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From: Eitan Adler <lists@eitanadler.com>
Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 20:04:07 -0400
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Subject: Decoding the ifconfig verbose output and determining the strength
	of a wireless connection
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I have two questions

AAAXXX          00:00:10:10:00:03    2   54M -81:-96  100 EPS
SSID<AAAXXX> RATES<B2,B4,B11,B22,36,B48,72,108> DSPARMS<2> ERP<0x0>
???<2f0100> RSN<v1 mc:TKIP uc:AES-CCMP+TKIP km:8021X-PSK>
XRATES<B12,18,B24,96> VEN<dd090010180203f0000000> WME<qosinfo 0x80
BE[aifsn 3 cwmin 4 cwmax 10 txop 0] BK[aifsn 7 cwmin 4 cwmax 10 txop
0] VO[aifsn 2 cwmin 3 cwmax 4 txop 94] VI[aifsn 2 cwmin 2 cwmax 3 txop
47]>

ABCDE           00:00:10:10:00:00    2   54M -81:-96  100 ES
SSID<ABCDE> RATES<B2,B4,B11,B22,36,B48,72,108> DSPARMS<2> ERP<0x0>
???<2f0100> XRATES<B12,18,B24,96> VEN<dd090010180203f0000000>
WME<qosinfo 0x80 BE[aifsn 3 cwmin 4 cwmax 10 txop 0] BK[aifsn 7 cwmin
4 cwmax 10 txop 0] VO[aifsn 2 cwmin 3 cwmax 4 txop 94] VI[aifsn 2
cwmin 2 cwmax 3 txop 47]>


1) How do I determine which of the above networks is closer or has a
stronger signal?

2) Can you please fill in the missing pieces and correct any
misconceptions I might have about how to decode the data below?

ABCDE    This SSID of the network
00:00:10:10:00:00 The MAC address of the AP
2 The channel that the signal is being broadcasted on
54M This is a "g" network
-81:-96    ?????
100        ?????
ES Extended Rate Phy (ERP) and  Short Preamble
SSID<ABCDE> Same exact thing as the SSID above
RATES<B2,B4,B11,B22,36,B48,72,108>
DSPARMS<2>   ?????
ERP<0x0>      ?????
???<2f0100>    ?????
XRATES<B12,18,B24,96>   ?????
VEN<dd090010180203f0000000>  ?????
WME<qosinfo 0x80   ?????
BE[aifsn 3 cwmin 4 cwmax 10 txop 0]  ?????
BK[aifsn 7 cwmin 4 cwmax 10 txop 0]  ?????
VO[aifsn 2 cwmin 3 cwmax 4 txop 94]  ?????
VI[aifsn 2 cwmin 2 cwmax 3 txop 47]> ?????


-- 
Eitan Adler