Wifi Revolution

Cognio has released version 3.1 of its award-winning WiFi network monitoring and troubleshooting tool, Spectrum Expert. The new release gives recommendations for specific actions that should be taken by IT managers to maintain network integrity and performance – a feature which Cognio is calling an “industry first.”

Using this network analyzer, IT managers can get detailed profiles on spectrum characteristics, typical interference impacts and signal strength for each device on the network. The tool then provides a recommended course of action on how best to eliminate or minimize potential impact to the WiFi (News - Alert) network.

Other new features include “Instant Replay,” which allows users to “rewind” live spectrum (similar to a Digital Video Recorder), and “Real-time Spectrum Snapshot,” which allows network operators to read spectrum plots in real time by displaying information about interference or spectrum issues. The tool also now offers support for Window’s Vista, thus enabling IT managers to upgrade operating systems without impacting their ability to effectively manage and protect their WiFi assets.

“Cognio’s goal is to make managing WiFi spectrum as easy as managing your LAN infrastructure,” said William Flanagan, vice president of marketing at Cognio, in a press release. “Spectrum Expert helps take the guesswork out of WiFi spectrum management, freeing up time- and resource-constrained IT managers for higher level network administration and planning.”

“With the growing complexity of WiFi networks, the increasing amount of available devices that can cause interference and the greater reliance on WiFi as a service delivery medium, the ability to recommend appropriate actions based on specific devices can be a huge time and resource advantage to an IT manager or system integrator,” said Paul DeBeasi, senior analyst with Burton Group’s Network and Telecom Strategies service. “IT managers are increasingly concerned with how to best manage this critical network asset, and with Cognio’s Spectrum Expert they are now one step closer to total ‘hands-off’ cognitive WiFi management.”

Cognio last made news on TMCnet in November 2006 when it announced that it was teaming up with MobileAccess Networks in an effort to ensure quality and reliability of enterprise wireless networks. The companies announced that the MobileAccess Universal Wireless Network would be used in tandem with Cognio’s Spectrum Expert to ensure that business customers have real-time spectrum analysis capabilities to help detect foreign causes of interference that can degrade network performance.

For more information, visit www.cognio.com.

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Patrick Barnard is Assignment Editor for TMCnet and a columnist covering the telecom industry. To see more of his articles, please visit Patrick Barnard’s columnist page.

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