Signal-to-Noise Ratio Calculator

Our signal-to-noise ratio calculator is a tool that will help you find the ratio of the desired signal to the background noise. You might wonder: "Why is calculating this ratio so important?" You will get your answer in a while, but before that, you need to know what SNR is and what a good signal-to-noise ratio is.

Continue reading to learn some significant signal-to-noise ratio requirements and the difference between low and high signal-to-noise ratios.

SNR stands for signal-to-noise ratio. This ratio is a measure of the strength of the desired signal to the current level of background noise. Below are some signal-to-noise ratio examples we use in the real world:

• Finding isotope levels in ice cores;
• Measuring the efficiency of a cell's biochemical signaling;
• Determining a car amplifier's sound clarity; and
• Computing a communication channel's bandwidth and capacity 📡.

Might we suggest taking a look at the bandwidth calculator to get a clear picture of what bandwidth and Mbps are!

Our signal-to-noise ratio calculator is a convenient tool that calculates the ratio between the desired signal level and the acceptable background noise.

Now, let's come back to our original question, "Why is calculating this ratio so important?"

Imagine you are having a conversation with your friend, and it's going swimmingly. Now, imagine a lot more people arriving, and everyone is talking to someone while you are trying to have a conversation with your friend. It's still lovely, but your friend gets cut off more and more. Now, imagine you are at a concert, and you want to chat with your friend. It seems tedious and exhausting trying to repeat what you're saying because of the loud music, which for you, is the background noise.

Your voice here is the signal, and the concert music is the noise.

Our calculator lets you calculate the signal-to-noise ratio using five various methods.
In the tool, you have the option to select the type of SNR; whichever type you choose, you need to input:

• The magnitude of the signal; and
• The magnitude of the noise.

Each type has various units associated with it. Also, some of them may appear unitless, but it is good to remember that they can be of any appropriate unit as long as both signal and noise are in the same units.

Signal-to-noise ratio calculation is an essential concept in science and engineering, and we can use it to measure any form of signal or transmission. So, after learning what the signal-to-noise ratio is, let's find out what a good SNR is.

The signal-to-noise ratio is expressed as a single numerical value in decibels (dB). The ratio can either be zero, positive or negative. An SNR ratio greater than zero indicates that the signal strength is higher than the noise level. When the value from the SNR formula is zero, then the signal has the same strength as the noise. Finally, a negative SNR means that the signal is weaker than the noise.

So, what is the signal-to-noise ratio value that we should aim for?

• High signal-to-noise ratio 👍
  A high signal-to-noise ratio means anything greater than zero. But the greater the SNR value, the greater the signal is in comparison to the noise. This means that no matter which type of transmission has to take place, it will be efficient and accurate.

• Low signal-to-noise ratio 👎
  If the SNR value is low, it means that the noise is greater than the acceptable value, disrupting any form of data transfer. For example, this can occur during the transfer of text, image, audio & video streams, and telemetry.

It would be wise to read Omni's data transfer calculator and understand data transferring on your phones.

The signal-to-noise ratio calculator has five different SNR formulae within it. This allows you to calculate various types of SNR based on what your input signal is or which unit you measure the data in:

1. Signals ratio;
2. SNR from decibels;
3. Power SNR;
4. Voltage SNR; and
5. SNR from the coefficient of variation.

All five types of SNR require you to input:

• The strength of the signal; and
• The level of noise.

As a result, you will obtain the signal-to-noise ratio based on the type you have selected.

For instance, if your signal is 6 volts and the noise is 4 volts, you need to select Voltage SNR. Then, the result is 3.522 dB.

The variation in the type of signal-to-noise ratio lies in the formula. As we mentioned above, there are five ways to calculate the SNR:

1. SNR as a signal ratio in absolute units:

   ${\rm SNR} = \text{signal} / \text{noise}$

2. SNR as a signal difference in decibels:

   ${\rm SNR} \text{(dB)} = \text{signal (dB)} - \text{noise (dB)}$

3. Power SNR:

   ${\rm pSNR} = 10 \times \log{(\text{signal / noise})}$

4. Voltage SNR:

   ${\rm vSNR} = 20 \times \log{(\text{signal / noise})}$

5. SNR from the coefficient of variation.

   a. ${\rm SNR} = \mu / \sigma$

   b. ${\rm SNR} = \mu ^2 / \sigma ^2$

where:

• $\rm SNR(dB)$ — The signal-to-noise ratio in decibels;

• $\rm pSNR$ — The power signal-to-noise ratio;

• $\rm vSNR$ — The voltage signal-to-noise ratio;

• $\mu$ — The signal mean; and

• $\sigma$ — The standard deviation of the noise.

📶 Generally, the recommended SNR for wireless networks to use the internet is 20 dB. The table below shows some SNR values and what their requirements for connectivity are:

These signal-to-noise ratio statistics play a significant role in the field of wireless communication. Another good thing to remember is that the increase in SNR may increase the wireless network's channel capacity. Check out our baud rate calculator and modulation calculator to understand how data is transmitted using signals.