AirMagnet Survey vs Wireshark comparison

Read 63 Wireshark reviews

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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: October 2024).

AirMagnet Survey vs. Wireshark

October 2024

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Categories and Ranking

AirMagnet Survey

Ranking in Network Troubleshooting

8th

Average Rating

8.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Modeling and Simulation (2nd)

Wireshark

Ranking in Network Troubleshooting

4th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Network Troubleshooting category, the mindshare of AirMagnet Survey is 6.5%, up from 4.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Wireshark is 12.9%, up from 13.0% 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

Oct 12, 2022

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

Mar 18, 2024

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

"I would like to rate the product as eight of ten."

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

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

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

"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."

"The benefit is with the ease of use of the software, I am able to show the customer, "Here is what your wireless coverage looks like." It is set up in a fashion that non-technical people can understand it."

"The most valuable feature is the predictive survey. The antennas' RF patterns are reflected correctly on the drawing when preparing predictive heat maps."

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

More AirMagnet Survey pros

"The initial setup is simple."

"The feature to incorporate Voice over IP (VoIP) incidents into network traffic analysis is valuable. Capturing voice or SIP communication allows for examination of interactions between SIP clients and SIP servers. This helps the team investigate or analyze issues related to call center servers and operators."

"I like the filtering feature as we can filter data easily. This feature is also available in tcpdump, but it's a simple piece of software. Wireshark is more advanced and has many features. It allows you to filter a lot of things. The output can be filtered easily. The most important feature is colorization. If I say, "Okay, this particular SMB protocol in red, it will show me red." It's easy to identify that protocol or capture data."

"It's easy to troubleshoot issues because there's a large online community."

"The GUI is easy to use."

"I can save the traffic and analysis when I want to. Also, it's especially helpful to follow the stream (TCP, UDP, etc.)."

"The drill-down available for packet analysis is great. It gives a network security engineer insight into what is going on at the packet level and enables better troubleshooting."

"Being able to dissect email data and figure out what is inside email messages was the most valuable feature. Such a feature is pretty helpful for an ongoing forensic investigation or when there is a potential insider threat that you are trying to investigate. It allows you to see the network activity of the users you are investigating. It also gives you more visibility into your network. It was very easy to set up. There is a lot of information out there on Google and YouTube about how to use it. There is also community support. If you have any trouble, it is pretty easy to find an answer online. You will have to do some digging only if you have a very specific use case."

More Wireshark pros

Cons

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

"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."

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

"But it's definitely a more expensive solution than other ones."

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

"Printouts are JPEG printouts. The AirMagnet software is proprietary. I can't send my customers a file, because it is AirMagnet file, even for building projects. I can only send JPEGs or screenshots of heat maps."

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

"The throughput should be more advanced in the future. They need to add more versions of WiFi than just one."

More AirMagnet Survey cons

"I would like better control of bandwidth from the service provider."

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

"The speed of the Internet could be improved, especially its performance."

"You need some basic knowledge to work with Wireshark. Maybe it could be more user-friendly just for new users. Just for the new generation."

"You need good network connectivity to download during the setup, otherwise, it might take a while."

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

"The Wireshark search function shows green for a correct search and red for an incorrect search. If there were a way to provide a description about what a search - and the similar ones which are available - can do, while a person is typing it, it would make the product easier to use and simultaneously decrease the learning curve."

"The product has been using the same GUI for many years."

More Wireshark cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"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."

"This product is very expensive."

"The tool's pricing is medium."

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

"It is free."

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

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

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

"The solution is open source so is free."

"Wireshark is free software, so you can download it and use it for free with no licensing fees."

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

"I've never personally had to pay for it, making it a highly valuable internet resource that's accessible for use. While they offer some paid versions, our firm has utilized the free version for the past three years."

More Wireshark pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Educational Organization

11%

Government

Manufacturing Company

University

12%

Computer Software Company

12%

Educational Organization

10%

Government

10%

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?

The tool is free.

What needs improvement with Wireshark?

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Product Reports

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AirMagnet Survey

November 2024

Download Wireshark product report

October 2024

Learn More

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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.

Wireshark is the world's foremost network protocol analyzer.

Sample Customers

Houston Methodist Hospital, Love's Travel Stops

Comversion, ADP, Talbots