dBm to Watts Calculator
In Radio Frequency (RF) systems, power levels span massive ranges—from the picowatts of a satellite receiver to the kilowatts of a broadcast station. To manage these orders of magnitude, engineers use the logarithmic dBm scale.
This high-precision tool converts between dBm, Watts, milliwatts (mW), and dBW. Use it for link budget calculations, transmitter power settings, and design validation for avionics and industrial hardware.
Primary Input
ValueConversion Matrix
ResultsThe RF Power Guide: dBm vs. Watts
Logarithmic vs. Linear
Linear power (Watts) is used for basic physics, but signals in air attenuate exponentially. Logarithmic scales (dBm) allow engineers to simply add gain and subtract loss (Link Budget) instead of performing complex multiplication.
The “3dB and 10dB Rules”
In RF design, a +3 dB increase represents a doubling of power (2x). A +10 dB increase represents a ten-fold increase (10x). Conversely, -3 dB cuts your power in half.
Impedance and 50 Ohms
Standard RF systems are designed for 50 Ohm impedance. While dBm is an absolute power measure independent of resistance, calculating the equivalent voltage requires knowing the system impedance (V = √(P × R)).
Frequently Asked Questions
Reference Power Levels
| Application | dBm | Power (W) |
| Standard Bluetooth (Class 2) | 4 dBm | 2.5 mW |
| Standard WiFi Router | 20 dBm | 100 mW |
| Cell Phone Peak Output | 33 dBm | 2 Watts |
| Avionics DME Pulse (Peak) | 57 dBm | 500 Watts |