WiFi Signal Strength Monitor¶

Monitor WiFi signal strength (RSSI) on Raspberry Pi Pico W.

Overview¶

This example continuously monitors WiFi signal strength and displays it with quality classifications and visual bars.

Source Code¶

File: src/pico_scripts/03_wifi_signal_monitor.py

Features¶

Real-time RSSI measurement
Signal quality classification
Percentage conversion
Visual bar graph display
Average signal calculation
Console output

Hardware Requirements¶

Raspberry Pi Pico W
WiFi network (2.4 GHz)

Signal Strength Reference¶

RSSI (dBm)	Quality	Description
-30 to -50	Excellent	Best possible signal
-50 to -60	Good	Very reliable
-60 to -70	Fair	Acceptable
-70 to -80	Weak	May have issues
-80 to -90	Very Weak	Poor connection
Below -90	Unusable	Connection problems

Configuration¶

WIFI_SSID = "YOUR_WIFI_SSID"
WIFI_PASSWORD = "YOUR_WIFI_PASSWORD"
UPDATE_INTERVAL = 2  # seconds

Code Explanation¶

Get Signal Strength¶

def get_signal_strength(wlan):
    rssi = wlan.status('rssi')
    return rssi

Classify Signal¶

def classify_signal(rssi):
    if rssi >= -50:
        return "Excellent"
    elif rssi >= -60:
        return "Good"
    elif rssi >= -70:
        return "Fair"
    elif rssi >= -80:
        return "Weak"
    else:
        return "Very Weak"

Visual Bar¶

def create_signal_bar(percentage, bar_length=20):
    filled = int((percentage / 100) * bar_length)
    bar = "█" * filled + "░" * (bar_length - filled)
    return f"[{bar}]"

Expected Output¶

WiFi Signal Strength Monitor
============================================================
Press Ctrl+C to stop

Sample #1
Signal Strength: -55 dBm
Quality: Good
Percentage: 64%
Visual: [████████████████░░░░]
Average RSSI: -55.0 dBm

Sample #2
Signal Strength: -58 dBm
Quality: Good
Percentage: 60%
Visual: [████████████░░░░░░░░]
Average RSSI: -56.5 dBm

Usage¶

Edit WiFi credentials
Upload to Pico
Run the script
Watch signal strength updates
Press Ctrl+C to stop

Interpreting Results¶

Good Signal (-50 to -60 dBm)¶

Stable connection
Fast data transfer
Suitable for all applications

Fair Signal (-60 to -70 dBm)¶

Generally reliable
May have occasional issues
Good for most uses

Weak Signal (below -70 dBm)¶

Unstable connection
Slow speeds
Move closer to router

Improving Signal¶

Move Closer - Reduce distance to router
Remove Obstacles - Clear line of sight
Change Channel - Reduce interference
Use External Antenna - If supported

Next Steps¶

Signal to Blink - Convert to LED frequency
WiFi Connection - Basic connection

Reference¶

Full source: src/pico_scripts/03_wifi_signal_monitor.py