AP Grapher is free software for Mac OS X that searches for and shows nearby Wi-Fi access points on your Mac, and displays the results on your Mac screen. This application allows you to receive detailed information on Wi-Fi networks throughout the city that can be used to connect your Mac to a wireless network of your choice. It does not matter if your location is quite far away from any network as this application will connect to a nearby network even if your location is thousands of miles away. Moreover, it connects to a Mac regardless of whether it is turned on or off. This feature makes this application especially useful if you travel extensively and stay in various hotels, resorts, or other places around the world.
One of the main features of AP Grapher that makes it so popular among frequent travelers is its ability to provide statistics on Internet connections. A clear display graph of the number of clients connecting to a given SSID shows the connection speed in megabits per second and the average download speed. It also has an alert button that lets you know when one of the network's servers is down due to a minor technical glitch. Other minor features such as the ability to sort a list of networks alphabetically and the option to download a network status report can prove to be quite useful for a wide range of Mac users. The free version of AP Grapher does not have these additional features.
However, in order to get the full functionality of AP Grapher you need to purchase a license that costs around twenty bucks. This is certainly worth the investment considering the amount of time that you can save by knowing precisely what signal strengths your wireless devices are picking up. The free version has limited functionality compared to the paid versions. Even if you are going to use the free version you should still consider obtaining a license for the application.
