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Need a signal strength meter

With the iPad I find I am using my network in parts of the house I have never before required wireless access to be available. To help map out the boundaries of my network and to identify dead spots I would like to find an application that gave a real time live indication of signal strength.

Does anyone know of such an application?

iPad, iPhone OS 3.1.3

Posted on Apr 9, 2010 1:21 PM

24 replies

deh2k

Level 4

1,871 points

Apr 10, 2010 10:22 AM in response to jojo the idiot circus boy

Thanks for the info, jojo. I can't say that I really understand the chart that you referred to, but I do see where certain configurations result in a 39Mbps data rate. However, I do have different SSIDs set on my dual band AirPort, and I get 39Mbps regardless of whether I use 2.4GHz or 5GHz. And, like I said, I get that rate if the iPad is two feet away from the router.

Can anyone explain why the Wifi data rate is so low?

Apr 11, 2010 6:40 AM in response to Fred Tedsen2

I too saw a max rate of 39 when I had my Airport Extreme (2008 model) set to 802.11n/ b&g. When I changed that to 802.11g only I now see 54. So G is actually faster than N on the iPad.

On another thread someone postulated that this is due to the wifi hardware used and indeed my iPhone has the same limitation.

BTW, after going G-only and doing a restore from iTunes I am now seeing a stable connection and can stream Netflix movies without incident. For a mobile device this is good enough for me. I am, however, upgrading my Airport Extreme so I can have dual bands and allow my other N-capable devices have that access.

deh2k

Level 4

1,871 points

Apr 12, 2010 4:27 PM in response to JimmyTheKnife

I called Apple about the 39Mbps wifi speed limit today. My concern was whether or not my iPad had a hardware problem that should be looked at while under warranty. I was told that this is a known software problem and that they're working on fixing it. That sounds plausible to me. So I plan to enjoy my iPad for now and revisit this problem again in a few months.

Apr 12, 2010 5:59 PM in response to JimmyTheKnife

Wait a minute. You're getting 39 Mbs on your iPad?!?! Normally I get 1.7Mbps (according to speedtest.net app) and have been thrilled to get 3.5Mbs when resetting all the time! This is my second iPad. I even bought into the who "it's your router" garbage and since I had an old Time capsule, I splurged and got a new Airport Extreme. I was going to try and wait it out but if it's that pathetic, this thing is going back. I need to check the other threads and see what speeds the other folks are getting.

Apr 12, 2010 7:48 PM in response to AboveTheChaos

speedtest.net is testing your internet connection. this whole 39Mbps thing is the PHY data rate at which the ipad is showing to be connected at when viewed from the access point's perspective. i hope to get an ipad this week and then i plan to do some testing with other 802.11n access points and a wireless sniffer to check the real data rates.

Apr 12, 2010 10:33 PM in response to jojo the idiot circus boy

jojo,

What does that mean "PHY data rate"? What does it say about real world performance? For example, my Mac Mini usually connects at 270 on my network. File transfers between it and my Mac Pro never seem to go faster than about half that.

Apr 13, 2010 8:15 AM in response to Jeff Blundell1

You could also use the iPhone app called WiFi-Trak, which gives you the signal strength of the WiFi networks it finds.

Dec 9, 2013 3:13 PM in response to Graham Outterside

"...Such an App would be pretty pointless."

Why would it be "...pointless" ?

I'm G-less at my residence. I have two networks in my home and I'd like to survey Wi-Fi signal strength for each network for me and my visitors. I want to set the one network that fills the areas best on as the primary source on all my devices so I can roam without fiddling at each location.

Years ago, I carried an old wifi keychain wifi meter into motel lobbies ( I'm a boonies road warrior) and measured the signal strength in the lobby (my back-up location for sending files) and it was pretty flawless as an early indicator. In those days (2006) location signal varied from room-to-room. I'd walk the halls with the meter and relocate to an available room in the stronger area. Same need. A measuring App would help in my location.

Sep 7, 2016 3:22 PM in response to Jeff Blundell1

Best I have come across is shown on the below URL and there is a basic (but informative) scanner built into the Airport app for IOS.

http://forum.music-group.com/showthread.php?6603-TIP-Choosing-the-best-WiFi-chan nel-using-iPad

Adrian.

Need a signal strength meter