AirMagnet Survey PRO vs Wireshark comparison

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98% willing to recommend

AirMagnet Survey PRO

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 5, 2025

Wireshark and AirMagnet Survey PRO compete in the network analysis and optimization space. Wireshark leads in cost-effectiveness, while AirMagnet Survey PRO has the upper hand in specialized features for large-scale projects.

Features: Wireshark offers real-time network traffic inspection, deep packet analysis, and comprehensive protocol support. AirMagnet Survey PRO provides advanced predictive modeling, RF spectrum analysis, and site survey capabilities for effective wireless network design.

Room for Improvement: Wireshark could enhance its user interface for easier navigation, improve support for wireless communication details like beacon frames, and offer more structured support. AirMagnet Survey PRO can improve adapter compatibility, reduce its cost for small-scale projects, and streamline setup to be less complex.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: AirMagnet Survey PRO demands more extensive setup but benefits from dedicated support. Wireshark is easily installed as open-source software, though it depends on community support for troubleshooting.

Pricing and ROI: Wireshark is cost-effective with no initial expense, making it affordable for any size project. Its ROI is achieved through reduced troubleshooting time. AirMagnet Survey PRO has a higher upfront cost but offers robust features aimed at enterprises seeking long-term wireless performance gains.

To learn more, read our detailed AirMagnet Survey PRO vs. Wireshark Report (Updated: July 2025).

AirMagnet Survey PRO vs. Wireshark

July 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

AirMagnet Survey PRO

Ranking in Network Troubleshooting

7th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Modeling and Simulation (2nd)

Wireshark

Ranking in Network Troubleshooting

4th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Network Troubleshooting category, the mindshare of AirMagnet Survey PRO is 8.4%, up from 5.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Wireshark is 13.4%, up from 11.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Troubleshooting

Featured Reviews

Mark Witherspoon

Wireless Services Manager at Veritas Managed Solutions

A solution for site verifications and enhanced with adapters that provide more realistic readings, but needs to support Wi-Fi 6E

Ekahau and AirMagnet Survey have their own pros and cons, in my opinion. For example, the APs are not visible in Ekahau but AirMagnet Survey allows us to see what APs and channels are being used in a live view, which Ekahau lacks. In Ekahau, the signal from the AP it's capturing at that time is visible which is a bit of an inconvenience. The predictive planner of AirMagnet's is better. However, Ekahau has advantages over AirMagnet because it groups all the SSIDs into one AP, whereas with AirMagnet, one needs to group them manually. Ekahau also supports Wi-Fi 6E, but its licensing is restrictive and more costly.

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Vijay Duggal

Network Specialist at Squarepoint Capital

Provides detailed traffic analysis and helps troubleshoot issues

There is a disadvantage when it comes to sampling intervals. While the solution supports sampling as fine as one millisecond, it requires a copy at that interval. My Python script allows me to achieve a granularity of up to ten microseconds, but I can't go beyond that. When dealing with provisioning on both issues, it would be beneficial if I could go down to the microsecond level, if not the nanosecond. Additionally, I've heard from a colleague that Wireshark might be less effective in the voice domain.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"We use the solution for Wi-Fi and networks."

"The AirMagnet Survey allows you to see the list of APs in the live view. It only supports certain adapters, which can be limiting, but it's also beneficial because these adapters are more comparable to real-life devices like laptops. With Ekahau, Sidekick needs to be used for full features, but I find the Sidekick too strong, which can hamper results. Therefore, I prefer AirMagnet's approach because the adapters provide more realistic readings."

"Customer service is great."

"Clear and easy to use maps."

"The heat maps are quite good, and some features are easy to use."

"It allows us to prepare more real designs. Later, we validate them with actual surveys."

"The benefit is with the ease of use of the software, I am able to show the customer, "Here is what your wireless coverage looks like." It is set up in a fashion that non-technical people can understand it."

"Using the products to ensure the safety of our equipment that we have a lot invested in."

More AirMagnet Survey PRO pros

"It gives us the ability to pinpoint problems and to communicate network problems with software and hardware vendors."

"You can use Wireshark to see the traffic packet format, the IP layers, the fields, and the enabled flags."

"I use the filters very often, to determine what type of traffic I am looking for. The use of filter allows traffic to be segmented so that a value can be looked at individually apart from the other traffic."

"It's easy to troubleshoot issues because there's a large online community."

"Wireshark saves a lot of time, especially with network troubleshooting."

"The most valuable feature of Wireshark is the ability to choose a destination of flow that has not been working as expected."

"Wireshark is very user-friendly; even someone with basic IT knowledge can use it."

"The most valuable feature is the traffic gate, which shows which IPs are getting more bandwidth or traffic."

More Wireshark pros

Cons

"I would say some of our newer techs that are going out to job sites can be a little bit intimidated by the interface."

"The user interface needs a lot of improvement. The auto-placement of access points is not accurate."

"It'd be nice if it was cheaper, however, you get value for your money."

"It would be nice to have some more training resources for younger techs. We can use them if we need some assistance, but that usually requires one of us who knows what we're doing to calibrate the programs properly."

"But it's definitely a more expensive solution than other ones."

"AirMagnet Survey needs to support Wi-Fi 6E otherwise they can lose to the competition. They also need to allow better grouping of SSIDs to one AP, removing the need to filter manually. At the moment, you can filter by channel or SSID, but grouping all those SSIDs together is a difficult task."

"Printouts are JPEG printouts. The AirMagnet software is proprietary. I can't send my customers a file, because it is AirMagnet file, even for building projects. I can only send JPEGs or screenshots of heat maps."

"When you conduct an active survey and then want to use it for design work, it's actually not very useful."

More AirMagnet Survey PRO cons

"The solution has a steep learning curve. There are so many filters and features that are frequently being updated, it takes research, experience and familiarity to be able to use them. It could be a lot more user-friendly."

"The system could be improved upon by adding a better and more powerful data processing engine."

"Whenever we select one of the packets, in terms of the number of bytes, for example, there are three planes, and in the detailed plane, I have to count the number of bytes manually."

"The product has been using the same GUI for many years."

"Sometimes I need to use tcpdump when I need to check the packets on CLI."

"We'd like to be able to extract the output into an Excel table."

"The Wireshark search function shows green for a correct search and red for an incorrect search. If there were a way to provide a description about what a search - and the similar ones which are available - can do, while a person is typing it, it would make the product easier to use and simultaneously decrease the learning curve."

"With Wireshark, you cannot download and utilize the packet in automation."

More Wireshark cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing of AirMagnet Survey is different when compared to Ekahu. It is a third of the cost of Ekahau but there are no dedicated laptops to the Sidekick. AirMagnet allows you to license an adapter and share that adapter."

"The tool's pricing is medium."

"There is an annual cost of the solution. There are some additional charges, such as support and maintenance."

"This product is very expensive."

"For technical support, you need an annual license, but it is not worth it."

"The pricing needs improvement."

"The moment we began needing more of the vendor's support, the cost became very high; we switched to another solution."

"Wireshark is free software, so you can download it and use it for free with no licensing fees."

"We're using the free version of Wireshark."

"Wireshark is open-source and free of charge."

"We are using a freeware version of this solution, so there are no licence costs involved."

"It is free to download and install. It runs on multiple platforms, so how can you go wrong?"

"It's a stand-alone tool. If there is a commercial license for it I am unaware of it."

"Wireshark is free of charge, and there's no license involved."

"It is an open-source solution."

More Wireshark pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Troubleshooting solutions are best for your needs.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Government

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

University

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about AirMagnet Survey?

We use the solution for Wi-Fi and networks.

What needs improvement with AirMagnet Survey?

AirMagnet Survey needs to support Wi-Fi 6E otherwise they can lose to the competition. They also need to allow better grouping of SSIDs to one AP, removing the need to filter manually. At the momen...

What is your primary use case for AirMagnet Survey?

We use AirMagnet Survey, for site verifications after the wireless system has been installed. We conduct pre and post-install surveys with it. We have reduced the use since now our customers requir...

What do you like most about Wireshark?

The GUI is easy to use.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Wireshark?

Wireshark is priced at a medium range, not too high, not too low. The pricing could be more flexible, and they might make it more expensive. That said, compared to other products, it is competitive.

What needs improvement with Wireshark?

The speed of the Internet could be improved, especially its performance. Performance can sometimes be a challenge due to numerous factors.

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Product Reports

Download AirMagnet Survey PRO product report

AirMagnet Survey PRO

July 2025

Download Wireshark product report

June 2025

Overview

AirMagnet Survey PRO provides efficient wireless network surveying and design capabilities, optimizing access point placement with dual passive-active surveys, spectrum integration, and real-time analysis.

AirMagnet Survey PRO offers comprehensive tools for wireless coverage optimization. It facilitates accurate SNR/RSSI data collection and features multi-floor planning with robust reporting capabilities. The software enables efficient spectrum analysis, predictive mapping, and simultaneous 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz surveys, saving significant time. Users appreciate its intuitive interface, which aids technical assessments and visual displays. However, they suggest improvements in multi-floor integration, file import options, and a more dynamic license system. Enhanced cloud storage support, improved auto-placement features, and better device compatibility are also on the wishlist.

What are the key features of AirMagnet Survey PRO?

Dual Passive-Active Surveys: Streamline access point placement with dual survey types.
Antenna Customization: Tailor antenna parameters for optimal performance.
Predictive Mapping: Visualize potential coverage areas before deployment.
Spectrum Integration: Analyze interference and optimize signal paths.
Simultaneous 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Surveys: Conduct faster, comprehensive surveys across frequency bands.

What benefits should users look for in reviews of AirMagnet Survey PRO?

Accurate Data Collection: Highly precise SNR/RSSI measurements improve network assessments.
Time Efficiency: Reduce survey duration with dual-band simultaneous assessments.
User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies complex tasks with intuitive visual tools.
Comprehensive Reporting: Offers detailed analysis and insights into network performance.
Cost Savings: Efficient planning and troubleshooting lead to reduced deployment costs.

In industries like hospitality, education, and healthcare, AirMagnet Survey PRO is instrumental in wireless network surveying and design. These sectors rely on the software for precise Wi-Fi coverage assessments, spectrum analysis, and real-time signal checks, using heat maps to identify dead zones for pre and post-installation verifications. Some opt for alternatives to support newer technologies like Wi-Fi 6E.

NetAlly

Wireshark is the world's foremost network protocol analyzer.

Sample Customers

Houston Methodist Hospital, Love's Travel Stops

Comversion, ADP, Talbots