What is our primary use case?
Most of the surveys I conduct are with Ekahau Site Survey, which I use for site surveys and planning. I rely on it when there are Wi-Fi issues. I examine the package to understand the Wi-Fi configuration and assess the situation. After that, I identify any issues and use Ekahau for the surveys. I primarily focus on warehousing for planning, but I also handle site surveys for events. For example, using Ekahau, I conducted the survey and planning for the King Baldwin Stadium in Brussels, where Coldplay performed two years ago.
What is most valuable?
The most important feature is the Sidekick, which allows us to see what’s happening during the survey, including spectrum analysis.
Ekahau is a great tool for planning, assessments, and post-deployment surveys. It excels in those areas.
What needs improvement?
It took me over a week to fine-tune the reports, but they became impossible to use. That’s one of the reasons we started looking at Hemina. I’ve been using Ekahau for quite some time, and when the Sidekick 2 was released, packet analysis wasn’t supported, even though it was included in my subscription.
I contacted them for over a year about this issue since packet analysis is essential for my work, but I didn’t receive a response. When I requested support, I was banned from their communications, no invitations for Wi-Fi Day or webinars. If that’s how they treat their partners, it’s clear that our relationship has to change.
I'm renewing my subscription for the last year, but I’m not willing to pay two thousand euros anymore. If they can make me a reasonable offer and provide a discount. The customer experience has been poor. I called my distributor, who checked and confirmed that everything was functioning. To troubleshoot, I created a new account under a different name and received an invitation. When I tried registering with my original account, I was blocked because I had contacted customer support about my issues.
You can use different software; Ekahau is an option, but look at how they treat their customers.' On the other hand, there’s Hemina. They don’t have spectrum analysis yet, but it’s coming. Technically, the Sidekick is still one of the best devices for checking Wi-Fi. However, there are alternative solutions, and you receive support with those alternatives. For me, the support issue is a significant concern.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Ekahau Site Survey for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Over the last six months, I encountered issues with Ekahau, especially when saving files to the cloud. Sometimes, not all data was stored correctly. I’d save the first version and continue working on it, but later, when I retrieved the file, it would revert to the initial version, losing work hours.
I rate the solution’s stability a six out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the solution’s scalability an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The customer support is low. Support is somewhat acceptable because I know the team, but it's lacking when it comes to practical and financial matters. My Ekahau subscription has been inactive since July 2022, and I’m uncertain about renewing due to rising prices and declining customer support. While Ekahau has been the only vendor for a long time, that’s no longer true. Hemina’s software is better. For instance, if an access point isn't supported, I can request it, and they typically incorporate it within days, provided the manufacturer shares the antenna patterns. Hemina’s team is responsive, whether through calls or emails, making it a much better solution for me.
They need to listen to their customers. With Ekahau, the attitude feels like; We’re the biggest and best, so be grateful to pay us two thousand euros each year to use our software.'Since Jussie left the company, the mentality seems to have declined significantly. They’re not listening to feedback, and it feels like they view us merely as a cash cow.
They handle their loyal customers poorly, almost like they’re kicking us when we’re down. I never complained during webinars or put Ekahau in a bad light. I always addressed issues directly with support. I’d point out that I was being charged for a service that wasn’t functioning, and the response was always, 'It’s coming, it’s coming.' A year later, I was still facing the same issues, so I asked about compensation for my investments in packet analysis equipment, which included a multimeter that cost around twenty-one thousand euros. When I inquired about a discount, I was told, 'This is the price. You either pay it or leave.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I purchased professional licenses from both Ekahau and Hemina. Hemina's software is better overall, though the Sidekick remains superior to Hemina’s current solution.
One advantage of Ekahau is that when you conduct a site survey, the spectrum analysis data is automatically incorporated into the report. However, that’s the only benefit I see right now. I’ve been using Hemina for six months, and when I have to revisit an older project with Ekahau, it feels like it takes forever to load. I’m still open to renewing my Ekahau subscription for another year, but not at the price of two thousand euros.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
What other advice do I have?
If no corporate firewall is installed, there aren’t any issues. I experienced some headaches with the license server, but those problems were resolved and weren't significant. Using a SaaS application is even easier since you don’t have to install anything; you log in to the site.
Overall, I rate the solution a four out of ten.
