User guide

98 Chapter 7: Analyzing WiFi Data
AirMagnet Spectrum XT User Guide
As shown in Figure 7-9, three types of addresses can be used for network traffic. The
addresses are coded in distinctive colors, which are described in Table 7-6.
If you place the cursor over a channel, a tip screen will pop up showing the volume of
transmission carried by each address type. See Figure 7-10.
Figure 7-10: Tip screen showing transmission by address
Table 7-6: Color Scheme for Channels by Address Graph
Color Address Description
Aqua Broadcast The process of sending the same data to all
stations on the network.
Yellow Multicast The process of sending a single message to
multiple destinations simultaneously. It is a one-
to-many transmission similar to broadcasting,
except that multicasting means transmission to
specific groups, whereas broadcasting implies
sending to everybody. Multicasting can save
considerable bandwidth when sending large
volumes of data because the bulk of the data is
transmitted once from the source through major
backbones and are multiplied, or distributed out,
at switching points closer to the recipients.
Green Unicast The process of sending duplicates of the same
message to multiple destinations on the network.
In unicast, even though multiple users might
request the same data from the same server at the
same time, duplicate data streams are transmitted,
one to each destination.