Signal to Noise Ratio report reveals lowest overall radio frequency (RF) signal-to-noise (SNR) percentages observed for the selected duration. SNR is particularly important for wireless networking for ensuring QoS for voice and other continuous media traffic over IP. When measured in dB, SNR should fall between 25 and 40 dB —where:

  • SNR >= 40dB. Excellent.
  • 25dB < SNR < 40dB. Good.
  • SNR < 25dB. Poor.

SNR is calculated by subtracting the wireless signal strength from that of the noise floor. Poor signal to noise ratio can occur due to hardware transmit issues, nearby devices emitting radio frequency interference (RFI), and other sources of higher than normal RFI present in the ambient that combine to contribute to the normal background noise also referred to as the noise floor.

Understand column data

The default view of each report contains a grid with the following columns:

  • Device. Device hostname, IP address, or custom label.

  • Min. Lowest average signal to noise ratio observed during the selected interval.
  • Max. Highest average signal to noise ratio observed during the selected interval.
  • Avg. Average signal to noise ratio for the selected time interval.
Note: Percentages reported likely will never reach 0 or 100. Generally, An SNR of 40% is considered good. Anything less than 20% is considered poor.