How to Check WiFi Signal Strength
A few simple steps make the difference between a wild guess and a number you can trust. Here's the short version, and it works on any device.
What happens when you run it
The whole procedure is: press start, wait for four numbers, read them. No account, no app, no configuration.
For a reliable comparison, run the test from the same device and location each time, ideally over Ethernet, and repeat it twice so you can compare medians.
How to read your result
Low readings usually trace to the Wi-Fi link or the router, not the ISP. Reboot the gear, disable background updaters, and re-test before calling support.
Voice and video apps are sensitive to jitter rather than raw speed, so a connection that looks fast on paper can still feel broken if delay varies wildly.
A few final tips
For a truly clean test, pause backups and cloud sync for the minute the test takes, and test from the same room as your router if you cannot use a cable.
If the numbers you see are wildly unstable across runs, note the time of day — and consider testing at off-peak hours to see what your plan can do when the network is quiet.
You do not need to test obsessively: a few runs spread across different days give you the median that matters, and that number is what you should hold your provider to.
Making the result useful
Following the How to Check WiFi Signal Strength routine above turns a noisy single reading into a median you can trust — and it takes less than a minute per run.
Speed test limitations
This test measures throughput to Cloudflare's edge, not to every service you use. Remote work, gaming or streaming servers may route differently and show different performance.
A speed test measures your connection to our test server, which typically lives on the same backbone your ISP peers with. Speeds to other destinations can vary with routing, server load, and the websites you use.
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