What Flight Recorder Does
Flight Recorder continuously logs Wi-Fi and network state changes in the background. Like an aircraft's black box, it captures everything that happens on your wireless connection — so when something goes wrong, you can rewind and see exactly what happened, when it happened, and what the network conditions were at that moment.
What It Logs
Flight Recorder captures four categories of data:
Wi-Fi State Changes
- SSID switches (connecting to a different network)
- BSSID roaming events (moving between access points on the same network)
- Band changes (switching between 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz)
- Signal strength drops and recoveries
Network Events
- Connectivity gained and lost
- Gateway changes
- DNS failures
Wi-Fi Metrics
- Signal strength (dBm)
- Channel and channel width
- Wi-Fi standard (Wi-Fi 5, 6, 6E, 7)
- MLO (Multi-Link Operation) status
- Frequency and maximum data rate
Connection Quality
- Latency to gateway and internet
- Packet loss percentage
- DNS resolution time
How to Use It
- Open Flight Recorder from the sidebar.
- Click Start Recording — events begin logging immediately.
- Go about your work or walk the site — the recorder runs in the background without affecting your workflow.
- Come back and review the event timeline to see everything that occurred.
Reading the Timeline
- Each event is timestamped with its type, details, and the current network metrics at that moment.
- Events are color-coded: green = normal operation, yellow = warning (e.g., signal dropping), red = error (e.g., connectivity lost).
- Use the event type filter to focus on specific issues — for example, show only roaming events or only connectivity drops.
Use Cases
Roaming Analysis
Walk between access points and review how your device roams. The log shows which BSSID the device connected to, when the handoff occurred, and what the signal level was at the moment of each roam. This data reveals whether roaming thresholds are too aggressive, too sticky, or working correctly.
Intermittent Issues
Leave Flight Recorder running to capture the exact moment connectivity drops. Instead of trying to reproduce a reported issue, let the recorder catch it and then review what happened — was it a signal drop, a BSSID change, a DNS failure, or something else entirely?
Before/After Comparison
Record a session before making network changes, then record another session after. Compare the two to verify that roaming behavior improved, signal drops decreased, or connectivity became more stable.
Client Documentation
Export the log as evidence of network issues for client reports or support tickets. The timestamped, detailed event data provides objective proof that goes beyond subjective user complaints.
Data Shown Per Event
Each logged event includes: timestamp, event type, SSID, BSSID, signal (dBm), channel, channel width, band, Wi-Fi standard, MLO status, frequency, maximum data rate, gateway status, and internet connectivity status.
Tips
- Start the recorder before walking a site — you want to capture the full picture from the beginning.
- Let it run for at least 10 minutes to capture enough roaming behavior and environmental variation.
- Events export to CSV for further analysis in spreadsheets or reporting tools.
- Combine Flight Recorder data with Latency Monitor results for a complete picture of both Wi-Fi behavior and network performance over time.
Still need help?
If you're still experiencing issues, contact us or email support@rockriverresearch.com.