How To Check Your Wi-Fi Signal Strength On A PC Or Mac

Unfortunately, most of us will experience a slow or lagging internet connection. Although frustrating, it’s bound to happen. Is your Wi-Fi signal strength weak, or is it something else?

To help diagnose the problem, it’s a good idea to see if the problem is, in fact, your Wi-Fi network. In this article, we’ll show you several ways to check your Wi-Fi signal strength on both a PC and a Mac.

Check Wi-Fi Signal Strength on a Mac

If your Mac sometimes lags while surfing the internet, yours isn’t the only one. This all-too-common issue has affected most Mac users more than once. To properly diagnose the problem, your Mac’s Wi-Fi signal is a good place to start. A weak signal could cause a poor internet experience, with websites loading slowly or refusing to load completely.

Unlike a PC, there’s only one way to check your Mac’s Wi-Fi signal strength without third-party apps. Fortunately, this method will give you all the information you need to determine if your Wi-Fi signal is causing your issues.

Directly From the Wi-Fi Icon

Check your Wi-Fi signal strength on a Mac using the Wi-Fi icon. With a simple click, you’ll quickly see the quality of your Wi-Fi signal. To use this method, follow these steps:

• Locate the “Wi-Fi” icon at the top of the screen.

• Click on the icon while pressing the “Alt” key.

A drop-down window will open that contains a variety of information.

First, look at the wireless icon located in this new window. The higher the number of solid bars it has, the stronger your Wi-Fi signal strength. One solid bar would represent a very weak connection, while if all of them are solid, your connection is strong.

Here you’ll also find valuable information like the TX Rate. Expressed in Mbps (megabits per second), this is the transfer rate between your device and the wireless router. However, this isn’t the same as the speed of your ISP (Internet Service Provider).

Third-Party Apps

Utilizing the above technique to decide your Macintosh’s Wi-Fi strength isn’t the best way to really look at it. There are various outsider applications accessible. In the event that you like to utilize an application, recorded underneath are two of the more famous ones accessible.

NetSpot

NetSpot is a free Wi-Fi analyzer. It’s marketed more towards IT professionals who require a deeper understanding of how their multiple wireless networks perform but can be used by anyone. NetSpot will monitor and analyze your home or office wireless network to help you discover dead zones and other network issues.

WiFi Explorer

WiFi Explorer is another popular Wi-Fi analyzer. Although not free, it does come with a 3-day trial period. It’s also for the IT professional but can be for personal use. This app will monitor and analyze your entire wireless network, helping you to troubleshoot and diagnose network issues.

Check Wi-Fi Signal Strength on a Windows PC

Point when your PC is associated with the web, it normally does so by means of a remote association. The nature of the sign will decide your PC’s presentation when associated with the web. Checking your association signal strength will assist you with investigating whether it’s the issue or something different.

Luckily, there are multiple ways of checking your Wi-Fi signal strength. A few strategies will just give restricted data, while others will give you more subtleties. These are procedures that work for the two Windows 10 and 11 renditions.

Use the Taskbar

One of the least demanding ways of checking your Wi-Fi signal strength is by using the taskbar. This strategy won’t give you any extraordinary experiences, yet it’s a speedy and compelling method for seeing the nature of your association. This is the way you make it happen:

• Find the “Organization” symbol on the taskbar and click it. Another window will open.

• Check out the symbol for your remote organization. The higher the number of strong bars, the more grounded the sign.

Three to four bars indicate a strong signal, while one to two would be considered weak.

Use Your Settings

Another fast way to check your Wi-Fi signal strength is to use your PC’s settings. Much like the taskbar method, you won’t get much information, but it’s still an efficient way to check for signal strength. To use this method, follow these steps:

• Click on “Begin,” type in “Settings,” and afterward tap on the “Settings” symbol.

• Utilizing the left-sheet menu, press “Organization and Web.”

• Locate and select “Status.”

• In the Status window, check the remote symbol out. The higher the number of strong bars, the more grounded your Wi-Fi association is.

Use Wi-Fi Settings

You can likewise check your Wi-Fi signal strength by checking out your Wi-Fi settings. This strategy is like checking your overall settings and will give you enough data to be aware in the event that your sign areas of strength are frail. To do as such, adhere to these guidelines:

• Proceed “Begin,” then, at that point, type in “Settings.”

• Click on the “Settings” symbol.

• From the left-sheet menu, pick “Organization and Web.”

• Here you’ll see your “Wi-Fi” symbol. Take a gander at the number of strong bars it has close to it. The higher the quantity of strong bars, the more grounded your sign strength is.

Use the Control Panel

One more method for checking your Wi-Fi signal strength is to use the control board. This choice gives you more data than past techniques. On the off chance that you might want to utilize this choice, follow these means:

• Click on “Begin,” type “Control Board,” and select the “Control Board” symbol.

• Tap “Organization and Web.”

• Find and pick “Organization and Sharing Center.”

• Find the “Remote” symbol and verify the number of strong bars it showcases. The higher the number of strong bars, the more grounded your association.
• Click on the remote association name on one side of the remote symbol.

• Another window will open. Here you can track down more data about your remote association.

To one side of “Signal Quality,” you’ll see a presentation of bars addressing signal strength. Yet, more significantly, simply over that, you’ll see “Speed.” You’ll perceive the way quick your web speed is to one side of it. This will give you the data to decide whether your web speed is adequate.

FAQ

My Wi-Fi signal strength is strong, but websites are still slow to load. What else should I check?

If you’ve determined that your Wi-Fi signal strength is strong, the next place to check is to see if your internet speed is the culprit. You can quickly check your internet speed using a website that tests these speeds. One of the easiest to use is Speedtest.net.

Quickly Determine Wi-Fi Signal Strength

If webpages are loading slowly or your streaming videos are lagging, your first step should be to see if the issue is a weak Wi-Fi signal. For Mac users, you can get all of the information you need using the Wi-Fi icon. Windows users have several options and can use the taskbar, settings, or control panel to see their signal strength.

Have you checked your Wi-Fi signal strength on a PC or Mac? Did you use the same methods discussed in this article? Let us know in the comments section below.