It’s possible that your WiFi connection is causing the slowness and instability you’re seeing on the internet. It’s possible you’re too far away from the source, or there are substantial walls in your way. Here’s how to find out how strong your WiFi signal really is. You may also see who is connected to your wireless network by doing this.
Why Wi-Fi Signal Strength Matters
A more dependable WiFi connection is ensured by a stronger WiFi signal. It’s what makes it possible for you to take full benefit of the online speed that’s at your disposal. Many factors influence Wi-Fi signal strength, including your distance from the router, whether you’re using a 2.4 or 5GHz connection, and even the materials of your walls. The speed increases with proximity to the router. Interference problems can occur even while using the more powerful 2.4 GHz connections. Wi-Fi signals are impeded by denser (such as concrete) wall construction. Low-signal areas result in dropped connections and sluggish or non-existent speeds.
Weak signal strength isn’t always the blame for lost connections. Start by resetting your router if you have access to it if you’re experiencing poor web performance on your tablet or phone. If the problem remains, the next step is to determine if Wi-Fi is the source of the issue. Use an ethernet-connected gadget to browse the web. You should contact the network administrator if you continue to experience problems. It’s time to evaluate the ethernet connection’s strength if a router reset hasn’t fixed the problem. You may find out how to leave your WiFi network by going to this page.
Checking Wi-Fi Signal Strength the Easy Way
One of the first steps to troubleshooting WiFi is identifying the device that’s giving you problems. A Wi-Fi connection indicator should be available on all platforms, including iOS, Mac, Android, and Windows. The Wi-Fi emblem is typically made up of four or five curving lines, and the more filled in these lines are, the more reliable the connection.
The Wi-Fi signal strength should be displayed differently on every phone, tablet, and laptop. However, it’s worthwhile to check a second or third device. You should also check a tablet if you checked a cellphone. Look at how fast the internet works on both devices and how strong the WiFi signal is. This gives you a great starting point to work with if your results are similar across the board.
Walking around and paying attention to the WiFi bars on your smartphone or tablet can help improve your Wi-Fi connection if it’s weak in a particular location. Please be aware of your distance from the router and the number of walls separating you from it.
Take note of any increases or decreases in the number of WiFi bars on your device’s screen. Despite the fact that this is a simple check, it will usually enough.
The More Advanced Method to Check WiFi Strength
Bars in a symbol can only tell you so much, after all. Use an app or application (like AirPort Utility or WiFi Analyzer) to test the decibels of your Wi-strength Fi’s in relation to a milliwatt if you want to explore deeper (dBm).
There are numerous ways to determine the strength of a WiFi connection. Milliwatts (mW) is the earliest precise measurement, but it’s also the most difficult to read because of the large number of decimal places (0.0001 mW). Wi-Fi suppliers handle Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) inconsistently and with varied scales. These issues can be avoided by using decibels (dBm) as a unit of measurement instead of RSSI (radio frequency spectrum intensity).
What you need know is that dBm measurements will appear as negative numbers. The range is from – 30 to – 90 on this scale. For those who are standing very near to the Wi-Fi router, a signal strength of -30 means you have a “excellent connection.” The service is so weak that you will most likely be unable to connect to that network if you see a Wi-Fi signal listed at -90. There should be no problems streaming or handling phone calls if your connection is at least 50 decibels (dBm) strong.
You can use the Airport Utility App for iPhone & iPad or Wi-Fi Analyzer for Android to check the strength of your Wi-Fi connection on your smartphone or tablet. With both, you can search for wireless networks in your area or location and see the results.
The Airport Utility App does require you to go into your device settings and turn on the Wi-Fi scanner for iPhone users, as well. If you want to use Wi-Fi Scanner on your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > Airport Utility > Wi-Fi Scanner toggle. Open Airport Utility once more and begin scanning with it this time. RSSI measures dBm, and you’ll notice that.
Using Wi-Fi Analyzer on Android may be less of a hassle. Then, open the app and perform a network search using the networks you just discovered. Each entry will have a dBm value for power.
The netsh wlan show interface command in Windows 10 shows your signal strength as a percentage, but there is no built-in mechanism to see the exact signal strength.
When it comes to checking Wi-Fi channels and Wi-Fi strength, we’ve always recommended NirSoft’s WifiInfoView. Free, easy to use, and no installation is required. Simply extract the contents of the zip archive and run the executable file that results. RSSI entries for Windows and Linux include dBm measures, just as they do on Macs and iOS devices.
If you wish to use the connected network on your Mac, you won’t need to download anything. Click the Wi-Fi sign while holding down the option key. The RSSI entry will provide dBm values for sensitivity and output level.
How to Improve Wi-Fi Signal Strength
Knowing how secure your network is will help you decide what steps to take to make it more secure. Any troubles you’re encountering aren’t caused by a weak WiFi signal because you can see a 60 dBm signal (or most of the bars) all the way out in your backyard. If your existing router does not support 5 GHz, check for interference, change channels, or get a new one that does.
If you move a few feet away from the router and the signal disappears rapidly, take a look at how old your router is and where it is located. You have thick and dense walls, or your router is old and ineffective at disseminating information. Consider shifting the router to the centre of the home if you have plaster walls.
If your router is more than a few years old, it’s time to replace it. Try to choose one that works with both 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi signals while shopping. There is less range with a 5 GHz transmission, but there are more ways to avoid interference.
A mesh router can be a good option if your house is particularly large. In addition to increasing your home’s WiFi signal, these routers include other useful functions including automated firmware updates and guest networks. A mesh network isn’t necessary for most individuals, and you can get cheaper routers that offer firmware updates and guest networks as well for a similar price.
Make a Wi-Fi heatmap if you’re not convinced about getting a mesh router. Heatmaps are an excellent method to see where your wifi signal is the strongest and the weakest. You draw a floor plan of your house, then walk around the house while the app measures the WiFi signal strength. The WiFi signal strength is then coloured in on your map to give you a basic indication of where you are. If your heatmap displays weak signals everywhere over your house, it’s time to upgrade to a mesh router.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a WiFi signal booster that works in every home. However, the best way to know for sure what to do next is to try each of these options.
