* More on WLAN analysis with a look at Fluke's OptiView wireless option
If you’re simply seeking wireless LAN analysis, the Fluke OptiView wireless option might be overkill, since it has strong wireline features that are a separate application. On the other hand it might be underkill, because it lacks 802.11a features.
Fluke’s OptiView is a touch-screen-based PC with integrated adapters, ranging from 10/100M bit/sec all the way up to Gigabit Ethernet. It’s like a tablet PC in some ways, but uses Windows 98 as its operating system foundation. OptiView’s ‘touchscreen’ is easy to use, even with a fingernail as a stylus.
However, the touch screen is disabled if the unit boots into Windows 98 safe mode. We also were disappointed that Windows 98 security updates weren’t performed on the unit that was shipped to us. The wireless option includes Fluke Wireless Analyzer software and a Fluke 802.11b network card.
The software focuses on access point characteristics and client characteristics when clients are associated with access points. Unlike OptiView’s wireline analysis application, there is no expert or problem analysis of conditions that are found in the wireless application – although they’re available and quite articulate in the wireline application. The wireless and wireline version of the software can run concurrently. However, under high loads, the wireless option degrades the wireline applications, and vice versa. The wireless option captures and decodes packets in Sniffer format.
It was easy to drill down to examine various characteristics of each access point. We could use a locate function that beeped or clicked as we approached the desired device – even when two access points in relatively close proximity were on the same channel. Direction finding meant rotating the unit on a 360-degree axis, which took getting used to. It’s not an articulate direction finder, just a general one.
One failing of the product was its inability to see illegal channels 13 and 14 – even after we programmed access points for these channels. This was surprising, and potentially limiting, as these access point channels are used despite their illegality. Fluke says there is a channel limitation on its current model WLAN card, and that an update would be available “very shortly.”
For the full report, go to https://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/2003/0414rev.html
