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January 2010, Rev. 3, 01/12

©2010-2012 Fluke Corporation.

All product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Wi-Fi ® is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance.

AirCheck

™

Wi-Fi Tester

Users Manual

LIMITED WARRANTY AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

Each Fluke Networks product is warranted to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use and service. The

warranty period for the mainframe is one year and begins on the date of purchase. Parts, accessories, product repairs and services are warranted for 90 days, unless otherwise stated. Ni-Cad, Ni-MH and Li-Ion batteries, cables or other peripherals are all considered parts or accessories. The warranty extends only to the original buyer or end user customer of a Fluke Networks authorized reseller, and does

not apply to any product which, in Fluke Networks' opinion, has been misused, abused, altered, neglected, contaminated, or damaged by accident or abnormal conditions of operation or handling. Fluke Networks warrants that software will operate substantially in accordance with its functional specifications for 90 days and that it has been properly recorded on non-defective media. Fluke Networks

does not warrant that software will be error free or operate without interruption.

Fluke Networks authorized resellers shall extend this warranty on new and unused products to end-user customers only but have no

authority to extend a greater or different warranty on behalf of Fluke Networks. Warranty support is available only if product is purchased through a Fluke Networks authorized sales outlet or Buyer has paid the applicable international price. Fluke Networks reserves the right to invoice Buyer for importation costs of repair/replacement parts when product purchased in one country is

submitted for repair in another country.

Fluke Networks warranty obligation is limited, at Fluke Networks option, to refund of the purchase price, free of charge repair, or replacement of a defective product which is returned to a Fluke Networks authorized service center within the warranty period.

To obtain warranty service, contact your nearest Fluke Networks authorized service center to obtain return authorization information, then send the product to that service center, with a description of the difficulty, postage and insurance prepaid (FOB destination). Fluke Networks assumes no risk for damage in transit. Following warranty repair, the product will be returned to Buyer, transportation

prepaid (FOB destination). If Fluke Networks determines that failure was caused by neglect, misuse, contamination, alteration, accident or abnormal condition of operation or handling, or normal wear and tear of mechanical components, Fluke Networks will provide an estimate of repair costs and obtain authorization before commencing the work. Following repair, the product will be returned to the

Buyer transportation prepaid and the Buyer will be billed for the repair and return transportation charges (FOB Shipping point).

THIS WARRANTY IS BUYER'S SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY AND IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OR MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. FLUKE

NETWORKS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR LOSSES, INCLUDING LOSS OF DATA, ARISING FROM ANY CAUSE OR THEORY.

Since some countries or states do not allow limitation of the term of an implied warranty, or exclusion or limitation of incidental or

consequential damages, the limitations and exclusions of this warranty may not apply to every buyer. If any provision of this Warranty is held invalid or unenforceable by a court or other decision-maker of competent jurisdiction, such holding will not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision.

4/04

Fluke Networks

PO Box 777Everett, WA 98206-0777USA

i

Contents

TitlePage

Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Registering Your Product ..................................................................................................................................................... 1

The Fluke Networks Knowledge Base ................................................................................................................................. 1

Contact Fluke Networks ....................................................................................................................................................... 2

Safety Information ................................................................................................................................................................ 2

Unpacking ............................................................................................................................................................................. 3

AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester .................................................................................................................................................... 3

AirCheck Frontline Troubleshooting Kit ...................................................................................................................... 3

Physical Features ................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Battery Charging and Life .................................................................................................................................................... 6

Use the AirCheck Manager PC Application for the Best Performance .............................................................................. 7

What You Can Learn About Your Network ........................................................................................................................ 8

What is the Health of My Network? ............................................................................................................................. 8

What is in the Wireless LAN? ........................................................................................................................................ 10

Can Devices Connect to My Network? ......................................................................................................................... 11

What Causes Slow Network Performance or Dropped Connections? ........................................................................ 12

Are There Security Risks in My Network? ..................................................................................................................... 13

How Can I Document My Network and My Test Session? ........................................................................................... 14

How Can I Erase Everything on my AirCheck? ............................................................................................................. 14

AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester

Users Manual

ii

Where is an Access Point? ..............................................................................................................................................14

What Networks or Access Points Come into Range as I Move? ..................................................................................14

The Home Screen ...................................................................................................................................................................15

Using AutoTest to Diagnose Your Network Health ............................................................................................................16

Air Quality ......................................................................................................................................................................17

802.11 Channel Utilization .....................................................................................................................................17

Non-802.11 Channel Utilization .............................................................................................................................17

Co-Channel Interference ........................................................................................................................................18

Network Quality .............................................................................................................................................................19

Rogue Access Points .......................................................................................................................................................20

Set Up the Tester ...................................................................................................................................................................21

Change the Language and Country Settings ...............................................................................................................21

Make a Profile to Connect to Secure Networks ...........................................................................................................21

Settings ...........................................................................................................................................................................23

802.11d Operation .........................................................................................................................................................29

Change the Thresholds for the Colors in Bar Graphs ...................................................................................................30

Give Access Points an Authorization Status .................................................................................................................31

Discover Networks and Access Points ...................................................................................................................................32

Notes for Networks and Access Points .................................................................................................................................43

If the Tester Does Not Discover an Access Point ..................................................................................................................46

Channel Usage .......................................................................................................................................................................46

Verify Connectivity ................................................................................................................................................................49

Connect to a Network or Access Point ..........................................................................................................................49

Entering Security Credentials Using "Connect" ...........................................................................................................50

Ping a Device or Web Server .........................................................................................................................................54

Discover Clients ......................................................................................................................................................................56

Discovering Clients through Meru APs .........................................................................................................................56

If the Tester Does Not Discover a Client ..............................................................................................................................61

Contents

iii

Locate an Access Point or a Client ....................................................................................................................................... 61

The External Directional Antenna ....................................................................................................................................... 65

Adjust Signal Strength Measurements to Agree with Other Devices ................................................................................ 68

Save a Test Session ................................................................................................................................................................ 69

Manage Files on the Tester .................................................................................................................................................. 70

About Files on the Tester .............................................................................................................................................. 71

Transfer Files to a PC ..................................................................................................................................................... 72

Maintenance ......................................................................................................................................................................... 72

Clean the Tester ............................................................................................................................................................. 73

Update the Software in the Tester ............................................................................................................................... 73

Restore Factory Defaults ............................................................................................................................................... 74

Erase All Data ................................................................................................................................................................. 74

Device Information ........................................................................................................................................................ 74

If the Tester Will Not Turn Off ...................................................................................................................................... 74

Options and Accessories ....................................................................................................................................................... 75

Specifications ......................................................................................................................................................................... 76

Environmental Specifications ........................................................................................................................................ 76

General Specifications ................................................................................................................................................... 78

Wireless Specifications ................................................................................................................................................... 79

Federal Communication Commission and Industry Canada Interference Statement ....................................................... 82

Important Note: FCC and IC Radiation Exposure Statement ...................................................................................... 82

Europe-EU Declaration of Conformity ......................................................................................................................... 83

AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester

Users Manual

iv v

List of Figures

FigurePage

1. Physical Features ...................................................................................................................................................4

2. How to Remove the Battery.................................................................................................................................6

3. AutoTest Results Viewed in AirCheck Manager..................................................................................................7

4. The Home Screen .................................................................................................................................................15

5. AutoTest Results Screen........................................................................................................................................16

6. 802.11 Channel Utilization Default Thresholds ..................................................................................................17

7. Non-802.11 Channel Utilization Default Thresholds ..........................................................................................18

8. Air Quality Co-channel Default Threshold ..........................................................................................................18

9. Signal Level Default Threshold ............................................................................................................................19

10. Main AutoTest Display..........................................................................................................................................19

11. Examining the Network Quality of an SSID ........................................................................................................20

12. Change the Thresholds for the Colors in a Bar Graph........................................................................................30

13. Networks (SSIDs) List.............................................................................................................................................33

14. Access Points List...................................................................................................................................................37

15. Access Point Details Screen...................................................................................................................................41

16. Channel Usage Screen ..........................................................................................................................................46

17. Channel Usage Details Screen..............................................................................................................................48

18. The Connection Screen.........................................................................................................................................52

19. The Connection Log..............................................................................................................................................54

20. The Ping Screen.....................................................................................................................................................55

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vi

21. Clients Screen ........................................................................................................................................................57

22. Client Details Screen .............................................................................................................................................59

23. Locate Access Point Screen ...................................................................................................................................62

24. Locate Client Screen..............................................................................................................................................63

25. Search Pattern for the Omnidirectional Antenna in the Tester.........................................................................64

26. Search Pattern for the External Antenna ............................................................................................................66

27. How to Point the External Antenna.....................................................................................................................67

28. oui_abbr.txt File ....................................................................................................................................................71

1

Wi-FiAirCheck

™ Wi-Fi Tester

Introduction

The AirCheck

™ Wi-Fi Tester lets you make sure that 802.11 wireless LANs are available to mobile users, examine the usage of channels to help you do an analysis of network health, and find the source of connection problems. The tester operates on 802.11 b/g/n networks in the 2.4 GHz band and 802.11 a/n networks in the 5 GHz band. The optional PoE detector shows you if Power over Ethernet voltage from 802.3af and higher-power 802.3at devices is available on twisted pair network cabling.

You can save the test results and use AirCheck

™ Manager software to transfer the results to a PC and make professional-quality reports. You can use AirCheck Manager to compare information from different test sessions to see changes in a wireless LAN.

Registering Your Product

Registering your product with Fluke Networks gives you access to valuable information on product updates, troubleshooting procedures, and other services. To register, fill out the online form on the Fluke Networks website at www.flukenetworks.com/registration.

The Fluke Networks Knowledge Base

The Fluke Networks Knowledge Base gives answers to common questions about Fluke Networks products and includes information on technology and procedures for network and cable tests. To see the Knowledge Base, go to www.flukenetworks.com, then click Support > Knowledge Base.

AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester

Users Manual

2

Contact Fluke Networks

www.flukenetworks.com support@flukenetworks.com  +1-425-446-4519

Australia: 61 (2) 8850-3333 or 61 (3) 9329 0244

Beijing: 86 (10) 6512-3435

Brazil: 11 3759 7600

Canada: 1-800-363-5853

Europe: +31-(0) 40 2675 600

Hong Kong: 852 2721-3228

Japan: 03-6714-3117

Korea: 82 2 539-6311

Singapore: +65-6799-5566

Taiwan: (886) 2-227-83199

USA: 1-800-283-5853

For more phone numbers, go to our website.

Safety Information

Table 1 gives descriptions of the safety symbols used on the tester and in this manual.

Table 1. Safety Symbols

Warning or Caution: risk of damage to or

destruction of equipment or software. See explanations in the manual.

Warning: Risk of electrical shock.

Do not put products that contain circuit

boards into waste conta iners. Refer to local regulations for disposal procedures.

This equipment contains a Class 2 radio.

W X ~

Unpacking

3

WWarningX

Use only the ac adapter provided to charge the

battery.

WCaution

If you use an external antenna, use only the

antenna that Fluke Networks makes for the

AirCheck tester. The tester will not operate

correctly with other antennas and may violate local regulations.

Unpacking

The AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester comes with the accessories in the list below. If something is damaged or missing, tell the dealer where you purchased the product.

AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester

AirCheck with rechargeable battery pack

AC adapter

USB cable

Carrying case

Getting Started Guide

Product manuals CD

AirCheck Manager Software CD

AirCheck Frontline Troubleshooting Kit

AirCheck with rechargeable battery pack

Extra battery pack

LinkRunner

™ Pro

External directional antenna with RSMA connector

PoE detector

AC adapter

USB cable

Carrying case

Getting Started Guide

Product manuals CD

AirCheck Manager Software CD

AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester

Users Manual

4

Physical Features

ffy01.eps

Figure 1. Physical Features

F1F2

SELECT

A B C D E F GH JE I KL M N O

Physical Features

5

On/off key.

Makes a selection on the screen.

Navigation keys.

Shows the previous screen.

Softkeys. The function of the softkey is shown above the key.

Full-color LCD.

The LED blinks when the tester tries to connect to a wireless LAN. The LED is on when the tester is connected

to a wireless LAN.

The LED blinks when the tester transmits data.

Shows the home screen.

O: Erases all data collected during the current sequence of tests. This does not erase the results saved in memory.

P: Saves all data in a session file. See page 69.

The LED turns on when you connect the ac adapter. The LED is red when the battery charges and green when

the battery is fully charged.

Connector for the ac adapter.

USB port for connection to a PC. AirCheck will appear as a mass storage device. Connector for the external directional antenna. See page 65.

Screw for the battery pack.

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6

Battery Charging and Life

Charge the battery for 4 hours before you use it for the first time. To charge the battery, connect the ac adapter to the battery connector ( in Figure 1). You can use the tester while you charge the battery.

Figure 2 shows how to replace the battery.

When the tester is off, the battery charges in approximately

3 hours.

Note

The battery will not charge if the internal

temperature of the tester is above 113ºF (45ºC). The battery life is approximately 5.5 hours during typical operation. An icon in the upper-left corner of the screen shows the battery status. See Figure 4 on page 15. ffy14.eps

Figure 2. How to Remove the Battery

Use the AirCheck Manager PC Application for the Best Performance 7

Use the AirCheck Manager PC

Application for the Best Performance

To get the most performance from your tester, use AirCheck Manager to upgrade the AirCheck tester firmware, view measurement results saved as session files, generate reports on session files, setup the tester configuration and save it to a profile, and transfer the profile to the tester. A profile lets the tester do these tasks:

Connect to networks that require security credentials. Security credentials can be entered on the tester or through the AirCheck Manager software.

Show the correct authorization status for each access point. This lets you quickly see which access points are authorized parts of the network.

Setup key network devices to Ping. You should configure security credentials for the network(s) containing any key devices that you are pinging.

See "Using AutoTest to Diagnose Your Network Health" on page 16. Also use the AirCheck Manager online Help for instructions. ffy29.bmp Figure 3. AutoTest Results Viewed in AirCheck Manager

AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester

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8

What You Can Learn About Your

Network

What is the Health of My Network?

How is my Wi-Fi Air Quality?

Are my channels overloaded with

access points and Wi-Fi traffic?

Are any of my channels too noisy?

Select AutoTest - After the AutoTest has run, select Air Quality to view the results of 802.11 Channel Utilization, Non-802.11 Channel Utilization, and Co-

Channel Interference health assessment.

The 802.11 Channel Utilization results include the top three channels having the most Wi-Fi traffic. The channel utilization value along with the rating of Pass, Warning, or Fail, is displayed. The test rating is based on a comparison of the actual value to user settable thresholds. These thresholds are configured in the Tools > Thresholds / AutoTest Settings. The Non-802.11 Channel Utilization results include the top three channels with the most non- 802.11 interference and noise. The channel utilization value along with the rating of Pass, Warning, or Fail, is displayed. The Co-Channel Interference results include the top three channels with the most APs with a minimum signal strength. The AP count along with the rating of Pass, Warning, or Fail is displayed. See Using AutoTest to Diagnose Your Network Health, on page 32.

What You Can Learn About Your Network

9

How is my Wi-Fi Network Quality?

Can I hear any access points that

support my networks?

Are there coverage holes in this area?

Are there too many close APs using

the same channel making my network slow? Can I connect?Select AutoTest - After the AutoTest has run, select Network Quality to view the results of Coverage, Co-Channel Interference, Security, and

Connection health assessment.

The Coverage results include the number of APs with good signal quality supporting a network (SSID) along with the rating of Pass, Warning, or Fail. The test rating is based on a comparison of the actual values to user settable thresholds. The AP count and signal quality thresholds of signal level and signal-to-noise are set in the Tools > Thresholds / AutoTest Settings > Network Coverage, Signal level and Signal-to-noise Threshold screens. The Co-Channel Interference results include the number of overlapping APs for a network along with the rating of Pass, Warning, or Fail. This is based on single network (SSID) comparison to thresholds. Thresholds for this test are set in the Tools > Thresholds / AutoTest Settings > Network Quality co-channel thresholds screen. The Security results report whether all APs on the SSID use the same security credentials along with a rating of Pass, Warning, or Fail. The Connection test attempts to link to each network configured in your profile (see page 50). Test results indicate whether or not you can connect at your current location. The health of you connection, e.g., tx rate, packet retries, and if you can reach other devices on the network, e.g., ping. The results are presented along with a rating of Pass, Warning, or Fail.

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10

What unauthorized or unknown

access points are connected to my Wi-

Fi network?

Are they a security risk? The Rogue Access Points test indicates whether unauthorized access points are detected with a rating of

Pass or Warning. Results include a list of

all rogue access points heard at your location. Identification of rogue access points requires configuration of Access Control List (ACL). ACL configuration is available from the AutoTest screen by selecting Rogue

Access Points > ACL or Home> Access Points > ACL.

See Us

ing AutoT est to Diagnose Your Network Health, on page 32.

What is in the Wireless LAN?

Select Networks to see a list of wireless LANs and the access points that connect to each network. To see all access points that are available at your location, select Access Points. See page 33. Select Access Points to see a list of access points available at your location and the signal strength of the access points. See page 37. Select Access Points, highlight an access point, then press L. See page 37. Save the test session, then use AirCheck Manager to compare the access point l ist to another list saved in AirCheck Manager. See pages 61 and 72. From the home screen, select Networks, select a network and drill into the Access Point Details screen, then select Clients. You can also drill into the Access Point Details screen from many locations to see the clie nts associated with any specific access point.What wireless LANs are available?

What access points are available?

Ar e the signal strengths sufficient?

Is the access point configured correctly?

Are there new access points in the area?

Ar e access points inaudible?

What wireless clients use the network?

Can Devices Connect to My Network?

Note To connect to a secure network, the tester must have a profile that includes s ecurity credentials. If credentials are not available, the softkey shows as

Connect*. See page 21.

Select Net

works , highlight a network, then press Connect. See page 52. Select Access Points, highlight an access point, then press Connect. See page 52.

Look at the connection log. See page 54.

Do a ping test. See page 54.

From the home screen, select Clients to see if the client transmits probe request frames and to see basic settings such as the channel and SSIDs the client uses in probes. See page 57.

What You Can Learn About Your Network

11

Use the tester to verify connectivity.

Can a device connect as a client to my

network (SSID)?

Can a device connect to an access point

(BSSID)?

If a device cannot connect to a network

o r access point, where does the connection procedure fail?

Can a device ping a network device?

Does the network interface card in a

client operate correctly? What Causes Slow Network Performance or Dropped Connections? Select Access Points. The Access Points screen shows the signal strength for each access point. Select an access point to see more details about the signal strength and congestion. See page 41. Select Channels to see an overview of channel usage and the number of access points and connected clients that use each channel. To see a graph, highlight a channel, then press

L. See page 46.

Select Channels. Non-802.11 interference is gray portion of the graph bar. This noise can interfere with WLAN connections or performance. Non-802.11 noise can come from microwave ovens, wireless telephones, Bluetooth ® devices, motion detectors, wireless cameras and other wireless devices. See page 48.

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12

Is the signal strength sufficient?

Is the network too busy?

Is there non-802.11 interference on a

c hannel?

Are There Security Risks in My Network?

Select Networks. Networks that have unsecured access points show a red open lock ( ). See page 33.

Select Ne

t works. Networks that have ad hoc clients show the ad hoc icon ( ) in the SSID column. Ad hoc clients can be risks to network security or can violate network policies. See page 33.

Access points have the status "

Unauthorized device" until you change the status. If you give all access points in the network a status, then new access points that can be rogues show the status . If you know that an access point is a rogue, you can give it the status " Flagged Device". See page 31. To give an authorization status, select Access Points, highlight an access point, then press ACL. You can change all access points to authorized by selecting Change all APs to Authorized. Then you can assign each device's status as guest, neighbor, flagged, or set to unauthorized.

To locate an access point, select it, then press

Locate on the Access Point

Details screen. See page 61.

What You Can Learn About Your Network

13

Do networks have the expected level of

security?

Are there any ad hoc networks in the

ar ea?

Are there rogue access points in the

ar ea? Where are they?

AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester

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14

Where is an Access Point?

Select Access Points, select one access point, then press Locate on the Access Point Details screen. See page 61. You may

also use the optional Fluke Networks external directional antenna to help you find access points faster. See page 61.

What Networks or Access Points Come into Range as I Move?

Sort the list in descending sequence for the timestamp column ( ). Press O, then move through an area. Networks or

access points that come into range are added to the top of the list. See page 34 or 38. How Can I Document My Network and My Test Session?

Save the session (see page 61), then use AirCheck Manager software to transfer the data to a PC and make a report. See

page 72.

How Can I Erase Everything on my AirCheck?

If you want to erase all settings, session data and profiles from the tester, select Tools > Erase All - Everything that has

been saved or stored on the AirCheck tester is erased.

The Home Screen

15

The Home Screen

5 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 ffy15.eps

Figure 4. The Home Screen

Shows the battery status. When the battery

charge is low, the icon blinks. Connect the ac adapter to charge the battery and to make sure the tester continues to operate.

Indicates that the ac adapter is connected.

Indicates that the external antenna is

connected. Note

Networks: Discovers wireless LANs. See page 32.

Access Points: Discovers access points. See page 32. Channels: Shows usage of WLAN channels. See page 46. The name of the profile the tester uses. The profile is

Default

if you have not loaded a different profile. The name shows an asterisk if you have changed a setting on the tester since you loaded or saved the profile. See page 71. AutoTest: Automatically checks the health of your network by looking at channel usage and interference, i.e., Air Quality, network coverage and connectivity, i.e., Network Quality, and detecting rogue access points. Clients: Discovers associated and un-associated (e.g., probing) clients.

Tools: Lets you manage files and settings.

AirCheck will not transmit or connect to an

access point when the external antenna is connected.

AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester

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16

Left: The channel the tester currently monitors.

The color of the bars shows the status of the country code for the regulatory domai n. See "802.11d

Operation" on page 29.

Right:

The number of access points the tester has

seen. This number is a count of physical access points when Gr oup virtual access points is enabled. See page 26.
Up to 500 access points can be stored in the access point dat abase on the tester. When the access point icon turns yellow, this indicates that greater than or equal to 400 access points have been discovered. When the icon turns red, this indicates that 500 or more access points have been discovered and the access point database is full. Any new access points seen will not be included in the list.

Using AutoTest to Diagnose Your

Network Health

The AutoTest automatically checks the health of your network looking at Air Quality, Network Quality, and the potential threat of rogue access points. Note

If no SSIDs have been configured, i.e., added on AirCheck, AutoTest will run against all SSIDs. If SSIDs have been added, only those SSIDs will be tested. The Connection test will run for only those SSIDs that have been configured with security credentials.

ffy34.bmp

Figure 5. AutoTest Results Screen

Using AutoTest to Diagnose Your Network Health

17

Air Quality

The Air Quality measurement displays 802.11 Channel Utilization, Non-802.11 Channel Utilization, and Co-channel

Interference.

802.11 Channel Utilization

The 802.11 Channel Utilization results include three Wi-Fi channels with the highest 802.11 utilization are displayed with the measured value and rating symbol: Pass, warning, fail. Save the profile so settings are not lost when the tester is powered off. This measurement is based on the thresholds set in the Tools > Thresholds / AutoTest Settings > 802.11 channel utilization thresholds screen shown in the next figure. ffy22.bmp Figure 6. 802.11 Channel Utilization Default Thresholds

Press

Thresholds to view AutoTest threshold values and

learn how they are used to review your network and report its health.

Change thresholds in

Tools > Thresholds /AutoTest Settings

screen.

Non-802.11 Channel Utilization

The Non-802.11 Channel Utilization results include the top three channels with the most non-802.11 interference, e.g., noise. The channel utilization value along with the rating of Pass, warning, . fail.

AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester

Users Manual

18 The usage will vary depending on the time of day, the number of clients that have transitioned from the wired side of the network to the wireless side, or the amount of interference from devices such as microwaves or video cameras, etc. This measurement is based on the thresholds set in the Tools > Thresholds / AutoTest Settings > Non-802.11 channel utilization thresholds screen. ffy23.bmp

Figure 7. Non-802.11 Channel Utilization Default

ThresholdsCo-Channel Interference

The Co-Channel Interference results include the number of overlapping APs that exceed the signal quality threshold and is seen with a rating of Pass, Warning, or Fail. Thresholds for this test are set in the Tools > Thresholds / AutoTest Settings > Network Quality co-channel thresholds screen, and the channel signal strength threshold is set in the Tools > Thresholds / AutoTest Settings > Signal level thresholds screen. ffy24.bmp Figure 8. Air Quality Co-channel Default Threshold

Using AutoTest to Diagnose Your Network Health

19 ffy25.bmp

Figure 9. Signal L

evel Default Threshold This measurement is independent of SSIDs and solely looks at the number of

APs and their signal quality.

Network Quality

The Network Quality measurements check for network availability provided, the existence of interference from access points using the same channel which may impact network slowness, AP use of consistent security methods for a network, and the ability to connect and use the network (access to services, other devices) and provide network quality. ffy26.bmp

Figure 10. Main AutoTest Display

Network security can be set up from the home screen by selecti ng Networks > Connect and walking through the security set up screens. See Entering Security Credentials on page 50 for Connect procedures. Network Quality tests are run for each SSID in the current profile with results reported on the Network Quality screen. All discovered SSIDs will be tested against if no SSIDs are set up in the profile. The Connection test results indicate whether or not you can connect at your current location. The health of you connection, e.g., packet tx rate, packet retries, and if you can reach other devices on the network, e.g., ping.

AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester

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20 The results are presented along with a rating of Pass, Warning, or Fail. In order to run the Connect test, the SSID security must be setup, otherwise you will see: ffy27.bmp Figure 11. Examining the Network Quality of an SSID

Rogue Access Points

The Rogue Access Points test indicates whether

unauthorized access points are detected with a rating of Pass, Warning, or Fail. Results include a list of all rogue access points heard at your location.

Identification of rogue access points requires

configuration of Access Control List (ACL). Initially, all access points are set to unauthorized. Set the ACL status, go to

the home screen, and select the Access

Points screen. Then select

ACL, and edit each access point. Select Change all APs to Authorized to set the status of all access points discovered to "Authorized." This can also be done in the AutoTest > Rogue Access Points screen by selecting ACL, highlighting the access point, and selecting ACL again. Place a check next to the following authorization type and press the back button . Note If you change the ACL in AutoTest, you must rerun AutoT est for the changes to apply. Unauthorized device Authorized device Neighbor device Guest device Flagged device Change all APs to Authorized

Set Up the Tester

21

Set Up the Tester

To change settings on the tester, select Tools from the home screen. See Table 2 on page 24.

Change the Language and Country Settings

1Select Tools.

2To change the language for the screens, select Set

language. Highlight a language, then press Save.

3To change the country, select Set country, select the

country where you will use the tester, then press

Save. See page

28.

Make a Profile to Connect to Secure Networks

Profiles are files that contain security settings for networks and configuration settings for the tester. The network settings include security credentials. Security credentials let the tester connect to networks and perform Ping tests,

discover DNS servers, DHCP servers, and the default Router. Profiles contain network security credentials/settings for the

tester to be able to connect to networks. The profile can be password protected so that unauthorized users cannot use the tester to connect to secure networks, and do not have access to network security credentials on the AirCheck

Manager PC application.

You can save the settings from the tester as a profile or use

AirCheck Manager to make a profile on a PC.

The home screen shows the name of the profile the tester uses. The name shows an asterisk if you have changed a setting on the tester since you loaded or saved the profile. The tester saves the changes in a temporary file. The tester uses the temporary file as the current profile. When you save the profile, the tester copies the changes into the profile shown on the home screen. Profiles that you make in AirCheck Manager include these settings:

A password for the profile

Security credentials for networks (encryption, user name, password, etc.) Authorization status of networks (SSIDs) and access points

IP addresses used for ping tests

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All 802.11 settings (For example, Enable 2.4 GHz band and Enable 5 GHz band. See page 26.)

Country

AutoTest settings

Threshold settings for bar graphs

If you save the profile while you use it on the tester, the tester adds these settings to the profile:

The sound setting for the locate function

The auto shutoff setting

Sequences for the sort order for lists of networks, access points, and clients

To transfer a profile from a PC to the tester

1Use the Profile Setup in AirCheck Manager to make a

profile.

2Use the USB cable supplied with the tester to connect

the tester to the PC.

3Use the transfer function in the Profile Setup to

transfer the profile to the tester.

To load a profile that is in the tester

1Select Tools > Manage profiles / network passwords,

then select Load profile.

2Highlight a profile, press L, then press Load.

Note If the file is not a valid profile, or if the extension is not ".ACP", the tester shows the message "Unable to load selected profile".

3Enter the password for the profile, if necessary.

Note You only need to enter the password the first time you load a profile on the tester. To put password protection on all profiles again, select Tools >

Restore factory defaults.

To save the current settings as a profile

1Select Tools > Manage profiles / network passwords,

then select Save profile. To save the profile with the filename shown, press Save. The tester saves the profile in the "PROFILES" folder.

Set Up the Tester

23
To overwrite a profile that is saved on the tester, highlight the profile, press

L, press Save, then

press OK.

To edit the filename, press Edit.

-continued- Note

File names can have a maximum of 8 characters

with an extension of 3 characters. The extension must be ".ACP" if you want to see the profile in

AirCheck Manager.

To delete characters in the filename, press

Delete.

To add characters to the filename, use to

highlight a character, then press L. To move the cursor in the filename, highlight the filename, then press . To save the profile with the edited filename, press press Save. The tester saves the profile in the "PROFILES" folder.

To delete a profile

1Select Tools > Manage files.

2Select Delete file.

3Select the PROFILES folder.

4Highlight the profile and press L.

5Press Delete.

Settings

Table 2 describes the different settings and the screens they affect. Settings are accessed from the Tools screen.

When you change a setting, press

Save to save your changes. To exit and not save your settings, press

Cancel.

Note To save your settings in a profile, select Tools >

Manage profiles / network passwords > Save

profile. The profile name is displayed in the upper- right corner of the home screen. If it displays with an asterisk *, this indicates a setting change has been made and the profile has not been saved.

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Table 2. Settings on the Tools Menu

Thresholds /AutoTest

SettingsLets you set the thresholds used for the AutoTest and for other measurements throughout the tester. See page 30. Measurements can display

Pass, Warning, or Fail based

on these thresholds. AutoTest does not connect to open SSIDs unless the are manually added in AirCheck

Manager and saved into the AirCheck profile.

Connect to networks - When checked, connectivity to SSIDs in the current profile will be tested as part of the Network Quality AutoTest. SSIDs with configured security and open/ unsecured SSIDs are included. Signal threshold - Indicates relative distance to AP/client. Seen in the AutoTest > Network Quality test and in the Client Details screen. Used globally, not just in AutoTest. Noise threshold - Detected noise level. Seen in NetWork Quality > CoChannel Interference/ Security > by drilling into the AP Details screen. Used globally, not just in AutoTest. S/N threshold - Measures/predicts quality of signal for client's connection. Seen in the AutoTest > Network Quality Coverage screen. Used globally, not just in AutoTest.

Network coverage threshold

- The number of APs in an SSID required to pass the coverage portion of the AutoTest > Network Quality test under Coverage.

802.11 utilization threshold - Percent of time the channel has 802.11 packets while AutoTest

was collecting the results. Seen in the Air Quality screen. Non 802.11 utilization threshold - Percent of time the channel has excessive noise while AutoTest was collecting the results. Seen in the Air Quality screen. Air Quality co-Channel Interference threshold - Multiple APs on same channel interfere. Seen in the Air Quality screen. Network Quality co-channel threshold - APs matching SSID overlap on channel. Seen in the

Network Qu

ality screen under Connection Details.

Set Up the Tester

25

Thresholds /AutoTest

Settings

(continued)Retry rate threshold - Percent of ping packets resent during the ping test. Seen in the

Network Quality screen under Connection Details.

Connect Packet Rate Level threshold - Packet rate percent of the AP maximum supported rate, i.e., actual/max = %. Seen in the Network Quality screen in Connection Details. Minimum signal threshold - Co-channel interference tests ignore APs below this signal level. Seen in the Network Quality screen under Connection Details and Air Quality Co-Channel

Interference results.

Manage FilesLoad profile - Loads a previously saved profile. Profiles contain all the tester configuration

settings including SSID security credentials. Save Profile - Saves the current settings to a profile file. You can change the default name shown at the bottom of the screen by pressing Edit. Rename file - Allows you to rename Profiles and Session files. Delete file - Allows you to delete Profiles and Session files. Note Current measurements are saved to a session file by pressing P .

Table 2. Settings on the Tools Menu (continued)

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Manage 802.11 settings

Note

These settings change

how the tester finds and displays access points.

Make sure that you

know what these settings do before you use the tester. Lets you set options for channels and access point lists. Enable 2.4 GHz band, Enable 5 GHz band: Select one or both frequency bands to see networks and access points from one or both bands. Transmit probes: To discover access points, the tester listens for SSID broadcasts on each channel. The tester can discover only access points that broadcast their SSID while the tester is on the same channel. For faster discovery, the tester transmits probe request frames by default to get responses from access points. Because probes increase channel usage, the tester does not transmit them when you look at the channel usage screens or when you connect the external antenna. Group virtual access points: When an access point broadcasts multiple SSIDs and/or MAC addresses (BSSIDs), the MACs are virtual access points. Virtual access points can support different networks from the same physical access point. An access point that uses two radios to broadcast multiple MACs can support networks on different channels. When Group virtual access points is enabled, virtual access points show as one access point in the Access Points list. If the access point broadcasts a name (shown in the Name/ MAC column), the number of SSIDs it supports shows in the SSID column. For example, "2 SSIDs" shows in the column. If the access point does not broadcast a name, it has an asterisk in the column or columns where the BSID is different from one virtual access point to another. To see the MAC addresses and SSIDs for the virtual access points, select the access point in the Access

Points list.

By default, this setting is enabled.

Table 2. Settings on the Tools Menu (continued)

Set Up the Tester

27

Manage 802.11 settings

(continued)Gray inaudible access points: If the tester has not heard an access point for four cycles

through all channels, the access point is gray in the Access Points list. This is the default setting. Delete inaudible access points: If the tester has not heard an access point for four cycles through all channels, it deletes the access point from the Access Points list. Use custom signal adjustments: Signal strength measurements from different models of wireless testers or from clients used as a reference do not always agree with each other. The differences are caused mainly by differences in the antennas. To make the devices agree, you can add an offset to the AirCheck measurements in this screen.

Manage profiles / network

passwordsAllows you to change the profile password (set to none by default), and edit network security credentials/settings you have previously configured. The profile password prevents unauthorized access to the previously entered network security credentials. To change the profile password, select Change profile password, enter the password and select

Change. Or select Delete to remove the password.

To change the network security credentials, select Edit Networks, and select the network to edit. AirCheck supports the following encryption format: Open, WEP, Legacy 802.1X, WPA Personal, WPA2 Personal, WPA Enterprise, and WPA2 Enterprise. Note AirCheck does not support Cisco LEAP authentication or Cisco PPK (Per-Packet

Keying).

Table 2. Settings on the Tools Menu (continued)

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Set time and dateLets you set the time and date. Use to select a setting, then use to change the setting the tester includes with saved results.

Set countryChannels that are illegal in the country you select are red on the Channel Usage, Channel

Usage Details, and Access Point Details screens. See "802.11d Operation" on page 29. Access points that transmit a country code that does not agree with this setting have red bars in the 802.11 column. Set languageSets the language for the user interface.

View AirCheck informationDisplays the tester serial number, MAC address, software version, USB version, and radio

version.

Brightness and Auto-

ShutoffDim display brightness - Allows you to set the display brightness for low light use. Check the box and select Save to change the setting  Auto-shutoff enabled - When enabled, the tester turns off automatically after 10 minutes of inactivity (no key pressed). The tester does not save the test session when it turns off automatically. It does save changes you made to the profile. The tester does not turn off automatically if the ac adapter is connected. To save your setting, press Save.

To exit and not save your setting, press Cancel.

Restore factory defaultsMakes all settings go back to default values. See Appendix B. Erase AllClears all data on the tester including profiles and saved session data.

Table 2. Settings on the Tools Menu (continued)

Set Up the Tester

29

802.11d Operation

If an access point uses the 802.11d standard, it transmits an ISO country code in its beacons and probe responses. When the tester receives this code, it transmits only on channels that are legal in the country, and uses only power levels that are legal. If the tester does not receive a country code, the tester operates in "world mode":

The tester uses only channels and power levels that are legal in all countries. The channels are 1 to 11 in the 2.4

GHz band. The tester will not transmit probes on channels 12, 13, and 14 in the 2.4 GHz band. The tester will not transmit in the 5 GHz band unless it sees access points that operate in that band. The tester uses the lowest transmission power that is legal in all countries. The bars at the bottom of the display and icons on the networks and access point displays show the status of the country code: Green bars: The tester received a country code from one or more access points. All country codes received are the same, and they all agree with the setting in Tools > Set country. The tester operates on channels and uses power levels that are legal in that country. White bars: The tester has not received a country code.

The tester operates in world mode.

Red bars: The tester received a country code that is different from the setting in Tools > Set country. To identify the network or access point that transmits the code, select Networks or Access Points, then look for the red bars in the

802.11 column.

The Access Point Details screen shows the 802.11d country code that the access point transmits. Appendix C shows the countries for the codes.

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Change the Thresholds for the Colors in Bar

Graphs

The bar graphs show you if the signal strength, noise, Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), etc. are above or below specified thresholds. They are represented as red, yellow, or green. You can change the thresholds to meet the requirements of your network.

To change thresholds

1Select Tools.

2Select Thresholds / AutoTest Settings.

3Select an item. Figure 12 shows how to change the

thresholds for the colors. Note A B CCC In AutoTest, results that are green or better pass, results that are red and below fail, and results in between red and green produce a warning. ffy05.eps Figure 12. Change the Thresholds for the Colors in a Bar Graph

Use to select a color. Use to increase or

decrease the measured value for the color. The vertical lines show where the value you set is on the bar graph. To save your settings, press Save. To exit and not save your settings, press Cancel.

Set Up the Tester

31

Give Access Points an Authorization Status

When you set the authorization status for each access point, you can quickly see if an access point is an authorized part of the network. Access points have Unauthorized ( ) in the access control list column (ACL) until you change the status. You can select one access point at a time and change its status. You can also select Change all APs to Authorized and then work backwards identifying each access point that will not have authorization status.

To give an access point an authorization status

1Select Access Points.

2If an access point has more than one MAC address and

you want to give the MACs different authorization statuses, select the access point.

3Highlight an access point, then press ACL.

4Highlight a status on the Authorization Status screen,

press

L, then press .

Unauthorized device: The access point does not have an authorization status. Authorized device: The access point is authorized to connect to the network. Neighbor device: The access point is not authorized to connect to the network, but is not a threat to network security. Guest device: The access point is authorized to connect to the network, but has limited access. Flagged device: You can use this symbol for access points you want to monitor. For example, if you think that an access point is a rogue, you can put a flag on it until you learn more about it. When you turn off the tester, it saves the ACL settings in the profile. Note If an access point does not transmit, but you know its MAC address, you can use AirCheck Manager to give the access point an authorization status. Save the status in a profile on the PC, then transfer the profile to the tester.

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Discover Networks and Access Points

Note By default, the tester looks for wireless signals on the 2.4 GHz (b/g/n) and 5 GHz (a/n) frequency bands to identify wireless access points. To change this setting, select Tools, then select Manage 802.11 settings.

To discover networks or access points

1From the home screen, select Networks or Access

Points. The tester shows the Networks list or Access

Points list (Figures

13 and 14).

2To see details about an access point (Figure 15), use

to highlight the access point, then press L.        Notes An SSID is black if the network (or access point) is in range. An SSID that turns gray indicates that a network (or access point) has not been heard recently, or is now out of range (if Gray inaudible access points is enabled). An SSID that turns purple indicates there is a note to the right with additional information about the status of the network (or access point).

Discover Networks and Access Points

33
ffy03.eps

Figure 13. Networks (SSIDs) List

N I

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: The time when the tester first heard the network.

To see networks that come into range as you move

through an area, sort the list in descending sequence for the timestamp column.

Press

O, then move through an area. Networks that

come into range are added to the top of the list.

Networks that become out of range become gray if

Gray inaudible access points is enabled.

ACL: The authorization status of the access point. The default status is Unauthorized device. Change the status of each access point to show how it is related to your network. See page 31. (...): All access points in the network do not have the same authorization status. : The maximum signal strength of all the access points for a network SSID. You can change the thresholds for the colors in the bar graphs. See page 30.

SNR: Signal to Noise Ratio is a measure of signal str

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