| -50 dBm | Excellent | This is the highest signal strength level that can be achieved in real-world conditions. If you manage to achieve an RSSI value of -50, you should have absolutely no trouble enjoying your internet connection to its full potential. |
| -60 dBm | Very good | While not perfect, an RSSI value of -60 is still very good, and most people who don’t know what RSSI is would never guess that their signal strength could be any better. |
| -70 dBm | Good | With an RSSI of -70, you should be able to enjoy most online activities without any major slowdowns and connection drops. From time to time, you may notice that a video is buffering a bit longer than usual or that a file taking a while to download, but that should be the extend of your problems. |
| -80 dBm | Low | This is where things start to get bad. When your RSSI drops to -80, it’s highly likely that your download and upload speeds will suffer considerably, and your latency with them. Sending emails or browsing the web shouldn’t be a problem, but don’t expect to enjoy online games or high-definition video streaming without major issues. |
| -90 dBm | Very low | Most people would find an RSSI of -90 unacceptable for anything beyond the least bandwidth-intensive tasks. At this signal strength level, you are guaranteed to encounter frequent connection drops and issues with lost data packets. |
| -100 dBm | No signal | The more your RSSI nears the value of -100, the closer you get to not having any signal whatsoever. |
RSSI Values and dBm
Even though RSSI and dBm are different units of measurement they both indicate the signal strength.
What Does dBm Mean?
The dBm is a power ratio of the measured power as references to one mW (milliwatt). While dBm is an absolute index, the RSSI is a relative one. RSSI is often indicated using dBm even though the relationship between the two measurements is arbitrary, as evident from the dBm meaning explanation above.
Converting RSSI to dBM
The RSSI to dBM chart above can help you understand what different RSSI values mean. In practice, you shouldn’t worry too much about the mechanics of converting RSSI to dBM because there’s no RSSI-dBm standard that all vendors universally follow.
What you should worry about instead is how to increase WiFi signal strength to reach higher RSSI values and RSSI levels.
Improving RSSI Values and dBm
There’s a lot that you can do to improve your RSSI values and dBm:
- Upgrade your router: Modern routers feature much more signal strength-enhancing technologies than their older counterparts, so purchasing a faster router is often the simplest (but not the cheapest) way to improve your RSSI values.
- Get a stronger antenna: Some routers come with replaceable antennas. If your router is among them, then you can buy a stronger antenna for an instant signal strength boost.
- Place your router in a more suitable spot: A capable WiFi signal analyzer (learn how to check WiFi signal strength on Windows 10) lets you create a visual map of signal coverage, making it easy to see where coverage is strong and where it is insufficient. You can then use this information to place your router in a more suitable spot to minimize signal strength loss.
- Change router settings: Modern routers support two or three different bands, and each band is divided into multiple channels. You can change your router settings to prioritize less used bands and channels over those that are used by other routers in your area.
- Eliminate sources of signal interference: Everything from large electronic appliances to cordless phones can be a source of signal interference. By eliminating as many sources of signal interference as possible, you can reliably improve your signal strength.
