I exported a NetSpot report after running a Wi-Fi survey and noticed something strange.
Most heatmaps look like a standard gradient: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, etc. But the heatmaps in the troubleshooting section look more like three solid colors. They seem less detailed.
Is this normal? Are these maps simplified on purpose, or did I export something incorrectly?
That’s normal. Troubleshooting maps are not trying to show every tiny signal change. They’re trying to answer a simpler question: is this area okay, borderline, or bad? A gradient heatmap is better when you want to analyze the exact distribution of signal, SNR, noise, or interference. A troubleshooting heatmap is more like a pass/warning/fail view. Less pretty, but faster to read.
@ShadowBoxer_88 Okay, so it’s not missing data. It’s just a different kind of view.
The important thing to understand is that the colors are based on thresholds, and those thresholds are not universal. What counts as “bad” depends on how the network is being used. A home user streaming movies or browsing the web can usually tolerate weaker signal levels than an office running Zoom meetings, VoIP calls, and cloud applications all day. A warehouse using wireless scanners may have a different set of requirements again. That means the same measurement could be considered acceptable in one environment and a problem in another. The troubleshooting heatmap simply compares the measured values against the thresholds you’ve chosen and groups the results into categories like good, warning, and bad. If the thresholds are set too low, the map may look healthy even though users are experiencing issues. If they’re set too high, large areas may be flagged as problematic despite working perfectly well for their intended purpose.
@Prize-Marsupial-9 That makes sense. I didn’t realize the “bad” color depends on what I consider acceptable.
Yep. Always read troubleshooting maps together with the regular heatmaps. Use the regular heatmap to understand the actual values. Use the troubleshooting heatmap to quickly spot areas that fall below your chosen standard. It’s not less accurate — it’s just grouped into practical categories.