Some values come directly from the device. Others are derived when iOS does not expose raw data. nOversight shows when values are estimated and how confident the analysis is.
Read directly from the device
On iPhone and iPad, the Shortcut passes on what iOS reports about the connection: signal strength, noise, transmit and receive link rate, channel, Wi-Fi standard and the access point in use. Signal-to-noise ratio is the difference between signal and noise. Each change of access point is a roam.
A diagnostic capture from the same phone, or a connection to a Mac, adds readings iOS keeps to itself: retries, how busy the channel was, and on some iOS versions Wi-Fi delay. On a Mac, the same readings come live from the Mac’s own Wi-Fi.
Worked out from other readings
iOS does not report everything a survey radio would. Where a value is missing, nOversight works it out from the readings it has, and labels the result as an estimate. Examples are the band, the channel width and the MCS index behind a link rate. The CSV export marks these columns as estimates too.
Treat an estimate as a good guide, not a measurement. If a conclusion depends on one, say so when you pass it on.
Link rate is not speed
Link rate is the rate the device and access point have agreed for the next transmission. Retries, a busy channel and everything beyond the router decide how much of it you get. Speed tests measure the whole path to a test server and are reported separately. Do not quote a link rate as a speed, or an estimate as a service level.
When a reading is missing
A reading can be missing because iOS did not report it, because a diagnostic capture was not added, or because the iOS version does not log it. nOversight shows a missing reading as missing. A requirement with no data behind it is untested, which is different from passing.
What nOversight does not do
nOversight reads one device’s connection. It is not a spectrum analyser or a predictive design tool, it does not show every client on the network, and it never changes router or access point settings. Use it alongside those tools when you need their answers.
See Exporting results for what each export contains and the Privacy policy for how data is handled.