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CommView for WiFi is capable of capturing data from multiple
channels simultaneously if one uses multiple compatible USB
adapters.
The following 802.11ac USB adapters can be used for multi-channel
capturing: ASUS USB-AC68, Belkin F9L1109 v1, D-Link DWA-180 rev A1,
D-Link DWA-182 rev C1 or D1, Edimax EW-7822UAC, Edimax EW-7833UAC,
EnGenius EUB1200AC, Linksys WUSB6300, Linksys WUSB6400M, NETGEAR
A6210, Proxim ORiNOCO 9100, Rosewill RNX-AC1200UB, TP-LINK Archer
T4U, TP-LINK Archer T4UH, TP-LINK Archer T9UH v2, TRENDnet
TEW-805UB, ZyXEL NWD6605, and ZyXEL AC240.
Note that different types of adapters cannot be mixed; all of the
adapters should be of the same model. When multiple adapters are
connected, the following interface elements are changed:
·The
channel selection control on the
Capture
pane allows you to select multiple channels. You can select
multiple channels by holding the
Ctrl
key. The number of channels that you select cannot exceed the
number of plugged in USB adapters.
·The
Channel Indicator
pane displays multiple indicators, the number of which is equal to
the number of plugged in USB adapters.
This is illustrated on the screen shot.
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When using multiple adapters, please consider the following:
1. Power consumption.
A single adapter might need up to 450 mA of power. A single USB 2.0
port can provide up to 500 mA. A single USB 3.0 port can provide up
to 900 mA. A typical modern laptop has two USB 3.0 ports, so you
should either use one adapter per port, or you can use a USB hub,
but if you plug in thee adapters into a USB 3.0 hub, you will
exceed the 900 mA limit, which might cause undesirable effects,
e.g. the adapters might stop capturing packets silently.
2. Channel switching time.
When CommView for WiFi is working in scanner mode, switching
channels takes some time, between 20 and 80 milliseconds per
adapter. Consider a scan of 12 channels with the scanner interval
of 250 ms per channel and the channel switch time of, say, 60 ms.
The total time would be (250 + 60) * 12 = 3.72 seconds if you use a
single adapter. If you use three adapters, the total time would be
(250 + 60 *3) * 4 = 1.72 seconds. That is x2.16 times better, not
x3 times better. Thus, adding adapters adds channel switching
overhead. If you use 12 adapters, which is possible in theory, it
will take 250 + 60 * 12 = 0.97 seconds to scan 12 channels, so
you're not gaining much.
That said, we don't recommend using more than two or three
adapters.
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