huge difference between the WiFi signal strength to my devices

[blong7699]

BUG REPORT: I am seeing a huge difference between the WiFi signal strength to my devices from Arlo iOS App and computer web portal??? My base station is 8.5ft high and less than 50 ft away from all cameras (it is centrally located). In addition, the only material between the base station and all cameras is up to 2 walls of sheetrock and two have 1 layer of brick in a home constructed less than 2 years ago. From the Arlo App (under the Flash "devices" page") WiFi strength shows only 1 bar, yet when I go to utilities (Devices | Device Utilities | Camera Positioning >>)  for the camera the "bandwidth connection" is displayed as STRONG (the strongest signal in green) on all cameras! Which report is correct???  I am assuming that the WiFi signal icon in the app is NOT CORRECT or visa versa! I am not noticing any degradation in live view or recordings. Arlo, please fix whichever WiFi report is wrong, because it is causing significant confusion among new users who believe that their system is not transmitting a weak WiFi signal. I would think that development should prioritize this issue in order to slow or evaporate support calls and posts!

Please don't tell me that their is some sort of interference between my base and cameras because obviously my wireless router can transmit a strong signal outside to all cameras, AND the Arlo "Utilities" is reporting STRONG SIGNAL on ALL ULTRA CAMERAS! This is likely a software bug!

Anyone else notice the same... please report it!?!? 

model: VMS5340

firmware: v2.9.1 (1134)

OS/Environment: iOS 13/PC

[st_shaw]

The "WiFI" signal strength at the camera and the "Video Bandwidth" are two different measurements.  The former is a signal strength (RSSI) measure and the latter is a data throughput test.  You can have a "strong" video bandwidth with only one WiFi bar.

Consider that the max video bandwidth requirement for Ultra is something like 5 Mbps and 5 GHz WiFi can transmit hundreds of Mbits.

Both reports are correct. There is not necessarily a bug because the measures are different.

[blong7699]

I concede your point that SSRI and data throughput are different measurements. However, consider the below table from https://community.arubanetworks.com/t5/Controller-Based-WLANs/What-is-the-relationship-between-data-...: 

Rate (Mb/s)	1	2	5.5	11	6	9	12	18	24	36	48	54
SNR (dB)	4	6	8	10	4	5	7	9	12	16	20	21
Signal level (dBm)	-81	-79	-77	-75	-81	-80	-78	-76	-73	-69	-65	-64

The problem that exists here is that Arlo does not provide any easy/intuitive means to measure both RSSI or data rate, let alone WiFi Band (i.e. 2.4 Ghz vs. 5Ghz) between the base and its cameras. Therefore, assuming your theoretical example, we would be anticipating a SNR of approximately 7dB with a signal level of approximately -77dBm, but the real question is... on which band??? The amount of data throughput (rate) changes based upon the band, where 5Ghz can carry higher throughput.

 Obviously, I'm not a network engineer but I am starting to realize that the measurements that are provided within the Arlo app provide little if any relevant information to consumers who are attempting to troubleshoot issues such as these. For example, 1 bar does not give me any useful measurement to determine SNR, which is directly related to overall bandwidth potential. Based upon internet models that I have found (such as the table above), distance and SNR will both negatively affect throughput; therefore, 1 WiFi bar should be roughly equivalent to a throughput loss. However, in my case SNR is the lowest that can be reported, yet my rate is the highest possible. 

If the scenario that you give was applicable to my situation, it would mean that my SNR is less than 7dB, yet this is impossible to evaluate using any Arlo tools. So... how can Arlo consumers determine if any particular camera is affected by an exceptionally low SNR due to interference or the like??? That is, without purchasing expensive equipment? I find it very odd that a $50 Netgear USB WiFi adapter can actually report ALL of the metrics mentioned above; why not a $1,000+ Arlo Camera System???

Something doesn't seem to add up... or am I missing your point altogether!?! I am suggesting that SNR, Signal Level and Data Rate should be loosely correlated regardless the transmission band. Thanks for the reply!