DNSViz vs inSSIDer

DNSViz is a free, open-source tool for visualizing DNS zone status and investigating DNSSEC deployment. It lays out a domain's authentication chain and resolution path, and identifies configuration errors. The graph can show delegations, record sets, negative responses, DNSKEY and DS records, signatures, wildcards, warnings and errors. It classifies DNS data as secure, bogus or insecure according to whether a trust chain reaches an anchor. The web service can run new analyses, but its maintenance mode means historical analyses cannot be loaded and new results cannot be saved to its database. For command-line use, the suite includes tools to query DNS, assess results and produce graph or text output. Queries use recursive resolvers by default, or authoritative servers when requested; graph output can be an image, DOT graph or HTML file. DNSViz documents installation on Linux, macOS and FreeBSD, among other Python-supported environments, and provides a Docker container. It is intended for understanding and troubleshooting DNSSEC, including pre-deployment checks of proposed zone and delegation changes.

inSSIDer is Wi-Fi analysis software that visualizes nearby networks and helps show how they affect a local connection. For access points, it displays channel, channel width, signal strength, Wi-Fi generation, maximum data rate, and security. Its Channels Table shows channel occupancy to help users identify a relatively quiet option. The software can scan a local network for connected devices and identify the type and name of many of them. It also checks Wi-Fi configuration and describes what is working well, what could improve, and what needs fixing. The free download provides Wi-Fi scanning and visualization and requires a free Oscium account. MetaGeek Plus adds packet capture, RF spectrum analysis, network snapshots, client traffic analytics, cloud sync, and team collaboration; Plus features are currently Windows-only. The free scanner uses the Wi-Fi adapter in a Windows laptop, while inSSIDer is listed for Windows and macOS. A Wi-Fi scanner cannot directly see interference from non-Wi-Fi devices such as Bluetooth, microwaves, or cordless phones. MetaGeek Plus costs $200/yr.