On one of the Slack channels dedicated to the Wi-Fi community there has been an on-going discussion on working with 'contractors' - how some unscrupulous companies sell time at thousands of dollars per day to the end customer, but then only pay those doing the work $500 or so. And the contractors have to bring their own tools! Crazy. But it is happening all over.
Just like Airlines have to keep their planes in the air to cover their costs... Wireless LAN Professionals need to keep their tools working to cover their costs. Sometimes it might be more profitable if you choose your tool sets wisely.
Last year I went three months and used <$1,000 of gear for my Wi-Fi troubleshooting gigs... (MacBook Air M4, WiFi Explorer Pro, NetViews, AirTool 2, Wireshark, etc.) - That sure helps make those gigs more cost effective.
For doing Wireless LAN post-install validation work, today you can get a copy of Hamina Onsite and a Hamina Clip for <$1,200... that too can help make your consulting gigs more profitable.
Here's a list of various tools in different categories - sorted alphabetically.