Can ransomware spread through WiFi?

Can ransomware spread through WiFi?

Can ransomware spread through WiFi? Yes, it’s possible.

Citing Wikipedia: “Ransomware is a type of malware that threatens to publish the victim’s personal data or perpetually block access to it unless a ransom is paid.
Ransomware attacks are typically carried out using a Trojan, entering a system through, for example, a malicious attachment, embedded link in a phishing email, or a vulnerability in a network service.”

This type of malware has become one of the first threats in the cybersecurity landscape of several industries.

Several reports have shown how MSPs, ISPs, and SPs remain prime targets for those attacks. The reason is simple: their business model serves many SMBs, medium and large enterprises, with multimillion assets attracting the interest of hackers. The most common ransomware that attack MSPs are CryptoLocker, WannaCry and CryptoWall. 

In its last report about network security, Cybersecurity Ventures has estimated that “every 2 seconds, a ransomware attack occurs. The expected global damage costs by 2031 will be around $265 billion”

It is easy to understand how the growth of damage occurs in parallel with the growth of downtime, caused by increasingly sophisticated ransomware.

A 2023 study by Statista confirms that “Although ransomware still ranks behind other more concerning malware types such as viruses and trojans, it has huge potential for damage – both for businesses and individuals alike. In fact, the annual share of ransomware attacks experienced by organizations worldwide has been on the rise since 2018, peaking at 68.5 percent in 2021.”

Statistic: Annual number of ransomware attacks worldwide from 2016 to first half 2022 (in millions) | Statista

Annual number of ransomware attacks worldwide from 2016 to first half 2022 (in millions)

The threat of ransomware is not always related to software download or email phishing. The increase of global network traffic and the economical interests of hacking groups during post-Covid19 and Russia / Ukraine war have multiplied the types and quantity of attacks against business networks. Wi-Fi networks can become a vector for traditional ransomware.

There are ransomware categories, such as Emotet, that operate as worms bypassing the weakest passwords and infecting multiple contiguous wireless networks. There are ransomware, such as Chameleon, that collect and report the credentials of all other WiFi users who connected to it. And then, they try to expand the infection other WiFi APs that they could connect to and infect.

Read more about the study of the University of Liverpool

It’s basically impossible to defend WiFi networks from every type of ransomware. The correct approach that MSPs, ISPs, and SPs should have in this complex scenario of malware threats is to adopt the best defense technologies against ransomware in relation to Wi-Fi.

What is a possible defense for business networks against Wi-Fi ransomware?

Tanaza suggests Configuring RADIUS Authentication + NAS ID with WPA-Enterprise. 

For instance, let’s analyze the behavior of the ransomware Chameleon to understand the approach used by Tanaza to fight ransomware attacks.

The goal of this ransomware is data theft, device malfunctions at the OSI layer 2, and the lock of lists of files or entire systems for ransom reasons when integrated with worms. 

The first malicious portion of the code of this ransomware executes a deep network scan to discover possible susceptibilities into the access points. Scanned vulnerabilities include weak passwords, outdated firmware, and unsafe encryption protocols of the Wi-Fi device (as WEP, WPA, WPA+TPKI, WPA + TKIP/AES, WPA + AES). When the ransomware finds access points with easy to crack passwords (appealing for dictionary attacks) or unsafe network protocols, the ransomware can bypass the security protocols and the administrative interface of the access point.

At that moment, Chameleon identifies and stores AP system settings, replacing the original firmware with a virus-loaded and reloading the new malicious AP settings. 

The activity of malware is unstoppable. The propagation of ransomware would continue despite upgrades to security methods, such as deep packet inspection or the change of security protocols in a second moment. The malware could infect other nodes. The propagation would continue near weak networks on an infinite loop.

Threat prevention against WiFi ransomware

The configuration of the RADIUS Authentication server + NAS ID with WPA-Enterprise represents a triple level of security for MSPs, ISPs, and SPs.

When a user tries to authenticate to the network, he fills the fields with a username and password to execute the login. The device creates an Access-Request message and sends it to the preconfigured RADIUS server. In this message, there are the encrypted credentials. The Radius server will confront the received login credentials with the data on an internal database to establish if the client is known. 

If the device is a client known to the RADIUS server and the shared secret is correct, the server looks at the authentication method requested in the Access-Request message. If not, the RADIUS sends an Access-Reject message that shows authentication failure. The RADIUS communication ends and the client is denied access. 

At this level, the MSPs, ISPs, and SPs network have solid protection standards because, during the network scan by malware to find AP susceptibilities, the ransomware should crack the WPA Enterprise AES-CCMP protocols (bypassing robust cryptography techniques: “counter mode” and “CBC-MAC”) and intercept the Access-Request message, falsing it with the list of credentials into the database.

What is WPA Enterprise?

WPA Enterprise is one of the safest WiFi security methods for network protection. The protocol was specifically designed for the network defense of business organizations. The encryption method used by this security protocol is AES-CCMP: it encrypts data transmitted over the air.

WPA Enterprise is used in MSPs, ISPs and SPs environments where design protection system againts Wi-Fi ransomware is critical. This security protocol uses the IEEE 802.1X standard for network access control, which provides an authentication framework for devices attempting to connect to the network.

In WPA Enterprise, when a client attempts to connect to the network, the access point requests authentication credentials from the user’s device. The device then sends the credentials to an authentication server for verification. If the credentials are valid, the authentication server sends a message back to the access point, allowing the user’s device to connect to the network.

WPA Enterprise also uses encryption to protect the data transmitted over the network. It supports multiple encryption methods, including the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP).

 

What is RADIUS Authentication?

Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) is a client/server protocol and software that enables remote access servers to communicate with a central server to authenticate dial-in users and authorize their access to the requested system or service.

And if the authentication fails on the primary server?

Tanaza has enabled a secondary server feature. As for the first one, it’s possible to configure IP addresses or hostnames, ports, and shared secrets (password, passphrase, or a number).

How to configure radius server for wireless authentication?

For best performance and network security, Tanaza suggests having the RADIUS server and gateway access points located within the same layer-2 broadcast domain to avoid firewall, routing, or authentication delays. Another interesting feature that MSPs, ISPs, and SPs can use as a security method, it’s to set the NAS ID.

NAS ID – Network access server identifier

NAS ID is the further protection technology developed by Tanaza to protect networks from ransomware. NAS ID is textual code that enables the RADIUS server to choose the policy for that specific request. The NAS-ID is sent to the RADIUS server by the centralized platform through an authentication request to classify clients into different groups and subgroups. This enables the RADIUS server to send a customized authentication response.

Network segmentation security through SSH access of APs

Above, we have analyzed how Radius Server Authentication and WPA security protocol are solid protection against ransomware for SSIDs security.

Tanaza offers another level of protection at the AP level: SSH access.
SSH protection provides IT and information security professionals with a solid mechanism to manage clients remotely. Rather than requiring password authentication to initialize a connection between an SSH client and server, SSH authenticates the access point themselves.

Operators can enable SSH access on different granularities of the segmented network:
– for each single access point;
– for the entire network through the feature network-wide configuration.

Remember for a second the aforementioned ransomware Chameleon and its malicious action of network scanning to find APs susceptibilities in order to replace the original firmware. The SSH encryption protocol is a further robust shield to avoid AP intrusions and firmware modifications. When SSH is enabled, the access point is protected by the highest compliance requirements related to SSH keys.

Can ransomware spread through WiFi? Yes. But you can defend it with Tanaza

Try Tanaza and experience our security features to protect business networks from WiFi ransomware threats.

Get Started

✔︎ No credit card required

Mockup-tanaza-os

Benefits of Cloud Managed Wireless Networks

Discovering the benefits of cloud managed wireless networks solutions

Transfer

Try now the Tanaza
WiFi Management Platform

Get Started

✔︎ No credit card needed ✔︎​ Easy configuration

✔︎ Auto rollback when you desire

or continue to read more
about the benefits of
cloud managed wireless networks.

The benefits of cloud-managed wireless networks over traditional network management solutions are multiple and consolidated in the industry. In Tanaza, we have defined the main advantages of a cloud-managed wireless network platform.
  1. Cost reduction of network infrastructures and network management;
  2. Productivity improvement for structured companies as MSPs, ISPs, and SPs;
  3. Safer security levels in enterprise network deployment
  4. Fast and efficient resolution of network problems thanks to a better network visualization;
  5. Superior network support thanks to outsourced dedicated technical assistance;
  6. Better business decision-making thanks to real-time and historical network analytics and reports.

Cost reduction of network infrastructures and network management

During post-pandemic times, cost reduction of network infrastructures and network management is the main priority for MSPs, ISPs, and SPs. The budget review represents an urgent voice in the development plans of many companies.
Embracing network disgregation and adopting a SaaS WiFi cloud-managed solution can help enterprises and SMBs achieve these goals. understood this need and redefined the concept of network infrastructure costs, developing an enterprise alternative to the more expensive single-vendor cloud controllers. Hardware disaggregation is the fundamental point that allows CAPEX and OPEX costs reduction.

When network professionals start their experience with Tanaza, they have to decide the type of hardware and access points for the next device deployment. Network professionals will be able to choose cheaper access points such as consumer/SMB devices with an average cost of around $100/device, unlike someone using a traditional network management solution who will have to spend $300/device (hardware + software).

The cost reduction impacts even network management.
By using cloud management TanazaOS, professionals enjoy the same set of features in an all-in-one centralized dashboard, instead of investing budget resources in multiple solutions that sometimes can entail CAPEX/OPEX costs. Features include remote monitoring, centralized configuration, multi-site management, and self-provisioning: click here for the complete list of Tanaza features.

Productivity improvement for structured companies as MSPs, ISPs, and SPs

One of the main benefits of cloud-managed wireless networks solutions is the productivity improvement for companies as MSPs, ISPs, SPs. Cloud-based platforms such as Tanaza allow users to save time avoiding repetitive network configuration operation and monitoring performance and troubleshooting parameters from a single centralized dashboard.

Imagine for a second having a time-consuming and repetitive activity as the configuration of hundreds of multi-vendor indoor and outdoor access points. During traditional one-by-one network management configurations, professionals have to study multiple model specifications, understand internal OS features of each device, verify access point compatibility with network IEEE standards, and, in some cases, solve typical network compatibility issues through updates and expensive network troubleshooting practices. Thanks to a cloud-managed wireless network solution such as Tanaza, instead, is enough to type the MAC address of the device and network professionals can manage all these inconveniences in a few clicks.

In structured companies, different technical departments have to co-work to guarantee the highest standards of service. Using a managed wireless network solution helps to improve productive cooperation between professionals. Once set specific roles and create different permission levels, internal and external collaborators can access the all-in-one cloud dashboard of Tanaza and check network traffic analytics and monitoring data as real-time bandwidth data, the number of concurrent clients for SSIDs, or access point status, remotely and at any time. Different departments indeed no longer need to waste time in the manual analysis of network data through multiple, disconnected tools and formatting them into reports, with possible misinterpretations, typical data inconsistency due to data integration, and useful status meetings. Network teams can spend their work time in more profitable work activities.

Safer security levels in enterprise network deployments

According to Gartner Report 2021 about Security Vulnerability, more than half of the companies faced security vulnerabilities during the pandemic. Attacks on enterprise devices continue to represent the main security weakness in the enterprise network deployment.
Cloud-managed wireless networks have different levels of security.

Solid password, IP address restriction, and firewalls

Most secure cloud-based management platforms have the strongest password protocols and solid security policies. Tanaza, for instance, requires its users to choose a password compliant with a strong password policy with the following criteria:

  • 8 characters minimum
  • At least one lowercase character
  • At least one uppercase character
  • At least one digit
  • At least one special character

Tanaza restricts any remote access using the IP address and verifies the login by public key (RSA).

The cloud dashboard is highly protected by dedicated firewalls, and 24Ă—7 services login is operative for monitoring accesses and potential threats.

Disable WiFi configuration/login pages, managing APs settings safely from the cloud

Cloud-managed wireless networks solutions add a new level of security thanks to the possibility to exclude default WiFi configuration/login pages. Common network attacks happen in the pre-set login page of access points. Especially in low-medium cost device brands, minimum security standards are not always guaranteed.
Wireless cloud management solutions introduce a further level of security: network administrators can disable unsafe configuration/login pages and manage access points settings safely from a cloud dashboard. Only those who know the credentials of the cloud management dashboard or who have adequate permission levels can access device settings. The security of the cloud dashboard is guaranteed by the standard presented in the previous chapter.

Secure data storage and user data management

Data related to network configurations set up by users in the Tanaza dashboard is stored on a Database using Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS). Instead, data specific to network analytics, like devices’ statistics, is saved on No-SQL databases hosted on AWS servers.

Security is ensured through a split of data sent to/from the managed devices and any end-user data. Configuration and login sessions pass through the servers; however, all the data exchanged by customers with the Internet remains completely excluded from our systems. Besides, any sensitive data is secured with high control and restricted access.

Fast and efficient resolution of network problems thanks to an innovative network visualization system

Cloud wireless networks management allows easy troubleshooting of enterprise networks thanks to better network visualization. A centralized cloud dashboard is functional to map and manage all the network devices, metrics, and data, helping network administrators to identify fastly and efficiently what is the weakest node and organize the protective measures.

Tanaza, for instance, allows multi-vendor access points configuration and granular network visualization.
Network sections are subdivided into SSIDs and devices. The intuitive and easy-to-use centralized dashboard is composed of visual network design principles. The centralized dashboard allows the network administrator to identify immediately AP model and the device status by icons, without the need to type a single command line.
Read more about Device Status

WiFi Devices
Device Status AP Tanaza
For each network component, administrators can check real-time and historical data to identify what is the cause of an unexpected disconnection or suspicious threats.

When a device disconnection happens, users can configure an email alert system that warns them every time each access point goes down. This aspect disaggregates the old concept of network visualization because it’s no anymore necessary to visualize the AP status on the platform to start the network troubleshooting, but it’s the platform itself to notify the disconnection. This could happen meanwhile WiFi professionals are working on other tasks and allow a rapid response to possible network attacks.

Superior network support thanks to outsourced dedicated technical assistance

Among the main benefits of cloud-managed wireless networks, outsourcing of WiFi cloud management activities represents a great opportunity to decrease operational costs. Invest in a cloud-managed platform to allocate part of the budget for an all-in-one solution for multiple activities, saving money and avoiding increasing company labor costs. The prices of these solutions are generally very cheap and scalable. Tanaza, for instance, has convenient pricing plans based on the number of access points and the selected period of the license. Companies can pay only for what they exactly need, without any added cost.

Visit this page to discover the pricing plan.

Relying on the network management to an external cloud-managed solution, it’s important even because superior network support is guaranteed. The networking industry is constantly updating, and there is not always time and economic resources to invest in constant training for internal teams. Delegation to an external cloud-managed wireless network allows externalizing risks and management issues with the possibility to rely on superior support, in case of problems.

Tanaza guarantees superior network support, with taking charge of the customer requests in at least 24/48h. The support team can be contacted for commercial or technical reasons with the assurance of the resolution of any problems related to the platform. For ambitious projects, our developers are always available to take into consideration requests for new features or of new access point deployment.

 

Better business decision making thanks to real-time and historical network analytics and reports

Without data, you are another person with an opinion. This is a rule in data analysis. More and more in network analytics.
The best decisions related to new access points acquisition, security threats prevention and defending, or network parameters customization pass from appropriate and deep real-time and network analysis.

Cloud-managed wireless networks solutions as Tanaza allow customers to analyze remotely real-time and historical data as bandwidth, max concurrent clients, GHz channels, device maps for the previous 7 days, 24 hours, or 60 minutes.

Often, network administrators have hundreds of Wi-Fi devices deployed in multiple locations to monitor. It’s important to know the status of each single AP or Wi-Fi router at any moment, to be able to debug the network when needed.
It’s a huge amount of data and a mistake can cause problems for the whole network deployment.

The granular UX design of the Tanaza dashboard allows network administrators to study the network structure at every level, analyzing device by device load and memory parameters excesses. By monitoring the load value for each access point, it’s possible to understand if the access point is under strain due to the range of coverage or the amount of network data to be processed. This value offers a parameter to prevent overload on access points or possibly breaking down, improving service availability and helping prevent downtimes.
By monitoring memory value, instead, it’s possible to verify unusual AP memory usage. With constant, full memory usage, like in the case of a high number of concurrent connections, clients connected to these APs can experience intermittent connectivity drops. Monitoring this parameter allows to improve the quality of service and reduce network instability.

The average situation of those parameters reflects itself on the device status. Thanks to the historical data, network administrators can obtain relevant information about APs position and status.

Discover more about the device status 

This amount of data is really useful because it allows network administrators to collect precious information for network design and troubleshooting before, and business decisions after.

Imagine identifying several access points of the same model placed in different locations with repetitive cases of temporary disconnection caused by high levels of over memory. Without a cloud-managed wireless solution with a centralized dashboard, it will be really hard to obtain bulk real-time statistics that can help to understand what causes the network issue. In parallel, it could be difficult to conclude that a particular type of model does not cause a network failure in isolated situations, but in multiple nodes of the network with the same characteristics. Consequently, the decision to invest in other models will be more of an attempt than a data-based thoughtful choice.

The risk of re-invest in access points that cause a new outage of service is high. With Tanaza, instead, it is possible to reorganize the list of access points ascending and descending for load, traffic, clients, and status and name to have under control the entire network in the same dashboard from the device.

Try Tanaza and discover the benefits of cloud-managed wireless networks

Managing WiFi access points and networks in the cloud has multiple advantages.

Get Started
✔︎ No credit card needed
✔︎​ Easy configuration
Tanaza Desktop Mobile

Related articles:

Advantages of Cloud Managed WiFi SaaS for Wi-Fi business

Tanaza platform security to prevent data breach

https://www.tanaza.com/blog/reasons-to-invest-in-cloud-wifi-solutions/

How Many Access Points Do I Need – Estimate the right number of devices for your network

How many access points do I need? How to estimate the right number of devices for professional networks

Try now the
Tanaza WiFi management platform

Get Started

✔︎ No credit card required ✔︎ Easy setup

✔︎ Free up to 3 APs

or continue to read
how to establish how many access points do you need.

How many access points do I need? A common question in professional network deployment. Estimating the number of access points for different environments is crucial: especially in structures with large areas and requiring large numbers of devices, calculating the wrong number can lead to unexpectedly high costs and a feeling of dissatisfaction when buying unnecessary APs. Conversely, when you want to save too much money, you risk underestimating the number of devices and not buying enough access points for your business.

Tanaza has defined the most important factors to consider and how to estimate the number of access points required.

Check floor plan of the environment

The building plan is often a factor that is taken for granted when estimating the number of devices to be purchased. Modern buildings can have different floor plans: L, H, or T.

In this scenario, the geometry of the plan itself influences coverage. In these cases, devices can not be placed in a position that will be central to all users, without the signal crossing several external or internal walls.

Follow this basic networking rules:

  • L-shape – estimate more square feet than 2;
  • T-shape – estimate more square feet than 3;
  • H-shape – multiply the estimated square footage by 4.
How to Calculate the Number of WiFi Access Points

Considering only the plane of the structure as the only influential architectural factor is a simplification. The presence of objects or other IoT devices can impact the propagation of the WiFi signal with the consequent loss of signal.

Furthermore, phenomena such as signal reflections, diffractions, and wave scattering have a considerable impact.

Identify the types of walls

Intuitively, concrete, brick, and reinforced concrete walls have a high magnetic permeability index. In this case, the number of devices required for efficient WiFi signal propagation is higher.
Concrete, with or without reinforcement, has a high attenuation level and represents a significant obstacle between the access point and the client device. The loss of decibels of the WiFi signal increases as the frequency increases.

In the table, below you can see the signal losses by frequency and material. The table is based on calculations and experiments carried out by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Material AttenuationdB Loss at 2.4 GHzdB Loss at 5 GHzdB Loss at 6 GHz
Reinforced concrete (203 mm)315563
Concrete (203 mm)294854
Brick-faced concrete184148
Brick-faced masonry block103243
Concrete (102 mm)152225
Brick61515
Masonry block111516
Lumber (Dry – 38 mm))344
Glass (6 mm)111
Drywall (Panel)~1~1~1
Plywood (6 mm)~1~1~1

Decimal frequencies, wall thickness and arrangement of the material can modify these values.

For example, using the reinforced concrete (203 mm) example and imagine to have a a wall of that material between the AP and Wi-Fi clients: at 2.4 GHz, the wall attenuation with the consequent loss of signal is ~31 dB. If the AP operating frequency is changed to 5 GHz, the wall attenuation with the consequent loss of signal is going to be higher because the frequency is higher – in this case it goes to ~55 dB.

Recently, the Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6 standard introduces the 6GhZ as commercial frequency. Considering the abovementioned example of reinforced concrete (203 mm) wall, the growing band frequencies increases the wall attenuation with the consequent loss of signal to ~63 dB.

The same concept of increasing signal loss as frequency increases also applies to other types of walls.

Estimating the number of access points, it is fundamental to consider the technical characteristics and configurations of the devices, including bandwidth, signal strength, and range. For networks that require large numbers of devices, a platform like Tanaza is essential for comprehensive remote management. The platform allows to monitor 24/7 the signal status, with the ability to modify the necessary settings for each access point in bulk.

In the next months, Tanaza will develop a new integration with Hamina Wireless and its own efficient network planner.

Number of contemporary users

The number of contemporary users is a parameter for estimating access points that should only be considered in areas with a large number of users such as schools, theatres, auditoriums, hotels, universities, and sports centers.

Imagine a traditional football stadium with a capacity of 50000 people for a summer concert. The size of the rectangular area is 650 feet x 750 feet. To obtain the number of access points required, you need to calculate:

TOTAL ENVIRONMENT AREA / MAXIMUM COVERAGE AREA OF THE DEVICE

At this point, we consider the number of connected users. With the stadium at max capacity, let’s assume that only 50% of the spectators have connected to the WiFi network: 25000 spectators. Of these, 10,000 are using it together to share the most exciting moments of the event. Once you have performed the above calculation to determine the number of access points needed, you can divide the number of users / the number of APs to quantify the number of access points per device.

Calculate the Capacity/Throughput per user/application

Another method to estimate the number of access points needed is to calculate the capacity requirements. We have already talked about this topic in a previous article: click here to read.

For a quick review, consider 4 basic formulas:

  • AP Throughput divided by User Throughput = Users per AP
  • Users per AP divided by active users = Usable users per AP
  • Usable Users per AP divided by Adoption Rate = Service Area/Cell Size
  • Capacity divided by service area = AP count
Once the number of access points has been estimated, it is worth considering a WiFi cloud platform that allows the remote management of all devices. With Tanaza you can monitor the WiFi data of the access points remotely.
Available statistics include:

  • data received and sent by the network in real-time;
  • the status of the access points in real-time;
  • historical statistics on possible disconnections;
  • RAM/CPU load percentage in real-time;
  • blocked packets and error rate;
  • the number of connected clients and the aggregate upload and download speed.

Use Hamina Wireless as network planner

Hamina Wireless Logo

Network planners as Hamina Wireless allows MSPs, ISPs and SPs to scientifically scan internal and external environments in order to execute real-time heatmappings.

Network administrators can easily design Wi-Fi networks with accurate 3D antenna modeling predictions and automatic, customizable and dynamic reports to check network parameters as:
– AP placement;
– First, secondary and tertiary coverage;
– SNR;
– Interferences;
– Data rate;
– AP radio details

On April 27th at 5pm CEST, Hamina Wireless will be host of a Tanaza webinar to present its revolutionary network planner. Join the webinar. 

 

 

Unleash the power of network management

Deploy and manage your indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi access points with Tanaza.

Get Started

✔︎ No credit card needed
✔︎​ Easy configuration

What is WiFi Network Management Software?

What is WiFi Network Management Software?

WiFi network management software has become a necessity as it offers an automated way to monitor and analyze WiFi Access points, network traffic, and client devices. Businesses rely a lot on WiFi to ensure wireless, remote access so that all devices remain connected to the internet.

The network management software serves as the solution, consisting of monitoring devices that create and use the wifi network, analyzing their traffic, and troubleshooting slowdowns that impact the end-user experience. The primary aim of a wifi network management solution is to avoid downtime by preventing rogue devices from accessing the network. Specially in terms of large-scale and dynamic business networks, WiFi management is quite important.

The network management software collects information about the network devices using specific protocols such as SNMP, ICMP, CDP etc to then present this information to the network administrators in a resolved way to help them identify the issue at the fastest time possible and troubleshoot any problems. When many devices connect to a particular network simultaneously, the reliable network uptime guarantee is liable to differ. It depends on many factors including location, access point, network design and configuration.

A WiFi management tool helps to synthesize data effectively. These platforms are configured to track key performance metrics of the network and provide in-depth, critical device details, including current node status, average response time, packet loss, and device information.

Why do you need a Network Management Software for Your Business?

It is important to have a WiFi management software to ensure your network’s stability and reliability and global overview of every single end point. Every network needs a monitoring software that can detect promptly issues to avoid slowdowns that eventually impact the end-user experience.

If a signal gets dropped or there is no connectivity in a particular area, it will hamper the work. An effective network management solution incorporates advanced monitoring technology to help IT admins navigate the complicated and evolving networking landscape. Every wireless device, network application, and even the physical landscape leave their mark on the network, or we can say formerly it affects the network.

If your company has a wireless network, this does not mean that it’s enough to run a small or large business smoothly. It is the responsibility of the IT admins to manage and monitor the networks and the IT infrastructure. Wifi connectivity is liable to deflect depending on several factors. Sometimes when we experience extreme lag or network downtime, we feel frustrated because almost all our work depends on how efficiently our network performs. It’s up to the IT administrator to reach the roots of the problem and resolve WiFi related issues. Hence, a network monitoring software is very useful as it helps IT admins to troubleshoot any potential issue with the network.

A network management software can identify multiple issues within the network and the access points that broadcast the signal. The software gathers and displays robust insights into each category of the network, so IT teams can get to the root of the poor performance before the network and your business comes to a grinding halt. WiFi monitoring tools help detect, diagnose and resolve the most common issues while dropping in the network. If you are facing any of the following issues in context to your wifi network such as:

  • Poor or slow connection speed;
  • Weak signal strength;
  • Mismanaged network capacity;
  • Compromised Network Security.

5 Key Benefits of an All-In-One WiFi Network Management Software

There are many Network Management solutions available in the market, but among them, choosing the one with all the perks is quite a task. Let us discuss the five key benefits of having an all-in-one WiFi Management platform:


  1. Faster and Simplified Network Management
  2. Reduce Operating Costs of WiFi Networks
  3. On-Demand Scalability for MSPs
  4. Full remote network recovery with easy backups and real-time alerts

Faster and Simplified Network Management

It is of utmost importance to have software that simplifies network management and that enables teams to detect problems within the networks before they happen. It will provide an in-depth insight into the network by identifying the root source of the network issue that allows faster resolution times.

The primary benefit of having a single cloud-based platform is that it allows IT teams to monitor and manage thousands of networks and access points regardless of their location and vendor. If you wish to monitor your WiFi effectively, choose none other than Tanaza. It has a single cloud controller platform that effectively monitors your networks and the access points in your networks. It empowers the IT admins to monitor, detect, diagnose and troubleshoot any issue with the network and outages quickly and efficiently.

Tanaza’s Network Management software features centralized management capabilities. This feature lets IT teams set basic configurations of the network applied by default to all the cloud-managed access points in that network.

It also features zero touch provisioning of new access points for small or large-scale network deployments. Also, it helps IT teams to avoid installation errors, reduce costs, and lead time when deploying medium and large-scale networks.

The primary benefit is that configuration of devices can be done remotely and in bulk. It is done even before the deployment. Once all the devices are connected to a network, the platform detects them automatically. It also identifies the associated configuration.

Furthermore, being a user-friendly platform, it allows anyone to perform network deployments. Experienced IT admins can minimize the time needed as they would be able to configure the access points in advance and send the access points pre-configured only for installation. Also, they can enable push notifications to be received once the deployments happen and the units have been automatically configured.

Reduce Operating Costs of WiFi Networks

When you take the help of some platform with a multi-vendor approach, it is much easier to scale the networks as there is no vendor lock-in that constrains or limits MSPs to mix and match vendor access points. With time wifi networks require to scale putting pressure on the network infrastructure.

We all know that managing a complex ecosystem can be stressful and confusing. The more complex the network becomes, it becomes more expensive to operate as well as maintain. Businesses need to remember that closed software and hardware technologies can lead to huge OpEx, which might increase CapEx very quickly. By going with a multi-vendor SaaS approach, users would be able to easily manage the networks remotely, which will reduce the up-front costs and CapEx.

On-Demand Scalability for MSPs

A WiFi network management solution that allows mixing and matching hardware and integrating further with third-party software applications is optimal. Tanaza enables MSPs to scale according to their needs. Using the Tanaza platform, MSPs will pay only for what is needed and when it is needed. This is because of the flexible pricing packages per access point managed in the platform which can be monthly, annual, or every 3 or 5 years. MSPs can start managing a few devices and networks and expand accordingly based on their customers’ needs. Also, there are no extra costs for managing multiple networks or any cape on the number of devices. The license fee starts at $1.99 per device per month, which includes and covers everything.

Full remote network recovery with easy backups and real-time alerts

Though there are multiple network management software present in the market, Tanaza is the one platform that offers significant perks. It’s 100% cloud-based to monitor and troubleshoot networks remotely. Further, Network admins ensure that outages are corrected timely.

Other systems provide low-cost hybrid cloud solutions that have drawbacks that include hardware, enterprise-grade controllers and do not scale as cloud solutions. However, Tanaza provides all the advantages. It democratizes the benefits of the real-cloud solutions by making them available for any networking hardware –ranging from the most affordable to the most performing.

Give Tanaza a test ride

Experience cloud-based network management with Tanaza’s free trial. Create your account to start a 15-day free trial.

Start a free trial

✔︎ No credit card needed
✔︎​ Easy configuration

5 Best Network Monitoring Tools for 2023

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

OP Manager

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)

PRTG

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

Best WiFi Monitoring Software 2021
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

Event Sentry

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

Spice Works

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.

Test the power of network monitoring with Tanaza

Start a free trial

✔︎ No credit card needed
✔︎​ Easy configuration