It refers to the amount of power that an antenna or amplifier is able to produce, or how much signal is present at a site. Decibel milliwatts are, as the name suggests, measured relative to milliwatts. Note that dBm and dB are measures of entirely different things. This is incredibly oversimplified and incorrect.
It should be noted that dB is a measure of relative power and cannot be converted into watts. You can use dB as a tool to measure the difference between two dBm figures. The two dBm that are being compared can be converted into watts, but dB cannot be.
Understanding the meaning of the two measurements and what they are used for is essential if you wish to understand how cellular signal boosters work. Both dB and dBm are logarithmic, not linear. Logarithmic scales are used to make it easier to represent very large numbers on a convenient scale.
In the case of dB, each increase of three dB means that the signal strength has doubled, as shown in this chart below:. One person could have their phone showing one bar on the signal strength reading and still be able to make calls and receive text messages. Instead, users can get an accurate idea of the strength of a cellular signal by unlocking the diagnostic tools found on their phones. As was previously mentioned, the dB scale is logarithmic, so an increase of 3dB means the power has doubled.
An increase of 6dB is enough to approximately double the signal strength of a cell tower or antenna. The Rule of 3s and 10s highlights the logarithmic nature of dBm:.
So what signal strength should you shoot for? For simple, low-throughput tasks like sending emails, browsing the web, or scanning barcodes, dBm is a good signal strength. For higher-throughput applications like voice over IP or streaming video, dBm is better, and some engineers recommend dBm if you plan to support mobile devices like iPhones and Android tablets.
Note: The numbers in this chart are suggestions only. The desired signal strengths will vary, based on the requirements for the network. Signal strength is easy to track with inSSIDer.
Configure the signal strength threshold to whatever signal strength you require, select your network, and walk the desired coverage area.
If the blue line falls below the dotted line, you know you have a dead spot. That's it! Get Reliable Wi-Fi at Home For professionals working from home, students studying from home, and teachers teaching from home, reliable home Wi-Fi is part of what we need to get through our day. Learn More. Related Articles. Fortunately, we've written a guide just for that - while we would recommend a cell phone signal booster as the most surefire way to combat bad signal, our guide also covers free options.
Wilson Amplifiers is the leading provider of signal boosters. We seriously hate dropped calls and poor coverage, so it's our goal in life to stomp on spotty signal like the little roaches they are:.
Sunday - November 14, See complete cell signal booster kits for your situation:. Do you have questions or comments? We can help!
0コメント