Help & answers, in plain English.

No. The core app — signal compass, speed test, channel check, device scan and nearby networks — all work the moment you open it, with no sign-up. Only the optional Outage Monitor needs a free account (just an email and password) so it can watch your connection and email you alerts.

Android requires location permission for any app that scans Wi-Fi networks or reads detailed signal info — it's an operating-system rule, not because Wavr tracks you. Wavr does not read, use or store your GPS location. If you deny it, Android won't let the app see nearby networks or signal strength.

Android 8.0 (Oreo) or newer.

Download the APK from this site, tap the downloaded file, allow “install from this source” if asked, then tap Install. The app tells you when a new version is ready. (WiFi Wavr is also coming to Google Play.)

Wavr reads your live signal strength and turns it into a distance estimate from your router plus a direction arrow. Walk around and it updates in real time, telling you in plain English whether the signal is getting stronger — until it lands on your best spot.

It's an estimate based on signal strength, so it's great for comparing spots and finding the strongest one — not a tape measure. You can switch between feet and metres in settings.

Plain-English labels for your signal so you don't have to read cryptic dBm numbers. “Great signal here” means you're in a strong spot; “Weak” means move closer or follow the arrow.

Wavr runs several parallel download and upload streams against Cloudflare and reports the peak aggregate, so it reflects your real line speed — close to what Google or Ookla show. Older single-stream tests often under-report; Wavr is built to avoid that.

It measures your latency when the line is idle versus under load, then grades it A+ to F. A low grade means bufferbloat — the reason a “fast” plan still lags on video calls and games.

Usually Wi-Fi distance or interference, not your provider. Use the compass to find a stronger spot, run Channel Check, and let the Router or ISP verdict point you to the real cause.

Your Speed Log is stored on your phone (and backed up by Android), so it survives reinstalls. The full history is free for everyone.

Distance from the router, walls, neighbours on the same channel, how many devices are online and the time of day all move the number. One test is just a snapshot. Run a few tests on the same network across different days and times, then look at the download-trend chart in the Speed Log to see the real pattern — stable, drifting down, or always slow at the same hour.

Wavr checks your signal strength, whether your local router is reachable, and your real speed, then gives a plain-English verdict: it's your Wi-Fi, your router, or your ISP. It's a smart heuristic — a strong starting point that saves you a pointless support call, not a guarantee.

It scans the networks around you, shows which channels are crowded, and recommends the clearest channel for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz — plus how to change it in your router. In a busy building this is often a free, two-minute speed boost.

It's a room-by-room signal map of your home. Open it from the Actions menu while connected to Wi-Fi, name each of the eight directions by its room (Living Room, Bedroom, Kitchen…), and walk around — Wavr records the signal strength per direction and builds a colour-coded ring plus a plain-English verdict, like “Strongest: Living Room · Weakest: Bedroom.” It's a directional guide, not a surveyor's heatmap: a single phone radio measures signal strength, not exact position.

That's the band each nearby network is using. 2.4 GHz reaches farthest, 5 GHz is faster, and 6 GHz (Wi-Fi 6E) is the newest, fastest band — often hidden or optional on the router. If Wavr flags a 6 GHz network nearby, your router may have a faster band you can enable or connect to.

It scans your network and lists every connected device with its IP address and (where available) its maker, flagging your own phone and your router. Heads-up: on Android 11+, MAC randomization means some devices show without a maker name — the device still appears, just without a label.

Yes — it opens your router's gateway address (commonly 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1) in your browser. You log in on the router's own page; Wavr never sees or stores your router password.

With a free account, Wavr watches your connection 24/7 and logs every drop with its start time and duration — even the ones at 3am you'd otherwise never know about — and can email you alerts.

It turns your logged outages into a shareable, timestamped report — uptime %, total downtime, longest single outage and an estimated credit based on your monthly bill — that you can email your provider. It's honest proof to strengthen a refund claim, not a guaranteed refund.

Free: the signal compass, speed & bufferbloat test, channel check, device scan, nearby networks and the full Speed Log. Wavr Plus unlocks the 24/7 Outage Monitor and the ISP Evidence Report. Plans: $2.49/month, $9.99/year, or a one-time $19.99 lifetime unlock.

No — it uses a lightweight periodic heartbeat designed to be easy on battery, not constant pinging.

No ads, no analytics, no tracking. The signal, speed, channel and device tools all run on your phone. The only thing that leaves your device is the optional Outage Monitor's email + connection up/down status, sent securely over HTTPS.

No. Location permission is required by Android purely to scan Wi-Fi; Wavr never reads or stores your GPS position.

Your Speed Log and settings are stored on-device and backed up via Android's built-in Auto Backup, so they come back when you reinstall.