A survey, start to finish
- The plan. Upload a PNG, JPEG or PDF of the floor plan, or sketch the walls in the app if the client has none. Set the scale by clicking both ends of a known length, so the walk pace and the predicted view use real distances.
- Live readings. The helper app for macOS and Windows reads the laptop's Wi-Fi as you walk. Click where you stand and the signal and link speed are saved at once; nothing is typed.
- Or a guided walk. Draw a route through the rooms, set the walking time, and walk it to a beat after a short count-in. A reading is saved every second along the route. If the Wi-Fi drops out completely, the spot is saved as "No signal", so dead zones show as dead zones instead of being skipped.
- Every floor. Add a floor from the floor menu on the map. Each floor has its own plan, scale, readings and devices, and switching takes one click.
Without the helper app, readings can still be typed in from the computer's Wi-Fi status or a phone, which is handy for a quick check or a second opinion on site.
What you hand the client
- A PDF report with your logo. An A4 report with the client, site and your company name, then for each floor: the measured heatmap with a summary (how many readings, the share good enough for video calls, strongest to weakest), the link speed map, the predicted coverage, and a table of every reading with its notes and time. Your notes for the client go on the first page.
- Clean PNG exports of any view, with the project, site and your details instead of a watermark.
- A project file with every floor, reading and device, to open again on the follow-up visit, after the fix, or on another computer.
Before anything is moved
Mark the router, extenders and mesh points on the plan and draw the main walls (light, brick or concrete). The predicted view estimates coverage from them and is adjusted to your measured readings, with the typical error shown. Drag the router to another spot, or add a mesh point marked as planned, and the map shows what would change before the client buys or moves anything. More in predictive vs measured heatmaps.
Compared with the usual tools
| WiFi Heatmapper Pro | NetSpot PRO | Ekahau Measure Pro | Hamina Onsite | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $79 one-time$310 less than NetSpot PRO lifetime | $389 lifetime or $189 a year (US price) | $1,495 a year, plus Sidekick 2 at $4,995 | €780 a year |
| What you need | A laptop with the helper app (macOS or Windows), and a browser | The desktop app for macOS or Windows | Sidekick 2 hardware and an iOS or Android device | The Onsite app with survey hardware |
| Readings | Automatic, with live readings and guided walks | Automatic | Automatic, with Sidekick 2 | Automatic |
| Predicted coverage | Yes, adjusted to your readings | Yes | No (Ekahau Plan, $1,495 a year) | No (Hamina Planner, €980 a year) |
| Reports | PDF report with your logo, every floor in one document | Reports | No custom reports | PDF and interactive online reports |
Details of each are in the NetSpot, Ekahau and Hamina comparisons.
Where it stops
WiFi Heatmapper is sized for small sites. Plainly, it does not do the following yet:
- Spectrum analysis, interference or channel planning.
- Throughput tests such as iPerf. The speed map shows the Wi-Fi link speed, not internet speed.
- Noise and signal-to-noise maps, or a map per access point or mesh node.
- Coverage predicted through floors: each floor is predicted from its own devices.
Windows reports the signal as a percentage, and the helper converts it to dBm, so readings on Windows are approximate; on a Mac they are the real value. The Mac helper needs Apple silicon. The helper apps are not code-signed yet, so macOS and Windows show a warning the first time they are opened. For large buildings, high-density rooms or a new build that is still being designed, Ekahau or Hamina is the right tool.
Price and licence
Pro is $79 once (plus VAT in the EU), with all updates, for one person on 2 devices, and allows commercial use. There is no subscription and no account. The free version makes the same measured heatmaps from typed readings, so you can try the whole workflow on a real site first.
Start a survey now, in your browser.
This guide is published by WiFi Heatmapper, which is not affiliated with NetSpot, Ekahau or Hamina (trademarks of their owners). Their details come from their own pricing and product pages, checked on 16 October 2026; plans and prices change.
