| |
 |
Understanding Signal Strength
|
Wireless signal strength is traditionally measured in either percentile or dBm (the power ratio in decibels of the measured power referenced to one milliwatt.) By default, CommView for WiFi displays the signal strength in percentile. The level of 100% is equivalent to the signal level of -35 dBm and higher, e.g. both -25 dBm and -15 dBm will be shown as 100%, because this level of signal is very high. The level of 1% is equivalent to the signal level of -95 dBm. Between -95 dBm and -35 dBm, the percentage scale is linear, i.e. 50% is equivalent to -65 dBm.
If measurements in dBm are preferable, you can switch to dBm by using the Display signal level in dBm option in Settings => Options => Decoding. Displaying values in dBm rather than in percentile requires an adapter that supports dBm readings. Currently, this includes all adapters except old 802.11b-only adapters and Intel adapters. When Display signal level in dBm is turned on and when your adapter supports it, the signal strength will be shown in dBm on the Nodes, Channels, and Packets tabs, as well as in the Scanner window. In the packet decoder tree, the level is always shown in both percentile and dBm (if your adapter supports dBm).
|
