Using CommView for WiFi or TamoGraph Site Survey on MacBook Computers
This short guide was written to help MacBook users utilize TamoSoft wireless 802.11 capture software on their notebooks running a Mac OS.
Summary
You can install and use CommView for WiFi or TamoGraph Site Survey inside a virtualized Windows OS running as a guest operating system on a MacBook.
Virtualization Software
Install Parallels Desktop for Mac or VirtualBox as your virtualization software. Install Windows 7, Vista, or XP as the guest operating system. Install CommView for WiFi or TamoGraph Site Survey on the guest operating system.
Hardware
To use CommView for WiFi or TamoGraph Site Survey, you need a compatible adapter. When you run our software on a Windows notebook, you can use any of the compatible adapters in different form-factors. The list of compatible adapters can be found here. When you run our software on a MacBook, inside a virtual Windows machine, you can use USB adapters only. Please refer to the adapter list to find the USB adapter you're going to use. We strongly recommend that you choose an adapter marked "Recommended." They are also always available from us directly when you buy the boxed version.
Adapter Installation
Plug the USB adapter into your MacBook. You will be prompted to specify where the detected USB device will be connected. An example can be found on the Parallels Web site. Select a connection to your virtual machine. After that, Windows will notify you that a new USB device has been found and will try to find the driver for the device. In CommView for WiFi or TamoGraph Site Survey, click Help => Driver Installation Guide to find the instructions for installing our special packet capture driver. Once that driver has been installed, you can restart the application and use it, as illustrated below.
Mini-FAQ
Q. Can I use non-USB adapters?
A. No.
Q. Can I use your software if I use Windows as the primary OS on my MacBook?
A. Yes, you can. When MacBook runs Windows (non-virtualized), you can run any software, including ours, just like you run it on a non-Apple notebook. In this case, you will be able to use ExpressCard adapters (if your MacBook has an ExpressCard slot) or even the integrated, built-in adapter (if it is Atheros-based).
Q. Do you plan to develop native Wi-Fi capture software for Mac OS?
A. Probably not. We've been in the software business for many years, and we've seen dramatic growth of many operating systems followed by equally dramatic declines. If we had invested years and hundreds of thousand dollars into making software for each of those operating systems, we would have been out of business long ago. We try to make the best software for the most popular OS on the market. Besides, as shown in this document, you can easily use our software on your favorite MacBook.
