Ubiquiti's WiFi troubleshooting guide starts with the client's signal in the Clients panel: above minus 60 dBm is excellent, minus 60 to minus 70 acceptable, minus 70 to minus 75 is where clients should begin to roam, and below minus 80 is likely to give instability or drops. The Experience metric can read excellent while the signal is poor, so trust the dBm. Then open AirView under Radios to see the AP's health:
The checks in more detail
an orange utilization bar suggests neighboring APs on the same or overlapping channels or non-WiFi interference, especially on 2.4 GHz, and a blue airtime bar points to congestion from many clients or multicast. High airtime with high interference is usually a channel problem, and high airtime with low interference is usually local congestion or multicast. The Environment tab lists nearby SSIDs, their channels, widths and signal, so you can pick a cleaner channel; DFS channels are often less crowded on 5 GHz.
Ubiquiti's optimization article suggests channel width of 80 MHz for most uses, narrower in dense areas, transmit power High or Auto, and Minimum RSSI to disconnect clients below a threshold so that they roam instead of clinging. If an AP drops off entirely, its LED blue and flashing off every five seconds means it lost network connectivity and is searching for a wireless uplink, so check the cable, the PoE and the switch port.
Firmware updates, including U7 releases, changed behavior for some users, and some found that turning off Fast Roaming (802.11r) helped, so change one thing at a time and note it. Keep a short log: time, room, device and what the AP's client list showed. A drop that happens only in one room points at that AP or its neighbors, and a drop that follows a particular device points at the device. Consider whether a nearby AP is on the same channel; two APs sharing a channel take turns, and the effect looks like random slowness and drops, which the Environment view shows clearly.
Differential
Likely causes of “Ubiquiti UniFi access points Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A weak client signal
What separates it The client signal is below minus 80 dBm because the client is too far from the access point
How to confirm Move the client closer to the access point, or add another access point nearby
- 2
Channel interference
What separates it The utilization bar is orange because of interference on the channel that the access point uses
How to confirm Change to a cleaner channel, which you can find on the Environment tab
- 3
Congestion or multicast
What separates it There is high airtime but low interference because there is congestion or too much multicast
How to confirm Reduce the number of clients on the access point, or manage the multicast traffic
- 4
A lost uplink
What separates it The light flashes blue and off every five seconds because the access point has lost its uplink
How to confirm Check the cable, the PoE supply and the switch port that the access point is connected to
- 5
Roaming settings
What separates it One device is sticky or drops because of its roaming settings
How to confirm Try Minimum RSSI, or switch Fast Roaming off, and see whether the device is steadier
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The client's signal strength in dBm
- The utilization and the airtime shown in AirView
- The channel and the channel width that are set
- The state of the light on the access point
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedCheck client signal
ReversibleCheck the client signal in the Clients panel, and aim for a reading above minus 70 dBm.
Open AirView
ReversibleOpen AirView to see the utilization and the airtime, which show where the congestion is.
Check the Environment tab
ReversibleCheck the Environment tab, to find a clean channel that is not crowded by neighbors.
Try Minimum RSSI
ReversibleTry Minimum RSSI for sticky clients, so that they move on to a closer access point.
Check the LED
ReversibleCheck the light on the access point, since it shows the state of its uplink.
Change one thing at a time
ReversibleChange one thing at a time, and note down each change, so you know what made a difference.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- U7 Pro
- The U7 Pro is a Wi-Fi 7 tri-band access point.
- U6 Pro
- The U6 Pro is a Wi-Fi 6 dual-band access point.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit the UniFi U6 Pro access point.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If drops continue with a good signal and clean channel, contact Ubiquiti support
- !If the AP loses its uplink, check cabling and PoE
- !If only one client drops, check its wifi driver and its power saving settings
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Signal strength, AirView and channels.
Transmit power, channel width and RSSI.
Minimum RSSI.
White, blue and port LEDs.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
What is a good signal?+
A signal above minus 60 dBm is good, and is the level to aim for at each client.
When do clients roam?+
Clients roam at around minus 70 to minus 75 dBm, when another access point is stronger.
What is unstable?+
A signal below minus 80 dBm is unstable, and clients will drop or roam badly.
What does the orange bar mean?+
The orange bar shows same channel interference or interference from non wifi sources.
What does the blue bar mean?+
The blue bar shows high airtime, which is often a sign of congestion on the channel.
What width does Ubiquiti suggest?+
Ubiquiti suggests an 80 MHz width for most uses, which balances speed and interference.
What is Minimum RSSI?+
Minimum RSSI is a threshold below which clients are disconnected, so they roam.
Are DFS channels less crowded?+
DFS channels are often less crowded on 5 GHz, though radar can force a channel change.
Can 802.11r cause trouble?+
Some users found that turning 802.11r off helped devices that had trouble roaming.
What does a steady white light mean on the access point?+
A steady white light means the access point is ready for adoption in the Network application.
What does a steady blue light mean?+
A steady blue light means the access point has been adopted and is in its normal operating mode.
What does a quickly flashing white and blue light mean?+
It means firmware is being upgraded, so do not interrupt it by unplugging the access point.
What does a rapidly flashing blue light mean?+
It means the Locate feature was switched on in the Network application, to help you find the access point.
What does an off light mean on the access point?+
An off light means it is offline, so check the power, the PoE and the Ethernet cables.