Network Signal Strength

[Orzamil]

I've been having problems with the wiring in my building (apartment, I'm a tenant) resulting in low quality of signal (e.g., low power, too much noise, etc.) to my modem. My ISP has said several times that there's nothing they can do about it and the owners refuse to fix it, so I'll be moving out once my contract is up. I don't want to repeat all of the frustration I've experienced trying to get a stable internet connection, and wish to know if an apartment has a stable/good signal.

Is there a way for me to test the signal strength of a coax outlet without buying a $1000 digital meter?

I've looked around, lowest meter I could find was $200. If I have to, I'll shell out for it, but I would really rather avoid doing so. Can I do something like hook up a satellite signal finder/meter between the cable and modem and see what happens? Is there an easy way to do it with a multimeter (all the things I've seen for multimeter was testing lengths of cable instead of checking an outlet)?

 

[Sp33dFr33k]

The modem's management page will show the signal strength/quality that it is receiving from the wall. You can google the IP for your modem if you're not sure what it is.

 

[timta2]

Most modems can tell you the quality of your connection by accessing the modem's configuration/data URL (192.168.100.1 for Motorola) as Sp33dFr33k pointed out. You can carry the modem to another place and plug it in (with a laptop) to test signal quality. It doesn't even have to be activated to do this with some modems.

When the technician was out, did he show you or tell you what the signal strengths were? Maybe he was saying that there were wiring problems that couldn't be fixed without retrofitting and pulling new coax, which can be impossible sometimes without doing damage to walls, ceilings, and floors.

A satellite meter wouldn't help since it uses an entirely different frequency spectrum, in the microwave range I believe. I've never seen a multimeter that measures RF (Radio Frequency) which is what cable systems use.