Aerohive Networks - Spectrum Analysis
Aerohive's Spectrum Analysis feature, available on HiveOS version 4.0 and later, detects interference from non-Wi-Fi radio devices. No additional hardware or licenses are required to use this feature, which detects radio signals from devices such as Bluetooth, microwave ovens, and cordless phones. Data on performance-reducing interference sources is fed into the Aerohive Channel Selection Protocol (ACSP) to mitigate interference from non-802.11 devices.
Real-time spectrum analysis data is available through the web-based HiveManager interface. Administrators can view the spectral data from any HiveAP connected to the HiveManager, and can use the spectrum analyzer to investigate interference at any location with available HiveAPs. To provide maximum flexibility, the data is presented in a web-based form that is available through any common browser, including on the iPad and iPhone.
- Spectrum Analysis capabilities delivered as a free software update to existing 802.11n customers
- Support for full 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz spectrum analysis, time slicing access with scanning, and common signatures to identify interfering device type, such as microwaves.
- Industry first, HTML5 delivered spectrographs (graphical representation of spectrum analysis) allowing it to be used with any device or browser including iPads and iPhones
Real-time FFT: The real-time FFT is a trace that indicates the power of a signal (vertical axis) along a domain of frequencies (horizontal axis). The term FFT (fast Fourier transform) refers to the mathematical algorithm used to decompose received signals into their components frequencies. Within this display there are two traces: the red trace indicates the real time power levels, whereas the gray trace indicates the maximum power level reached during the current data collection session.
FFT Duty Cycle: The FFT duty cycle is the amount of time as a percent of total time that the HiveAP receives a signal above 20 dB above the noise floor. FFT duty cycle is often referred to as channel utilization because it indicates to what extent a channel is actually in use in terms of the relative amount of time the signal is present (vertical axis). Within this display, there are two traces: the red trace indicates the real time duty cycle, whereas the gray trace indicates the maximum duty cycle reached during this data collection session.
Swept Spectrogram: A swept spectrogram tracks the signal power over time. That is, it produces a color-coded sweep of spectral information such that the admin can view the real time FFT in terms of its historical values. The swept spectrogram—also called a heat map—reports the frequency on the horizontal axis, the history (in sweeps) on the vertical axis, and the power encoded as a set of colors. Blue indicates low power levels, whereas red indicates high power levels; the gradient of colors from light blue, through green, yellow, and orange, indicates intermediate power levels.
Swept Spectrogram-FFT Duty Cycle: A swept spectrogram of the FFT duty cycle tracks the duty cycle over time. This spectrogram produces a color-coded sweep of duty cycle information with frequency on the horizontal axis, history (in sweeps) on the vertical axis, and the duty cycle encoded as a set of colors. Blue colors indicate low duty cycle (the darkest blue is 0%), whereas red colors indicate high duty cycles (the darkest red is 100%); the gradient of colors from light blue, through green, yellow, and orange, indicates intermediate duty cycle values.