The lack of a good Wi-Fi signal can be a source of frustration, whether you are trying to get some work done or get your game on. Poor Wi-Fi signal can not only reduce speeds but also increase latency, making your overall connection patchy and less reliable. So, we will show you how to measure the signal strength (RSSI) of your Wi-Fi connection on your Mac or Windows PC in this article. This will help you better troubleshoot any connectivity issues with your broadband.

There are multiple ways to check the exact signal strength of your Wi-Fi connection on your computer. On Windows, that includes the network connection panel, Command Prompt, and PowerShell. There are also third-party Wi-Fi analyzer apps that help you measure the signal strength of your Wi-Fi on Windows. On a Mac, things are a whole lot simpler, as you can check your Wi-Fi signal strength with a single click. So let’s take a detailed look at all these methods to check the Wi-Fi signal strength on your computer.

  • Check Wi-Fi Signal Strength on Windows
  • Check Wi-Fi Signal Strength on Mac

Check Wi-Fi Signal Strength on Windows

As mentioned already, there are multiple ways to check the Wi-Fi signal strength on Windows. We will discuss all of those in this article today.

The easiest way to see the Wi-Fi signal strength in Windows is using the network icon in the Taskbar. Here’s how you do it:

You can check your Wi-Fi signal strength using the Command Prompt for a better, more accurate result. Here’s how:

Note: You can also open the Command Prompt by searching for “cmd” (without quotes) in the Windows search box.

Another way to check the Wi-Fi signal strength of your current connection is through Windows PowerShell. Like the previous method, this will also only work on the current wireless connection. This is how you go about it:

  • Now type or copy + paste the following command and hit Enter: (netsh wlan show interfaces) -Match ‘^\s+Signal’ -Replace ‘^\s+Signal\s+:\s+’,’’. You will now see the signal quality of your current signal.

While you can gauge your current Wi-Fi signal strength in Windows, there are no native methods in the OS to see the exact strength of all available networks at your location. For that, you have to resort to third-party apps.

Note: If you choose the latter, you will need a file archiver tool like WinRAR, WinZip, or 7Zip to extract the file.

On a Mac, checking the Wi-Fi signal strength is a one-click operation. Here’s how you do it:

Press and hold the option key while clicking on the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar at the top. You will now see the Wi-Fi signal strength (RSSI value in dBm) alongside a host of other network-related info in a drop-down menu.

Checking the signal strength of Wi-Fi networks is easy irrespective of whether you are on Windows or Mac. That said, Mac offers a one-click native solution, while you have to resort to third-party utilities on Windows for the best information. Either way, now that you know how to check the signal strength of available Wi-Fi networks in your locality, check out how you can find saved Wi-Fi passwords on your Windows PC. Also, while you are at it, learn more about Wi-Fi calling and the best Wi-Fi 6E features.