Online Decibel Meter
Use this online decibel meter to see your room's noise level live and check it is quiet enough for a call - free, no download, no sign-up.
This online decibel meter shows your room's noise level live and tells you whether it is quiet enough for a call. It listens through your microphone in your browser - no app to install, no account, and no audio recorded or uploaded.
--dB
approximate, uncalibrated
Quiet enough for a call?
Start the meter and stay quiet for a few seconds. It listens to the room and tells you.
- Room floor (last 10 s)
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- Average
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- Lowest
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- Loudest
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Calibrate against a reference meter
Every microphone reports a different level for the same sound, so the dB figure is a guess until you calibrate. Read a level from a real sound level meter (or a phone app you trust) in the same room, type it here, and click Calibrate while both are measuring the same steady sound.
Why use this online decibel meter
A verdict, not just a number
It judges the steady background of your room, not a cough or a keystroke, and tells you if it is quiet enough for a call.
Nothing is recorded
The level is read live and each sample is discarded. Your audio is not stored, played back or sent anywhere.
Measures the room, not the filter
Echo cancellation, noise suppression and auto gain are switched off for the test, so the reading is your room.
Calibrate for a closer number
Type a reading from a reference meter and the scale shifts to match it for your microphone.
How to measure room noise with a decibel meter
- Click Start Decibel Meter and allow microphone access when your browser asks.
- Stay quiet for about five seconds while the meter listens to the room.
- Read the verdict under the gauge, and the room floor in the stats below it.
- Make the noise you want to check (a fan, an open window, a keyboard) and watch how the level moves.
- For a closer number, open the calibration box, type a reading from a reference meter, and click Calibrate.
How many decibels is that?
These are typical levels, so you can put the meter's reading in context. Real rooms vary a lot.
| Sound | Typical level |
|---|---|
| Whisper, quiet bedroom | About 30 dB |
| Quiet library, quiet room with the door shut | About 40 dB |
| Normal conversation | About 60 dB |
| Busy street traffic | About 80 dB |
| Hair dryer, lawn mower | About 90 dB |
For video calls, this meter treats a steady background below about 45 dB as quiet enough, 45 to 55 dB as borderline, and above 55 dB as too noisy. That is a rule of thumb for a room heard through an ordinary microphone, not a promise about how any call app will handle it. Sounds above about 85 dB over a full working day are where hearing-protection guidance usually starts, which is well beyond anything a call needs.
Common decibel meter problems and fixes
- Microphone access was blocked: click the padlock or microphone icon in your browser's address bar, set the microphone to "Allow", and reload the page.
- The number does not move, or the verdict says no sound was detected: your microphone may be muted, or the wrong one is selected. Check the mute switch on your headset or laptop and choose the right device in the menu.
- The verdict stays on "measuring your room": it needs about five seconds of history. Stay quiet and wait, or press Reset stats and start again.
- The reading is far lower than I expect: the browser or headset may still be filtering the microphone. The tool shows a notice when it detects that. A wired or built-in microphone usually reads more honestly than a Bluetooth headset.
- It says 30 dB in a room that feels loud (or the reverse): the scale is a guess until you calibrate. Compare with a reference meter and use the calibration box.
- The figure jumps around: that is normal for speech, typing and other changing sounds. Watch the room floor and the average instead of the live number.
- It works here but not in my call app: the app has its own microphone permission and its own noise filter. Check its audio settings.
Before a call, run the mic test to hear how you sound, the speaker test for the other direction, or the full pre-call check to test everything at once. If the room is the problem, the audio noise remover cleans up a recording, and our article on how Jitsi noise suppression works covers the live version. Building audio into your own product? Meetrix offers WebRTC consulting and development, and you can browse all Meetrix features.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this online decibel meter accurate?
It is a good guide to how loud your room is compared with other rooms, and to whether it is quiet enough for a call. It is not a lab instrument. A browser only sees the level after your microphone, so the dB figure is approximate until you calibrate it against a real sound level meter.
Is my audio recorded or uploaded?
No. The meter reads the microphone level live and throws each sample away as soon as it is measured. Nothing is recorded, stored or sent to Meetrix or anyone else, and the microphone is not played back through your speakers.
What is a good decibel level for a video call?
Aim for a background noise level below about 45 dB, roughly a quiet room. Between 45 and 55 dB is borderline: people may notice the room. Above 55 dB, constant noise like a fan or traffic will compete with your voice. These are rules of thumb, and the meter uses them for its verdict.
How many decibels is a quiet room?
A quiet bedroom or library is usually around 30 to 40 dB. Normal conversation is around 60 dB, and busy street traffic is around 80 dB.
Why does the meter say "approximate" and "uncalibrated"?
Real decibel meters measure sound pressure (dB SPL) with a microphone whose sensitivity is known. Your laptop or headset microphone has its own gain, which the browser cannot read, so the meter has to assume a typical sensitivity. Calibrating against a reference reading replaces that guess for your microphone.
Why does it read differently from my phone decibel app?
Different microphones report different levels for the same sound, and many apps add their own correction. Two uncalibrated readings will rarely match. Calibrate this meter to the app or meter you trust, and the two will agree at that level.
Why does my browser still apply noise suppression, and does it matter?
This tool asks the browser to turn off echo cancellation, noise suppression and automatic gain, because otherwise it would be measuring the filter and not the room. A few browsers and headsets ignore that request. If yours does, the tool says so, and the readings will look quieter than the room really is.
Can I use it with a headset or an external microphone?
Yes. If you have more than one microphone, a menu appears so you can pick which one to measure. Note that a Bluetooth headset often applies its own processing, so a wired or built-in microphone gives a truer picture of the room.
How do I reduce background noise for calls?
Find the source first: the meter's "lowest" and "loudest" figures help. Then close a window, move away from the fan, or use a headset mic. To clean up a recording you already have, try the audio noise remover, and see how Jitsi's live noise suppression works.
Can I use this to check workplace noise levels or for a legal report?
No. Workplace and legal measurements need a calibrated, certified sound level meter, and a browser microphone is neither. Use this to compare rooms and to check call quality.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, in a recent mobile browser that allows microphone access. Phones often apply their own gain and filtering to the microphone, so treat the number as a rough guide and calibrate if you need a closer one.
Why does my browser ask for microphone permission?
A decibel meter has to listen to measure. The permission lets this page read the live microphone level. You can revoke it at any time in your browser's site settings, and the tool releases the microphone as soon as you stop it or leave the page.
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