AirMagnet Survey vs Wireshark comparison

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98% willing to recommend

AirMagnet Survey

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 11, 2024

Wireshark is a network protocol analyzer, while AirMagnet Survey is a wireless site survey software. Wireshark has the upper hand in data analysis with strong community support, whereas AirMagnet Survey excels in wireless-specific features, appealing to users needing detailed Wi-Fi analysis.

Features: Wireshark offers robust packet capture and analysis, depth in protocol inspection, and versatility. AirMagnet Survey provides advanced Wi-Fi planning, validation capabilities, and heatmapping and interference analysis.

Room for Improvement: Wireshark users often cite a steep learning curve, a lack of wireless-specific tools, and a need for enhanced user interface. AirMagnet Survey requires user interface enhancements, addresses occasional stability issues, and improves cost-effectiveness for some users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Wireshark is generally easy to deploy with solid documentation, supported by community-driven customer service. AirMagnet Survey requires more complex deployment but benefits from responsive professional support, valuable for enterprise environments.

Pricing and ROI: Wireshark, being open-source and free, offers a high ROI for budget-conscious users. AirMagnet Survey, while more expensive, provides value through advanced features and professional support, justifying the investment for specific wireless needs.

To learn more, read our detailed AirMagnet Survey vs. Wireshark Report (Updated: January 2025).

AirMagnet Survey vs. Wireshark

January 2025

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Helped 839,422 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

AirMagnet Survey

Ranking in Network Troubleshooting

8th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Modeling and Simulation (2nd)

Wireshark

Ranking in Network Troubleshooting

3rd

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Network Troubleshooting category, the mindshare of AirMagnet Survey is 6.3%, up from 5.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Wireshark is 12.9%, up from 12.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Troubleshooting

Featured Reviews

David Olofson

Manager at DD&P Services LLC

It fixes so many problems quickly that we don't regret spending more on high-end tools than most companies

It would be nice to have some more training resources for younger techs. We can use them if we need some assistance, but that usually requires one of us who knows what we're doing to calibrate the programs properly. There's one thing our nXG handhelds do that AirMagnet doesn't do out of the box. The nXG devices can analyze the wired and wireless networks simultaneously and map the networks out. We find it handy. However, if I have that plugged into our older OptiView XG tablets or our laptops, I have no way to analyze both the WiFi and the wired network at the same time and build a single picture with all that data. So far, that's something only our nXG handhelds can do. It would be nice if there were a way to integrate all the network discovery, troubleshooting, and mapping of the WiFi and the wired at the same time. There are almost no products that do that currently. If they managed to do that, they'd probably open up their market pretty quickly.

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DonniUgalde

Senior I.T. Systems Engineer at Pro Techs MSP

Provides visibility into the network, and the GUI is easy to use

I wish the filters were a little bit more prepopulated. It would have been easy to hit a drop-down and select a filter. If I only wanted to look at DCP, UDP, or IP, it would be easy to filter it out. Advanced network knowledge is required to get a lot out of the tool. However, it's very easy to install and deploy. It would be nice if there were some handheld Android devices with a Wireshark-specialized application that would allow us to mirror a Cisco port. Then, we can just plug into the port and click the green start button, and it will start ingesting the packet capture. Then, we won’t be using a laptop. The only downside is that we must have a laptop and connect a network cable. Some new laptops don't have network ports, so we have to get another adapter. Having an all-in-one device, like NetAlly or Fluke, and some of their network devices would be cool.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The most valuable features are the survey, spectrum analysis, and reporting."

"It allows us to prepare more real designs. Later, we validate them with actual surveys."

"It is reliable and easy to use (user-friendly). The heat mapping, passive network surveying, and doing the heat mapping of a building's wireless network allows me to see what level of coverage an area has."

"Using the products to ensure the safety of our equipment that we have a lot invested in."

"The heat maps are quite good, and some features are easy to use."

"The predictive survey is the most valuable feature. I use it quite often."

"We use the solution for Wi-Fi and networks."

"Customer service is great."

More AirMagnet Survey pros

"The most valuable feature is the traffic gate, which shows which IPs are getting more bandwidth or traffic."

"I use the filters very often, to determine what type of traffic I am looking for. The use of filter allows traffic to be segmented so that a value can be looked at individually apart from the other traffic."

"It is a stable product. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten."

"Wireshark has a lot of features. It's a powerful tool if you're familiar with it. You can see everything on the network with it."

"Packet-capture files can be hard to use due to their size. Wireshark has a tool called tshark that can parse the files with out opening them so that you can take large captures, say 2-10GB, and return only relevant information."

"It gives us the ability to pinpoint problems and to communicate network problems with software and hardware vendors."

"The initial setup is simple."

"Wireshark saves a lot of time, especially with network troubleshooting."

More Wireshark pros

Cons

"When you conduct an active survey and then want to use it for design work, it's actually not very useful."

"The user interface needs a lot of improvement. The auto-placement of access points is not accurate."

"I would say some of our newer techs that are going out to job sites can be a little bit intimidated by the interface."

"It'd be nice if it was cheaper, however, you get value for your money."

"AirMagnet Survey needs to support Wi-Fi 6E otherwise they can lose to the competition. They also need to allow better grouping of SSIDs to one AP, removing the need to filter manually. At the moment, you can filter by channel or SSID, but grouping all those SSIDs together is a difficult task."

"It would be nice to have some more training resources for younger techs. We can use them if we need some assistance, but that usually requires one of us who knows what we're doing to calibrate the programs properly."

"Less time consumed doing the real surveys."

"AirMagnet Survey doesn't cover certain devices in the system."

More AirMagnet Survey cons

"Sometimes I need to use tcpdump when I need to check the packets on CLI."

"We'd like to be able to extract the output into an Excel table."

"In the future, it would be nice to see color coding. It is just black and white."

"There is a disadvantage when it comes to sampling intervals. Additionally, I've heard from a colleague that Wireshark might be less effective in the voice domain."

"I have not used Wireshark to an advanced point where I could provide a detailed opinion on improvements needed."

"DNS could be improved."

"It would be better if they offered a hybrid version like My Cloud Control."

"Wireshark could be improved by adding more monitoring features."

More Wireshark cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is an annual cost of the solution. There are some additional charges, such as support and maintenance."

"The tool's pricing is medium."

"This product is very expensive."

"For technical support, you need an annual license, but it is not worth it."

"The pricing needs improvement."

"The moment we began needing more of the vendor's support, the cost became very high; we switched to another solution."

"The licensing of AirMagnet Survey is different when compared to Ekahu. It is a third of the cost of Ekahau but there are no dedicated laptops to the Sidekick. AirMagnet allows you to license an adapter and share that adapter."

"It is free to download and install. It runs on multiple platforms, so how can you go wrong?"

"It's a stand-alone tool. If there is a commercial license for it I am unaware of it."

"It's free."

"Wireshark is open-source and free of charge."

"This is an open-source product that can be used free of charge."

"It is an open-source solution."

"We are using a freeware version of this solution, so there are no licence costs involved."

"We're using the free version of Wireshark."

More Wireshark pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

Government

University

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

10%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about AirMagnet Survey?

We use the solution for Wi-Fi and networks.

What needs improvement with AirMagnet Survey?

AirMagnet Survey needs to support Wi-Fi 6E otherwise they can lose to the competition. They also need to allow better grouping of SSIDs to one AP, removing the need to filter manually. At the momen...

What is your primary use case for AirMagnet Survey?

We use AirMagnet Survey, for site verifications after the wireless system has been installed. We conduct pre and post-install surveys with it. We have reduced the use since now our customers requir...

What do you like most about Wireshark?

The GUI is easy to use.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Wireshark?

Wireshark is priced at a medium range, not too high, not too low. The pricing could be more flexible, and they might make it more expensive. That said, compared to other products, it is competitive.

What needs improvement with Wireshark?

The speed of the Internet could be improved, especially its performance. Performance can sometimes be a challenge due to numerous factors.

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Product Reports

Download AirMagnet Survey product report

AirMagnet Survey

March 2025

Download Wireshark product report

February 2025

Overview

AirMagnet Survey PRO enables network professionals to design, deploy, and validate Wi-Fi 6 networks for optimal performance, security, and compliance. It also calculates the ideal quantity, placement, and configuration of APs for a successful wireless LAN deployment. AirMagnet Survey PRO goes beyond simply verifying RF coverage by plotting actual end-user network performance in terms of connection speed, throughput, and packet statistics by allowing you to use any Wi-Fi adapter or AirMapper™ Site Survey on the AirCheck™ G2 and EtherScope® nXG. Survey PRO helps you get Wi-Fi installations right the first time, preventing costly rework and user complaints.

NetAlly

Wireshark is the world's foremost network protocol analyzer.

Sample Customers

Houston Methodist Hospital, Love's Travel Stops

Comversion, ADP, Talbots