How to read the Radio Frequency popup?

The Radio Frequency Topology visualizes the wireless environment surrounding your network. This article explains how to read the wireless environment of a specific device. For a general overview about Radio Frequency topology, please refer to this article.

Accessing the RF popup

To access the Radio Frequency Popup, you need to:

1. Log into the Plasma Cloud console;
2. Select the Organisation and Network of interest from the top right menu;
3. Navigate to Topology > Radio Frequency in the main menu on the left.
4. Click on a Device Map Marker to open the RF popup.

How to read the RF popup?

Title & Widgets

On top of the popup you will find 4 widgets with useful details. The first two show the device status and model information. The last two widgets display the current WiFi channel & channel width configuration per WiFi radio. Clicking on the popup title, which is named after the device, leads directly to the device details page for easy configuration & settings management.

WiFi Band Tabs

The WiFi Band tabs above the map allow you to switch between the various frequency ranges. Which WiFi band tabs available for selection depends on the Access Point capabilities.

RF Chart 

The RF chart displays the signal strength of all nearby WiFi signals at a glance as measured by the selected device. It contains a gray box and a number of colorful curve graphs, depending on the RF environment. These colorful elements represent the following:

• Gray box: the WiFi channels used by this device on the selected WiFi band;
• Blue graphs: other Access Points within the same network as the selected device;
• Red graphs: third party WiFi networks.

The horizontal axis lists all available WiFi channels of the selected WiFi band, while the vertical axis shows the measured signal strength.

When WiFi AI is enabled in your network regular RF scans for all devices are performed according to the configured maintenance window. The WiFi scan data is the foundation for the automated channel & channel width selection.

Signal strength

Signal strength is quantified in dBm and spans from -100 dBm (weakest) to -20 dBm (strongest). A signal strength above -50 dBm is classified as strong, while -50 dBm to -70 dBm is considered medium, and anything below -70 dBm is regarded as weak.

Whenever networks with high signal strength are overlapping with the gray box area, signal interference on the selected Access Point is high which reduces WiFi performance.

Strong overlapping signals are only desirable for Access Points using mesh as uplink, as these Access Points rely on signal overlap to establish a connection.

RF graph popover

By hovering over a graph (the colorful area inside the chart), you can obtain specific information about the detected WiFi network, including its name, BSSID, occupied channels and signal strength.

RF Scan results & filters

Below the RF chart, the RF scan result box and a filter drop-down are located. Clicking on a network name within the result box hides the corresponding network graph in the RF chart. The font color of the selected network name changes to gray, indicating its hidden status. To restore the graph, simply click on the name again, and the network will reappear in the RF chart.

If you wish to only display your own network or other networks in the RF chart, use the filter drop-down.

If the 'disabled' option is selected, all scan results are shown at the same time. 

Troubleshooting

The reload button located above the RF chart enables you to initiate an instant WiFi scan for live troubleshooting, providing you with the most up-to-date WiFi interference data. Please note that running instant WiFi scans causes temporary disruptions to connected WiFi clients. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct these scans during off-peak hours to minimize any service disruption.