What are Signal Strength and Quality?

Modified on Thu, 5 Sep at 3:05 AM

Signal strength and quality are indicators of signal reception. The factors that influence signal strength and quality include but are not limited to:


  • Proximity to the transmitter
  • Transmitter load
  • Other signals in the same or similar frequencies 
  • Physical barriers (mountains, buildings, vegetation)
  • Weather


Signal Strength

Signal strength is a measure of the power of the received signal. The closer you are to the broadcast tower, the higher the signal strength the antenna will pick up. Signal strength is lower the farther away from the broadcast tower.


Signal Quality

Signal quality is a measure of how much interference there is between the transmitter and your device, or how noisy a frequency is. Signal noise comes from reflections, signal ghosting, and other interference. Higher signal quality indicates a more robust and reliable signal.


When it comes to evaluating whether a signal is good or bad, the quality of the signal is more important than the strength of a signal. While strength can be easily adjusted using equipment such as an amplifier, low signal quality is more difficult to improve.


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