TThere is nothing that can be done via your mobile device to address this issue. You will need physical access to the thermostat. There are many things that can cause the thermostat to go offline and troubleshooting can be a challenge. One thing to be aware of is that none of the Venstar connected thermostats require skyweb access to function. The thermostat (if powered) will still be controlling the space to the last mode/setpoints and running a schedule normally if it was in that mode.

We find that wifi connectivity is far less reliable when the wifi signal strength drops below 60%. You may check the received signal strength at your thermostat via

Wifi wireless signal strength explorer
  • What does Wifi Signal Strength Explorer do? Monitor real-time WiFi signal strength and display the same in percentage with the connected network name in menu-bar. Real-time Wifi Signal Strength Monitor from Menu bar. Auto-connect, strongest Wifi signal available. Get complete details of other available networks around.
  • Jan 10, 2018 The inSSIDer Wi-Fi scanner can do various tasks, including finding open Wi-Fi access points, tracking signal strength, saving logs with GPS records, collect data from wireless card and software, choose the best wireless channel available and more.
  • Colortouch: menu > wifi > wifi status
  • Explorer Mini: press FAN until ‘wireless setup’, then MODE, then UP until ‘SIGNAL STRENGTH’
  • Explorer: press ACCESSORY SETUP, then MODE, then UP until ‘SIGNAL STRENGTH’

A free WiFi wireless network scanner with signal strength. A review by Felix Cheng inSSIDer is a wireless networking utility that allows you to find wireless networks in your area and control, in a graphics mode, the intensity of their signals.

If the indicated signal strength is below 60%, try moving the router closer to the thermostat or placing it in a more open area with fewer obstructions.

Things to try to get the thermostat online :

  • Cycle power to the thermostat and your wifi router
  • If the thermostat shows that it is connected to wifi but not to skyweb
    • Ensure that the wifi router has internet access
    • If a colortouch model with wifi key, ensure that the thermostat firmware is at least 4.00 or above (menu > information > my thermostat, something like VH4.08 in the lower left)
    • The thermostat may have been deleted from your Skyport account. Try requesting a new pairing code. If one is issued, pair with skyweb. If you receive a -501 error (colortouch) or no pairing code is issued from other models, the thermostat is still paired to an account.
    • Skyweb outages are very rare but possible. If not resolved within a few hours, contact venstar support to inquire about Skyport status
  • If cycling the router and thermostat have not restored wifi connection, please perform the wifi setup procedure for your model
Fix any Wi-Fi problem
Get NetSpot to stay in control of Wi-Fi quality, anywhere.

Accessing the best wifi channel in your home or office (or home office!) can make all the difference in the world. Most routers have several wifi channels, but not all have the same signal strength or range.

Selecting the right wifi channel isn't always as easy as it seems. Signal strength is only one metric for measuring performance. Depending on the size and layout of your building, there's a good chance the strongest signal isn't even the right one for you!

Somehow, a fast wifi signal has become the latest tech vanity metric. Here, we'll show you how to check wifi channels, analyze your signal strength and reliability, and tell you about a WiFi analyzer app we really like.

Check for the best WiFi channel

Choose the best WiFi channel with network analyzers. Best utilities in one pack, give it a go!


Which channel the best for WiFi

Deciding which wifi channel is the best option is highly subjective. There are myriad factors that can influence which signal is actually best for you.

There are two major wifi bands: 2.4GHz, and 5GHz. The 2.4GHz band is technically slower, but has the distinct advantage of being able to reach further than the 5GHz band.

And the 5GHz band is much faster than the 2.4GHz band, but you have to be fairly close to the router, and the 5GHz wifi band has trouble with objects like walls or doors. If you're in the same room as your router, and your machine has a direct line of sight, 5GHz is typically your best bet.

Because the 2.4GHz band reaches further, there's a chance you'll see interference, though this is typically a problem for older routers.

How to scan for WiFi channels

Your first option is to identify which wifi signals are available to you. Here's how to check available networks on your Mac:

  1. From your menu bar, click the Apple logo > System preferences.
  2. Select 'Network'
  3. Check all wifi networks available to you via clicking to your Network Name
    Make sure 'show wi-fi status in menu bar' is selected so you can check these networks right from the menu bar, just select the drop-down menu under the wifi icon.

This is how to see all the wifi networks available to you. As you can see in the screenshot above, a normal environment will have tons of wifi signals available for your Mac. Most are likely locked, as they're private, but this is a good illustration of how crowded the airwaves are for wifi signals.

Your Mac's built-in wifi analyzer is great for identifying which channels are available to you, but going beyond that requires a lot of fiddling with settings most of us won't be comfortable with. Instead, we have two options you'll want to check out: NetSpot, and Wifi Explorer.

NetSpot is a robust wifi channel scanner that returns a ton of data. On its main screen, you'll see all of the available networks in your area. This is handy, but NetSpot takes it a step further in offering granular details about your signals.

In addition to bands, channels are critical. In the screenshot below, we'll focus on two areas: channel, and level (SNR).

Channels are like fine-tuning for wifi bands. As an example, if your whole neighborhood was on a 2.4GHz band, and everyone was on channel 6, there would be a lot of interference. Everyone is on the same band, on the same channel, and it gets noisy.

Bands also have unique channels available to them, and each channel has unique resonance. In NetSpot, navigating to 'Discover > Show details of selected networks' from the menu bar brings up a new window.

Navigating to the specific channels tabs gives you details about the band channel frequency:

Here we can see the 2.4GHz band is available on channels 2-14, and strongest in channels 5-14.

WiFi Signal Strength Explorer

Let's take it a step further. If we isolate NetSpot to one wifi band, we can see its channel, and signal strength shown in both the menu and chart. We're on channel 10, and our signal strength is -41. (For signal strength, numbers are negative, and zero is the best you can get.)

Taking NetSpot one step further, toggling to the 'survey' tab on the top of the window brings up the option to add a map of your room, home, or office. This allows you to create a heatmap of your area, which analyzes your home or office (or in this case, the home office) to see where the signal is strongest.

This helps for a few reasons. One, you may find out your router is not in the optimal location. Second, you might need to create a proper mesh network to saturate your surroundings with the strongest signal. (Our example is a bit skewed; the router is in the same room, so our signal is really strong!)

Windows

Wifi Explorer surfaces a lot of information, just like NetSpot. It's a really strong wifi channel analyzer and wireless channel scanner, and we enjoy its minimal interface.

But it also returns a ton of information. As a wifi tester, it's a really strong app; you'll see a lot of data about your networks. There's an option to toggle additional views on the top right of the Wifi Explorer window, which brings up some handy views.

You can filter results based on network name, mode, channels, security, access points, and vendor on the left. The right side of the screen can show you any known network issues.

The bottom pop-up is where a lot of value is envisioned. This shows you your signal strength, and which bands and channels are available. Each 'tower' in the band segment is a router; each tower in the channels portion is a network.

This view shows you immediately, and in real-time, which bands and channels you're using, and which are strongest. The main view provides all the same data as NetSpot.

What is the best WiFi channel?

The best wifi channel is the one with the strongest signal and limited noise. Your router should automatically surface the strongest band/channel combination for you. If you need to know how to change wifi channel for your Mac, it's not simple. You essentially have to create a network from scratch and assign a channel to it. Chances are, simply toggling your wifi or resetting your router will take care of any issues, and both are far simpler than setting up a new network.

If you want to switch networks, that's simple. In your Mac's menu bar, select the wifi icon, and just click on the wifi network you'd like to join.

Generally speaking, the 2.4GHz band operates on channels 8-13, while the 5GHz band uses channels 35-165.


If you're looking for a wifi channel scanner online, there are no services we've found that should be recommended. Because wifi is a network connection, it's difficult to identify from a remote location, and really should be done locally.

In a wirelessly connected world, finding the best wifi band and channel matters. Typically, the ones available to you on your machine are the best options.

Discovering which are really the best can be tricky unless you have NetSpot or Wifi Explorer. Many times, people change networks and hope for the best, but you can do better. Both NetSpot and Wifi Explorer surface critical data about your wifi networks, which is a lot smarter than taking a stab in the dark at improving your connectivity.

We also like that NetSpot and Wifi Explorer are free! Both are included with a seven-day free trial of Setapp, the leading productivity suite for your Mac. Setapp's growing library already consists of dozens of app titles spanning just about every use-case imaginable. Design, development, email, news, education, finance – you name it!

Setapp lives on Mac and iOS. Please come back from another device.

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

Wifi Signal Strength Explorer Windows 10

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