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Check Wi-Fi signal strength from the terminal

Show the dBm signal, frequency and negotiated speed of your current Wi-Fi connection.

LinuxnetworkWi-FiiwDiagnosticsLow risk
Run iw dev wlan0 link and read the 'signal:' line — values closer to 0 (e.g. -45) are strong, below -70 dBm is weak.

01Command

Command
$ iw dev wlan0 link

02What it does

Unlike a scan, iw dev link reports the live connection: signal in dBm, the exact channel frequency, and the negotiated tx bitrate. Signal above -60 dBm is good, -70 is noticeably slow, and below -80 expect dropouts. This is the quickest way to test whether moving your laptop or router actually helped.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
Requirementsiw (preinstalled on most distros); replace wlan0 with your interface from ip link (often wlp2s0)
!Warning: Replace wlan0 with your real interface name (check with ip link; many distros use wlp2s0); on some drivers the value is reported as 'signal: unknown'.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • iw(8) — Ubuntu manual page
    Ubuntu · community · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: iw dev IFACE link shows information about the current wireless connection, including signal strength in dBm and negotiated bitrate.
  • iw(8) — manual page
    Arch Linux · community · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: The iw 'link' command reports signal, tx bitrate, frequency and SSID of the connected access point.

Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: Network

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