What is a WiFi heatmap, and how it improves our connections

We all want to surf the Internet at best possible speed. However, sometimes the signal quality is not good. This occurs mainly when we connect through wireless networks, and we are very far from the access point, or the saturation is very great. Luckily we can make use of different devices and technologies that help us to improve this problem. In this article, we are going to explain what a WiFi heat map is.

WiFi networks, increasingly present

It is a reality that wireless networks are increasingly present in our day today. There are many devices that we can use that connect to the network without the need for cables. If we look back, just a few years ago, it was normal to surf the Internet from a computer connected to the router by cable.

This has changed, and currently, the most normal thing is to connect from devices that work through WiFi. This provides a series of positive points, such as the comfort to navigate without having to be plugged into a cable, greater mobility, and also compatibility with devices.

But of course, all this also has some disadvantages. The clearest one is that distance matters a lot when it comes to WiFi. The in addition away we are from the router, the worse. Therefore the speed of the connection can decrease, and the problems begin. We could even go offline or have small cuts if the stability is not very good. However, as we have indicated, we can make use of some options that help us to improve this problem. Let's see what a WiFi heatmap is.

What is a WiFi heatmap

We all know that when we connect to a WiFi network, it does not work the same in one area as in another. In our house, for example, it may be that in a room the signal reaches better and we have more speed. In another, however, we may not even be able to connect.

A WiFi heat map consists of making a study of the coverage available in a certain place. For example, we can do it in a home, building, work area ... Basically; it consists of creating a map of that place with the information related to the signal that reaches us there. A kind of graph to know at which points the speed can be higher and at which we must take action if we want to navigate with certain normality.

Something basic would be that this map of our house is divided into three colors: green, yellow and red. The first color would be for areas where there is a good connection, where we will not have problems browsing WiFi, while yellow would be the areas with problems and where the speed can be worse. Red would represent areas with no coverage or major problems.

Making a WiFi heat map can be very interesting if we want to optimize the wireless signal in our home. We will not only know exactly where we can connect better but also take steps to improve it.

Let's say that in some rooms, the signal is bad. We make a WiFi heat map, and we notice that there what comes to us is not enough to navigate correctly. This may tell us to install a WiFi amplifier in this area to improve the connection, for example. 

Tools for making a WiFi heatmap

We have an extensive range of possibilities to create a WiFi heat map. There are many applications for all types of operating systems that we can use. We are going to see some of the main ones.

Acrylic WiFi

One of the most popular options for Windows is Acrylic WiFi. It allows us to create a heat map and analyze the connection in our home. Basically, what it does is measure the signal at the different points, as well as scan access points around us to obtain all the necessary information. In this way, we can know correctly how the connection is in a certain area. We can download the tool and get more information on its website.

Whenever Internet speed problems arise in Windows, and we want to optimize the connection as much as possible, we can consider the use of this type of tool. Thanks to being able to make a heat map, like what Acrylic WiFi allows us to do, we can determine in which areas we are going to be able to navigate at a good speed or where we might need to put a wireless repeater or some similar device.

WiFi Heatmap

But today, many users use mobile devices more than computers. We also find many applications for this type of equipment. One of them is WiFi Heatmap. It is available for Android and once again allows us to create a heat map. It analyzes the speed of the wireless network, the areas with the best coverage and thus shows us a map with the graphical data.

Precisely the fact of using mobile devices makes us move more around the house. By using programs such as WiFi Heatmap, we will be able to know from which places we are going to have the least problems surfing the net. Thus the Internet speed is always the most appropriate, and we do not have cuts.

WiFi SweetSports

For iOS, we can also find programs to make a heat map. One of them is WiFi SweetSports. It is very interesting if we are interested in knowing at all times how much connectivity we have in a certain place. So we can connect from an iOS device or any computer with which we can surf the net.

Always having good coverage is essential to reduce the risk of speed problems. It is very important to know at all times what problems we may have and how to improve the connection. This way, we will have a higher speed and also stability of the network.

In short, a heat map is something interesting that we can use in our day-to-day. One more way to optimize the wireless signal in our home and avoid having problems that may affect our navigation. In any case, we leave you an article with tips to improve WiFi at home.