Proactive Wi-Fi Experience Monitoring

Let’s rewind a few years. Back then, wireless networking was seen as a convenient alternative—a temporary solution for situations without cable connections or for quick ad-hoc setups. Users were thrilled with their newfound mobility and were willing to tolerate minor issues like dropped connections or slower load times. It was a luxury, not a necessity.

Now, fast forward to today. Wireless connectivity has transformed from a “nice-to-have” into a business-critical infrastructure. Core applications, cloud services, and even recreational browsing are increasingly reliant on wireless networks. Organizations have embraced “wireless-first” strategies, expecting high performance, reliability, and seamless connectivity.

In this reality, your end-users are no longer forgiving. The smallest glitch leads to a chorus of “The Wi-Fi is down!” calls to the helpdesk. So, how can you stay ahead of the curve and ensure a flawless user experience? By moving from reactive to proactive monitoring.

Why Proactive Monitoring Matters

While reactive tools are essential for troubleshooting, proactive monitoring allows you to identify and resolve issues before they affect users. By simulating real-world application traffic and monitoring network performance from the user’s perspective, you can gain valuable insights that traditional monitoring tools might miss.

Here are three innovative solutions that help organizations proactively monitor Wi-Fi and network performance:

1. Ixia Hawkeye: Real-World Network Assessments

Ixia Hawkeye is a powerful tool for assessing wireless network performance across distributed locations. By deploying wireless-enabled endpoints—either as hardware devices or software agents on Android, iOS, Windows, or Linux—you can emulate real-world application traffic and measure end-user experience.

Key Features:

• Network Assessments: Conduct continuous or ad-hoc tests to measure metrics like voice Mean Opinion Score (MoS) and application response times.
• Application Test Library: Simulate traffic for a wide range of applications, including Office 365, Skype for Business, and video conferencing.
• Comprehensive Diagnostics: Assess layer-3 performance indicators (loss, jitter, delay) and validate core services like DNS and traceroute.

With Hawkeye, you can monitor network quality in real-time, identify bottlenecks, and address performance issues before users even notice them.

2. NETSCOUT nGenius Pulse: End-to-End Visibility

NETSCOUT’s nGenius Pulse combines a centralized dashboard with distributed endpoints to monitor both core and cloud application performance.

How It Works:

• Deploy micro-appliance endpoints or lightweight software agents on devices like laptops.
• These endpoints simulate user behavior, testing connectivity, DNS, and application performance.
• Monitor metrics such as VoIP call quality and application login times (e.g., Salesforce, Office 365).

Integrated Solution:
When paired with NETSCOUT’s nGeniusONE, Pulse provides full visibility from the core network to the edge, ensuring enterprise-wide performance assurance.

3. HPE Aruba User Experience Insight (Cape): Targeted Monitoring

Aruba’s User Experience Insight (formerly Cape) is designed to provide a user-centric view of Wi-Fi performance.

Why It’s Different:

• Cape Sensors: These compact devices are deployed in user locations, mimicking real-world usage scenarios.
• Cloud Integration: Sensors communicate with a cloud-based dashboard, offering an intuitive traffic-light system for service availability.
• Detailed Insights: Test cloud services, business apps, and remote servers, while correlating wireless and application statistics for actionable insights.

This solution is ideal for organizations looking to simplify monitoring while maintaining robust performance tracking.

4. 7Signal: Distributed Wireless Monitoring

7Signal offers a SaaS-based overlay monitoring platform that uses sensors and mobile apps to measure Wi-Fi and application performance.

Key Capabilities:

• Synthetic Transactions: Simulate application usage and monitor metrics like latency, signal strength, and voice quality (MoS).
• Mobile Eye App: Crowdsource data from mobile devices, giving you a comprehensive view of network performance.
• KPI & SLA Tracking: Measure performance against pre-defined targets, ensuring you meet business objectives.

7Signal helps identify and resolve issues quickly, improving user satisfaction and reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO) for wireless networks.

Proactive Monitoring in Action

Each of these tools offers unique features and benefits, but they all share a common goal: empowering organizations to deliver seamless, high-quality connectivity to their users. By adopting a proactive approach to monitoring, you can:

• Prevent performance issues before they escalate.
• Enhance user satisfaction and productivity.
• Gain insights into network and application performance from a user’s perspective.

Want to learn more or see these solutions in action? Contact us to discuss your needs and set up a trial or proof of concept.

Learn more:

• Ixia Hawkeye
• NETSCOUT nGenius Pulse
• HPE Aruba Service Assurance
• 7Signal

Thank you for reading!