Looking for app that shows wifi channels

[wolfman2020]

Hi all
Does anyone know of an app I can put on my phone that will scanner wifi networks nearby. What I want to do is find channels that are least used so that I can set my router to that channel. I have searched and search for this and nothing exist from what I see. I don't know how many apps I looked at, that promise everything except that choice. I truly appreciated your help on this

 

[crf8]

.......

 

[DeltaMac]

my iPhone settings ap does that. Is that not sufficient? Another suggestion would be to pay for your own wifi instead of stealing someone else’s.

I think the OP is asking about an app that would show more than just local networks, but would show the radio channel in use by local wifi routers, so he can set HIS router to a less used channel. (fairly sure the OP stated exactly that and I don't think that implies that the OP is trying to use someone else's internet, just trying to get the best signal from his own router)

 

[wolfman2020]

I think the OP is asking about an app that would show more than just local networks, but would show the radio channel in use by local wifi routers, so he can set HIS router to a less used channel. (fairly sure the OP stated exactly that and I don't think that implies that the OP is trying to use someone else's internet, just trying to get the best signal from his own router)

You got that exactly right

 

[crf8]

Ok I edited my comment.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I believe “Fing” network scanner is the app you are looking for. I have been using it for a few years, for similar purposes.

 

[bransoj]

AirPort Utility app does this, used it myself for doing the same thing :-

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/airport-utility/id427276530?mt=8

 

[C DM]

AirPort Utility app does this, used it myself for doing the same thing :-

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/airport-utility/id427276530?mt=8

Does that work for any/all WiFi networks, or only those that use AirPort from Apple?

 

[bransoj]

Does that work for any/all WiFi networks, or only those that use AirPort from Apple?

Any I think. I don’t have an Airport and it picked mine up, in fact it showed my e twice as I’ve got Sky q and sky broadband so it showed the 2.4 and 5 channels my router was chucking out.

 

[DeltaMac]

I'm pretty sure that Apple's Airport Utility only shows Airport base stations. But, maybe that depends on the country. I have two non-Apple routers in the house, and neither show up in the Airport Utility at all. Also will not show anything on any other WiFi networks. There's usually between 15 and 35 other Wifi routers that might show up on another wifi scanning app on my Mac.
How did you get non-Apple routers to show anything at all from Apple's Airport Utility?

 

[C DM]

Any I think. I don’t have an Airport and it picked mine up, in fact it showed my e twice as I’ve got Sky q and sky broadband so it showed the 2.4 and 5 channels my router was chucking out.

Hmm...just tried it and after searching for a while it just said something about not finding any AirPort stations and that it will continue looking for them, and a while after that as it just continued searching supposedly I ended up just closing the app.

 

[bransoj]

Hmm...just tried it and after searching for a while it just said something about not finding any AirPort stations and that it will continue looking for them, and a while after that as it just continued searching supposedly I ended up just closing the app.

Did you click on "Wifi Scan" in the top right hand corner? You click that, set a scan duration and then hit Scan in the top right corner and then it should bring back results.

 

[C DM]

Did you click on "Wifi Scan" in the top right hand corner? You click that, set a scan duration and then hit Scan in the top right corner and then it should bring back results.

Nothing like that seems to be in the app as it doesn't seem to get beyond the first scanning screen where it just shows a single "Internet" globe and keeps on trying to scan saying that no AirPort networks have been found.

 

[bransoj]

Nothing like that seems to be in the app as it doesn't seem to get beyond the first scanning screen where it just shows a single "Internet" globe and keeps on trying to scan saying that no AirPort networks have been found.

See my screenshot below, when i open the app this is the screen i get with what i think is the same as you are seeing but i have a "Wi-fi Scan" option top right corner. If i press that i go to a different screen where you can do the scan and see results of everything around you.

 

[C DM]

See my screenshot below, when i open the app this is the screen i get with what i think is the same as you are seeing but i have a "Wi-fi Scan" option top right corner. If i press that i go to a different screen where you can do the scan and see results of everything around you.

Unfortunately don't seem to have that.

 

[DeltaMac]

I'm pretty sure that option does NOT appear, unless you do have an Apple Airport base station. That's how the app works.

The AirPort Utility is designed to work with Airport base stations. The message at the bottom of C DM screen is the same as mine. The message does not appear when an AirPort base station is detected.
I suspect that @bransoj has a router that, for some reason, mimics an AirPort base station, and triggers the app to allow a scan. Most routers would be ignored by that app, in my experience.
edit - it's a wifi setting that I missed, and does show a wifi scan of all available wifi networks.
I completely missed that.
The scan shows the info that the OP asked about. click on the info button at the bottom right of the scan window, and it shows a listing of all channels used by the scanned networks. IMHO, very nice!
Thanks for the correction, @mrex

 

[mrex]

no, you dont have to have the airport itself. after installing the app you need to go to the Settings (iphone) - Airport - turn on wifi scanning. then open the app again.

not as nice as the app in android (”wifi analyzer”) showing graphs to read easily. but better than nothing...

 

[bransoj]

As mentioned above I don’t have an airport and doubt my standard sky broadband router mimics one. I do have the setting switched on though, no recollection of doing it mind you!!!