WiFi
signal strength is a primary factor to find the speed of your network. Whether
you are using a wireless router or range extender like Netgear
ex6150, poor signal strength can cause an unreliable and
sluggish Internet connection.
Thankfully, there are loads of methods to measure
the signal strength of your wireless connection. The best ones from them are
given below. Check them out.
Before
going forward, let’s tell you about wireless signal strength. It is measured in
dBm or decibel milliwatts and expressed only as negative values. dBm scales in
logarithmic instead of linear manner. In case you are performing simple tasks
such as scanning barcodes, sending emails or browsing the web, the signal
strength should be -70dBm. However, -65dBm is great for higher-throughput
applications such as streaming videos and voice over IP.
That
was all you need to know about network power. Without further ado, let’s get to
know that how users can evaluate signal strength.
- Using a smartphone or tablet
Every
smartphone with Internet capability includes a tab in settings which shows your
signal strength. For instance, you can go to settings > WiFi > network to
see the same on Android. On the other hand, if you own an iOS device, head over
to settings > WiFi.
One
can also download and install Netgear
genie app on your device. It allows you to check out the power of your
connection.
- WiFi locators
WiFi
locators are specially intended for scanning RFs (radio frequencies) in local
area as well as identifying signal strength of nearby routers. They can easily
fit on a keychain and exist in form of small hardware devices.
In
order to indicate power of your network in ‘bars’ units, these utilize between
4 to 6 LED lights. However, they only predict a connection’s potential rather
than measuring the power of actual network. For example, if you are using a Netgear
n300 extender, it can easily calculate the strength of
network.
- Using the default operating system utility
Windows
and other operating systems generally come with a default utility to keep an
eye on wireless network connections. It is one of the best ways to get the job
done.
In
case you are using a newer Windows version, you will need to click on the
network icon that you can find near the clock on taskbar. Once done, you will
be presented with a list of networks. Here, you can see the wireless connection
you’re connected to. To indicate the connection’s potential, there will be
around 5 bars where five is the best while one indicates the poorest
connection.
On
Windows PC, head over to Control Panel and click on Network and Internet
option. Next, right-click on your network connection and select either connect
or disconnect to find the signal power.
- Using utility program of wireless adapter
Many
manufacturers of notebook computers or WiFi network hardware offer their own
applications to keep a check on potential of connection. These applications
help users find their network’s signal strength. There will be zero to 100
percent quality of signals.
In
this way, one can easily calculate the strength of signal whether you are using
the access point or range extender like Netgear
ex6100. Do you have any other method to do the same? If so, don’t forget to
share them with your fellow readers via the comments section given below.
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