Having a good Internet connection is vital to being able to use your Mac for its intended purpose. Most people know how to connect to their home WiFi, but a lot of times that is as far as they can go. In this article I will explain what the various WiFi symbols mean. Please see the picture below.
- The top right image means you’re connected to a WiFi network and have network access. The bars will appear black, and the more you have lit up, the better the connection is.
- The top left symbol indicates that you may be connected to a network, but not the Internet, or that the network requires a password to activate.
- The bottom left symbol indicates that WiFi is turned off. This symbol also appears when you are using a wired ethernet connection instead of WiFi.
- The bottom right symbol means that there is no airport hardware detected. This is usually not good and a visit to Small Dog may be in order.
All these symbols mean something different so understanding each of them is important. The top right and bottom left symbols are what you want to see for a healthy network. If you want to select a different WiFi network instead of the one you are currently on, just click on the WiFi symbol, select the network you want, and—if it has a lock—enter the password. If there is no lock next to it, simply selecting it will connect you. It is important to always have a password protected WiFi network to avoid any unwanted users connecting without your permission.