AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer
Avoid Interferences with your Wi-Fi Environment
AirMagnet's Spectrum Analyzer proactively identifies, classifies, and finds sources of RF interferences that impact the performance of Wi-Fi networks. Unlike earlier generations of spectrum analyzers, AirMagnet's Spectrum Analyzer provides an IT-friendly user interface. The system automatically identifies the specific types of devices that are causing RF interference and tracks them to their physical location, enabling network managers to resolve issues quickly and easily.
Personalized Real-time, Diagnostic Views
Spectrum Analyzer provides a rich set of real-time graphical displays to help you analyze your RF spectrum. Build your own customized diagnostic view from 12 available plots and charts such as: Real-time FFT Plot, FFT Duty Cycle Plot, Swept Spectrogram Plot, Power vs. Frequency Plot, Power vs. Time Plot, Active Device Chart, Devices vs. Channel Chart, Devices vs. Time Chart, Channel Utilization Chart, Channel Utilization vs. Time Chart, SNR Chart and Interference Power Chart. Each plot can be further customized to display only the specific data that you require. The easy-to-use Windows interface makes it easy to drill-down on information and move from one type of RF spectrum analysis to another.
Quickly Identify and Locate Interfering Devices
Spectrum Analyzer uses patented spectral fingerprinting techniques to measure, analyze, and display critical spectrum events and log all interfering devices in real-time. The system automatically recognizes a wide variety of wireless devices—such as Bluetooth, cordless phones, microwaves, analog video cameras, RF jammers-which can be viewed by time and channel for easy tracking and management. Once you have identified a source of RF interference, you can use the Device Finder to track the signal and find the device.
Session Record and Playback
Save your RF spectrum scans and play them back for future analysis. Files can be saved and shared between users for collaborative analysis. The Instant Replay feature allows users to review the most recent spectrum information and play it back, as if it were being viewed live for the first time, without interrupting the current Live Capture session.
Adds Value to Every Stage of the WLAN Lifecycle
The Spectrum Analyzer hardware/software platform integrates with AirMagnet's Survey PRO solution to provide more sophisticated wireless LAN design, and with the WiFi Analyzer PRO to provide the most complete picture of overall radio frequency (RF) quality by accounting for both the network-level and physical aspects of interference. Spectrum Analyzer is also available as an integrated part of AirMagnet's Enterprise Smart-Edge Sensor architecture for real-time, remote insight into Layer 1 of your wireless LANs.
Flexible and Mobile
Spectrum Analyzer runs on any Windows Vista/XP/2000 notebook with no specialty RF devices to carry.
Minimum System Requirements:
- Notebook computer with Intel® Pentium® series processor running at 1 GHz or faster
- Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Business or Ultimate, XP™ Professional (SP2), 2000 (SP4 or higher)
- 256 MB of RAM (512 recommended)
- Display resolution of 1024 x 768 or higher
- 30 MB of free disk space
- One available CardBus slot
- An 802.11 card or onboard 802.11 capability in order to monitor Wi-Fi devices.
Spectrum Analyzer Technical Specification:
Unit size
Cardbus Type II, 4.5" x 2.13" x 0.2"
Operating temperature
32F to 131F (0C to 55C)
Storage temperature
-4F to 149F (-20C to 65C)
Electrical interfaces and requirements
DC power
3.3V DC, 425 mA avg
Spectrum Analyzer Specifications
Displayed Average Noise Level (DANL), RBW = 10 kHz (dBm)
-124
Reference level (dBm)
-150 (min), +10 (max)
Frequency Stability (ppm)
+/- 20
Max safe input level (dBm)
0
Amplitude accuracy (dBm)
+/- 2.5
Frequency Span (MHz)
2.4 GHz frequency span (MHz)
5 GHz frequency span (MHz)
Center frequency resolution (kHz)
Resolution bandwidth (MHz)
0.03 (min), 100 (max)
0.03 (min), 975 (max)
10
0.01 (min), 5 (max)
Sweep time
RTFFT Mode
(Span=20Mhz, RBW=156kHz)
PvT Mode
(Span=0Hz, RBW=20MHz)
Trigger Delay (ms)
Sweep time (ms)
Trigger delay (ms)
6.4 us
10ms
-10(min), +10 (max)
30 (min), 30,000 (max)
+/-30 (min), max. is 50% of sweep time selected
WiFi Protocols
802.11a, 802.11g, 802.11b
Cordless phones & Headsets (2.4 GHz)
DECT, TDD, Continuous
Analog video
NTSC, PAL, SECAM
Certifications and other approvals
AirMagnet Directional Antenna (Optional): 
Download in PDF format
The AirMagnet Directional Antenna will enhance the RF detection and capabilities of the AirMagnet Analyzers in a single direction helping narrow down the search pattern far more effectively. It is small, light and portable.
Users need to attach the Velcro base (supplied with the directional antenna package) to the laptop and connect it to the AirMagnet card and start analyzing the wireless environment in the specific area.
Technical Specifications for Directional Antenna
Frequency Range
- 2.4 GHz Band
- 5 GHz Band
2.4 GHz
4.9 GHz
2.5 GHz
5.9 GHz
Front-to-Back Ratio
>20dB
Azimuth Beamwidth (V-pol)
55 deg
Elevation Beamwidth (V-pol)
50 deg
Connect AirMagnet supported PCMCIA cards to ExpressCard-enabled notebooks
The DuelAdapter™ converter converts input from PCMCIA cards to an Express Card compatible format. AirMagnet users can continue using AirMagnet products on laptops that only include the Express Card slots. Also laptops with both slot formats (Express Card and PCMCIA) and no internal Wi-Fi cards, can use this adapter for AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer integration with AirMagnet WiFi Analyzer PRO and AirMagnet Survey PRO. Click here for more details and purchasing options.
- Microsoft® Windows Tablet PC Edition 2005 (Service Pack 2)
- Intel Pentium III (1.6 GHz) or Higher. (Pentium M -1.6Ghz or higher recommended)
- 256 MB Memory (512 MB recommended)
- 200 MB Hard Disk Space
- Network connection
Professional wireless networks depend on the presence of a strong reliable physical layer as the basis of communication. However, this basic requirement can be a challenge for Wi-Fi networks, which must share the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz spectrum with a variety of potentially interfering technologies. The AirMagnet® Spectrum Analyzer solves this problem with an intuitive solution that allows IT staff to easily look into the Wi-Fi spectrum, specifically identify sources of interference, and track them to their physical source.
It can capture and specifically name microwave ovens, Bluetooth devices, 2.4 GHz phones, analog video cameras, and other devices. The application not only displays the radio signatures of these devices, but lists them by name. ("Interferer: Microwave Oven"). Users can immediate see what may be causing RF problems, and then use their AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer to locate the problem device.
Generally, conventional analyzers use expensive, dedicated hardware with tiny screens and do not include higher-level analytic applications to help the user identify interfering devices. The AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer uses a standard laptop PC and special Spectrum Analyzer adapter, covers all of the basic functionality of dedicated SA tools, and harnesses the power of an advanced PC application for more useful information. This gives the user immediate classification of interferers (Bluetooth, cordless phone, microwave, video), real-time FFT diagrams ("fast Fourier transforms" which show power and trending across channels), a variety of other charts, and ability to log information directly to PC files. Since dedicated hardware analyzers cost $10,000 to $35,000 or more, this also represents a dramatic reduction in cost-of-ownership.
The AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer includes all of the frequencies used by Wi-Fi devices (802.11a, b and g) as well as some nearby ranges. In spectrum terms, that is 2.4-2.5 GHz (Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g or ISM band) and 4.9-5.9 GHz (Public Safety, 802.11a band).
Yes. The product monitors the 4.9 GHz Public Safety band.
- Vista support: Now users can install and operate the AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer on Microsoft Vista.
- New Interferer Help: Enhanced details regarding interferers provide additional information such as common names, severity of interference, recommended actions, etc.
- New Signal to Noise Ratio chart: Allows users to see which devices have poor signal to noise ratios.
- Instant Replay: The Instant Replay feature allows users to review the most recent spectrum information and play it back, as if it were being viewed live for the first time, without interrupting the current Live Capture session.
- SNMP Traps: Users can send traps to an existing SNMP receiver when a new wireless device is detected based on user policy. Now network managers can know instantly when non-authorized devices are using spectrum resources, and potentially causing interference.
- More
The AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer can identify, name and find: Bluetooth devices, 2.4G cordless phones, microwave ovens, RF Jammers, analog video cameras, etc. Additional RF signatures are being developed, so this list will grow.
Customer provides a Windows Vista/XP/2000 (with SP4) laptop or tablet with Cardbus Type II slot. The user can run other applications at the same time, and use the Cardbus slot for other devices when not running AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer.
No, the Spectrum Analyzer adapter card uses a unique chipset designed to capture and analyze all nearby radio traffic in these bands. It does not function as a traditional Wi-Fi adapter. Customers can use an internal Centrino adapter at the same time, or take this adapter out of their laptops to use the PC card slot for an external adapter.
The Instant Replay feature allows users to review the most recent spectrum information and play it back, as if it were being viewed live for the first time, without interrupting the current Live Capture session.
The product requires a special card with unique chipset, custom-designed to implement RF spectrum analysis functions. This is not a standard Wi-Fi card, and does not provide any connectivity. The card must be in the laptop to run the AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer application.
Yes. There is a downloadable demo version available on the AirMagnet website (
Spectrum Analyzer Demo Download). Unlike the actual version of the software, the demo version does not capture any external information. Instead, the demo replays a capture file that is included with the demo application. However, all charts, graphs and components of the user interface are fully enabled and can be used normally.
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