Best First Lab Under $500 / $1000 / $2000

Under $500 (fundamentals)

Focus on one reliable capture workflow and known lab targets. Avoid overbuying devices before process is stable.

Under $1000 (balanced depth)

Add a dedicated second tool to reduce workflow collisions and improve repeatability across protocols.

Under $2000 (specialized reliability)

Invest in signal quality: better antennas, filtering/attenuation, and backup test targets.

What not to skip at any budget

• Quality USB cables and stable power
• Known-good test targets you control
• Written runbook and logs