In a house or apartment, there may be various factors affecting your Wi-Fi signal strength, coverage, and connectivity speeds. If you think your internet connection has slowed down lately, you can check the Wi-Fi signal strength to find out the connection performance. Before you buy a new router or change the Internet Service Provider (ISP), you should check your Wi-Fi signal strength and determine if the slow performance issue is an issue with the ISP or your router. In this guide, we’re going to show you the steps to check Wi-Fi signal strength on Windows 10 with Command Prompt, PowerShell, and a Microsoft Store app.
How to check Wi-Fi signal strength using Command Prompt
To check Wi-Fi signal strength on Windows 10 with Command Prompt, follow these steps:
- Open Start menu.
- Type “command” and you’ll see “Command Prompt.”
- Select Command Prompt result.
- Choose “Run as administrator.”
- In Command Prompt window, enter “netsh wlan show interfaces”.
The above interface command displays your network signal strength as a percentage. Every detail about the connected Wi-Fi network and the network adapter is collected and presented in a table. As you can see in the above screenshot, the “Signal” field contains the percentage of your Wi-Fi router signal quality.
How to check Wi-Fi signal strength using PowerShell
To check Wi-Fi signal strength on Windows 10 with PowerShell, follow these steps:
- Right-click on Start menu icon or press Windows+X.
- Click “Windows PowerShell (Admin).”
- In the PowerShell window, enter the following command.
- (netsh wlan show interfaces) -Match ‘^\s+Signal’ -Replace ‘^\s+Signal\s+:\s+’,”
The above PowerShell command gives you the exact Wi-Fi signal strength of your router.
Use Wi-Fi Analyzer apps from the Microsoft Store
Windows also allow you to determine your Wi-Fi signal strength with third-party apps. In Microsoft Store, there are many free Wi-Fi analyzer apps and they are very easy to use. Our favourite app is “WiFi Analyzer”, which can be downloaded for free from the Microsoft Store. The app provides a vast range of data for networks and it also allows you to monitor and manage wireless networks in your area. Based on the Wi-Fi signal, you can troubleshoot network issues. If your signal strength is consistently below 60%, the Wi-Fi has gotten sluggish and you should consider changing the router placement. For optimal performance, the router should be in the center of your house, if possible. Or you can also use any Wi-Fi analyzer app from the Microsoft Store apps to see what channels neighbouring Wi-Fi networks are using. For instance, if your and most of the networks in your area are using channel 11, you are going to encounter signal congestion. This can be fixed if you or the router automatically choose the least congested channel. If your routers choose a predefined channel, you can fix it by manually selecting other available channels such as 1 or 6. There are many other ways to get a faster wireless network performance at home. You can either knock down a few walls in your house or buy a new set of network hardware such as the router or Wi-Fi 6 adapter for your computer.
If you’re having issues with your Wi-Fi connection, the strength of your Wi-Fi signal may be poor.There are many different ways to check your Wi-Fi signal strength in Windows 10 to find out how good or bad the signal quality is.
Use the Taskbar for a Quick Answer
Your PC’s taskbar (the bar at the bottom of the screen) has several icons on it. One of these is for your wireless networks, and you can use this icon to find your Wi-Fi signal strength. To do this, click the wireless icon on your taskbar. It appears in the notification area to the left of the clock.
Note: If you don’t see the wireless icon, the taskbar might have hidden it. Click the up-arrow icon on the taskbar to reveal all hidden icons.
Find your Wi-Fi network in the list. It’s the network that Windows says you are “Connected” to.
You’ll see a small signal icon next to your Wi-Fi network. This icon represents the signal strength of your network. The more bars this icon has, the better your Wi-Fi signal is.
Tip: If you’re wondering how the strength of your Wi-Fi signal changes in different places throughout your home or another building, you can walk around with a laptop and see how the signal changes in different areas. The strength of your signal depends on many factors, including the placement of your router and where you are located relative to it.
RELATED: How To Get a Better Wireless Signal and Reduce Wireless Network Interference You can also check the signal quality of other Wi-Fi networks using this menu. Just look at the signal icon for any network.
Or, Check the Settings App
The Settings app displays the same taskbar-like bars for your Wi-Fi signal strength. To use this method, open the “Start” menu, search for “Settings,” and click the app in the results. Alternately, press Windows+i to quickly launch the Settings app. In Settings, click “Network & Internet,” as this contains your wireless network information.
Here, under the “Network status” section, you’ll see a signal icon. This icon shows your current Wi-Fi network’s signal strength. Again, the more bars that this icon has, the better your signal is.
Use the Control Panel for More Accuracy
Unlike the Settings app and Windows taskbar, the Control Panel shows a five-bar icon for your Wi-Fi signal quality, which provides you with a more accurate answer. To get to that signal icon, launch the “Start” menu, search for “Control Panel,” and click the utility in the results. Here, click “Network and Internet.”
Click “Network and Sharing Center” on the right pane.
You’ll see a signal icon next to “Connections” that shows the quality of your current Wi-Fi signal. The more bars that are highlighted in this icon, the better your signal is.
Use Windows PowerShell for Precision
The methods above only give you a rough idea of your Wi-Fi network’s signal strength. If you need a more precise answer, you should use Windows PowerShell. The netsh
command built into Windows 10 shows your network’s signal strength in percentage form, which is much more accurate than any of the other methods listed in this guide. To get this accurate answer for your network, access the “Start” menu, search for “Windows PowerShell,” and click the PowerShell app shortcut in the results. Copy the following command from here and paste it into your PowerShell window. Press “Enter” to run the command.
(netsh wlan show interfaces) -Match '^\s+Signal' -Replace '^\s+Signal\s+:\s+',''
PowerShell only displays a single line output, which shows your current Wi-Fi signal strength in percentage form. The higher the percentage is, the better your signal is. To view more information about your network (such as the network channel and the connection mode), run the following command:
netsh wlan show interfaces
Or, Use Command Prompt
You can also run the netsh command in a Command Prompt window if you prefer that interface. In its full form, the command also shows more details about your network, like the SSID (network) name and the authentication type. To begin, open the Command Prompt by launching the “Start” menu, searching for “Command Prompt,” and clicking the utility in the results. In your Command Prompt window, type the following command and press “Enter.”
netsh wlan show interfaces
The output displays much more information than what you’re looking for here, so look toward the field that says “Signal.”
The percentage next to “Signal” is your Wi-Fi signal strength. If these methods indicate that your Wi-Fi signal strength is poor, one way to improve the signal quality is to bring your devices and routers closer to each other. Also, make sure that there are no hard objects (like a wall, for example) between your router and your devices. These objects often hinder the quality of your Wi-Fi signal. There are other methods that allow you to check your Wi-Fi network’s signal strength more precisely. You may want to use one of those methods if the measurements above don’t work for you, or if you’d prefer to check signal strength using an iPhone, iPad, Android device, or Mac. RELATED: How to Check Your Wi-Fi Signal Strength READ NEXT
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Are you keen on knowing the Wi-Fi signal strength on your Windows 10 PC? Well, the signal strength of a wireless network being received on a PC depends on various factors. Although the distance between the computer and the WiFi router is considered the primary factor, other variables are also responsible for the signal’s strength. Low WiFi signal reception on a Windows 10 laptop could hamper your work a lot. It can become frustrating when the signal strength is low, even when your PC is placed near the Wireless network router. So, what are the other factors that could cause the wireless network signal strength to be weak? Well, Wireless network devices make use of radio waves for communicating data. And as we know, radio wave interference could be caused due to various factors. This includes interference from other electronic devices, walls, partitions, solid objects, or even the Wireless network router’s orientation. Whatever the reason be behind weak Wi-Fi signal reception from the router, it is crucial to find a place where your Windows 10 PC is getting ample Wireless network signal from the router. So, what could you do about it? If you have a laptop, the best thing that you can do is move around with it around the router to various spots and check for the best Wi-Fi signal strength that it can receive. But the question is, how to check the wireless network signal strength on Windows 10 desktop? We will take a look at several methods through which you can determine the signal strength of a WiFI network on your PC.
#1 – Check Wi-Fi Signal Strength or WiFi Signal Quality From Taskbar
One of the best ways to check Wi-Fi signal strength is through the Windows 10 Taskbar. The Taskbar is located at the bottom of the screen. Go to the extreme right of the Taskbar and click on the WiFi icon. This will open the list of wireless networks that your PC’s wireless adapter can detect. Here, you can vi the strength of the wireless network you are connected to along with the power of the other wireless networks around you. As you can see in the above screenshot, the signal strength bars of various wireless networks vary, and it is quite visible through the signal bars present along with the wireless networks’ names. The signal bars give you an approx overview of the WiFi signal strength on Windows 10 PC. But what if you need an exact figure of signal strength? We find out in the following method.
#2 – Check WiFi Signal Strength or WiFi Signal Quality in Command Prompt
To view an exact figure of the wireless network signal strength, we recommend using the Command Prompt interface. Go through the steps provided below and find out how to: Step 1: Launch the Command Prompt window on your Windows 10 PC. For this, press the Win + R keys. As the Run box opens, type cmd and click on the Ok button. Step 2: As the Command Prompt interface opens, type the command provided below in it, then press the Enter key: netsh wlan show interfaces After running the above command, you will view a bunch of information regarding the wireless connection your PC is connected to. At the bottom of this information, there’s a section named Signal. You will view the exact WiFi Signal Strength in percentage on Windows 10 PC in front of this field. Any percentage that is above 80% can be considered as good signal strength.
#3 – Determine Wi-Fi Signal Strength in Settings App
Here’s another way to check Wi-Fi Signal Strength or Signal Quality on your PC. It is a bit different from conventional methods but does the job. To view the signal strength, we will be using the Windows 10 Settings app. Here are the steps for you to follow: Step 1: Launch the Settings app on your PC. To do so, you can press the following shortcut keys: Win + I Step 2: In the Settings app, click on the option that says Network & Internet. Step 3: When the Network & Internet settings window opens, click on the Status option present on the panel on the left. After the click, go to the right panel. Here, check the wireless connection icon. The number of solid bars in the signal icon represents the strength of the Wireless network signal. The lower the number of solid bars in the icon, the weaker is the network signal strength on Windows 10.
#4 – Use Control Panel to Check WiFi Signal Strength or Signal Quality
You can also access the Network and Sharing Center in the Control Panel of Windows 10 to check Wi-Fi signal strength. Go through the steps provided below to find out how: Step 1: Press Start + R shortcut keys to launch the Run box. In the Run box interface, enter the control panel and press the Enter key to open Control Panel app. Step 2: The Control Panel interface will open. Here, click on the option that reads Network and Internet. Step 3: On the next window that loads, click on the Network and Sharing Center option.
Step 4: On the Network and Sharing Center window, you will get a bunch of options. Here, look for the WiFi icon present along with the WiFi network name (refer to the screenshot below). You can determine the wireless network signal strength through the wireless icon.
Step 5: If you want a clear view of the network signal strength, you can make a double-click on the wireless network’s name on the previous Control Panel screen. The following new window will open where you can view the signal strength.
#5 – Check WiFi Signal Strength on Windows 10 in PowerShell
Windows PowerShell is another tool in Windows 10 that will help you check wireless signal strength in Windows 10. Just like Command Prompt, all you need to do is enter a command, and you will be able to view the signal strength of the Wireless network you are connected to on your Windows 10 PC. Here are the steps to access signal strength in PowerShell: Step 1: Launch the PowerShell interface on your PC. For this, press the Start button. Here, enter Powershell. From the search result, select the option that says Windows PowerShell. Step 2: When the PowerShell interface opens, type the following command, then hit the Enter key: (netsh WLAN show interfaces) -Match ‘^\s+Signal’ -Replace ‘^\s+Signal\s+:\s+’,” As you can see, after executing the above command, the PowerShell window shows the strength of the Wireless network signal you are connected to in percentage. Alternatively, you can also use just the netsh WLAN show interfaces command in PowerShell, just like you did in Command Prompt, to view signal strength or signal quality along with various other information related to the wireless network you are connected to.
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