What is the noise floor of a receiver described as?

The noise floor of a receiver is essentially defined as the limiting condition for sensitivity. It represents the lowest level of signal that the receiver can effectively process in the presence of noise. This baseline noise level sets the threshold for detecting any useful signals; if a signal falls below the noise floor, it becomes indistinguishable from the background noise.

Understanding the noise floor is crucial for designing and operating communication systems because it determines how weak a signal can be while still allowing the receiver to differentiate it from ambient noise. In practical terms, if a received signal's strength is near or below the noise floor, the quality and clarity of the signal will degrade significantly, making it difficult or impossible to interpret the transmitted information accurately.