Spectrum XT ably tracks down
non-Wi-Fi sources of interference
REVIEW: System solves some of the problems that developed over time with
AirMagnet’s previous-generation spectrum analyzer
By Andrew Garcia
AirMagnet’s Spectrum XT provides an excellent way to track down non-Wi-Fi sources of interference
around a corporate wireless network,
allowing wireless administrators to
more easily identify and locate potential RF problems that could hamper
network performance. Support for
modern laptop hardware and limited
integration with AirMagnet’s other
tools enhance the overall experience.
With Spectrum XT, AirMagnet (a
Fluke Networks company) looked
to solve some of the problems that
developed over time with its previous-generation spectrum analyzer,
AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer. The
old product, which was based on
Cisco’s Cognio line of hardware and
software, wasn’t getting the level
of feature enhancements that customers wanted, so AirMagnet wrote
new software for use with Spectrum
XT. Also, with CardBus slots found
less commonly in new laptops, Spectrum XT uses a USB-based analysis
component instead of a PC Card.
Shipping now, Spectrum XT lists
at $2,495, but introductory pricing
($2,195) will be available through the
end of June. At this time, there is no
additional discount for current cus-
tomers of the older AirMagnet Spec-
trum Analyzer, but AirMagnet officials
indicate that they will be rolling out a
transition program for those custom-
ers within the next few months.
at about 60MB RAM), the program
should work well on modestly horse-
powered systems, such as a netbook
running Windows XP Home. I per-
formed my tests on a Lenovo Think-
Pad T400 with a Core2Duo T9400
processor and 2GB of RAM, running
Windows XP Professional.
When starting the Spectrum XT,
I was immediately presented with
several panes of non-Wi-Fi spectrum
information for the 2.4GHz band. On
the left side of the screen, a channel
summary outlines the current, aver-
age and maximum FFT (Fast Fourier
Transformation), as well as the duty
cycle for all 14 channels in the 2.4GHz
band. Below that, the Device list details
any detected non-Wi-Fi sources of
interference, such as cordless phones
AirMagnet does plan to keep sell-
ing the older Cognio-based Spectrum
Analyzer product for the time being.
The new USB analysis hardware is
a relatively small device (roughly 3.75
by 1.5 by 0.31 inches), with an exter-
nal antenna connector. The device is
too wide to plug directly into a verti-
cally oriented USB slot on a laptop sit-
ting on a desk, but it does come with
a foot-long USB extender cable. The
included external antenna is omni-
directional and comes with a clip to
attach to the top of a laptop panel. The
device will also work with an optional
directional antenna instead.
Spectrum XT is a 32-bit program
and promises to work on Windows 7,
Vista and XP. With a small memory
footprint (in tests, it typically hovered
Spectrum XT provides spectrum analysis for the 2.4, 5 and 4.9GHz bands, detailing both
Wi-Fi and non-Wi-Fi sources of interference.
