5 Best Network Monitoring Tools for 2023

by Marketing Team | Jul 5, 2021 | All articles, Cloud Management, Network Monitoring, Network Troubleshooting, Networking, TanazaOS, What's new, WiFi Networks

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5 best network monitoring tools for 2023

Choosing the best network monitoring software is a daunting task. As an MSP knowing the state and overall health of your clients’ networks is quite important as if you are unaware of it, you are headed for a disaster. With the technological advancements, there is an ample offer of network monitoring software in the market.

These software have functionalities such as discovering devices, identifying network trends and traffic, graphically representing monitoring results, backing up network and device configurations, and primarily monitoring network equipment, servers, and applications.

When it comes to choosing the right monitoring software to manage and operate your customers’ networks there are quite a few things you need to factor in like number of devices to manage, on premises or cloud deployments, co-managed IT, location of the deployment and of course budget.

But before tapping into more details on how to choose the network monitoring software adapted to your needs, let’s agree on the basic terminology first, so we are all on the same page.

What is network monitoring tool?

Network monitoring tools are designed to monitor and manage the network traffic flow over a network. This tool is used mainly by network administrators and security staff as they monitor network deployments. This software automates most of the network monitoring processes and workflows.

So you might be wondering what exactly it does? Well, this software monitors the network’s uptime, availability, and response time. It can also monitor unusual activity and alert the network administrator when something suspicious or malicious is detected over the network. The network monitoring process can be for a physical/wireless LAN, WAN, or both.

Best network monitoring tools provides information such as Active devices and equipment on a certain network and IP addressing schemes. It routinely reviews the network for availability and generates an alert and notification when a problem or issue occurs. For instance, it will alert you when an access point goes offline, or any suspicious packet is detected.

Network monitoring must be proactive, which is a necessity and its most important aspect. It is a process in which all the networking components such as routers, switches, firewalls, servers, and VMs are monitored for fault and performance and evaluated continuously to maintain and optimize their availability.

How to choose the best network monitoring tools?

Choosing the right network monitoring system makes all the difference in how accurately your customers’ digital infrastructure will work. The network monitoring tool is the most fundamental technology available for MSPs. With its wide range of capabilities and features on offer, you can select the best network monitoring software that will track network processes end to end. The tool ingests a vast array of performance metrics to discover, assess, optimize, and troubleshoot individual devices and keep cybersecurity threats at bay. Before selecting any monitoring software, it is essential to have a few things in consideration.

Firstly you need to check whether the network deployment is small, medium, or large. Usually, these tools are specifically designed for either small, medium, or large deployments. Also, depending on the type of deployment your customer wants: on-premise, hybrid or cloud-based.

A lot of things matter while deploying a WiFi network and choosing an optimal monitoring tool. Generally, the small and medium businesses must select the tool that is easy to use and works with minimal configuration, so in the case of a co-managed infrastructure, both the MSP and the SMB can have peace of mind.

The larger network deployments need a monitoring system that is more feature-rich and scalable. Businesses must have a dedicated team of professionals to manage the IT infrastructure to ensure its functionality. Hence, MSPs managing network deployments of any size should ensure that whatever tool they choose must include node and device inventorying, autodiscovery, automatic and configurable trouble alerts, warnings, and a web-based centralized management interface.

Before selecting, it’s also recommended to understand your customer’s budget and see whether they would want high-performance or cost-effective devices to run the network. Thus, MSPs need to have a wide range of software tools within their portfolio to address each segment’s needs. For large network deployments, MSPs should opt for details over convenience, while small and medium deployments will want to prioritize user-friendliness. It is important to foresee that your customer’s network can potentially grow to choose a sustainable solution that can help you to help your customer scale when it’s needed.

An honest list of networking monitoring software

What are the best network monitoring tools for 2023? Here you have a list of 5 useful cloud solution for network management:

Manage Engine OPManager
PRTG (Paid Network Monitoring Solutions)
Tanaza
EventSentry
SpiceWorks

It is important to consider the amount of virtualization in your network while choosing a network monitoring tool. The network performance monitors differ in their ability to provide visibility within the virtualized environment. Before choosing software, it is important to find out which would be the best network monitoring software to handle the consistent and disruptive problems that your customer’s network will encounter.

Manage Engine OPManager

One of the famous network monitoring tools, Manage Engine OPManager, monitors SNMP devices, switches, servers, and virtualized network services. It features over 200 customizable widgets to build unique dashboards and reports. For numerous alerting channels, this monitoring tool supports email, SMS, and webhook. It uses intelligent alerting to reduce false positives by eliminating alert fatigue across larger networks. The only disadvantage of this tool is that it is time-consuming to learn. Being a feature-rich tool, it requires time to go through all the aspects and configuration settings. Also, it integrates well in the ManageEngine ecosystem with its other products. This tool is best recommended for users that want a simple infrastructure monitoring tool.

PRTG (Paid Network Monitoring Solutions)

The Paessler PRTG network monitoring tool is an integrated solution suitable for both small and enterprise environments. This monitoring software is more than just a server monitoring system. It is made to monitor any IT-related resources that connect to your network, including your firewalls, switches, servers, routers, databases, websites, and even USPs.

This setup is dynamic, so its monitoring capabilities can grow or shrink with the business size or other requirements of your organization. This monitoring software is a windows program that can be installed on a server with shared access. PRTGs can also send email and SMS alerts based on your custom threshold levels so that network admins can get more frequent warnings from critical servers with shared access.

This application can monitor everything you need to know about your servers, such as CPU load, hard disk capacity and performance, RAM utilization, and bandwidth monitoring. The primary benefit of this system is that it has a simple and clear user interface with functional elements conveniently located in in-built places. Some of the other key features of the system include multiple user interfaces to choose from, failover tolerant monitoring, and distributed monitoring. PRTG is free for 100 sensors, so it is considered great if you have a small network or are looking for a paid solution.

Tanaza

Among all, Tanaza is an ideal solution for the best network monitoring software. It is considered best for MSPs serving small and medium businesses and enterprises or SMEs with in-house IT teams. We all know that businesses rely on networks for all operations. In today’s era, networks have to span globally, so network monitoring is crucial for any business. Being a subset of network management, a good network monitoring tool is required. Businesses are under quite pressure and need to manage affordable and straightforward IT infrastructure that works. Currently, the offers from famous network vendors such as Cisco Meraki, Ubiquiti or Aruba compel users to pay for expensive and non-flexible hardware. This hardware doesn’t allow other multi-vendor networking devices within the same network seamlessly due to lock-in constraints.

Tanaza’s operating system is the most reliable software as it delivers security layers that protect hardware from cyber attacks. Tanaza also delivers a scalable freemium model and a comprehensive marketplace that enables third-party software applications to offer added-value services for customers. It is the only single platform delivering world-class operational efficiency in IT operations.

Tanaza allows you to manage remote access points, networks, and SSIDs. Furthermore, the zero-touch provisioning allows you to configure remotely any amount of devices and send them to the customer’s location only for installation. Once the device is ON it connects automatically to the platform and features all the configuration set up.

Tanaza has an intuitive interface and features multi-tenancy capabilities so you don’t have to share your credentials with any colleague. Each tenant can have their own and have different permission levels to the network. Furthermore, it’s the only software compatible with multi-vendor access points. MSPs can manage thousands of networks and access points in the cloud from different vendors from a single control plane. No other network monitoring software delivers the same.

In terms of monitoring and network management, Tanaza allows MSPs to have a global overview of all the networks, and detailed information about:

the number of client devices connected in real-time;
uplink and downlink data rates;
SSIDs in a network;
devices’ load;
bandwidth consumption for each access point;
list of channels used by each access point;
historical devices status;
map display and much more.

Tanaza provides liability to SMEs/SMBs to choose from the hardware of their choice. They can select among cost-effective enterprise gear by saving on CapEx and OpEx as they can reuse their existing networking infrastructure and scale their networks.

EventSentry

EventSentry is an on-premise network monitoring software that is owned by NETIKUS.NET Ltd. It enables businesses to monitor their IP-based devices performances. The primary functionalities of this tool include monitoring server health and network performance by managing logs and compliances.

It has a wide range of features such as heartbeat monitoring, SNMP, and Syslog monitoring. The only drawback of it is limiting false positives that become challenging at times. However, it is a good network monitoring tool that enables your business to comply with government and industry regulations such as HIPAA, PCL, and SOX.

SpiceWorks

It is one of the open-source network monitoring software that is known for its scalability and flexibility. It is a great solution for granular monitoring of memory, disk activity, and more. The primary benefit of using this tool is that it is quick and also easy to implement. It allows independent thresholds per system or device. SpiceWorks tracks infrastructure devices such as switches and routers for input/output rate, packets per second, and packet loss. Though this tool provides excellent monitoring, it does not support SNMP version 3. It means that it does not reconcile systems that are going down. Also, its user interface is comparatively slow.

Among the top 5 best network monitoring software, it is up to the requirements of network admins to choose according to their IT infrastructure and business size. Tanaza represents itself as a comprehensive, affordable and flexible SaaS platform for IT professionals to manage WiFi networks in the cloud. Being the only software in the market that works with multi-vendor networking hardware.

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MSPs – The ultimate guide to the 802.11 ax wireless standard

Tanaza WiFi Cloud Management

Best Wireless Access Points for Enterprise Network Deployments in 2023

Wi-Fi 6 – A quick guide to the 802.11ax standard for business networks

by Marketing Team | Jun 23, 2021 | All articles, TanazaOS, Wireless Hardware

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Wi-Fi 6 – A Technical Guide to the 802.11ax standard for Business Networks

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) is the actual commercial generation of IEEE standard for wireless local-area business networks, faster and more powerful than the previous one Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). It is also known as High Efficiency Wi-Fi, for the overall improvements to Wi-Fi 6 clients under dense environments. This next-generation WiFi technology had come with the emerging 5G cellular technology that will change the way we connect to the network. With technological advancement, MSPs have to stay ahead of the trend to cope with the development of wireless networks.

The WiFi 6 or 802.11ax can connect devices that are far from the reaches in the crowded networks. This new WiFi standard will completely reform the way we connect to our smart devices entirely.

Just like the previous generation of technologies, the WiFi6 is emerging in the same manner. It is coming integrated inside the latest smartphones and laptops, new routers, and access points that promise faster and comparatively reliable connectivity for more devices.

WiFi6 is both a revolutionary and evolutionary standard. We all know that it will provide faster, more reliable connections. It is better able to handle a lot more traffic at once at a simultaneous time. It may not seem evident initially, but revolution is destined to follow the evolution.

Differences between Wi-Fi 4, Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6

The 802.11ax standard was announced in 2018, which was the better, faster generation of WiFi4 and WiFi5 standards. It began to be certified in September 2019 in the devices. Slowly but gradually, the 802.11ax (WiFi6) started appearing on devices. For now, it is coming in the flagships of Apple and Samsung. The WiFi6 tech has also emerged in some routers and access points.

Of course, this technology offers significant improvements to its predecessors. Not only does it work in high-density environments, but it also supports dozens of devices. Furthermore, it also boosts the battery life of compatible devices and possesses higher data transfer rates than previous generations.

Talking about speed, theoretically, the WiFi 6 delivers maximum speed rates of 9.6Gbps across multiple channels, in contrast to the WiFi5’s 3.5Gbps. It is almost 250% more than the WiFi5 devices. The higher speed of WiFi6 is due to the OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) sub-channels, MU-MIMO user multiplexed, Beamforming, and 1024 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM). The beamforming enables higher data rates at a given range to increase network capacity. This all became feasible because of these multiple variations in Wifi5.

If you want to discover more about this technology, read our previous article, the ultimate guide to the 802.11ax wireless standard.

	802.11n - Wi-Fi 4	802.11ac - Wi-Fi 5	802.11ax - Wi-Fi 6/6E
Frequency Range (GHz)	2.4 - 5	2.4	2.4 - 5 - 6
Channel Bandwidth (MHz)	20 - 40	20 - 40 - 80 - 80+80 - 160	20 - 40 - 80 - 80+80 - 160
Subcarrier Spacing (KHz)	312.5	312.5	78.125
Symbol time	3.2	3.2	12.8
MU-MIMO	None	Downlink	Uplink and Downlink
Access Scheme	OFDM	OFDM	OFDM, OFDMA
Data Subcarrier Modulation	BPSK, QPSK, 16-64 QAM	BPSK, QPSK, 16-64 QAM	BPSK, QPSK, 16-64-256-1024 QAM
Coding	BCC (mandatory) - LDPC (optional)	BCC (mandatory) - LDPC (optional)	BCC (mandatory) - LDPC (mandatory)

What is the difference between Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E?

WiFi 6E is the next generation of the WiFi 6 standard. It offers all the main features of the 802.11ax, giving also access to the 6GHz band. The new frequency band ranges from 5.925 GHz to 7.125 GHz, allowing up to 1,200 MHz of additional spectrum.
WiFi 6E reduces overlap and interference between multiple networks in high-congested areas as offices, apartments complexes, industrial districts.

	WiFi 6	WiFi 6E
Max. Data Rate	1.5 Gbps per device	2.3 Gbps per device
DFS scanning	Required ❌	Not required ✅
Capacity	Lower	Higher
Security	Secure	More Secure. WPA3 is mandatory.
6GHz Legacy Devices	The 6 GHz band is not available on WiFi6.	The 6 GHz band is exclusive to WiFi 6E devices. More bandwidth, spectrum, and speed improvements guaranteed.
Simultaneous transmissions	8K movies and large file download with possible short buffering. No AR/VR gaming.	8K movies, AR/VR gaming and large file download all without buffering.
Latency	Reduced	Extrimely reduced
Network performance	Good	Better in congestioned enviroments

Do businesses need Wi-Fi 6?

The WiFi 6 is all about improving the networks when a lot more devices are connected. The speed of 9.6Gbps is theoretical, and it is unlikely that you ever need such speed in real-world WiFi use. The fact that i has a much higher theoretical speed than its predecessor is quite essential. The more the devices are connected, you will experience more toll on your network. So Yes, it’s true that businesses need WiFi 6. The latest WiFi standard introduces new technologies that work on the issues that come while connecting dozens of WiFi devices on a single network. It lets the routers communicate with more devices by sending data to multiple devices in the same broadcast.

The usage of WiFi 6 in your business will surely increase your office productivity. It will help the companies drive more value from their present infrastructure. The vast transfer rate will allow companies to attain 5G level performance.

How will WiFi 6 impact your networks, and how soon?

We all understand that the new WiFi standard is providing faster and more reliable connections. The number of critical new features provide WiFi 6 networks and the devices with the ability to handle more traffic and efficiently. The vital point to note here is that WiFi 6 isn’t likely to be substantially faster than WiFi 5 when connected to a single laptop. However, when more and more devices get added to your WiFi 6 network, the story changes.

In this scenario, when current routers may get overwhelmed by the requests from many devices, WiFi 6 routers will effectively keep all those devices up to date with the amount of data each device needs. It is important to remember that you will only get the full benefits of WiFi 6 if both provider and client devices are certified for WiFi 6.

WiFi generations rely on hardware and not just on software updates. To get this new version of WiFi running, you’ll need to buy new devices. The new devices with WiFi 6 will start coming into the market by default. It’s not something that you’ll want to run out to the store and buy.

Year by year, MSPs, ISPs, and SPs are facing the challenge to provide higher throughput and bandwidth for multiple connected devices in enterprise networks. Hardware is not enough to guarantee an adequate and democratic sharing of WiFi connection. A new standard was necessary to manage the huge quantity of devices in the networks (anchor link to the chapter dedicated to e-waste).

On April 23rd, 2021 the FCC voted and approved the allocation of the new 6GHz band for Wi-Fi. WiFi 6 represents a new revolution for enterprise and SMBs WiFi networks.

Should you upgrade your business networks to WiFi 6?

Well, Yes, you should upgrade your business networks to WiFi 6. It offers more speed, a more reliable connection, improved battery life, and better security. This new WiFi standard enables an unimpeded network by allowing more client devices and IoT devices to connect. Undoubtedly it seems a wise decision to upgrade your business networks to WiFi 6. With time new devices have emerged that are WiFi 6 certified but still, it is a long way to get transitioned to this new standard. The sole reason behind this is that the WiFi 6 will appear in the market by default as it has appeared on flagship smartphones of Apple and Samsung and some routers. These routers are so far quite expensive high-end devices.

The inclusion of WiFi 6 in the devices has begun. As time will pass the prices will start coming down, and they already are since this network was introduced. The WiFi Alliance began certifying devices in 2019, so the routers and devices became cheaper. There is no need to rush to replace every WiFi5 device and network component simultaneously. The reason behind this is that there aren’t many WiFi6 clients out there. It will take a few years for the WiFi 6 to make its way to the market. The hardware for this WiFi standard is still being built, and interoperability testing is being performed, implying that it is worth waiting before opting for this standard.

Wi-Fi 6 has already made its way into the market but still, it will take time to reach its full potential. There is no doubt that 802.11ax has bought immediate benefits in network speed, capacity, and responsiveness. These are some of the perks that will improve overtime as the new WiFi standard capable devices replace the system with older generation connectivity. This network will revolutionize the way by bringing network performance to the optimum level in virtually every segment. To get the most out, buyers have to choose the best technology available for their deployments.

Tanaza is constantly adding more APs to the list of compatible devices. It is currently working on a batch of APs to support customers when the right time comes to upgrade the networks with the latest technology.

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https://www.tanaza.com/blog/802-11ax-wireless-standard/

TanazaOS Installer – Download for Windows & macOS

by Marco Papavero | Jun 22, 2021 | Cloud Management, Device management, Tanaza Account Management, TanazaOS, WiFi Networks

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TanazaOS Installer for Windows and MacOS

We just released an enhanced version of the TanazaOS Installer for all our Tanaza users. The TanazaOS installer is a free software to directly install the TanazaOS firmware onto any supported device in just a few clicks.

Tanaza is a state-of-the-art cloud management platform to manage medium and large-scale WiFi network deployments and access points in the cloud. Tanaza’s software is based on TanazaOS, a powerful Linux-based Operating System compatible with multi-vendor WiFi access points.

What is the TanazaOS installer?

Tanaza users can download the Tanaza Installer application to install the TanazaOS firmware directly on any supported access points. With Tanaza, customers can manage, monitor, and control their access points from the Tanaza WiFi cloud controller. The process of installing Tanaza’s operating system on devices has been improved to make the WiFi access point’s deployment more straightforward, agile, and less complex.

Seamless Installation Process

Thanks to the Tanaza Installer, users won’t need to execute complex commands and manual procedures. To install the TanazaOS firmware on a supported device is a straightforward process that only takes three steps.

Once the installation process is completed, Tanaza users can add the access points to the Tanaza cloud dashboard. This improved and faster process allows companies to scale their operations when deploying medium to large WiFi networks, finally saving considerable time and resources.

TanazaOS installer AP compatibility

Currently, the Tanaza installer supports the following WiFi Access Points:

Ubiquiti UAP AC LR
Ubiquiti UAP LR
Ubiquiti UAP
Ubiquiti UAP AC PRO
Ubiquiti UAP AC Mesh
Ubiquiti Unifi AC Mesh PRO
Ubiquiti Unifi AC Lite

Tanaza is working to support more access points and make WiFi network deployments seamless. For other access points supported by Tanaza but not yet compatible with the installer, please check the procedure to install the TanazaOS by device model.

How to install TanazaOS on a supported WiFi access point?

Watch this 40-seconds video to learn how to install the TanazaOS firmware on a supported WiFi access point using the Tanaza installer.

Download the Tanaza installer

The Tanaza installer is available for Windows and MacOS

Download for Microsoft Windows OS – Windows 7 (32 / 64 bit) and later

Download for Apple Mac OS – 10.10 (Yosemite) (64 bit) and later

Learn how to use the Tanaza Installer with this step-by-step guide

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How to Improve WiFi Network Security

7 reasons why MSPs should invest in cloud WiFi solutions

Let’s celebrate World WiFi Day 2021

by Marco Papavero | Jun 17, 2021 | TanazaOS, What's new

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Let’s celebrate World WiFi Day 2021

20th June, Tanaza celebrates World WiFi Day 2021. The global event is organized every year by Wireless Broadband Alliance and developed by the Connected City Advisory Board (CCAB). This recurrent event of the networking industry aims to encourage not only cities and government parties but also operators, service providers, MSPs, ISPs, tech vendors, and internet dealers, to come together to deliver connectivity to everyone, everywhere.

“Connecting the unconnected”

Wireless Broadband Alliance

When is World WiFi Day?

Every 20th of June, the world celebrates the phenomenal role that Wi-Fi plays in our life by connecting people & things.

What is World WiFi Day?

World WiFi Day 2021 celebrates innovations and new projects that help bridge the digital divide worldwide. The goal is to improve consumer access in broadband-deprived areas in both developed and developing countries. Although the number of urban unconnected is highest in the Middle East and the Asia Pacific regions, connectivity remains an essential concern in Europe and North America as well. The need for urban connectivity can be due to several technological issues, often discussed by local and national political entities.

Data and facts about WIFi in 2021

Facts About Wi-Fi Impacts

Facts about WiFi Impact - World WiFi Day 2021

Digital Divide – Key Facts

Digital Divide 2021 - World WiFi Day 2021

Why do we support World WiFi Day every year

Tanaza supports the initiatives aimed at disrupting the WiFi market since the beginning. Our mission is to increase the availability, affordability, and awareness of high-quality internet access to make Wi-Fi more accessible. Tanaza creates value by freeing operators from locked-in vertical solutions that impose a software and hardware bundle.

Tanaza leverages the software and hardware disaggregation paradigm, allowing users to upgrade to TanazaOS multiple devices from different vendors. We believe that today’s market is a breeding ground for the disaggregation of software and hardware to be shared also in the WiFi networking market.
Tanaza is continuously committed, through projects and partnerships, to transforming hardware and software unbundling in WiFi into reality.

Tanaza strives to provide high-quality network services to underserved areas that have not had access due to a lack of infrastructure or high costs. Tanaza is a member of the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), a collaborative community among telecom companies that work to improve the infrastructure behind global connectivity. From 2019, it continues to contribute to the project, to accelerate innovation in telecommunication networks, through standardized, open-source, and disaggregated network solutions. In particular, Tanaza launched the Open Wi-Fi System project, giving proof of the compatibility of the Wi-Fi management cloud platform with TIP’s open-AP stack software, including the OpenSync™ open-source framework.

In 2020, Tanaza joined Facebook Connectivity’s Express Wi-Fi Technology Partner Program, which facilitates network equipment operators to produce network hardware and software that is compatible with Express Wi-Fi by Facebook. This project is part of Facebook Connectivity, a collection of programs, technologies, and partnerships designed to increase the availability, affordability, and awareness of high-quality internet access. Program members are currently collaborating to connect underserved communities around the world and bring more people online to faster internet access.

Over the years, Tanaza has won numerous awards, both general and sectoral (IDC Innovator; Wi-Fi Now Best Enterprise Software; Seal of Excellence of the European Commission), and has received funding under the Horizon2020 project for the TanazaOS project.

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How network disaggregation allows you to reduce your CAPEX OPEX costs

Hi! My name is… Tanaza

How to Improve WiFi Network Security

by Marco Papavero | May 27, 2021 | All articles, Cloud Management, Networking, TanazaOS, WiFi Networks, Wireless Hardware

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How to Improve WiFi Network Security

Discover how to improve the Wi-Fi security of your network deployments.

Protecting your WiFi Network from intrusion might be difficult if there is a breach in your network. In today’s world, nothing is more precious than data and to protect it from getting into the wrong hands is all you need to do. We always have to look out for malicious users trying to access networks and sensitive data that includes email IDs and passwords, and information about your bank accounts. It is important to understand that the WiFi systems extend beyond the walls of your workplace if you have not kept some security on the network. It will get difficult for you to control if someone gains access to your WiFi network. To improve WiFi security, the administrators have to constantly check their usernames and passwords to ensure that only authorized persons can connect to the network.

The administrator can also configure their network with password-protected SSIDs or even hide them to improve WiFi security. Usually, when we install the WiFi, we don’t realize much about its safety until all our devices are connected, and there is no issue with its speed or signal. However, this ignorance can make us prone to cyberattacks. We live in the age of data breaches, so it is of utmost importance that we practice certain steps to keep our WiFi network safe.

Few steps can help Improve WiFi Security:

1- Use strong passwords for accounts and access points

While setting up the passwords for our access points, we often try to use those that we can easily guess to remember them. We must not forget that changing your default username and using strong passwords is a primary step to improve WiFi security. The difficult passwords are often the safest, and the administrator must set up one that is the combination of a string of random characters. Changing the default name of your access point is crucial as the default credentials of the famous WiFi access points are widely known.

Make sure that your password is unique and strong, and it is recommended that you change usernames and passwords for your access points frequently, every 30-90 days. By doing this, it will be difficult for anyone to guess them and restrict them from consuming your data.

2- Enable SSID encryption

One of the best ways to improve WiFi security is to change the name of your WiFi network, formerly known as SSID. Changing your WiFi name will be harder for the attackers to know which type of access point you are using. To ensure full-proof network security, it is important that you must hide all your SSIDs so that other users are not able to locate them. With the Tanaza platform, you will be able to encrypt your SSID to eliminate the possibility of your access point falling into the hands of an unauthorized person.

The Tanaza platform lets you add a maximum of 8 SSIDs for each Access point. You can configure each SSID individually. By clicking on a particular SSID, you’ll be redirected to its configuration that is divided into three: Summary, Wireless Security, and Bandwidth. Encrypting your SSID is most important to have a secure access point. By default, the SSID you have added is enabled with open encryption, which means any user can access it. For encrypting your SSID, with Tanaza you can choose from the various encryption levels such as WPA2 or WPA2-Enterprise. The Tanaza platform offers a splash page editor that allows WiFi professionals to configure, edit and customize their portal.

3- Filter MAC Addresses

Every device that connects to a network has a MAC (Media Access Controller) address. It is also known as a physical address as it is the identifier of the network card, which is unique. No two devices in the World can have the same MAC address. Filtering MAC addresses is one of the critical parts of improving your WiFi Access Point security. To filter the MAC address, you have to open the configuration window in your device and list MAC addresses to connect to the network.

In the Tanaza platform, you can also blacklist a specific user’s MAC address. There are various configuration options by which you can restrict users to connect to a specific SSID.

4- Monitor WiFi users activity

By Monitoring your WiFi activity, you make sure that there is no unusual activity in your WiFi network. You need to check on your data usage how much data is used on a particular day and at a specific time. With the Tanaza platform, you can easily monitor your WiFi network’s performance by seeing the number of clients currently associated with WiFi SSID and monitoring how much bandwidth they consume.

It is one of the best ways that will improve WiFi security to a great extent. You will even be able to track your device’s traffic flow at the WiFi network and the access point level. Tanaza also allows users to analyze and track the performance of WiFi networks using statistics.

5- Choose a WiFi cloud platform with high levels of reliability and scalability

Selecting a WiFi Cloud Platform that can provide you with an intuitive and powerful user interface is suitable for enterprise and retail environments. You need to select a platform that ensures the complete security of your WiFi network. To improve your WiFi security, you need a cloud platform that offers you a configuration suitable to your needs. Tanaza is the platform that you can trust fully as they are empowering hundreds of networks Worldwide. Hundreds of IT professionals have adopted their WiFi cloud platform.

6- Manage WiFi networks with a cloud platform that guarantees 99.99% Availability

The Tanaza WiFi Cloud Platform is among the few that guarantees 99.99% availability. It is one of the percentages used to communicate the system’s operational performance. It is one of the core features of the Tanaza platform based on the World’s most reliable cloud platform service. The level of high availability is guaranteed by the internal monitoring process that includes 24×7 failure detection with rapid term response which recovers data up to the latest few minutes. The powerful AWS platform by Amazon adds an extra layer of security in terms of availability.

7- Verify security levels for the cloud management platform you use

It is necessary to verify the security levels for the cloud management platform that you are using. Tanaza ensures complete security that will protect you from potential breaches in your network. They use Amazon AWS as a secure cloud services platform. The access to the core systems is not protected by passwords only, but also any remote access will be restricted by IP address. The firewalls highly protect their systems. For monitoring the access and potential threats, a 24×7 services logging is operative. From the user’s point of view, all sensitive data is secured with highly controlled and restricted access.

It is important that you secure your access point to save your data. Securing your WiFi can be done by configuring them with strong encryption protocols that prevent unauthorized users from connecting to your WiFi network. Tanaza focuses on the importance of data protection which is why they are considered best to improve WiFi security. They comply with the EU regulations and ensure that their tools are sufficient to protect personal data. Securing your network must be the top priority of any organization and if you have a platform that will remotely monitor your network’s performance is a gift. Start managing your devices today with Tanaza, the WiFi cloud management platform.

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Cloud WiFi Management Software for Enterprise

5GHz vs 2.4GHz – What is the best WiFi frequency for business?

How to optimize WiFi network infrastructure

How to boost WiFi signal

by Marketing Team | May 18, 2021 | Cloud Management, Network Monitoring, Tanaza Account Management, TanazaOS, WiFi Networks

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How to boost WiFi signal – Tips to improve wireless strength

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How to boost WiFi Signal is an easy task with Tanaza. Read our easy tips to improve wireless network strength.

Slow internet frustrates us the most when we are doing some important task and are in dire need of fast internet connectivity. In today’s time, WiFi is a utility that is as important as water and electricity, and if you experience a weakened or dropped WiFi connection, it can be quite annoying. WiFi is a fickle thing, and it is very much possible that its speed may vary dramatically from one day to another. It is also expected that sometimes you won’t get the speed promised by your ISP (Internet Service Provider). Several factors influence your WiFi speed, and it will be crucial if you have a brief knowledge about them to avoid such scenarios.

You might want to know how to boost your WiFi signal to get things going quickly with your work. There are several ways by which you can think of boosting your WiFi signal. If your internet is not working at the speed at which it is supposed to, this might be the right time to consider a few upgrades.

How to boost WiFi signal in 7 easy steps

First of all, before considering changing your IP or changing your WiFi access point, it will be good if you try to troubleshoot to diagnose the issue by yourself. Here are the seven easy steps that will show you how to boost your WiFi signal:

1- Run a Speed Test

There are plenty of reasons depicting why you have less WiFi signal, and it’s an excellent way to start with the basics. Run a speed test to see whether you are getting the promised speed by your Internet Service Provider. Your speed will depend on your ISP and your internet plan. To check your internet speed, try speedtest.net or google and type ‘Internet Speed Test’ in the search bar. Check your speed if it is up to the mark, and if not, run the same test with a cable to the router. If after running both tests the result is the same and you are not getting the desired speed, then go to step 2.

2- Reposition/ Relocate your AP to boost WiFi signal

If your access point has passed the speed test, but your WiFi signal is still dropping, it might be because of its poor positioning. You need to place your access point in a location with less interference. Not all places are suitable as materials like metal, wood, plastics, cardboard, and even walls can disrupt a WiFi signal to an extent. The WiFi signal becomes sluggish as they have trouble penetrating the solid materials.

The best place that is considered to put your WiFi is a central location as it will have the best chance to reach the extremities of your site. You can even see a slight boost in your WiFi signal by elevating your access point above the floor level.

It’s a fact that your access point location will affect your WiFi coverage. To have a significant boost in your WiFi signal, you must place your AP in an open space, away from the walls and obstruction. If your AP is placed behind any wall right now, you will see a drastic improvement in your WiFi signal just by changing the location.

3- Update Your AP Firmware

It is one of the crucial things you can check on your access point. The manufacturers always work towards improving the software to get more speed and enhanced signal out from them. If you have updated AP firmware, it will also protect you from the growing number of large-scale malware attacks.

Malware can infect your access point, which can steal its bandwidth and spreads itself across the network to other devices. It is pretty easy to update your access point. Launch your web browser on your computer and connect to your access point’s network. You will get an option of updating your current AP firmware once you log in with the admin username and password. You will easily find the update process in the administration interface, so you need to hit that update button.

However, if you use Tanaza with each firmware update you will benefit from the latest security patches and new and improved features. What’s more, Tanaza allows you to manage all your multi-vendor access points from a single dashboard as well as manage unlimited networks and appoint collaborators to subsets of your networks and organizations. Discover all the features of Tanaza the WiFi cloud management platform.

4- Add an extra WiFi AP to your network

Suppose you are not experiencing any significant boost in your signal after trying the techniques mentioned above. In that case, you might want to consider adding an extra WiFi AP to your network. All-access points are part of a single wireless network and share the same SSID and password, due to which you will remain connected throughout your place. You can also add one or two ‘Extenders.’ WiFi Extenders are small devices that amplify the WiFi signal and extend its coverage. You need to plug in these devices near your WiFi access point so that they receive a solid and reliable signal.

Learn more about how to calculate the number of access points required when deploying a WiFi network.

5- Switch the radio channel and select a less congested channel

Signals from other wireless networks can have a significant impact on speed. Let it be microwaves, cordless telephones, or various electronic devices. There are multiple WiFi channels on which WiFi access points are broadcasted. If you are experiencing a loss in signal, switch the radio signal.

There are two wireless frequencies in WiFi access points. One is 2.4GHz, and the other is 5GHz. Though there are 13-14 channels, we use three non-overlapping channels that are 1, 6, and 11. By default, most of our networks are on channels 1, 6, and 11. Since they are the ones that avoid interference, we use them a lot which is why we get less speed. On the other hand, 5GHz, wireless frequency has 23 non-overlapping channels, so it has more speed but comparatively less range.

The Tanaza platform allows you to monitor and select the radio channel that is not used by many networks in your area. Learn more about how to configure the radio mode channel with Tanaza

6- Check the number of concurrent users within the network

You need to check the number of concurrent users within a particular network or access point. These are the users who are connected within a network or distributed among various APs. Now let us say if there are more users connected to a particular access point, you will feel the lack of signal in your WiFi network.

In such a case, using the ‘Roaming’ concept will be helpful as it can automatically shift users to another AP, which usually has a stronger signal. It will only work in case there are multiple APs set up in a particular workplace.

Learn how to calculate the number of APs you need for the number of concurrent users you plan to give.

7- Check if your device is a legacy device and upgrade your AP with antennas

If your WiFi access point has an internal antenna, adding an external one will significantly help transmit a stronger signal. You can choose between various types of antennas, such as omnidirectional and directional antennas. The omnidirectional antennas are those which send a signal to all directions. The directional antennas, on the other hand, send a signal to only one direction. However, directional antennas are considered a better option as they send a signal in one specific direction. It is better because you might not be experiencing weak spots in your network in every direction. You can improve the WiFi signal by pointing your external antenna in the direction where the signal lacks. Upgrading to an external antenna is a great way to boost your WiFi signal at your workplace without buying an additional access point. If you have tried searching everything on boosting WiFi signal, let us assure you that these seven steps are proven and tested ways of boosting your WiFi signal when you are experiencing slow internet connectivity. Always remember to have an encrypted password-protected Access Point so that only authorized persons use it. Using the latest WiFi technologies will also help prevent the poor signal in your WiFi.

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