[wplug] Questions on wireless installations

Sun Jul 18 15:03:39 EDT 2004

On Wednesday 30 June 2004 12:27 pm, Bill Moran wrote:
> Howdy,
>
> I'm getting a little frustrated with some of the 802.11 jargon that's
> floating around.
>
> For example, most AP manufactures list the RF output in milliwatts, but
> Linksys calls it dBm.  What's the conversion factor?

All the Amateur Radio folks on this list and no reply for this 
question????????

Sorry it took so long to get back on this.

See if this helps:

Power is commonly expressed in decibel values in order to make adjustments due 
to loses and gains. The logarithmic nature of decibel units translates the 
multiplication and division associated with gains and losses into addition 
and subtraction. Once you get used to it, you will never want to return to 
watts. Units of dBm are decibels relative to 1 mW of power, hence, 0 dBm 1 
mW. 1/100 mW is -20 dBm and 100 mW is +20 dBm. Powers less than 1 mW are 
always negative dBm values, and powers greater than 1 mW are always positive.

P{dBm}=10*log10[P{mW}]

P{mW}=10(P{dBm}/10)

I used the {}'s to indicate the unit of Power. It is NOT a muliplier.
log10 is log based on 10 but I couldn't subscript in plain text email.

Hope this helps. If not, try this list:

dBm 
Volts 
Watts 

75 dBm 
1257.43 V 
31.62 kW 

74 dBm 
1120.69 V 
25.12 kW 

73 dBm 
998.81 V 
19.95 kW 

72 dBm 
890.19 V 
15.85 kW 

71 dBm 
793.39 V 
12.59 kW 

70 dBm 
707.11 V 
10.00 kW 

69 dBm 
630.21 V 
7.94 kW 

68 dBm 
561.67 V 
6.31 kW 

67 dBm 
500.59 V 
5.01 kW 

66 dBm 
446.15 V 
3.98 kW 

65 dBm 
397.64 V 
3.16 kW 

64 dBm 
354.39 V 
2.51 kW 

63 dBm 
315.85 V 
2.00 kW 

62 dBm 
281.50 V 
1.58 kW 

61 dBm 
250.89 V 
1.26 kW 

60 dBm 
223.61 V 
1.00 kW 

59 dBm 
199.29 V 
794.33 W 

58 dBm 
177.62 V 
630.96 W 

57 dBm 
158.30 V 
501.19 W 

56 dBm 
141.09 V 
398.11 W 

55 dBm 
125.74 V 
316.23 W 

54 dBm 
112.07 V 
251.19 W 

53 dBm 
99.88 V 
199.53 W 

52 dBm 
89.02 V 
158.49 W 

51 dBm 
79.34 V 
125.89 W 

50 dBm 
70.71 V 
100.00 W 

49 dBm 
63.02 V 
79.43 W 

48 dBm 
56.17 V 
63.10 W 

47 dBm 
50.06 V 
50.12 W 

46 dBm 
44.62 V 
39.81 W 

45 dBm 
39.76 V 
31.62 W 

44 dBm 
35.44 V 
25.12 W 

43 dBm 
31.59 V 
19.95 W 

42 dBm 
28.15 V 
15.85 W 

41 dBm 
25.09 V 
12.59 W 

40 dBm 
22.36 V 
10.00 W 

39 dBm 
19.93 V 
7.94 W 

38 dBm 
17.76 V 
6.31 W 

37 dBm 
15.83 V 
5.01 W 

36 dBm 
14.11 V 
3.98 W 

35 dBm 
12.57 V 
3.16 W 

34 dBm 
11.21 V 
2.51 W 

33 dBm 
9.99 V 
2.00 W 

32 dBm 
8.90 V 
1.58 W 

31 dBm 
7.93 V 
1.26 W 

30 dBm 
7.07 V 
1.00 W 

29 dBm 
6.30 V 
794.33 mW 

28 dBm 
5.62 V 
630.96 mW 

27 dBm 
5.01 V 
501.19 mW 

26 dBm 
4.46 V 
398.11 mW 

25 dBm 
3.98 V 
316.23 mW 

24 dBm 
3.54 V 
251.19 mW 

23 dBm 
3.16 V 
199.53 mW 

22 dBm 
2.82 V 
158.49 mW 

21 dBm 
2.51 V 
125.89 mW 

20 dBm 
2.24 V 
100.00 mW 

19 dBm 
1.99 V 
79.43 mW 

18 dBm 
1.78 V 
63.10 mW 

17 dBm 
1.58 V 
50.12 mW 

16 dBm 
1.41 V 
39.81 mW 

15 dBm 
1.26 V 
31.62 mW 

14 dBm 
1.12 V 
25.12 mW 

13 dBm 
1.00 V 
19.95 mW 

12 dBm 
890.19 mV 
15.85 mW 

11 dBm 
793.39 mV 
12.59 mW 

10 dBm 
707.11 mV 
10.00 mW 

9 dBm 
630.21 mV 
7.94 mW 

8 dBm 
561.67 mV 
6.31 mW 

7 dBm 
500.59 mV 
5.01 mW 

6 dBm 
446.15 mV 
3.98 mW 

5 dBm 
397.64 mV 
3.16 mW 

4 dBm 
354.39 mV 
2.51 mW 

3 dBm 
315.85 mV 
2.00 mW 

2 dBm 
281.50 mV 
1.58 mW 

1 dBm 
250.89 mV 
1.26 mW 

0 dBm 
223.61 mV 
1.00 mW 

-1 dBm 
199.29 mV 
794.33 uW 

-2 dBm 
177.62 mV 
630.96 uW 

-3 dBm 
158.30 mV 
501.19 uW 

-4 dBm 
141.09 mV 
398.11 uW 

-5 dBm 
125.74 mV 
316.23 uW 

-6 dBm 
112.07 mV 
251.19 uW 

-7 dBm 
99.88 mV 
199.53 uW 

-8 dBm 
89.02 mV 
158.49 uW 

-9 dBm 
79.34 mV 
125.89 uW 

-10 dBm 
70.71 mV 
100.00 uW 

-11 dBm 
63.02 mV 
79.43 uW 

-12 dBm 
56.17 mV 
63.10 uW 

-13 dBm 
50.06 mV 
50.12 uW 

-14 dBm 
44.62 mV 
39.81 uW 

-15 dBm 
39.76 mV 
31.62 uW 

-16 dBm 
35.44 mV 
25.12 uW 

-17 dBm 
31.59 mV 
19.95 uW 

-18 dBm 
28.15 mV 
15.85 uW 

-19 dBm 
25.09 mV 
12.59 uW 

-20 dBm 
22.36 mV 
10.00 uW 

-21 dBm 
19.93 mV 
7.94 uW 

-22 dBm 
17.76 mV 
6.31 uW 

-23 dBm 
15.83 mV 
5.01 uW 

-24 dBm 
14.11 mV 
3.98 uW 

-25 dBm 
12.57 mV 
3.16 uW 

-26 dBm 
11.21 mV 
2.51 uW 

-27 dBm 
9.99 mV 
2.00 uW 

-28 dBm 
8.90 mV 
1.58 uW 

-29 dBm 
7.93 mV 
1.26 uW 

-30 dBm 
7.07 mV 
1.00 uW 

-31 dBm 
6.30 mV 
794.33 nW 

-32 dBm 
5.62 mV 
630.96 nW 

-33 dBm 
5.01 mV 
501.19 nW 

-34 dBm 
4.46 mV 
398.11 nW 

-35 dBm 
3.98 mV 
316.23 nW 

-36 dBm 
3.54 mV 
251.19 nW 

-37 dBm 
3.16 mV 
199.53 nW 

-38 dBm 
2.82 mV 
158.49 nW 

-39 dBm 
2.51 mV 
125.89 nW 

-40 dBm 
2.24 mV 
100.00 nW 

-41 dBm 
1.99 mV 
79.43 nW 

-42 dBm 
1.78 mV 
63.10 nW 

-43 dBm 
1.58 mV 
50.12 nW 

-44 dBm 
1.41 mV 
39.81 nW 

-45 dBm 
1.26 mV 
31.62 nW 

-46 dBm 
1.12 mV 
25.12 nW 

-47 dBm 
1.00 mV 
19.95 nW 

-48 dBm 
890.19 uV 
15.85 nW 

-49 dBm 
793.39 uV 
12.59 nW 

-50 dBm 
707.11 uV 
10.00 nW 

-51 dBm 
630.21 uV 
7.94 nW 

-52 dBm 
561.67 uV 
6.31 nW 

-53 dBm 
500.59 uV 
5.01 nW 

-54 dBm 
446.15 uV 
3.98 nW 

-55 dBm 
397.64 uV 
3.16 nW 

-56 dBm 
354.39 uV 
2.51 nW 

-57 dBm 
315.85 uV 
2.00 nW 

-58 dBm 
281.50 uV 
1.58 nW 

-59 dBm 
250.89 uV 
1.26 nW 

-60 dBm 
223.61 uV 
1.00 nW 

-61 dBm 
199.29 uV 
794.33 pW 

-62 dBm 
177.62 uV 
630.96 pW 

-63 dBm 
158.30 uV 
501.19 pW 

-64 dBm 
141.09 uV 
398.11 pW 

-65 dBm 
125.74 uV 
316.23 pW 

-66 dBm 
112.07 uV 
251.19 pW 

-67 dBm 
99.88 uV 
199.53 pW 

-68 dBm 
89.02 uV 
158.49 pW 

-69 dBm 
79.34 uV 
125.89 pW 

-70 dBm 
70.71 uV 
100.00 pW 