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NetAlly EtherScope nXG vs OptiView XG [EOL] comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

NetAlly EtherScope nXG
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
Network Diagnostics (2nd), Network Troubleshooting (7th)
OptiView XG [EOL]
Average Rating
8.6
Number of Reviews
38
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

BA
CEO at COMCERT BV
We gain valuable time by not having to use a laptop to do testing, especially with complex connection profiles
The small screen is a little bit of a handicap. It would be nice if we could, for instance, connect a larger screen to the device, but it's very user-friendly. You're only limited by the size of the screen. That's the only negative aspect of doing surveys with this device. Also, in the first releases, I wasn't very happy about the WiFi function, but I have to say that they listened very well because, in the latest release, all my concerns were resolved. It is an Android device, so it is a little bit of dropdown, left-swipe, right-swipe, and that's not always very clear. Sometimes it's not very clear which screen you're looking at. Am I looking at a device configuration? Am I looking at the test configuration? But I think that comes from the Android operating system more than the EtherScope application itself. In general, I'm pretty happy with the device. It's a light device, a portable device. It doesn't heat up. Some small devices sometimes heat up and it's not really fun to work with them. I don't see a lot of negative points. It evolved, of course. It has been on the market now for several years and I think it is a very mature product.
MW
President at Bitwise Micro
A valuable, impressive, and portable product that saves time and has great scalability and stability
It just saves time. We have run into situations where contractors come in, and they plug in a WiFi device that is handing out DHCP addresses, which affects the rest of the network. To be able to quickly identify from where the problem is originating, you need a network tool that can identify the device that is doing this. It just brings into clear focus the exact issue when there is a problem or outage. When there is a crisis and you've several people wanting to know an estimate of when things are going to be back up and running again, you need to have answers. I have been at places that didn't have a tool like that. I know one place that had an outage for almost a week, and it was craziness. It turned out to be just a bad cable. That's all it was. They were having trouble with their email server, which was an on-premise email server, but emails were taking six hours to appear. The whole problem was because of a bad network cable. When I plugged in the Fluke analyzer, it analyzed and told me immediately that there were transmission errors on this one port from one switch. It told me this within 10 minutes. It is an incredible product.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Among those features that are important are the AutoTest to create a profile and then see that the network connection is in line with that profile. Also, the LANBERT test to have an idea about the quality of the cable. It is often the case that you have no reports on the cable infrastructure, so this test is also very valuable for us."
"My impression of the ease of use is that it definitely is easy to use both the handheld device and the app walking around."
"There are not a lot of other tools in the industry that can do everything that this solution can do in one package."
"One of the standout features is its ability to serve as an advanced handheld packet analyzer. It excels in discovering both wired and wireless networks and automatically documenting them, which is really valuable. The tool provides insights from the physical layer up to layer seven, including HTTP, which helps diagnose network issues effectively. This automated documentation feature sets NetAlly apart from competitors, enhancing efficiency and accuracy in network management and recommendations. When the EtherScope nXG identifies a problem, it alerts us, allowing us to use more advanced tools for deeper analysis. Regarding PoE testing capabilities, I haven't explored them extensively, but I'm aware of their importance, especially for detecting issues like overloading switches with too many PoE devices. Integrators are becoming more cautious about these issues, but specialized tools like those from other vendors may offer features like microburst dashboards, which EtherScope nXG currently doesn't provide."
"Being able to do a Wi-Fi walk-around survey with a handheld tool is one of the most valuable features of NetAlly EtherScope nXG."
"In terms of the return on investment, when you use it onsite once or twice, it has already paid for itself."
"It's definitely a good and valuable asset for our company."
"This is a priceless tool and you would be foolish not to have it."
"It has helped with troubleshooting and has simplified the way the organization functions."
"Technical support was awesome; they were quick to respond, very knowledgeable, and kept us up to date on the status."
"The packet capture feature is valuable when there's a troubleshooting issue, and since this is a data center, there are thousands of servers and users."
"I've switched to Fluke Networks products because having an all-in-one tool is more convenient, and the way information is presented makes it easier to share knowledge."
"The 10 GigE connectivity and ClearSight are the most valuable features for us."
"If we are in the field and we have OptiView, it is our first line of defense."
"It's the one product that we go to when we have a problem or need to get information, because it can do so much."
"I like the fact that it can map my whole network when I plug it into my router, my switch, that it can literally discover nodes and clients."
 

Cons

"The largest complaint that we get is the battery life on the unit."
"The battery goes out very quickly."
"There are some inconsistencies in how it uploads the test results to the cloud, but it might just need a minor improvement on the software side. When you don't have an internet connection on the EtherScope when you do the testing, it saves the results into memory. When it has an internet connection, it uploads those results, but it doesn't work all the time. Sometimes, you need to manually push it."
"If I could reset it remotely, meaning reboot the unit, that would be helpful. One time, the test would not respond; the script would lock up. I had to go and manually reboot it. If I could have sent a command to reboot and it would have automatically connected to the wireless, that would have made it perfect. That was the only thing that it did not do."
"The small screen is a little bit of a handicap."
"There is room for improvement in the battery life and price."
"The main area for improvement that stands out is the lack of a microburst dashboard, which some other vendors offer. However, NetAlly has carved out its niche by focusing on comprehensive network analysis up to layer seven, including automatic network mapping with tools like CyberScope. While there may be some features missing compared to competitors, NetAlly remains strong in its specialized market, providing robust solutions like EtherScope for detailed customer scans, despite being on the pricier side."
"The only issue that I have ever had is the battery life. It does drain a little bit quickly."
"I haven't been able to really get the mobile app to function right, but that's minor."
"The price could come down quite a bit."
"We use the tablet version, and I'd like it to have a longer battery."
"Ease of updating, automated updating. Basically, based on the unit right now, maybe get it to be a little bit smaller, lighter."
"I think that the discovery of a network can be improved if the OptiView would recognize more kinds of devices independent of the manufacturer."
"We found that when we used the wireless section of the AirMagnet, we used to have a laptop dedicated to AirMagnet and it actually ran smoother on the laptop."
"I think that the maintenance is ridiculous on some of the products, including OptiView."
"With the cost it's hard to justify having more than one in our school."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is very expensive, but this tool is the best."
"It's very expensive. I wish I could buy a few more and give them to all the people who could use it, or perhaps send it to a client, given that some of its features are easy to use. But sending something worth $8,000 or $9,000 is nerve-racking. It would be nice that if it were a lot less expensive."
"It's a pricey device, but I see value in it from a business perspective."
"It is relatively high-priced and it should certainly not get any more expensive. I would like it to be $1,000 less, and I think everyone would say that. And of course, maintenance is also a recurring cost."
"As a business owner, it was a high price. However, it was well worth it. We have gotten our money out of it and continue to get our money out of it. For the price and usability, it is definitely worth it. The Wi-Fi survey capabilities alone justifies the price. Having all the other tools in it really adds to that."
"Depending on the company, it could be somewhat costly. But just two of these devices can save you thousands upon thousands of dollars."
"I don't consider the pricing to be a problem. It's not a cheap device, but it's a very capable device for the money. It's a good value."
"The stuff is expensive. I really do wish the price would come down. I don't really call support. I haven't had a problem. But it's really expensive and every year I have to pay them a ton of money. I don't want to make up reasons to justify that cost, but I'm not using the support."
"Its price was a bit excessive. The device that I had died. It is under warranty, and they want $20,000 for another one. I just don't want to spend that kind of money, so I'm trying to find an alternate solution. They have annual maintenance on it, which probably was 10% a year, so it all starts to add up."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
12%
Construction Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
6%
Outsourcing Company
19%
Construction Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise11
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise26
 

Also Known As

EtherScope nXG, EtherScope, netAlly EtherScope, OptiView XG
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
XG is used in all industries. Example customers include: Republic National Distributing Company, Titelive, CitiGroup, Los Angeles Unified School District, Saudi German Hospital, DeKalb County Schools, Valdosta State University, The Everett Clinic, Bio-Reference, Miami-Dade Library, Mitel, Borsa Istanbul, Cimarex, Air National Guard Lowndes County, High Point City, Carrollton City Schools, Kern County, Pruitt Communications and Bosch Group.
Find out what your peers are saying about Wireshark, Auvik, Isovalent and others in Network Troubleshooting. Updated: October 2026.
921,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.