Acrylic Wi-Fi Heatmaps vs Kismet

Acrylic Wi-Fi Heatmaps is Windows software for planning WiFi layouts and surveying existing networks to identify coverage and performance problems. It supports WiFi 7 across the 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz bands. For planning, users can model walls and building materials, place access points, configure antennas, and simulate coverage. Indoor and outdoor surveys can produce as many as 15 heatmap types, including 3D views. Survey measures include signal strength, interference, channel overlap, SNR, per-channel and access-point coverage, and device density. The WiFi Quality module provides Web browsing and VoIP profiles, with options to define other quality controls. Reports are editable and export to DOCX, CSV, and KMZ; English, Spanish, French, and German are available. Spectrum analysis can use Wi-Spy or Oscium hardware, while GPS can use an embedded receiver or compatible NMEA 0183 dongle. It requires Windows 10 or 11,.NET Framework 4.5, at least 1 GB of memory, and a WiFi adapter. Monitor mode capture requires an Advanced license. Listed plans start at $69, paid once for Basic — 1 Year; the pricing note also lists a 5-day trial.

Kismet is a free, open-source wireless sniffer, intrusion detection system, wardriving tool, and packet capture tool. Depending on hardware and driver support, it can capture Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, Zigbee, wireless sensor, airplane beacon, and power meter data. It runs headless as a standalone capture and wireless intrusion detection system, or with a web interface. Linux and macOS are supported directly; Windows use is through WSL. Remote capture forwards capture types over TCP sockets or websockets for centralized collection. Kismet’s kismetdb logfile combines packets, device records, location, and runtime data in an SQLite3-based file. A REST-like API offers JSON records, streaming pcap-ng, and websocket publish-subscribe endpoints. WIDS alerts can be connected through REST APIs, syslog, and some SIEM tools. The project says stationary use is most effective for WIDS; mobile or channel-hopping operation can reduce accuracy and coverage. Its macOS adapter support is limited, and WSL cannot access local hardware interfaces for packet capture, though remote capture is supported. The downloads page lists 2025-09-R1 as the latest stable release.