Fluke Networks’ LinkIQ Now Includes WiFi 6E Troubleshooting

Fluke Networks recently unveiled the LinkIQ Duo Cable+WiFi+Network Tester, which combines the company’s cabling qualification capabilities with WiFi 6E network testing and analysis in a single solution. Fluke Networks introduced the original LinkIQ in 2021.

When announcing the tester’s availability on December 9, the company said, “The introduction of the LinkIQ Duo advanced WiFi testing capabilities is well-timed to meet the unique challenges and requirements technicians face with the rapid adoption of WiFi 6E.” It added that forecasts indicate 5.2 million WiFi 6E access points will ship this year, up sharply from 1.5 million two years ago, “representing a significant increase as businesses seek to upgrade their network infrastructure to support more devices and bandwidth-intensive applications.”

The company further described the combination of cable, network, and WiFi testing capabilities “indispensable both when installing and troubleshooting wireless networks. LinkIQ Duo eliminates the time-consuming effort of swapping and using multiple incomplete or complex tools, and includes all the features necessary for troubleshooting WiFi connection and performance issues and identifying the location, availability, and configuration of access points, in a package that’s convenient whether wandering a site, looking under a desk, or on top of a ladder.”

The tester allows technicians to validate each link of the connection between the WiFi user and the network by carrying out the following functions.

Qualifying the performance of the cabling between the network and the access point up to 10 Gbits/sec, which Fluke Networks points out is critical to the performance of today’s high-speed WiFi networks
Validating the connectivity to the switch along with the maximum data rates of the switch port
Determining if there is sufficient power (PoE) available for the task
Verifying connectivity to key assets such as a WiFi controller
Checking the configuration of the access point as well as the wireless environment in which it is operating

It also flags common configuration errors such as: an illegal channel for the detected region or non-recommended channel; access points that overlap with an adjacent access point unless one is low power; weak security settings.

The tool performs IP ping tests that verify connectivity and provide nearest-switch diagnostics, including advertised data rate up to 10GBase-T, half/full duplex identification, switch name and IP address, port number, and VLAN information. It also simplifies PoE installation and troubleshooting by displaying the pairs where power is provided, showing the different power levels and pairs for dual-signature implementations. It performs up-to-90-W (Class 8) load testing by placing a load on the connection to ensure the advertised power is actually being delivered across the cabling infrastructure.