In this post we show how Internet Speed (Mbps) varies with the received signal strength or RSSI (dBm), using measurements.
Wi-Fi Network Planning
When planning your Wi-Fi network, use this calculator to estimate the RSSI. The tool uses your location relative to the access point and tells you what the signal strength will be.
A home requires one Wi-Fi network (unless it is a large mansion). For larger spaces use this tool to plan your network.
RSSI to Speed
The table below shows the internet speed as a function of RSSI.
Measurements were done under the following conditions:
- Internet service with 1 Gbps Upload and 1 Gbps Download speeds
- Phone with 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) technology
The limiting factor is the speed of Wi-Fi 802.11ac which is 866 Mbps on both the uplink and downlink. The older the Wi-Fi technology the slower the speed. For instance Wi-Fi 802.11n would be limited to 600 Mbps. Earlier generations of Wi-Fi such as 802.11b/g would be even slower.
| RSSI (dBm) | Download (Mbps) | Upload (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|
| -37 | 506 | 366 |
| -43 | 379 | 341 |
| -49 | 348 | 231 |
| -51 | 341 | 208 |
| -59 | 220 | 109 |
| -66 | 81 | 126 |
| -69 | 135 | 107 |
| -72 | 44 | 61 |
| -73 | 39 | 38 |
What does this mean?
From the table above we can see that as the RSSI drops to -70 dBm and lower the speed drops to less than one-tenth of its value at -37 dBm. From 506 Mbps down to 39 Mbps.
If your internet bandwidth is lower e.g. 50 Mbps, the speed of your connection would be proportionately lower at around 3 Mbps.
Importance of RSSI
For bandwidth intensive applications like conference calling, it’s important to keep your RSSI levels higher than -60 dBm for a stable connection. On this page you can find the bandwidth requirements for different applications.
Related Posts
- dBm to percent calculator provides a % measure of good the Wi-Fi signal is
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