What are the bars next to the wifi symbol


How to Check Your Wi-Fi Signal Strength

Sometimes a website isn’t too slow, it’s your internet connection that is slow. If a web page is taking forever to load, it could be that your Wi-Fi connection is weak. You might be too far away from your Wi-Fi router or maybe the walls are too thick and are blocking your signal.

Knowing your Wi-Fi signal strength can help you understand why your connection isn’t reliable and how you can fix this issue throughout your home.

What is Wi-Fi signal strength?

Wi-Fi signal strength determines whether your internet connection is reliable or not. The stronger the signal is, the more reliable your connection will be. The way that Wi-Fi signal strength is measured and represented is different than how to measure Wi-Fi speed. However, both speed and signal strength rely on one another so that you can have the best Wi-Fi experience and connection possible.

Wireless signal strength is measured in decibel milliwatts (dBm). The measurement is represented using negative numbers. The higher the number the better the signal. This can get confusing because a high number signal is written as the smallest number value with a negative sign in front of it

What Do Cell Phone Bars Mean?

You probably know that the bars graphic on the home screen of your mobile phone is meant to indicate signal strength. But what do cell phone bars mean, and can you make any decisions based on them? We’ve got all the answers below, as well as a tip for increasing your cell phone signal (despite what the bars might show).

The cell phone bars measure decibels…kind of

Technically, bars measure how many decibels per milliwatt (dBm) of power your phone is getting from the cell phone tower it’s connected to. That’s the definition of signal strength. However, there is no established standard for how many decibels each bar reflects.

The bars (or dots, depending on your phone model) don’t relate to actual dBm numbers — instead, they indicate the relative strength of the available signal.

So the next time you wonder, “what do cell phone bars mean?” Remember that the key word here is relative.

One bar indicates lower signal strength than two bars. And two bars represent lower signal strength than three bars — and so on. Unfortunately, that’s about all the information you get from looking at this little

How to Measure Your Wi-Fi Signal Strength

Wi-Fi Signal Strength — FAQs

How do I check WiFi signal strength?

There are several ways to check WiFi signal strength. If you want to obtain accurate readings without too much effort, we recommend you use a WiFi signal force analyzer like NetSpot. If you just want to quickly observe how good or bad your signal is, you can operate a smartphone as a makeshift WiFi analyzer.

What is a good WiFi signal strength?

WiFi signal strength is indicated in decibels per milliwatt (dBm), and a signal strength higher than -70 dBm is generally considered to be good enough for most basic tasks. For bandwidth- or latency-intensive tasks such as high-definition streaming or online gaming, you should aim for at least -67 dBm.

How can I check my WiFi signal strength on iPhone?

There are two ways to check your WiFi signal strength on iPhone. You can open the Settings app and click Wi-Fi to see a list of all available WiFi networks and their signal strengths. Alternatively, you can download a WiFi analyzer app from the App Store and use it to collect more accurate data.

What is a good signal strength?

That depends largely on the inte

What That Little 6 Next to the Wi-Fi Symbol Means

Wi-Fi 6 is here, and with it are some of the best advancements in Wi-Fi to date. However, a little overlooked improvement (and a seemingly minor one) is the new naming convention. Gone is the old 802.11x scheme that was confusing and esoteric to the uninitiated. Now, we have easy to understand Wi-Fi 4, Wi-Fi 5, and Wi-Fi 6, all with a new symbol to boot.

What the Little 6 Next to the Wi-Fi Symbol on Your Phone Means

Can you see that tiny little “6” in the upper corner with Wi-Fi symbol? Yep, manufacturers are starting to label their Wi-Fi signal bars with the version of Wi-Fi they’re using.

Most manufacturers now have it so their Wi-Fi enabled devices state what version of Wi-Fi said devices are connected to. So, when you see a 4, 5, 6 (and likely soon to be 7) with the Wi-Fi signal, that’s the Wi-Fi network you’re on!

This labeling doesn’t really seem all that important from a sales side other than that it’s much easier to tell an end user they’re moving from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6 instead of saying they’re moving from 802.11ac to 802.11ax. It’s all about optics and that’s where this gets interesting, and very imp

what are the bars next to the wifi symbol

Your iPhone's status bar is great at providing you with important information at a glance. It uses a variety of icons and symbols, so you can easily check things like your Wi-Fi connection, cell signal strength, battery level, and more. Most of these status bar symbols are pretty easy to understand, but some, like the row of four dots that sometimes appear next to the Wi-Fi icon, might leave you wondering. 

On iPhones with dual SIM, the four dots and the signal bars at the top mean something different. The bars at the top show the signal strength of the SIM you're using for mobile data, while the four dots represent the signal strength of the second SIM. 

Read more: The Most Expensive Game Consoles Of All Time, Ranked By Launch Price

How To Fix The Four Dots And Restore Cell Signal On Your iPhone

Seeing four dots in your iPhone's status bar can be a bit stressful, especially when you don't have access to Wi-Fi. If you're in a place with spotty network coverage, like a subway, try moving to an area with better signal. If you're already in a spot with decent coverage, you can fix the network issue by toggling Airplane Mode. Simply open the Settings app, tur