Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)

What is SNR?

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) measures how much stronger your WiFi signal is compared to the background noise. It's the difference between the signal your router sends and all the interference trying to drown it out.

Think of having a conversation in a restaurant. Even if someone is speaking at normal volume (decent signal), you might struggle to hear them if the room is noisy. SNR is essentially: how clearly can your device "hear" the router?

Why it matters

You can have a strong WiFi signal but still have problems if there's too much noise. The SNR tells you whether your connection can actually function well, not just whether your router is nearby.

Low SNR causes slower speeds, more retransmissions, and unreliable connections even when your signal strength looks adequate. It's often the hidden culprit when WiFi problems only happen at certain times of day (when neighbors are home) or in certain rooms.

What you can do

• Move closer to your router to increase signal strength (the "signal" part)
• Change your WiFi channel to avoid interference from neighbors
• Switch to 5 GHz band which often has less congestion
• Identify and relocate sources of interference (microwaves, baby monitors, Bluetooth devices)
• Use a WiFi analyzer app to find the least crowded channel
• Consider WiFi 6 or WiFi 7 equipment designed to handle interference better

What Network Weather shows you

Network Weather calculates SNR by comparing your signal strength to the noise level on your channel.