L5 wi-fi connectivity and signal strength

Hardware Librem 5
1

I am comparing reported signal strength of the same AP (in 2.4GHz band) at (nearly) the same point in space reported by the LinSSID app on Librem 5 and a laptop.

The numbers I see:

  • on a laptop — -73dBm;
  • on Librem 5 — -110dBm.

It is 37dBm difference, and I suppose that -110dBm is the lowest value the hardware can report. As a result, the laptop is able to connect to the AP and the connection works reliably, while the Librem 5 can not connect. There are also some Android tablets and phones which are able to connect reliably under the same conditions.

Is such difference in connectivity and signal strength expected, considering the modem and antenna used in Librem 5, or should I consider that maybe there is something wrong with the hardware?

UPD: Of course, the Librem 5 is able to connect to the AP when they are nearby. The question is, should I check the antenna connection inside the Librem 5, or should I buy a Wi-Fi extender. :grinning_face:

2 Likes
2

Depends on the size and layout of your house and the construction material and … but I would be leaning towards improving the WiFi coverage. -73 dBm is hardly spectacular either.

3

Yep, it was measured in a far corner. In comparison, when I place devices in a few centimeters from router’s antenna, I see these measurements:

  • -16 dBm on a laptop;
  • -48 dBm on Librem 5.

It is still 32 dBm difference.

Maybe I indeed need to improve coverage. Nevertheless, consistent difference in more than 30 dBm (1000 times in absolute values) looks strange. :thinking:

4

I don’t know whether a laptop and a phone is an apples-to-apples comparison though.

5

Yes, the laptop probably has larger antenna. I’ve just compared with signal strength measured by an Android phone: the same consistent at least 30 dBm difference when both devices are placed side by side.

I am asking this question on this forum because I would like to know whether such difference is expected, or should I try to fix the phone somehow. There is always some risk in trying to fix something which is not actually broken. :grinning_face:

It would be really helpful as a benchmark if someone else make similar comparison and share results. Maybe, I unreliably connected the antenna back when I replaced the type-c board.

UPD: BTW, in Android you can enable numeric wi-fi strength measurements from the “Developer options” hidden menu in the standard OS “Settings” app.