RESTON, Virginia, March 24 /PRNewswire/ --

- HeatMapper Software Tool Makes Wireless Visible at Homes and Small Offices

Ekahau Inc., a leader in Wi-Fi RTLS solutions and site survey tools, today released Ekahau HeatMapper, a coverage mapping tool for 802.11 Wi-Fi networks. Available as the industry's first freely downloadable and easy-to-use coverage mapping tool for Windows-based laptops, Ekahau HeatMapper illustrates wireless signal strength on color-coded heat maps. This solution is designed for consumers and small office users, who have relatively small wireless networks and have not yet upgraded to enterprise-grade Wi-Fi tools.

While other available products are sufficient for identifying the nearby Wi-Fi access points, they typically have no mapping capabilities that help users visualize coverage. Ekahau HeatMapper takes free Wi-Fi analysis to the next level by making wireless signal strength truly visible and offering full support for 802.11n, said Jussi Kiviniemi, senior product manager at Ekahau. Challenges associated with wireless - such as lack of coverage, channel interference, low data rates and missing security settings - can be easily identified with the HeatMapper. Additionally it shows areas covered by open networks, making it easy to know where to go for accessing the Internet for free.

In addition to basic coverage mapping, Ekahau HeatMapper also locates all the audible access points and shows their configurations and security settings. This feature makes it easy for users to get the complete picture of the available wireless networks for detecting security holes and ensuring network optimization. Ekahau HeatMapper also fully supports 802.11n, the new standard that increases Wi-Fi data rates significantly.

Ekahau HeatMapper is based on the technology used in Ekahau Site Survey, and enterprise-grade Wi-Fi planning, verification and troubleshooting tool. Ekahau HeatMapper runs on Windows Vista or XP laptops that are equipped with integrated or external Wi-Fi network adapters. The Wi-Fi coverage is displayed on a map after walking around the facility with the laptop, a process commonly referred to as a Wi-Fi site survey.

Ekahau HeatMapper can be downloaded for free at http://www.ekahau.com.

About Ekahau Inc.

Ekahau Inc. is the industry leader in providing Wi-Fi-based RTLS solutions and Site Survey solutions. Ekahau Site Survey is being used by thousands of network administrators and wireless engineers around the world, while Ekahau RTLS is being used in more than 150 hospitals around the world, as well as by manufacturers, mining/oil/gas companies, government agencies and the military. Ekahau partners include major wireless infrastructure vendors, leading system integrators and international OEM partners. Ekahau is a U.S. based corporation, with offices in Saratoga, Calif.; Reston, Va.; Helsinki, Finland; and Hong Kong. For more information about Ekahau, please visit at http://www.ekahau.com.

(c) Copyright 2009, Ekahau, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

U.S. Media Contact: Juliet Travis, Rocket Science PR, for Ekahau, +1-415-464-8110 x 215, juliet@rocketscience.com