====== Understanding the signal, strength, and quality readings reported by the HDHomeRun ====== [[:Troubleshooting|Go back to all troubleshooting topics]] There are three percentages reported by the HDHomeRun - **Signal Strength (ss)** * raw power level as measured by the receiver **Signal Quality (snq)** * how clearly defined the digital data is **Symbol Quality (seq)** * Amount of correct or corrected data over the last second The above definitions can be confusing, so a much simpler definition is to imagine listening to the radio: * Signal Strength represents the volume * Signal Quality represents how clearly you can hear the lyrics * Symbol Quality indicates the percentage of the lyrics you could hear or guess correctly As it turns out, Signal Strength is somewhat irrelevant; if your antenna isn't pointed properly, it doesn't matter how loud you turn up the volume, the static will prevent you from hearing the lyrics correctly. Similarly, amplifying a weak HDTV signal can result in a high signal strength but too much noise to decode the digital data correctly. Use the Signal Strength for a rough idea of direction, but align the antenna for the highest Signal Quality, ignoring Signal Strength. When aimed correctly, Symbol Quality will show 100%, indicating no errors in the output. Splitters and amplifiers can introduce noise which will lower the Signal Quality, even if the Signal Strength increases. {{tag>troubleshooting}}