Can I get Wi-Fi signal strength data for different channels on iPhone?

Question

I assume that the iPhone Wi-Fi equipment can switch between channels since my WLAN router shows me a channel from 1 to 13. So I think that the WLAN spectrum should be divided into them. I would like to observe the signal strength from a specific channel in my application. Is there any way to get this data?

Answer 1

WiFi is divided into 13 channels - they are used to reduce interference to other routers and devices using the same spectrum. The channel can be manually configured in the router, but is often selected by the router. The channels themselves overlap; for example, channel 7 will still work with channels +/- 5 channels. Please note that not all channels are licensed in all regions of the world, so you can see (say) 11 channels on your router.

It seems that you are looking for a signal to noise or even more general “quality” on any given channel - that is, you will find out which channel is best suited for a particular installation. Although various indicators that allow you to calculate this value are available on the hardware interface, the iPhone API does not disclose them. You can explore using a jailbroken iPhone and the corresponding devkit or switching your application to destop.

Answer 2

Your router broadcasts on a specific channel (1-13), and your iphone will only use the channel that is broadcasting. Reasons for channels are to reduce interference from routers. Ideally, you want to select a channel that is not in use. The channels themselves overlap, although, for example, channel 7 will still work with channels +/- 5 channels.

There are several applications that you can download that will show you all the access points that it can find, and which channel they are broadcasting. This will help you find the best channel to use.

Basically, what I'm saying is that your iPhone cannot select the channel on which your router is broadcasting.