Looking for some suggestions.
I need either a standalone handheld (tinySa or the like), or just software (windows) to do spectrum analysis across 2.4 & 5G wifi bands. I see most items can span in range 1M to 6G, but I need some spectrum visuals for my wifi needs.

Budget is $250max. Are there any free software tools that can do it?

 

Look up RTL-SDR.

 

Thanks for rtl-sdr idea. I am eyeballing tinySA Ultra. That should do what I need for about half my budget.

 

RTL-SDR is capable up to 2.7 GHz (budget up to 20-30 Eur), while the HackRF-001 works up to 6 GHz and fits into budget of 150-200 Eur. The same time exist the GQ390 having partial (means, not in all frequencies) frequency analyser functionality and working up to 6 GHz.

 

Have you ruled out apps that can run on a smartphone? For Android try WiFi Analyzer by Abdelrahman M. Sid.

 

Have you ruled out apps that can run on a smartphone? For Android try WiFi Analyzer by Abdelrahman M. Sid.

I have some Android apps, but they are not robust enough for my needs.
SDR and tinySA are better tools, I can do analysis across wide spectrum, from HAM radio to wifi, etc. My primary need is to evaluate noise in wifi bands when doing site surveys.