SoniFi questions and answers

How does SoniFi tell whether the problem is my Wi-Fi, my router or my provider?

SoniFi checks in order: is the phone on Wi-Fi, does your router answer a ping, do public internet addresses answer by IP, and do name lookups work? The first failing step names the layer. A router that ignores pings isn't a failure while the internet answers, but in a provider outage it can show as the router.

The four steps and their labels are on How it works.

What does the 60-second check do?

The 60-second check measures your Wi-Fi signal, your channel, your router's replies, name lookup speed and your internet speed, and takes up to about a minute. It draws your line from phone to internet, with one to three findings, each with its cause, the reading behind it and a fix to try. It never changes settings for you.

The limits each rule uses are listed under Answers come from rules.

Why do some devices show as Unknown device?

SoniFi names a device only from what it says about itself, such as its network name, model or the services it offers. Phones and laptops hide their hardware address, and many gadgets announce nothing, so they appear as Unknown device. Give one a name and SoniFi keeps your name from then on.

Why can't SoniFi scan for Wi-Fi networks again right away?

Android limits every app to about four Wi-Fi scans every two minutes. When SoniFi reaches that limit it tells you when the next scan is allowed instead of showing old results as new. Results that Android collects on its own still appear between scans.

Does SoniFi need location permission?

Only on Android 10 to 12, where Android shows Wi-Fi scan results to apps with location permission. SoniFi never records or sends your location. On Android 13 and later it asks for the nearby Wi-Fi devices permission instead, marked so it can't be used for location, and asks for no location permission.

How does the speed test work, and why does it differ from other tests?

SoniFi measures delay, download and upload against a public LibreSpeed-compatible test server, over four connections for ten seconds each way. The result depends on your Wi-Fi, other traffic and the server's distance, so it can differ from other tests and from your plan's speed. You can add your own server in Settings.

The built-in servers are listed under What SoniFi connects to.

What does the coverage map show?

The map shows your phone's Wi-Fi signal at each spot where you tapped, and estimates the spaces in between. With at least three samples it names the weakest area, and when a much stronger spot is far enough away it suggests where a mesh node or extender would help.

It doesn't measure where the router itself should go.

Does SoniFi watch my network all the time?

No. Monitoring is off until you turn it on. Then SoniFi checks about every 15 minutes, and whenever your phone's network changes, and logs an outage after two failed checks in a row. Android may delay checks to save battery, so very short drops can be missed.

What does SoniFi do with my data?

SoniFi has no account, ads or analytics, and sends nothing to us. Devices, speed results, the journal and maps stay on your phone, left out of Android backup. It connects only for its checks and tests (in the background too, if you turn on monitoring) and to addresses you type in. Details are in the SoniFi privacy policy.

Each server SoniFi contacts sees your phone's internet address, as with any connection. These web pages use cookieless PostHog analytics; see Website analytics.

Can SoniFi see other people's traffic?

No. SoniFi works on the network your phone is connected to, lists devices that answer or announce themselves, and never captures traffic. Android doesn't let apps listen to the airwaves in monitor mode, so neither SoniFi nor any other Android app can show what other people send.

Is SoniFi free?

Yes. SoniFi is free on Google Play, with no ads, no in-app purchases, no subscription and no account to create. Every feature is included, and there is no paid version or anything to unlock. It runs on Android phones with Android 10 or later.

What is the network score?

It is a number from 0 to 100 built from six checks: internet, signal, channel, stability, speed and device names. Each lost point comes with a finding and a fix. Checks it can't make are left out and named, and stability is judged only with monitoring on. Naming devices counts too, so it isn't a measure of your internet plan.

The points each check carries are under How the score is built.