AiroPeek NX

AiroPeek NX
™
Expert Wireless LAN Network Analyzer
AiroPeek NX ProblemFinder provides descriptions, causes and remedies for each
of the problem conditions the expert system encounters.
AiroPeek NX™ Real-time Expert
WLAN Analyzer
Wireless networks are spreading like wildfire.
Far and wide, enterprises are implementing 802.11
technology due to its simplicity, mobility, and low cost
of ownership. Comprehensive WLAN management
tools in support of these networks, however, are few
and far between. Traditional as well as emerging
network management vendors are attempting to
retrofit legacy products or fill narrow niches in an
attempt to provide these tools. Only one company
has developed the complete solution.
WildPackets AiroPeek NX is the most comprehensive
WLAN analysis tool available on the market today.
By combining its award-winning expert system
technology with its industry-leading 802.11 protocol
analysis, WildPackets AiroPeek NX is the only tool
you need to manage your WLAN. AiroPeek NX has a
breadth of features no other tool can offer, including
real-time Expert analysis on multiple adapters,
Application Response Time (ART) analysis, 802.11
protocol decoding, signal strength display, alarms,
triggers, monitoring, and reporting. Only AiroPeek NX
is able to deliver, in one affordable solution:
• A superior User Interface (UI) that effectively
reduces the time to find and fix issues
• Client AND WLAN troubleshooting
• Security policy adherence
WildPackets is committed to providing the type
of feature-rich yet affordable network tools IT
Professionals have come to expect. The acknowledged
leader in 802.11 analysis, WildPackets strives to
develop innovative technology that allows you
to more efficiently and effectively manage your
WLAN. WildPackets staff is comprised of a team
of experienced networking experts dedicated to
creating value by providing leading edge products,
support and services.
• Site survey assessments
WLAN Troubleshooting
• Distributed, remote analysis
• Trending and historic statistical overviews
AiroPeek NX is the first and only WLAN analyzer that
allows you to simultaneously:
• Simultaneous capture on multiple channels
• Perform network-wide analysis
• Multi-NIC support
• Employ 802.11-specific expert problem diagnoses
“WildPackets’ AiroPeek NX
provides outstanding
problem-solving features
in a nicely priced, thoughtfully designed package that
|should help network
managers keep a handle
on wireless deployments.”
eWeek Analyst’s Choice Award
April 2002
“...there can be only one
top dog, and in this case
WildPackets’ AiroPeek [NX]
edged out its rivals.
What distinguishes AiroPeek
[NX] from its peers is the ease
with which it lets you capture
and view packets and set up
filters. We also liked its Peer
Map, which lets you see IP
and physical-layer conversations, as the others do, and let
us redraw the map and hide
conversations...”
• Drill down into specific
client problems
• Monitor signal strength
• Create on-the-fly html reports.
Only AiroPeek NX has the expertise
and the flexibility to be used in many
different ways, for many different
users, and for many different tasks.
Expert Analysis
The heart of AiroPeek NX
troubleshooting capability is its
Expert system. The real-time Expert
provides dozens of 802.11 specific
diagnoses, as well as application layer
and Ethernet event identification,
and ART analysis. The problems that
are found are listed by conversation,
The SSID Tree provides a quick view of all wireless devices
allowing you to pinpoint the source
on your network, including important security policy
quickly. The Expert system also
enforcement information.
provides fault description, probable
configurable, and give you the means for assuring
causes, and potential remedies for
corporate security policy adherence.
each diagnosis. Further, the Expert ProblemFinder™ is
configurable, and can be tailored readily for your own
Site Surveying
networking environment and IT policies.
To help you understand your WLAN environment,
Security Policy Adherence
AiroPeek NX provides an SSID Tree view, which clearly
displays the relationships between all wireless devices
Unfortunately, the growth of wireless networking has
on your network. The SSID Tree shows the hierarchical
been accompanied by an increase in vulnerability to
relationship between the WLAN ESSID, all of its access
malicious activity. Fortunately, AiroPeek NX contains
points (AP), and each associated station (STA).
powerful security analysis capabilities that help IT
This intuitive view also allows you to track dozens of
Professionals deploy WLANs that adhere to corporate
802.11 characteristics, including channel, encryption
security policies. AiroPeek NX is used to deter security
state, signal and noise dBm, and throughput statistics.
breaches, monitor data integrity, automatically
respond to security threats, and intercept, log and
analyze unauthorized network access.
Security Experts
The AiroPeek NX Expert System plays a critical role in
the defense of your airwaves. Security related expert
diagnoses include:
AiroPeek NX also provides a flexible Signal Strength
Meter that displays the signal being received by the
analyzer either as a dBm or as a percentage value.
Combined with the 500ms channel scanning, the
Signal Strength Meter provides an accurate display
of signal and noise on your WLAN.
• Denial of Service Attacks
• Man-in-the-Middle Attacks
• Dangerous Configuration Issues
• Intrusion Detection
• Rogue Access Detection
Network Computing
Editor’s Choice Award
May 2002
Security Audit Template
AiroPeek is the only WLAN analyzer
to ship with a Security Audit
Template, which allows you to
configure a repeatable, shareable
process for analyzing network
traffic for indications of a security
breach. The default Security Audit
Template contains a number of
pre-defined filters and alarms that
will notify you of any of a number
of common WLAN security issues.
The alarms, filters, and the capture
template itself are all completely
The AiroPeek NX Peer Map shows all communicating peers
by physical or IP address.
Features
AiroPeek NX Benefits
Wireless Expert system
Quickly identify and locate problems on your network. Issues identified by conversation and host include
security, client connectivity, and 802.11 and application protocol behavior. The Expert system also contains the
Threshold Assistant™ which helps configure AiroPeek NX to specifically identify issues on your network.
Security audit template
Default capture template that includes common filters and alarms one can use to help secure the WLAN.
Easily modified to create a custom template that identifies breaches in corporate security policies.
Signal strength analysis
Often used to assist in WLAN implementations to determine optimal access point placement, the signal
strength display provides a quick view of signal strength and noise (for some NICs) for each channel.
SSID tree
Quickly determine SSID, access point, and client connection hierarchy, as well as encryption and authentication
methods in use. Use to easily setup trusted and known nodes for use by rogue device detection expert.
Wireless monitoring
No other WLAN tool can touch the incredible number of wireless, Ethernet, and protocol statistics reported by
AiroPeek NX. Statistics are easily turned into real-time graphs or alarms with a click of a button. Further, many
statistics can be combined into custom graphs, providing incredible flexibility in monitoring WLAN activity.
Reporting
AiroPeek NX reporting is flexible, and able to produce html output, including graphics, for set intervals.
This allows users to baseline the WLAN, perform historical and trend analysis, as well as create management
reports. Statistics can also be output into csv and xml for use in third party tools.
Application analysis
802.11 protocols are not the only thing running on your WLAN. AiroPeek NX ART and application experts help
identify application problems occurring on the WLAN that may not appear on the wired side.
Multiple capture windows
Useful for monitoring different elements of your network simultaneously, even simultaneous analysis of
different channels or standards. Start one capture buffer to look for rogue access points on 802.11a, for
example, and another to troubleshoot a specific client connectivity problem in 802.11b.
Extensive protocol decodes
For those who require the ability to perform detailed analysis of applications running on your WLAN,
comprehensive protocol decodes are necessary. Aids in troubleshooting, for example, 802.1x, WPA, Microsoft
networking, DHCP, LDAP, VoIP, and MS Exchange.
“Select Related” filtering
Provides a means to drill down to the packet detail level, if necessary, from a view of specific hosts, protocols,
conversations, and even Expert problem reports.
Distributed WLAN analysis
Distributed WLAN analysis with RFGrabber and AiroPeek NX eliminates the need to travel to the edges of your
network’s remote wireless deployments to do comprehensive analysis and troubleshooting.
Distributed Analysis with RFGrabber™
WildPackets’ RFGrabber solution fundamentally
changes wireless network analysis by allowing IT
Professionals to remotely analyze WLAN segments.
With the RFGrabber Solution, you can apply all of
the powerful features of AiroPeek NX to analyze
wireless segments at the edges of your network
from the convenience of your desktop. Traveling to
physically remote locations to monitor, analyze, and
troubleshoot your wireless LAN is a thing of the past.
Monitoring and Reporting
The AiroPeek NX Expert Peer Map provides a quick
snapshot of all WLAN activity. Drawn as a verticallyoriented ellipse, the resizeable Peer Map can
accommodate the display of all nodes on the WLAN.
Reading and configuring the Peer Map is easy:
• the thicker the line between nodes,
the greater the traffic
• the bigger the dot, the more traffic
through that node
• limit display to active nodes, busiest nodes,
any filters in use
• display nodes by physical, IP, or IPX address
• address type selection determines protocol
stack displayed
No other WLAN analysis tool can compare with the
incredible number of wireless, Ethernet, and protocol
statistics reported by AiroPeek NX. Statistics are easily
turned into real-time graphs or alarms with a simple
right-click, and many statistics can
be combined into custom graphs,
providing you with incredible
flexibility in monitoring activity.
Sophisticated graphing and trending
features allow collecting, displaying,
and reporting any channel, node,
protocol, or summary statistic
available over a user-specified period
of time. Historical analysis can
be viewed through a variety of
graph options from within the
program, data can be output in
enhanced XML or html format
for web access, or statistics can
be output in csv for import into a
third-party reporting application.
Innovative Technology
AiroPeek NX QuickStart Webinars
WildPackets, Inc.
WildPackets is the leader in WLAN analysis
technology. The innovative technology upon which
AiroPeek NX is based provides a comprehensive
and flexible solution to demanding IT professionals.
No other analyzer, for example, offers multiple,
simultaneous analysis windows, let alone binding
those windows to multiple adapters. This innovation
offers real benefits, allowing you to monitor multiple
channels concurrently, or track network usage while
troubleshooting a client issue. The Expert Technology
in AiroPeek NX, based on network stream analysis
and not just threshold settings, provides independent
Expert and Peer Map analysis of all open capture
windows. Additionally, the advanced alarm threshold
notification system in AiroPeek NX includes dozens
of real-time or post-capture conditions. Creating new
alarms is as easy as right-clicking on a statistic you
would like to track. Further, AiroPeek NX provides two
levels of warning and a resolve condition.
Please join us for a web seminar featuring AiroPeek
NX and learn how to quickly optimize the application
for wireless network analysis.
For the latest schedule and sign-up information, visit
www.wildpackets.com/corporate/quickstart_info
QuickStarts are also available on demand in a
pre-recorded format.
Since 1990, WildPackets has been delivering real-time fault analysis solutions that
enable the world’s leading organizations
to keep their networks running securely
and reliably, day after day. From the
desktop to the datacenter, from wireless
LANs to Gigabit backbones, on local segments and across distributed networks,
WildPackets products enable IT organizations to quickly find and fix problems
affecting mission-critical network services. WildPackets products are sold in over
60 countries through a broad network of
channel and strategic partners.
WildPackets is a company built by networking
professionals for networking professionals.
The wireless expert heuristics in AiroPeek NX were
designed by network engineers, professional
consultants and high-level packet analysis instructors
with many collective years of experience and training.
The intelligence brought to bear by the AiroPeek
NX Expert System is based on real world experience
and provides you with analysis of traffic conditions
and problems you are likely to see on your network,
rendered in intuitive displays.
WildPackets is committed to creating value.
By providing regular product updates that include
new technology and new features, WildPackets is
able to keep the solutions that you paid for relevant
and powerful. WildPackets also creates value by
offering unique “knowledge-transfer,” represented by
responsiveness to customer feedback, our philosophy
of education over training and comprehensive
support and service programs.
WildPackets Academy
Certified Wireless Network Expert
(CWNE™) Certification
The CWNE Certification Program, with information
available at www.cwne.com, is designed specifically
for wireless networking expertise and has been
endorsed by the Wireless LAN Association
(www.wlana.org), and by NACSE (www.nacse.com).
Technical White Papers
Our instructors have authored informative white
papers and tutorials on Wireless Network Analysis and
Security. Visit www.wildpackets.com/resources
to download.
Ordering Information
WildPackets products are available from our Channel
Partners or directly from WildPackets. Please visit our
web pages to locate a partner near you, or contact
[email protected] for assistance in placing
an order.
Download a Demo!
AiroPeek NX demo software is available from:
www.wildpackets.com/demos
More than 5,000 customers, spanning
all industrial sectors and including 80%
of the Fortune 1000, use WildPackets
products daily to troubleshoot networks and maximize network uptime.
WildPackets customers include Agilent,
Cisco Systems, Comcast, EDS, Microsoft,
Siemens AG, Qualcomm, Unisys,
Motorola, and Deutsche Bank. Strategic
partners include Aruba, Atheros, Cisco,
3Com, Intel and Symbol Technologies.
For further information, please visit
www.wildpackets.com.
For more information, visit
www.wildpackets.com/products
AiroPeek NX Product Maintenance
One year of Standard Product Maintenance, including
all product updates and upgrades, is included in the
purchase price of AiroPeek NX. WildPackets’ Premium
Maintenance Program provides enhanced levels
of service and extends the benefits and product
update period.
Please visit www.wildpackets.com/support for
details about our maintenance offerings.
WildPackets Academy offers comprehensive network
analysis instruction, meeting the professional
requirements of network managers at all levels.
All course offerings are available in public venues
and as customizable on-site programs. For complete
course outlines and schedules,
visit www.wildpackets.com/academy
1340 Treat Blvd, Suite 500
Walnut Creek, CA 94597
(925)937-3200
fax (925)937-3211
www.wildpackets.com
Copyright © 2005 WildPackets, Inc. All Rights Reserved. AiroPeek and AiroPeek NX are trademarks of WildPackets, Inc.
All other product names and trademarks are the property of their respective companies.
APNX2.05-20050113