Wifi Status

I was recently asked: "How do I know how strong my Wi-Fi signal is?". The answer is very simple, check your taskbar!

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First, move your mouse to the computer icons on your taskbar (bottom right of your computer screen). This example uses Windows XP.

Hovering over the wireless icon will bring up a status dialog.  You will know what Wi-Fi access point you are connected to (it's been crossed out here) along with the speed, signal strength and status.  To get obtain a little more information, you just have to click on the icon your mouse was hovering over.

Doing so will give you the above dialog box which displays your signal strength in a graphical view.  The more bars, the better your signal.  In this case, the signal is very good.  You will also see how long you've been connected to this Wi-Fi AP and the send and receive activity since you connected.

To get extended information, I recommend a tool such as NetStumber, which can help you figure out Wi-Fi issues you may be having and plan your Wi-Fi AP placement and channel selection.

I hope this has been helpful.  What Wi-Fi tools do you use in your Tech belt?

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