- Understanding RSSI
- Basic W-Fi Lessons
- What is RSSI and what does it mean for a Wi-Fi network?
- Get Reliable Wi-Fi at Home
- RSSI vs dBm
- Acceptable Signal Strengths
- What if I have an acceptable signal strength but I’m still having problems?
- Understanding RSSI
- Basic WiFi Lessons
- Need Help Measuring WiFi Signal Strength?
- RSSI vs dBm
- Acceptable Signal Strengths
- What if I have an acceptable signal strength but I’m still having problems?
- Looking for Mobile WiFi Tools?
- What Is WiFi RSSI?
- Leave a Reply Cancel reply
Understanding RSSI
RSSI stands for Received Signal Strength Indicator, and measures how well a client device can hear (receive) a signal. Learn how to understand the index and how it’s used in measuring the strength of your Wi-Fi signal.
Basic W-Fi Lessons
What is RSSI and what does it mean for a Wi-Fi network?
RSSI, or “Received Signal Strength Indicator,” is a measurement of how well your device can hear a signal from an access point or router. It’s a value that is useful for determining if you have enough signal to get a good wireless connection. Note: Because an RSSI value is pulled from the client device’s Wi-Fi card (hence “received” signal strength), it is not the same as transmit power from a router or AP.
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RSSI vs dBm
dBm and RSSI are different units of measurement that both represent the same thing: signal strength. The difference is that RSSI is a relative index, while dBm is an absolute number representing power levels in mW (milliwatts).
RSSI is a term used to measure the relative quality of a received signal to a client device, but has no absolute value. The IEEE 802.11 standard (a big book of documentation for manufacturing Wi-Fi equipment) specifies that RSSI can be on a scale of 0 to up to 255 and that each chipset manufacturer can define their own “RSSI_Max” value. Cisco, for example, uses a 0-100 scale, while Atheros uses 0-60. It’s all up to the manufacturer (which is why RSSI is a relative index), but you can infer that the higher the RSSI value is, the better the signal is.
Since RSSI varies greatly between chipset manufacturers, MetaGeek software uses a more standardized, absolute measure of signal strength: received signal power, which is measured in decibels, or dBm on a logarithmic scale. There’s a lot of math we could get into, but basically, the closer to 0 dBm, the better the signal is.
To help leverage your signal strength measurement most effectively so you can make channel planning decisions, inSSIDer displays signal strength in two ways.
The Networks Table visualizes where selected networks are located on the 2.4 or 5 GHz band in relation to other networks, and the signal strengths of each.
The Signal Strength Over Time graph shows how your network’s signal strengths changes as you move around the room or office.
Acceptable Signal Strengths
Signal Strength | TL;DR | Required for | |
---|---|---|---|
-30 dBm | Amazing | Max achievable signal strength. The client can only be a few feet from the AP to achieve this. Not typical or desirable in the real world. | N/A |
-67 dBm | Very Good | Minimum signal strength for applications that require very reliable, timely delivery of data packets. | VoIP/VoWi-Fi, streaming video |
-70 dBm | Okay | Minimum signal strength for reliable packet delivery. | Email, web |
-80 dBm | Not Good | Minimum signal strength for basic connectivity. Packet delivery may be unreliable. | N/A |
-90 dBm | Unusable | Approaching or drowning in the noise floor. Any functionality is highly unlikely. | N/A |
What if I have an acceptable signal strength but I’m still having problems?
If you’ve already checked your signal strength using a Wi-Fi scanning app like inSSIDer and concluded that you have acceptable Wi-Fi signal strength, then interference may be to blame. Your computer’s Wi-Fi adapter can help you see some types of interference, but for finding non-Wi-Fi interferers, you’ll need a spectrum analysis tool like Wi-Spy.
The signal strength of the “MetaGeek” SSID is great (approx. -50dBm), but the actual wireless signal is being destroyed by a non-Wi-Fi interferer, which is shown above with a large green spiky shape between channels 5 and 6.
Understanding RSSI
RSSI, or “Received Signal Strength Indicator,” is a measurement of how well your device can hear a signal from an access point or router. It’s a value that is useful for determining if you have enough signal to get a good wireless connection.
Note: Because an RSSI value is pulled from the client device’s WiFi card (hence “received” signal strength), it is not the same as transmit power from a router or AP.
Basic WiFi Lessons
Need Help Measuring WiFi Signal Strength?
Track signal strength in your environment and see how it changes over time with MetaGeek Plus!
RSSI vs dBm
dBm and RSSI are different units of measurement that both represent the same thing: signal strength. The difference is that RSSI is a relative index, while dBm is an absolute number representing power levels in mW (milliwatts).
RSSI is a term used to measure the relative quality of a received signal to a client device, but has no absolute value. The IEEE 802.11 standard (a big book of documentation for manufacturing WiFi equipment) specifies that RSSI can be on a scale of 0 to up to 255 and that each chipset manufacturer can define their own “RSSI_Max” value. Cisco, for example, uses a 0-100 scale, while Atheros uses 0-60. It’s all up to the manufacturer (which is why RSSI is a relative index), but you can infer that the higher the RSSI value is, the better the signal is.
Since RSSI varies greatly between chipset manufacturers, MetaGeek software uses a more standardized, absolute measure of signal strength: received signal power, which is measured in decibels, or dBm on a logarithmic scale. There’s a lot of math we could get into, but basically, the closer to 0 dBm, the better the signal is.
To help leverage your signal strength measurement most effectively so you can make channel planning decisions, inSSIDer displays signal strength in two ways.
The Networks Table visualizes where selected networks are located on the 2.4 or 5 GHz band in relation to other networks, and the signal strengths of each.
The Signal Strength Over Time graph shows how your network’s signal strengths changes as you move around the room or office.
Acceptable Signal Strengths
Signal Strength | TL;DR | Required for | |
---|---|---|---|
-30 dBm | Amazing | Max achievable signal strength. The client can only be a few feet from the AP to achieve this. Not typical or desirable in the real world. | N/A |
-67 dBm | Very Good | Minimum signal strength for applications that require very reliable, timely delivery of data packets. | VoIP/VoWiFi, streaming video |
-70 dBm | Okay | Minimum signal strength for reliable packet delivery. | Email, web |
-80 dBm | Not Good | Minimum signal strength for basic connectivity. Packet delivery may be unreliable. | N/A |
-90 dBm | Unusable | Approaching or drowning in the noise floor. Any functionality is highly unlikely. | N/A |
What if I have an acceptable signal strength but I’m still having problems?
If you’ve already checked your signal strength using a WiFi scanning app like inSSIDer and concluded that you have acceptable WiFi signal strength, then interference may be to blame. Your computer’s WiFi adapter can help you see some types of interference, but for finding non-WiFi interferers, you’ll need a spectrum analysis tool like Wi-Spy.
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The signal strength of the “MetaGeek” SSID is great (approx. -50dBm), but the actual wireless signal is being destroyed by a non-WiFi interferer, which is shown above with a large green spiky shape between channels 5 and 6.
Looking for Mobile WiFi Tools?
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What Is WiFi RSSI?
The RSSI is the relative strength of the WiFi signal, expressed in decibels. Its value ranges from zero to one milliwatt, and it is often mentioned in conjunction with dBm, or decibels per milliwatt. These two measurements have very different meanings. dBm is a dBm value – it is the absolute measure of the measured power, while RSSI is a relative measure. The dBm value is the difference between the power of the signal and the noise level. The higher the difference between the two, the better the WiFi signal is.
The RSSI value is the quality of the WiFi signal. It is measured in dBm. If the RSSI value is lower than -80dBm, the connection will be weak and not usable. The good news is that most networks have a range of around -80dBm. For your reference, the higher the dBm value, the more reliable your WiFi signal is.
The RSSI value represents the signal strength of a wireless network card. In terms of the quality, it is the percentage of signal strength that reaches the end user’s computer. In dBm, the quality indicates the signal strength. For example, a network card with an RSSI of -80dBm would not be usable. However, if it reaches an -80dBm value, it is still usable.
The quality of a WiFi signal can be represented by dBm. This quality is usually expressed in decibels, and the lower the dBm, the better. For instance, a signal with a dBm below -80dBm is unusable because of the noise. In fact, a network with a lower RSSI may have more noise than a high-quality network.
The RSSI is an important factor when connecting to a wireless network. If your signal strength is below 90dBm, it is likely that the signal will not connect. A better indicator of signal strength is to increase the distance between devices. This distance can be determined by the WiFi scanner’s triggers. It is also possible to make a mesh Wi-Fi system, which uses multiple broadcasters, or a Wi-Fi hotspot.
When the RSSI is too high, the signal will not connect to the wireless network. It should be at least -80dBm. The dBm value is the maximum distance between two Wi-Fi signals. If you’re using a mesh Wi-Fi network, the dBm value should be around 100dBm. The more dBm is greater than 90dBm.
The RSSI value is measured in decibels. A wireless signal is weak if the dBm value is lower than 90dBm. The best way to increase your RSSI is to use a WiFi scanner. It is a useful tool when you’re setting up mesh Wi-Fi. You should also try a mesh Wi-Fi system to roam without interruption. If you’re not sure which one to use, check the RSSI value of your current location.
The RSSI is a measure of the strength of the signal from the perspective of a WiFi enabled device. It is also shown as an RSSI level. This value is not the actual signal transmitted by an access point. In fact, poor signal strength is a major cause of poor WiFi connectivity. Understanding the signal is an important aspect of good WLAN design. But be aware that too much RF interference can be bad for your WiFi connections.
The RSSI is a relative measurement of signal strength. It is a measurement of the power transmitted by an access point from the perspective of the WiFi enabled device. This is not a direct signal from the access point itself. The RSSI is the best way to design a strong WLAN. In addition to reducing the number of WiFi connections, a weak WiFi should be loud enough to be clearly heard over white noise.
To understand the effect of WiFi RSSI, it is important to know the difference between download and upload speeds. The higher the download speed, the lower the upload speed. The lower the upload speed, the slower the connection. When the signal is weak, the signal will be weaker and vice versa. If the upload is slow, the signal will be poor. A weak signal will not allow data transfer at all, or the bandwidth will not be able to support the application.
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