Vista with a Wi-Fi adapter so we can also use it on older computers. The objective of this program is to map and visualize the routers and access points that we have near us.
Thanks to Vistumbler we are going to know such important information as the status of the network, the SSID, the MAC address, the intensity of the signal, the channel number and more. It also has a GPS support feature that allows it to integrate with Google Earth to display WiFi networks. It does this in two ways:
- With the export of GPS locations of hotspots to a Google Earth KML file.
- Allowing live monitoring of Google Earth thanks to Auto KML, which will automatically show us the access points and routers in Google Earth.
In this case, it should be noted that it is not an easy program to use due to its interface and complexity of options. We can download Vistumbler from its website .
inSSIDer
Thanks to the inSSIDer tool we will be able to know exactly how our network is configured. We’ll also find out how neighboring Wi-Fi networks are affecting ours and also offer tips for a faster and more secure Wi-Fi network.
This program shows us the essential details about our Wi-Fi connection, including the channel, the width of the channel, the strength of the signal, the Wi-Fi regulations that it supports, the maximum connection speed and its encryption.
You can also advise us to make the devices on our wireless network more secure. For example, you can recommend that if we have our Wi-Fi printer connected to the local network for greater security, we deactivate Wi-Fi Direct.
inSSIDer is a very interesting tool but it is more oriented towards the professional environment than for home users. It also uses graphics showing devices connected to the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Once the networks have been analysed, it will give us a score for our connection. The result will be that the higher the score, the higher the reliability. inSSIDer you can download it from the website of its developer metageek from this link .
Free Wi-Fi Analyzer Tool
Free WiFi Analyzer Tool turns our Windows 10 computer into an analyzer for our wireless network. As for viewing, it allows 3D and 2D viewing in some of its sections. It will also allow us to manage WiFi networks by discovering any Wi-Fi signal around us. Thus, we will be able to classify Wi-Fi by filtering, ordering and grouping the available networks as well as being able to switch between different networks instantly.
On the other hand, it offers us detailed information about each WiFi access point and is capable of finding the least used channels so that we can assign them to our router. It also allows us to control our network traffic and offers us system notifications when a connection or disconnection occurs. As for the interface, we can choose between a black or white theme. This program is paid although sometimes it is offered for free. Free WiFi Analyzer Tool can be downloaded from the Microsoft Windows Store from here .
WinFi
WinFi is a Windows WiFi analyzer that provides powerful WiFi analysis on the go with any device. It also offers us solutions to Wi-Fi problems thanks to a practical analysis on the fly. A relevant fact is that it is compatible with the 802.11ax standard and also supports the 6 GHz band. It also allows import and export to and from PCAP and session recording on our hard drive or RAM memory.
This tool will allow us to see the list of Wi-Fi networks that we have nearby with all the information. This way we can know the name of the WiFi network (SSID), the manufacturer of the router or access point, the strength of the signal, the minimum and maximum speed, frequency band, channel, channel width and more.
Currently working on WinFi 2.0, at the moment we only have WinFi 1.0 available which is also known as WinFi Lite and which we can download from here .
Wi-Fi Analyzer and Scanner
Wifi Analyzer and Scanner will provide us with useful information about the Wi-Fi signal around us and will help us manage Wi-Fi networks. In that aspect, it will make it easier for us to find a better location for our router or access point. It also offers us information about each Wifi channel, it shows us the strength of the signal in the history graph and it can also recommend the best channel for our AP or router.
This tool is not compatible with older versions of Windows and we have to start from Windows 10. We can download Wifi Analyzer and Scanner for free from the Windows Store by clicking on the following link .
Easy to use Wi-Fi Analyzer
Another free tool to manage WiFi networks is Easy to use WiFi Analyzer . The purpose of this tool is that we obtain a really fast and stable Internet connection, for this we will do it by configuring the optimal channel number in the configuration of our WiFi router and restart it.
This program is optimized for Windows 10 and will clearly show us which channels are being used by nearby networks, and which channels are not being used by anyone. Also to do it more efficiently, it allows you to see the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks separately.
In addition, as it shows us the intensity of the Wi-Fi signal for each nearby network, the Wi-Fi speed and the number of busy and unoccupied channels, we can easily choose the optimal channel for our router or AP. On the other hand, it also shows us the encryption of the networks which can tell us if they are secure or not. The recommended minimum is WPA2 and it also shows open networks without encryption with Open. After changing the channel and encryption if necessary in the router settings, it is convenient to do an Internet speed test that you can do here . Easy to use WiFi Analyzer can be downloaded from the Microsoft store by clicking on this link .
WirelessNetView
WirelessNetView can be defined as a tool that runs in the background and monitors the activity of Wi-Fi networks around us. One positive thing is that it can be used on any Windows XP computer with Servicepack 2/Vista/7/10 so it will practically be compatible with ours.
This program for each detected network shows us the following information: SSID, quality of the last signal, quality of the average signal, detection counter, authentication and encryption algorithm, MAC address, RSSI, channel frequency, channel number and plus.
This tool is published as free software so you will not have to pay anything for it. In addition, translations can be downloaded into various languages, including Spanish, but this has to be done independently. The developer of WirelessNetView is NirSoft and you can download this program to manage WiFi networks from the following link .
Wi-Fi Analyzer Tool
This program shows nearby Wi-Fi networks and you can see all available details of wireless networks. Thanks to its spectrum chart, it can help us identify overlapping networks and choose the best channel for our router. On the other hand, the user can also connect to the networks listed in a list.
Among the main functions of WiFi Analyzer Tool we have:
- Compatibility with 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.
- Real-time spectrum graph with network signal strengths.
- Signal levels history time graph.
- List of WiFi networks with detailed information.
- Allows you to connect to the networks in the list.
- IP and MAC address information.
- Signal strength beep.
- Ability to choose between a light and dark theme.
- Allows you to save graphics as images.
This tool requires a minimum of Windows 10 and is paid, although its price is very cheap at €5. WiFi Analyzer Tool can be downloaded from the Windows Store from here .
Conclusions
Although today there are a large number of programs of this style, without a doubt, our favorite program is Acrylic WiFi. This program has advanced functions such as the possibility of using WiFi cards that support monitor mode, and putting this WiFi card in monitor mode directly from the program. Of course, the version of Acrylic Wi-Fi Professional has a large number of advanced configuration options, such as the possibility of auditing the wireless networks around us. Taking into account the price of this software, it is worth paying for the professional version of the program if you are going to use it intensively, otherwise, with the Home version, which is completely free, it will serve you perfectly for home use.
As you have seen, we have a large number of solutions to view all the WiFi networks around us and perform management tasks to change channels, SSID or security. Thanks to these programs, we will be able to see all the Wi-Fi networks around us easily and quickly, in addition, all of them are very intuitive to use, so they are suitable for home users, although we also have solutions for users something more advanced.