Presented herein are techniques for using uplink transmissions from devices (e.g., wireless tags, clients, etc.) to determine a path loss between neighboring access points. In one example, a wireless controller obtains receive signal strength information of uplink transmissions received at neighboring access points in a wireless network. The wireless controller determines an effective path loss between the neighboring access points based on the receive signal strength information for the uplink transmissions received at the neighboring access points. The wireless controller also performs radio resource management operations in the wireless network using the effective path loss determined based on the uplink transmissions received at the neighboring access points.