To view the detailed information about the wireless networks in the Airport menu (hidden by default), hold down the option key while clicking the AirPort menu icon in the menu bar. The detailed information below the name of the connected network is:

• MAC address of the wireless station
• Channel is in use
• Signal strength, RSSI, the lower it is, the weaker the connection
• Indication of the data transmission rate

On hovering the mouse over the network name for a second, a tool tip displays the network’s signal strength and the type of security it’s using. This is useful for quickly finding the public connection with the strongest signal.

I usually use two wireless networks, my home and university, to browse Internet.

In my university I have been assigned a specific IP address and connect to the Internet through a proxy server where as at home I simply let my router assign me settings via DHCP. On a Mac, it is really easy to make a profile for a specific network rather than input the settings manually every time (Windows eh..) we are in a different network. We can make as many network profiles as we need to and assign the network settings in them. So whenever you go to the particular location, just select the profile from the network preference pane. It’s that simple!

Let’s see how:

Select the ‘Network’ pane from System Preferences.

In the ‘Locations’ drop down menu, select the option ‘Edit Locations’.

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