Max OS X Network Discovery Software?

[tnt118]

Hey all, a quick question I was hoping for some help on... (Google searches weren't really helpful)...

I have a coworker who has asked me to help diagnose problems with his home network. I'm not completely inexperienced in doing the basics, but his computers are all OS X and he's trying to get a wireless N connection across his house (which may be too far) that is suitable for HD streaming. Long story short, I've always used Windows software for this before, and my laptop doesn't have wireless N to use at his place anyway. His does, but it didn't appear as if any of the popular equivalents to inSSIDer had support for the N band.

Any suggestions on which OS X software would be best for this? I want to make sure he's using channels that don't have a lot of interference, etc. He's hesitant to run wires in the walls (he's currently using powerline technology to get a connection on the other side of the house) so I'm thinking one of the better solutions may be to set up a second N router as a repeater/access point/whatever works best.

Thanks for the info!

 

[mosco]

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/10133/kismac

Using a repeater might not be a great solution for streaming HD, since it cuts the bandwidth in half. Depends on the length you are repeating.

Another option, which I use is, MOCA, but that can be hit or miss also.

 

[joeybaker]

I believe that this WiFi Stumbler will fit the bill. It's browser-based, so it'll work any laptop 🙂

I work with the engineers that built it – and can tell you, it's really very cool.

 

[tnt118]

Wanted to say thanks for the responses... both programs were a big help. Turns out the problem very well may be something faulty with the networking inside the blu-ray player. After some tests, we found all the wiring and connection speed was plenty fast for other devices on the same connection. Yet the player would only get about 1-1.5Mbps.

Also, the player refused to see a wireless N connection if it was transmitting of 5ghz, but it would see (however not connect) on 2.4. Online reviews never mentioned any networking bottlenecks, so I'm really just hoping a replacement unit fixes the problem.