With the number of new mobile devices and access methods, enterprise workforces are becoming ever more mobile. Whether by PDA, smartphone, or laptop, an increasing number of workers are using accessing corporate resources using wireless networks. But, while the latest technology makes mobile access increasingly common, it also inherently increases the network exposure risks. 

 

In order to manage these increasingly complex corporate network, which provide access to various devices using various means of network access at all times of day or night, network managers require significantly more insight into network traffic in order to ensure the highest levels of safety and security. Adding VoIP traffic to the network only increases the complexity of the system and requires even more complex monitoring tools to ensure traffic is appropriately prioritized while maintaining security measures.

 

To meet this demand, AirMagnet (News - Alert), back in 2001, introduced its first WLAN monitoring interface. Since then, the company has developed a number of different network assurance solutions, including its VoFi Analyzer, specifically designed to monitor and troubleshoot VoIP traffic on wireless networks. Now, AirMagnet is announcing its latest version, VoFi Analyzer PRO 3.0, which enhances network managers’ ability to manage voice traffic on their WLANs.

 

VoFi Analyzer enables direct monitoring of the quality of each call on a network, and automatically alerts users when problems arise, including identifying the source of the problem, and then enables active troubleshooting, regardless of whether that source is at the endpoint or the call manager or somewhere in between. The enhancements to VoFi Analyzer in this latest release help increase the network manager’s understanding of overall network voice traffic, as it collects and aggregates data from connections, devices, and servers, providing new levels of converged network visibility. 

 

VoFi Analyzer 3.0 provides a comprehensive view of all voice traffic, regardless of its source (i.e., phone, air, or wire), thus providing more insight into network traffic than ever before — thereby allowing for more effective troubleshooting. To accomplish this, VoFi Analyzer analyzes voice samples between an endpoint and the enterprise’s wireless infrastructure and provides call quality data on wither side of the communication (AP-to-phone and phone-to-AP), ensuring that neither incoming nor outgoing call quality is adversely affected. 

 

“Our new approach to gathering voice application information, combined with our ability to analyze information on encrypted networks, makes this an extremely powerful tool for ensuring voice over wireless LAN call quality in the enterprise,” boasted Chris Roeckl, vice president of marketing at AirMagnet.

 

Importantly, this latest version performs its operations in encrypted environments, which allows IT managers to calculate MOS scores, R-Values, and generally ensure high call quality with encrypted traffic, but without unnecessarily exposing the network.

 

In addition, with VoFi Analyzer’s new call roaming analysis capabilities, engineers can track roaming events, which can be a source of quality issues. In fact, not only can roaming event history be analyzed, but a new feature, “Follow Phone,” allows the tracking of a specified device, regardless of where or how often it roams. This allows quicker and more accurate analysis of trouble spots in the wireless network.

 

Finally, for users of certain technologies — specifically, Spectralink phones, Cisco’s Call Manager, and Vocera (News - Alert) servers — VoFi Analyzer offers complete integration with specific features of these devices, enabling network insight at even greater levels than already possible with just the enhanced AirMagnet product.