Installation
Log into your inSSIDer Technician online account for installation instructions.
System Requirements
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Device Requirements |
Android device |
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OS Requirements |
Android 5.0 – 5.1.1 (Lollipop) to Android 8.1 (Oreo) |
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Bands |
2.4 GHz |
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Additional hardware and accessories |
Wi-Spy DBx |
Getting Started
Connect to the Customer’s Network
Connect your device’s WiFi to the network that you will be testing.
While it is possible to run scans without being connected to the customer’s network, being connected provides richer test results. For example, inSSIDer Technician will not be able to run throughput tests (download, upload, and latency) unless the device is connected to the WiFi network.
Log In
When inSSIDer Technician is launched for the first time, you will be asked to provide your username and password. You should have received an email from support@inssider.tech to register your account and set your password. If you have not received an invitation email, please contact your company’s account administrator. Once successfully authenticated, the application will remember your credentials so you do not have to continually log into your device.
- Type in your Email
- Type in your Password
- Tap Sign In
Select a Network Radio
Once inSSIDer Technician is launched and successfully authenticates the you, the application will prompt you to select the network radio that you want to work with. The network radio that your device is connected to automatically displays at the top of the list and displays a “chain link” icon next to it. While any network radio can be selected, it is strongly recommended that you select the network radio you are connected to since this will enable throughput testing.
Please note that we refer to routers, access points, and gateways as “radios” within this user guide.
- Tap the Network Radio you want to work with
- The network radio your device is connected to will appear at the top of the list and will have a “chain link” icon displayed next to it
- Network radios are grouped by band - 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
- Network radios are ordered by the radio’s associated network name (SSID)
- Once a network radio is selected, you will automatically be taken to the dashboard view
The Dashboard
Cards
The dashboard gives you a high-level overview of the environment represented by several cards. Each card can be tapped to provide more detailed information.
Network Radio Card
The network card displays:
- SSID - The SSID (Network Name) that the selected radio is associated to
- Radio - The unique MAC address of the selected radio
- Band - The frequency band the selected radio is broadcasting on, either 2.4 or 5 GHz
Tapping the Network Radio Card will take you back the to the Network Radio selection list.
Signal Card
The Signal card displays signal strength over time as well as the real-time signal strength in dBm. Remember that signal strength is displayed in negative values, so -30 dBm is a higher signal strength than -70 dBm.
The Signal graph turns red when the current signal strength falls below the configured threshold and turns green when above the threshold.
Tapping the Signal Card will take you to a detailed view which displays the signal strength over time on a graph, the current signal strength, and the maximum and minimum signal strengths that have been recorded during the current session.
Congestion Card
The Congestion card displays:
- Co-channel: The number of radios sharing the channel with the selected radio
- Overlapping: The number of radios partially overlapping with the selected radio
- Utilization: The percentage of time that the channel is busy (Wi-Spy spectrum analyzer required)
With a Wi-Spy DBx connected to your Android, raw radio frequency (RF) displays on the congestion details screen. For more information on how inSSIDer Technician displays RF density, view the knowledge base article on How To Use Density View.
Speed Card
The speed card displays the last throughput that was conducted. You can begin a throughput test by tapping on the card.
As the throughput test is running, you will see what the download, upload, and latency speeds are. Once the throughput test is finished, suggested usage types will display green if test results show that network performance can handle that type of activity and red if results show that the experience will be sub-optimal.
Networks Scans
Room Scan Workflow
You can scan a room to capture network information for that location by tapping the floating action button “+” on the Dashboard or from the Network Scans sections.
Position yourself in the location that you want to take a scan of, then:
- Tap the floating action button on either the Dashboard or on the Networks Scans section
- The floating action button on the Dashboard will start the scan workflow
- If in the Network Scans section, tapping the floating action button will display multiple options - tap Add New Scan
- If in the Network Scans section and the floating action button are not visible, tap the Add New Scan button
- This will begin the room scan workflow and you will next be asked to select which room you would like to scan
Select a Room
Tap the room you are scanning from the default list of rooms. If you would like to add a new room type, then tap the ellipsis in the top right of the application and then tap Add New Room to create a new custom room type.
Room Scan
During a room scan, inSSIDer Technician will check the following:
- Security Settings
- Signal Strength
- Channel Settings
- Spectrum Data**
- Internet Connection*
- Download Speed*
- Upload Speed*
*checks only if the selected network is the connected network
**checks only if Wi-Spy is connected
As the scan is being conducted, you will see green check marks if the conditions pass recommended criteria or a red X if conditions do not pass criteria.
Once scan is complete, tap OK to view full scan results.
Network Scans
Room scans will accumulate on the Scans tab in the Network Scans section. The most recent room scan will appear at the top of the list with an expanded view. Each room can be expanded and/or collapsed by tapping the scan header.
The expanded section of the room scan displays the detailed results of the room scan. Green results meet or exceeds configured thresholds whereas red results do not meet configured thresholds.
The utilization value requires a Wi-Spy to be connected during the scan.
Throughput values (internet connection, download speed, upload speed, latency, and recommended usage) require that you are scanning the network radio your device is currently connected to.
Delete a Scan
To delete a scan, tap the ellipsis for the scan you wish to remove, and tap the Delete this scan option. This will remove the scan.
Removing scans will impact the issues and recommendations on the Summary tab.
Summary
As network scans are recorded, inSSIDer Technician analyzes the scanned data and any issues that are discovered will be displayed on the Summary tab along with professional recommendations on how to resolve them.
The issues and recommendations will update as new scans are recorded and existing scans are removed.
To verify resolved issues:
- Re-scan the rooms in which the issue(s) occurred
- Verify that the flagged issue(s) no longer appears on the new room scans
- Remove older rooms scans that had the issue
- Verify in the Summary tab that the issue is no longer present and that no new issues were discovered
Send Report
At the completion of a job, send the scan reports to be backed up in the cloud.
- Navigate to Network Scans
- Tap the floating action button (+)
- Tap the Send Report option
- Verify and/or enter the Customer ID
- On successful upload, the scan report will be backed up in the cloud data storage and your device will also retain the submitted report under the Job Reports section
- Historical job reports can be deleted from the device by swiping a job report; however, this will not remove the entry from the cloud storage
Start a New Job
The ellipsis that appears on the top right of the application header has an option to Start New Job that can be selected at anytime; however, it is not required in order to submit a job report.
To start a new job:
- Tap the Start New Job option from the header ellipsis option
- If scans are present in Network Scans, you will be prompted to delete the scans in order to start a new job. If you are starting a new job and the existing scans are not relevant, then tap Delete. Otherwise, tap Cancel and you can continue scanning and can enter the Customer ID once you begin the send report process.
- Enter the Customer ID
- Tap Continue; you can now go through the network scan process and send the report at the completion of the job
- An alternative to initiating the new scan process is to proceed directly to network scanning and enter the Customer ID during the Send Report process; you will always be asked to verify Customer ID prior to the report being sent
Send Feedback
We love getting your feedback on what we are doing great and what can be improved! Tap the feedback icon on the inSSIDer Technician header to provide us feedback.
- Select Type of feedback (praise, concern, suggestion, bug)
- Select what part of the application the feedback concerns (this defaults to the page you tapped the feedback icon on)
- Provide your Feedback
- Tap Send to send us your feedback
We look forward to hearing from you!