Tag Archives: NetAlly

NetAlly Adds WLAN Survey Capabilities to Etherscope nXG

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Step right up and don’t be shy
Because you will not believe your eyes
It’s right here behind the glass
And you’re gonna like it
‘Cause it’s got class

(Apologies to the The Tubes for butchering up “She’s a Beauty”)

It’s not a stretch to say that the Etherscope nXG has class. It feels good in your hand. And it tells you A LOT. It tells you things that you may not have realized you even needed to know about your LAN and wireless networks. And with every firmware release, it gets more powerful. Like a magic network Jedi in a well-put together hand-held tester.

I watched the Etherscope nXG make it’s debut mid-last last year. And then I saw it get better before 2019 gave way to 2020. Now, we see yet another update to this uber-capable analysis platform, with one particular feature I want to focus on:
Etherscope1

This is such a handy add, as it brings an important and very useful graphical element to the gathering and reporting of Wi-Fi signals with the new AirMapper functionality. Here’s just a tiny taste from my own environment:
etherscope3

Remember- this tool also works the LAN like a boss (including mGig switching environments), does the same thorough WLAN support that we’ve all come to appreciate from predecessor tools like the AirCheck G2, and now is making it’s way into wireless survey duties-  expanding the synergies between the powerful Link-Live cloud repository and the Etherscope nXG.

A quick video on AirMapper is here, and longer overview on the full suit of features in the latest Etherscope nXG is here.

It’s probably obvious that I’m a fan of both NetAlly and Etherscope nXG. One thing I have come to appreciate with the vendor and the tools is that they only gets better, with improved functionality always on the horizon. To that point, the current AirMapper abilities are the first step for the feature, with more coming within a few months. For example, NetAlly expects  to release interference heatmaps at the end of May to show both co-channel and adjacent-channel interference. We’ll also see AirMapper for the AirCheck G2, and both AirCheck and EtherScope will become collectors for AirMagnet SurveyPro.

Given the impact that the current crisis is having on networking budgets, it’s really nice to see a tool like this truly become an investment as more features are added.

Say Hello to NetAlly- a New Old Friend

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When it comes to wireless tools, there are some products that are just beloved by most of us in the trenches. When conversation turns to WLAN verification and characterization,  the AirCheck G2 comes up pretty quickly. I’ve written about it on occasion myself, like here.  My friend Sam Clements has also covered it, and the Air Check G2 and other related products were featured prominently at last year’s Mobility Field Day 3, under the NetScout banner. The G2 and it’s related products are easy to appreciate, and get their fair share of coverage, as it should be.

But things change in San Jose.

The AirCheck G2 and select other NetScout tools and software have spun off into their own new company, called NetAlly. The press release can be found here, and the new NetAlly product family includes all of these from NetScout:

So… some tools we know and love have a new logo… big deal, right? It actually is, as NetAlly’s focus on a smaller product set (handhelds/laptop software) should bode well for product development and updates.

Speaking of which-  the new company will be presenting at Mobility Field Day 4, which can only mean new magic will be revealed. I’ll be watching it first hand, on site as company reps do their announcements. More information on that session, with eventual video  of the live streamed event, can be found at this Mobility Field Day page.

Given that the G2 products have a huge following (and many of us are waiting for AirMagnet to get new development before we pay for ongoing support), this will absolutely be worth following.

Ally