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IxNetwork VE vs NetAlly EtherScope nXG comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

IxNetwork VE
Ranking in Network Diagnostics
1st
Average Rating
0.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.4
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
NetAlly EtherScope nXG
Ranking in Network Diagnostics
2nd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
Network Troubleshooting (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Network Diagnostics category, the mindshare of IxNetwork VE is 12.7%, down from 32.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetAlly EtherScope nXG is 6.2%, down from 8.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Diagnostics Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IxNetwork VE12.7%
NetAlly EtherScope nXG6.2%
Other81.1%
Network Diagnostics
 

Featured Reviews

WilsonAitan - PeerSpot reviewer
Deputy Country Manager at PT Securite Asia Indonesia (ABP Securite)
Reduces probe solution costs with advanced deduplication and metadata capabilities
The use case for this tool is generally for enterprise customers who have more than two monitoring tools. These customers obtain information from switches that have a limitation of up to two-point mirroring or span ports. Therefore, if I have more than two monitoring tools, I need a network packet…
ScottSmith2 - PeerSpot reviewer
CIO at ProTek Communications
Saves time and has fifteen tools and functionality all in one
I don't have any issues right now. However, in terms of my beta relationship, sometimes I'm at the forefront and I know there are timelines for certain fixes. Even right now, it's come such a long way. They keep adding features to the software side and the hardware side functionality that I have, however, it’s mostly just priceless in the case of both hardware and software. I am able to do much more now. On a hardware spec, it'd be nice to have something above 10-Gigs. I have recently started looking at some products that are 25, 40, and 100-Gigs. I realized they probably have something in the works already, however, there’s nothing I'm aware of and certainly, this device cannot do that. I would say that a tool that has above 10-Gigabit of support would be needed and of value in the near future. However, as far as software and functionality, I really can't think of anything missing. Even all my creative tips on VNC, web server functionality, and remote access have been included over the last couple of years. I can't think of anything really off the cuff for software development that I would highly recommend.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"I would recommend IxNetwork VE to others."
"By using the Network Packet Broker, especially for enterprise customers, it can reduce the pricing for the probe solution and make monitoring more efficient."
"The most valuable features for me include deduplication, metadata processing, and the ability to perform media services."
"In terms of the return on investment, when you use it onsite once or twice, it has already paid for itself."
"Being able to do a Wi-Fi walk-around survey with a handheld tool is one of the most valuable features of NetAlly EtherScope nXG."
"EtherScope has made our networking staff more productive. We have remote locations and can use the tools to collaborate. I have other people looking at it at the same time that I am looking at it. With the uploading ability, I can have more eyes on the project at the same time, instead of just one set of eyes."
"The AirMapper Site Survey app is one of the biggest highlights of this product. When somebody asks me, "Why should I use this device?" it's the first thing I show them, and they usually love it. Its ability to gather WiFi site survey data is absolutely amazing."
"I can honestly say that we can't work without the EtherScope."
"The most valuable part is absolutely being able to assess existing WiFi networks quickly. You get very powerful details of networks, details that you couldn't see unless you had multiple pieces of software and hardware. This does it all in one thing."
"It has reduced our troubleshooting time for network cabling issues by a good 75 percent."
"Another good thing I really liked was that it would not only tell me the IP address, but it would tell me more info. It would grab the CDP off of the CDP profile and read all the info it could get, so I knew what I was looking at."
 

Cons

"The data center facet of IxNetwork Packet Broker can be improved, particularly concerning mapping from the cache."
"The data center facet of IxNetwork Packet Broker can be improved, particularly concerning mapping from the cache."
"The data center facet of IxNetwork Packet Broker can be improved, particularly concerning mapping from the cache."
"The one thing that it doesn't do well, when it's doing airtime utilization measurements, is that it will classify things as non-802.11, and that isn't correct."
"AirMapper is very quick and easy once everything is on there, but I would like to see an improvement on how you get things on there. Currently, rather than being able to build up buildings or a site of things, every map is an individual piece. We should be able to set up an AirMapper survey easily and more effectively. At the moment, we just have separate floor plans. It'd be great to be able to build a building and tell where different floors are so that if it hears an AP on the floor below, it doesn't put two APs, one on that floor and one on the other floor, and it knows that there are two floors here. One is on top of the other, and it won't put the AP at both places. It would put it on one of the floors where it would be strongest. This would be one of the biggest improvements."
"The battery life could be better. There have been a couple of times that I used it and put it down, then I went to pick it up and the battery was dead."
"The only improvement I can come up with is the battery life."
"The small screen is a little bit of a handicap."
"There is room for improvement in the battery life and price."
"NetAlly EtherScope nXG's reporting and table qualification could be improved."
"The small screen is a little bit of a handicap. It would be nice if we could, for instance, connect a larger screen to the device, but it's very user-friendly. You're only limited by the size of the screen. That's the only negative aspect of doing surveys with this device."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"NetAlly EtherScope nXG is priced too much and needs to come down by about 15 percent of its current price."
"The cost is not cheap but it totally pays for itself because it can do so much."
"Depending on the company, it could be somewhat costly. But just two of these devices can save you thousands upon thousands of dollars."
"It is relatively high-priced and it should certainly not get any more expensive. I would like it to be $1,000 less, and I think everyone would say that. And of course, maintenance is also a recurring cost."
"For the average network shop, the cost is a bit high. In a lot of organizations, people don't share test devices between teams. Generally, you need a device for the network team and a device for the system team, the security team, etc. While the cost is a little on the high side, that is offset by the regular updates and continued improvements that NetAlly adds to the device. Those improvements continue to increase the perceived value of the device."
"We paid for the additional maintenance on it (for an extra year) to get that extra coverage. This was the first time that we had this solution in-house, and it was pretty pricey. So, we wanted to make sure that anything went wrong, then we could get it repaired."
"In terms of pricing, EtherScope isn't cheap. It's a significant investment, and not a budget option."
"The stuff is expensive. I really do wish the price would come down. I don't really call support. I haven't had a problem. But it's really expensive and every year I have to pay them a ton of money. I don't want to make up reasons to justify that cost, but I'm not using the support."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
University
8%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise11
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with IxNetwork VE?
The data center facet of IxNetwork Packet Broker can be improved, particularly concerning mapping from the cache.
What is your primary use case for IxNetwork VE?
The use case for this tool is generally for enterprise customers who have more than two monitoring tools. These customers obtain information from switches that have a limitation of up to two-point ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetAlly EtherScope nXG?
In terms of pricing, EtherScope isn't cheap. It's a significant investment, and not a budget option.
What needs improvement with NetAlly EtherScope nXG?
The main area for improvement that stands out is the lack of a microburst dashboard, which some other vendors offer. However, NetAlly has carved out its niche by focusing on comprehensive network a...
What is your primary use case for NetAlly EtherScope nXG?
We mainly use NetAlly EtherScope nXG for troubleshooting. Linksprinter helps us solve problems and understand how things work. For example, SpamTitan is automatic, but beginners might not understan...
 

Also Known As

No data available
EtherScope nXG, EtherScope, netAlly EtherScope, OptiView XG
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Keysight Technologies, NetAlly, Riverbed and others in Network Diagnostics. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.