Wireless Details

The Wireless Details window provides comprehensive, enterprise-level information about your Wi-Fi connection and nearby access points. This advanced tool displays 802.11n/ac/ax capabilities, security configuration, channel utilization, and neighboring APs.

Opening Wireless Details

Access from Interface Details:

Ensure a Wi-Fi interface is selected
Locate the Wireless Details section
Click More Details button

Keyboard Shortcut: None (accessed via button only)

Availability: Only for Wi-Fi interfaces

Auto-Refresh

The window updates automatically every 3 seconds with live data.

What Updates: - Signal strength (RSSI) - Noise level - SNR - Channel utilization - BSS load - Neighbor AP list

No Manual Refresh Needed: All information stays current automatically

Basic Information

Core access point identification and configuration.

SSID

The network name you're connected to.

Example: "Corporate-WiFi", "Home Network", "CoffeeShop-Guest"

Note: Requires Location Services permission to display

BSSID

The MAC address of the specific access point you're connected to.

Format: 00:11:22:33:44:55

With Vendor: Shows manufacturer (e.g., "00:11:22:33:44:55 (Cisco Systems)")

Significance: In multi-AP networks (mesh, enterprise), multiple APs share the same SSID but have different BSSIDs

Use Case: Identify which specific AP you're connected to

AP Name

The broadcast name of the access point (if configured).

Example: "Office-AP-Floor2", "Living Room", "cisco-ap-2702i"

When Empty: AP doesn't broadcast its name (common for home routers)

Source: From AP's beacon frames

Band

The frequency band in use.

Options: - 2.4 GHz - Longer range, more interference, slower speeds - 5 GHz - Faster speeds, shorter range, less interference - 6 GHz - Wi-Fi 6E, fastest speeds, shortest range, least interference

Channel

The Wi-Fi channel number.

2.4 GHz: 1-14 (region dependent) 5 GHz: 36, 40, 44, 48, 52-144, 149-165 6 GHz: 1-233

Non-Overlapping 2.4 GHz: 1, 6, 11 (recommended)

Channel Width

The bandwidth of the channel.

Options: - 20 MHz - Minimum width, maximum compatibility, crowded areas - 40 MHz - Double bandwidth, good for most uses - 80 MHz - 802.11ac standard, high performance - 160 MHz - 802.11ax/Wi-Fi 6, maximum performance

Wider = Faster but more susceptible to interference

Secondary Channel Offset

For 40 MHz+ channels, indicates which direction the channel extends.

Above (+1): Channel extends upward (e.g., 36 uses 40) Below (-1): Channel extends downward (e.g., 40 uses 36) None: 20 MHz channel only

Country Code

The regulatory domain configured on the access point.

Example: US, CA, GB, DE, JP

Significance: - Determines allowed channels - Affects maximum transmit power - Region-specific regulations

Signal Quality

Real-time wireless signal measurements.

RSSI (Signal Strength)

Received Signal Strength Indicator in dBm.

Color Coded: - Green: ≥ -62 dBm (Excellent) - Yellow: -69 to -63 dBm (Good) - Red: ≤ -70 dBm (Weak)

Interpretation: - -30 to -50 dBm: Excellent (rare, very close to AP) - -50 to -60 dBm: Very Good (typical close range) - -60 to -67 dBm: Good (typical medium range) - -67 to -70 dBm: Acceptable (far from AP) - -70 to -80 dBm: Weak (performance degraded) - -80 to -90 dBm: Very Weak (unreliable) - Below -90 dBm: Unusable

Updates: Every 3 seconds (live)

Noise Level

Ambient radio frequency noise in dBm.

Typical Values: -90 to -95 dBm

Lower is Better: -95 dBm is better than -85 dBm (less interference)

Sources of Noise: - Other Wi-Fi networks - Bluetooth devices - Microwave ovens - Cordless phones - Baby monitors

SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio)

Difference between signal and noise in dB.

Calculation: RSSI - Noise Level

Example: -60 dBm signal - (-90 dBm noise) = 30 dB SNR

Color Coded: - Green: ≥ 25 dB (Excellent) - Yellow: 15-24 dB (Good) - Red: < 15 dB (Poor)

Interpretation: - 40+ dB: Excellent, maximum speeds achievable - 25-40 dB: Very Good, high performance - 15-25 dB: Good, decent performance - 10-15 dB: Fair, reduced speeds - < 10 dB: Poor, unstable connection

Most Important Metric: Better predictor of performance than RSSI alone

Transmit Power

The power level of your Mac's Wi-Fi transmission.

Example: 20 dBm, 100 mW

Note: Lower than AP transmit power (APs are more powerful)

TPC Report (Link Margin)

Transmit Power Control report showing available power headroom.

Example: "Link margin: 15 dB"

Meaning: How much the AP could increase power before reaching regulatory limits

Use: AP can dynamically adjust power for optimal performance

Security

Wi-Fi encryption and authentication details.

Security Type

The encryption standard in use.

Options: - Open - No encryption (avoid!) - WEP - Obsolete, insecure (avoid!) - WPA - Deprecated, weak - WPA2 Personal - Good, home use - WPA2 Enterprise - Excellent, business use (802.1X) - WPA3 Personal - Best, modern home use - WPA3 Enterprise - Best, modern business use

Recommendation: WPA2/WPA3 only

Cipher Suites

Encryption algorithms supported/used.

Common Ciphers: - AES-CCMP - Modern, secure (recommended) - AES-GCMP - WPA3, most secure - TKIP - Obsolete, insecure (avoid)

Display: List of supported ciphers

Best: AES-CCMP or AES-GCMP

AKM Suites

Authentication and Key Management methods.

Common AKMs: - PSK (Pre-Shared Key) - Password-based, personal - SAE (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals) - WPA3, more secure - 802.1X - Enterprise, RADIUS authentication - FT (Fast Transition) - Fast roaming support

Display: List of supported authentication methods

PMF (Protected Management Frames)

Capable: Device supports PMF Required: Network requires PMF

What It Is: Protects management frames (deauth, disassociation) from spoofing

Security Benefit: Prevents deauth attacks and improves security

WPA3: PMF required WPA2: PMF optional but recommended

Performance

Speed and capability information.

Supported Rates

Data rates supported by the AP.

Basic Rates: Required, all clients must support Extended Rates: Optional, faster speeds

Display: - Basic: 6, 12, 24 Mbps - Extended: 36, 48, 54 Mbps

Note: These are baseline rates; 802.11n/ac/ax achieve much higher speeds through bonding

PHY Modes

Physical layer protocols supported.

Modes: - 802.11a - 5 GHz, up to 54 Mbps - 802.11b - 2.4 GHz, up to 11 Mbps - 802.11g - 2.4 GHz, up to 54 Mbps - 802.11n - Wi-Fi 4, up to 600 Mbps - 802.11ac - Wi-Fi 5, up to 3.5 Gbps - 802.11ax - Wi-Fi 6/6E, up to 9.6 Gbps

Display: List of supported modes (e.g., "a/b/g/n/ac")

Best: n/ac/ax for modern performance

BSS Load

Basic Service Set load information showing network utilization.

Station Count: - Number of devices connected to this AP - Example: "12 stations" - Higher count = more contention

Channel Utilization: - Percentage of time channel is busy - Color Coded: - Green: < 30% (low usage) - Yellow: 30-60% (moderate) - Red: > 60% (high congestion)

Admission Capacity: - Available capacity for new clients - Example: "31200 (remaining)"

Use Case: Identify overloaded APs, plan capacity

802.11n (HT) Capabilities

High Throughput (Wi-Fi 4) features.

LDPC Coding

Low-Density Parity-Check error correction.

Benefit: Improved range and reliability

Channel Width

Supported widths: 20 MHz, 40 MHz

40 MHz: Double throughput of 20 MHz

Short GI (Guard Interval)

Reduced guard interval for higher throughput.

At 20 MHz: +11% speed boost At 40 MHz: +11% speed boost

TX/RX STBC

Space-Time Block Coding for improved range.

TX STBC: Transmit with multiple antennas RX STBC: Receive with multiple streams

Streams: 1, 2, 3, or 4

Max A-MSDU Size

Maximum Aggregated MAC Service Data Unit size.

Options: 3839 bytes or 7935 bytes

Benefit: Larger frames = better efficiency

802.11ac (VHT) Capabilities

Very High Throughput (Wi-Fi 5) features.

Max MPDU

Maximum MAC Protocol Data Unit length.

Options: 3895, 7991, or 11454 bytes

Longer = More Efficient: Reduces overhead

Spatial Streams (RxTx)

Number of simultaneous data streams.

Format: "2x2", "3x3", "4x4"

Example: "3x3" = 3 receive, 3 transmit antennas

More Streams = Faster: 4x4 is faster than 2x2

Supported Channel Widths

Options: 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 80+80 MHz

160 MHz: Double throughput of 80 MHz

Short GI

Reduced guard interval for 80 MHz and 160 MHz channels.

At 80 MHz: +11% speed At 160 MHz: +11% speed

SU/MU Beamforming

Beamforming support for focused signal transmission.

SU (Single User): Focuses signal to one device MU (Multi User): Serves multiple devices simultaneously

Beamformer: AP can focus transmissions Beamformee: Client can receive focused transmissions

Benefit: Improved range and speeds

802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6/6E) Capabilities

High Efficiency (Wi-Fi 6) features.

Wi-Fi 6 Support

Indicates if AP and connection use Wi-Fi 6.

Supported Channel Widths

Options: 20, 40, 80, 160 MHz

Dual Band Support

Supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz simultaneously.

Note: Wi-Fi 6E adds 6 GHz band

Radio Measurement (802.11k)

Network-assisted roaming features.

Neighbor Report

AP provides list of neighboring APs for faster roaming.

Benefit: Client knows alternative APs without scanning

Beacon Measurement

Different scanning methods supported.

Passive: Listen for beacons (low power) Active: Send probe requests (faster) Table: Use neighbor reports (most efficient)

Use Case: Fast, seamless roaming in enterprise/mesh networks

Neighbor APs

Lists of other access points nearby.

APs Broadcast by Current AP

Neighboring APs advertised via 802.11k neighbor reports.

Shows: - BSSID - SSID - Channel - Vendor

Use: Identify APs you can roam to

Other APs with Same SSID

All APs broadcasting the same SSID, sorted by signal strength.

Purpose: See all mesh/enterprise APs in your network

Sorted By: Signal strength (strongest first)

Use Case: - Identify roaming candidates - See if you're connected to best AP - Plan AP placement

All APs on Same Channel

All nearby APs using the same channel (top 20).

Color Coding: Multi-SSID groups color-coded

Connected AP: Highlighted

Shows: - SSID - BSSID - Vendor - Signal strength - Band - Channel

Use Case: - Identify interference - See channel congestion - Plan channel assignments

Use Cases

Optimizing Wi-Fi Performance

Check: 1. Signal strength (aim for > -65 dBm) 2. SNR (aim for > 25 dB) 3. Channel utilization (aim for < 50%) 4. 802.11ac/ax capabilities enabled 5. Connected to nearest/strongest AP

Improvements: - Move closer to AP - Switch to less congested channel - Upgrade to Wi-Fi 6 equipment

Troubleshooting Connectivity

Diagnose: 1. Weak signal (< -70 dBm) → Move closer or add AP 2. High noise (> -85 dBm) → Identify interference sources 3. Low SNR (< 15 dB) → Address signal or noise issues 4. High channel utilization (> 60%) → Change channel or add APs 5. Many stations → Overloaded AP, add capacity

Planning AP Deployment

Use Wireless Details to: - Survey existing APs and channels - Identify coverage gaps - Plan channel assignments (use non-overlapping) - Determine AP capacity needs

Security Auditing

Verify: 1. WPA2/WPA3 security (not WEP/WPA) 2. AES cipher (not TKIP) 3. PMF enabled 4. No rogue APs (check Neighbor APs list)

The Wireless Details window provides professional-grade Wi-Fi analysis comparable to expensive enterprise tools. Use it to optimize performance, troubleshoot issues, and plan wireless deployments. Combine with Wi-Fi Capture for even deeper analysis.