RSSI - Receive Signal Strength Indicator
By: Srividya Iyer
Meaning of RSSI - "Receive Signal Strength Indicator", is a circuit to measure the strength of an incoming signal. The basic circuit is designed to pick RF signals and generate an output equivalent to the signal strength. The ability of the receiver to pick the weakest of signals is referred to as receiver sensitivity. Higher the receiver sensitivity, the better. There are circuits which measure the signal strength based on the output voltage. If the signal strength is good the output voltage is higher and the output voltage is poor if the signal strength is low. Some indicators are designed to flash one of their lights indicating the signal strength. Depending on the received signal power, an amplifier can be used to boost the signal.
Common devices with inbuilt RSSI are cell phones, wireless network adapters and even remote control. Antennas contain a RSSI Circuit that can help us align the antenna for maximum signal reception. In Windows XP, a software is preinstalled to indicate signal strength and data rate. There are many other tools to measure signal strength. Ranging from software preinstalled on your computer to freewares and sharewares are available for measuring signal strength. Some tools are only capable of basic signal power indication while some can even analyze data and suggest improvements and solutions. RSSI is also used while implementing Bluetooth Solutions.
Other Related Definitions:
“…RSSI is an indication of the power level being received by the antenna. Generally, the higher the RSSI level is the stronger the signal. Overall, a level of 700 or more is considered adequate” [Motorola.com]
“…a mechanism by which RF energy is to be measured by the circuitry on a wireless NIC. This numeric value is an integer with an allowable range of 0-255 (a 1-byte value) called the Receive Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI)" [IEEE 802.11 standard ]
“…Received Signal Strength Indicator (or Indication): A signal or circuit that indicates the strength of the incoming (received) signal in a receiver. (The signal strength indicator on a cell phone display is a common example). RSSI is often done in the IF stage before the IF amplifier. In zero-IF systems, it is done in the baseband signal chain, before the baseband amplifier.
RSSI output is often a DC analog level. It can also be sampled by an internal ADC and the resulting codes available directly or via peripheral or internal processor bus. " [Dallas Semiconductor ]“…RSSI eliminates the need for additional hardware in small wireless devices, and exhibits favorable properties with respect to power consumption size and cost. Because of its attractiveness the research community has extensively considered the use of radio signal strength." [Yale University]
“… Use the Rx Signal Strength indicator as a visual medium to know if you are nearer to the device. Stronger signal strength will indicate you are nearer to the device. " [Cognio Corporation]
“…To implement a power control link the remote device must implement a Receive Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI). For a transceiver wishing to take part in a power controlled link it must be able to measure its own receiver signal strength and determine if the transmitter on the other side of the link should increase or decrease its output power level. The RSSI makes this possible." [Antenna Systems & Technology]
Related Links:
A Study on Dynamic Load Balance for IEEE 802.11b Wireless LAN
An Empirical Analysis of Radio Signal Strength
Boeing tracks parts with Wireless LAN
Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems-Research Paper
Ericsson -Bluetooth with RSSI
Technical Resources:
Freewares
Wavemon (Linux)
WLANExpert(Win32)
XNetworkStrength(Linux)
Products and Solutions:
3Com
Apple
Cisco Aironet
Intel Wireless LAN Products
Aeroflex Solutions
Agilent Technologies
CDS Technologies
D-Link
LinkSys
Nokia
Blogs, News, Feeds, Discussion Lists:
Blogs
Sputnik
Ambient Informatics
EVDO Info RSSI
Forta WirelessRSS Feeds
RF Design News
Wireless Articles
Radio and Antennas
Discussions
Apple-Airport
Books About:
3G Wireless with 802.16 and 802.11 (McGraw-Hill Professional Engineering) by Clint Smith and John Meyer
Optimizing Wireless/RF Circuits by Lenk, John D
Production Testing of Rf and System-On-A-Chip Devices for Wireless Communications (Artech House Microwave Library) by Keith B. Schaub and Joe Kelly
RF System Design of Transceivers for Wireless Communications by Qizheng Gu
See Also:
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