Just curious. My RSSI reading is -80 - obtained by Optoin>Clicking the AirPort icon at the top of the screen.
How am I to interpret this number and why is it in minus territory? Strong, weak? What is optimal? What is a good range?
Thanks to anyone who can lead me to this info.
MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.7.2)
Click on the Apple icon at the upper left corner of the screen.
Click About This Mac
Click More Info, then click System Report
Scan down until you see the Network heading, then click on Wi-Fi to highlight it
Look for the name of your current wireless network, then locate the listing for
Signal / Noise. Jot down the numbers that you see here, for example
-50 dBm / -90 dBm
SNR = Signal minus Noise, so using the example below:
-50 dBm - (-90 dBm) = 40 dB SNR
Then use the familiar chart that was posted by expert user Tesserax to evaluate your signal quality.
o 40dB+ SNR = Excellent signal
o 25dB to 40dB SNR = Very good signal
o 15dB to 25dB SNR = Low signal
o 10dB to 15dB SNR = Very low signal
o 5dB to 10dB SNR = No signal
As you might imagine, the SNR will change in relation to the location of your Mac laptop to the router
You might also want to refer to the excellent User Tip that Tesserax has posted on this:
RSSI = Received Signal Strength Indication, is the relative signal strength in a wireless environment in arbitrary units. Typically the higher the value (above zero) the stronger the signal. Apple appears to have decided to use a less negative number (closer to zero) to mean a stronger signal.
FWIW, I'm about the same distance and the RSSI is -22.
Frankly, I rarely even look at this setting since it is so arbitrary. If you want to get a different take on your signal quality, Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) is a good way to evaluate things.
In fact, I believe it was Tesserax who first posted the widely used SNR Guidelines.
Post back if you want more info on this and Tesserax or I can provide details.
Thanks for the quick answer. I'm using my Air within ten feet of my APE, so is -70 to -60 a weak number or a good one?
Thanks, Bob,
I would like to calculate the SNR if that's the better number.
Why is my AirPort RSSI a minus number?
