Useful WiFi Analyzer for Smart Phones

If you have a smart phone, then you're probably familiar with the initial excitement of downloading apps to your phone. When I get a new phone, or device that will run apps, I usually go through an app binge phase; "Oh, that looks interesting!" *push* "And that!" *push*, etc. However, as cool as the sky chart is, I really never use it (except to show someone how cool it is!), and unfortunately, most of my friends aren't gullible enough to bite repeatedly on the "My phone is a shaver" routine (an app that makes the phone's buzzer activate whenever you push the on-screen button).

After the rush wears off, I'm left with a bunch of apps that only take up space, and just a few that I actually use.

Besides the obvious features (email, calendar synching, camera, and using my phone as a phone) one of the few remaining apps that I actually use is WiFi Analyzer.

We often hear from a patron that their wireless internet isn't working. Of course we can always check in with the other patrons as well, but that can be somewhat inaccurate. Instead, I prefer to use the WiFi Analyer to get a more accurate picture of what is really going on with the WiFi.

WiFi Analyzer shows a graphic representation of the signal strength for all of the wireless connections available. If ALD Hotspot doesn't show up, then I know the wireless is probably down. If I see a strong signal, then it is more likely a problem with the Airport or WiFi connection on the individual computer. If I see a weak signal, then the computer is probably in a dead zone, and I can move around to find a location with a stronger signal.

My phone runs Android, so I use WiFi Analyzer, which is available for free on the Android Market. I haven't been able to find an equivalent on the iPadd App Store, but WiPry is close. Althought WiPry looks technically amazing, it lumps all signals togethers without naming them, so it's less precise for identifying which signal you're actually seeing (at SH we have 4 networks, but only ALD Hotspot is a good choice for patrons). However in fairness, I'm too miserly to actualy pay for the full app, which might make it more helpful.

One note about WiFi Analyzer, it does require that you have WiFi active on your phone. Most of the time I only leave the 4g connection active, as using the WiFi at the same time is redundant, and drains the batteries more quickly. If you have the phone's WiFi set to 'off' WiFi Analyzer will give you the option to turn it on right from the app.