Difference between revisions of "Mobile Signal Strength Recommendations"

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! style="text-align: left; background: #6ACE61;" | > -65 dBm  
 
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Revision as of 09:02, 29 September 2017

Main Page > FAQ > Networking > Mobile Signal Strength Recommendations

Summary

This chapter is an overview of recommended signal strength levels for different mobile service modes.

Signal Measurement

Signal strength values are defined by a few different measurements which vary even more for different service modes. These measurements are as follows:

  • RSSI
  • RSRP
  • RSRQ
  • RSCP
  • SINR
  • EC/IO

2G (GSM)

2G (GSM) Signal strength is defined by only one value: RSSI – Received Signal Strength Indicator;

RSSI
RSSI Signal strength
>= -70 dBm Excellent
-70 dBm to -85 dBm Good
-86 dBm to -100 dBm Fair
< -100 dBm Poor
-110 dBm No signal

3G (WCDMA, TDSCDMA, CDMA, EVDO, CDMA-EVDO)

For 3G service mode, there are three relevant measurements:

  • RSSI - indicates the received signal strength
  • EC/IO - indicates the downlink carrier-to-interference ratio (signal quality)
  • RSCP - indicates the received signal code power

The RSSI standard values for 3G are basically the same as 2G

RSSI
RSSI Signal strength
>= -70 dBm Excellent
-70 dBm to -85 dBm Good
-86 dBm to -100 dBm Fair
< -100 dBm Poor
-110 dBm No signal
EC/IO
EC/IO Signal quality
0 to -6 Excellent
-7 to -10 Good
-11 to -20 Fair to poor


4G (LTE)

For 4G service mode, there are three relevant measurements:

  • RSSI - indicates the received signal strength
  • RSRP - the Reference Signal Received Power is the power of the LTE Reference Signals spread over the full bandwidth and narrowband
  • SINR - Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (A minimum of -20 dB SINR is needed to detect RSRP/RSRQ). Indicates the throughput capacity of the channel. As the name implies, SINR is the strength of the signal divided by

the strength of any interference

  • RSRQ - Reference Signal Received Quality is a C/I type of measurement and it indicates the quality of the received reference signal (similar to EC/IO)


RSRP
RSRP Signal strength
>= -80 dBm Excellent
-80 dBm to -90 dBm Good
-90 dBm to -100 dBm Fair to poor
<= -100 dBm No signal
RSRQ
RSSI Signal quality
>= -10 dB Excellent
-10 dB to -15 dB Good
-15 dB to -20 dB Fair to poor
<= -20 dB No signal
SINR
SINR Signal strength
>= 20 dB Excellent
13 dB to 20 dB Good
0 dB to 13 dB Fair to poor
<= 0 dB No signal

RSSI for LTE is a calculated from several other signal related measurements: RSSI = wideband power = noise + serving cell power + interference power. For example, a 4G LTE modem might report an RSSI of -68 dBm, but: RSRP = -102 dBm

RSRQ = -16 dB

SNR = -1.8 dB

In this case, the signal quality is actually very poor. This could be due to the device being some distance away from the LTE transmitter. It’s also possible that something is interfering with the signal, such as a building or other obstructions between the device and the tower.

RSSI
RSSI Signal strength
> -65 dBm Excellent
-65 dBm to -75 dBm Good
-75 dBm to -85 dBm Fair
-85 dBm to -95 dBm Poor
<= -95 dBm No signal