Using the tools already on board your Mac to test your Wi-Fi
Someone over at The Next Web just figured out some new ways to optimize your Wi-Fi network, without breaking the bank.
I'm sure we have all had the issue of bad connection, even when you buy the router advertised as the fastest. We all look to this symbol, shown below, this tells us how strong (or weak) our connection is. With the new versions of Mac OS X, (now known as Mac OS) the symbol always stays full, which means your unable to tell when your signal is strong. Not to worry, The Next Web reports that there is another way.
The screenshot below is from The Next Web, you can get to this screen on your Mac by "Press the 'alt' key on your keyboard and mouse-click on the AirPort icon in the menu bar,". Once you do this you get a load of new data, which can be confusing. All this data is useful, but the real important ones are going to be you RSSI and your Tx Rate, or Transmit Rate. Your RSSI is the Received Signal Strength Indication of your device, the closer to zero this number is the stronger your signal is. The Tx Rate tells you your overall speed of data entering and leaving your device.
The Next Web dived even deeper into optimizing. The screenshot below is what happens when you look to the bottom of the screenshot above (not pictured) there is a link labeled 'Open Wireless Diagnostics'. When you press this it leads you to an app already included in Mac OS. The app (pictured below) allows to go to different points in your house and have a live view of the amount of "noise" or interruption in your connection. Sometimes you can eliminate the noise by re-positioning your router, or moving objects in between your device and the router. This allows you to tell when you have a better RSSI, and then your job is done.
Although it might seem complicated, after a few easy steps you could have a better Wi-Fi signal. Are you going to look at your RSSI and try to eliminate noise in your house? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: | The Next Web |
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Image Credit: | imobie | | The Next Web |
