Signal Strength Read Out on an I Phone
Updated December 15, 2021
Signal bars are meaningless
Signal bars are not an accurate measurement of the forcefulness of the signal your cell phone is receiving. While they do signal something about the quality of your reception, at that place's no industry standard for "this much signal equals this many confined"—each cell phone manufacturer uses their own adding. When placed next to each other, 2 unlike brands of phones on the same cellular network might display unlike numbers of bars.
Have a look at the notification bar at the tiptop of this Android smartphone screen: The indicate meter (circled in red) indicates 4 bars. Almost people would say that's very practiced bespeak. Just is it?
How cell bespeak forcefulness is actually measured
The signal your phone receives from a cell belfry is measured in decibel-milliwatts (dBm), a unit of electrical ability in milliwatts (mW) expressed on a decibel (dB) scale. There are the three things you need to know about decibel-milliwatts:
- 1 milliwatt (i mW) is equal to 0 decibel-milliwatts (0 dBm). Since jail cell phones receive and transmit using much less power than i milliwatt (often every bit low as 0.00000000001 mW or less), cell signal strength is less than 0 dBm and therefore measured in negative numbers.
The closer you lot become to 0 dBm, the stronger the indicate; for example, −seventy dBm is stronger than −90 dBm, −95 dBm is stronger than −105 dBm, and so forth. - The decibel-milliwatt scale is logarithmic , meaning that every 10 dBm is a tenfold alter in mW:
Therefore, −80 dBm is 10 times the signal strength of −90 dBm, 100 times that of −100 dBm, and ane,000 times that of −110 dBm.−110 dBm
0.00000000001 mW
−120 dBm
0.000000000001 mW
- Any change in bespeak strength—proceeds or loss—is indicated in decibels (dB). If your exterior cell signal strength is −110 dBm, and you use a cell telephone indicate booster in your auto that provides 50 dB of gain, you lot'll receive −threescore dBm of signal* (−110 dBm + l dB = −threescore dBm).
* Plus any point gain from antennas, minus any betoken loss from coax cables and distance between your telephone and the booster'southward inside antenna.
What'due south considered "good" cell signal?
4G and 5G cellular signal strength are measured using RSRP (Reference Betoken Received Power). Excellent indicate strength on the RSRP scale is annihilation stronger than almost −85 dBm; poor signal strength is annihilation less than −115 dBm:
If you're receiving less than −120 dBm RSRP, you'll probably take difficulty making telephone calls, sending or receiving text letters, or using internet information.
Another factor to keep in heed is the quality of your cellular connexion—how much usable signal you are receiving vs. the amount of noise (unwanted disturbances of the signal). There are ways to measure cellular point quality (RSRQ and SINR), but that's beyond the scope of this article. Just exist aware that y'all can have strong cellular bespeak but nevertheless have slow data and dropped calls because your indicate quality is poor.
How exercise I determine my cell betoken strength?
Finding the signal force received by your phone depends on the manufacturer, the telephone model, and which cellular network yous're using.
- Instructions for Android (below)
- Instructions for iPhone (beneath)
Android instructions
If you accept an Android smartphone, wait in the telephone's settings under Signal Strength.
Exactly where this is found varies betwixt phone models, but it's usually somewhere in the phone'southward settings; possible locations include:
- Settings > About Telephone > Condition > Signal Strength
- Settings > About Telephone > Status > SIM Card Status > Indicate Strength
- Settings > Arrangement > Most Telephone > Status > SIM Status > Signal Strength
Hither are some examples from Android phones in our office. (Find that the RSRP readings in dBm are all nearly identical, but the number of bars varies.)
(click images to enlarge)
There are too many Android apps in the Google Play store that will display your phone'south signal force. One that nosotros recommend is Network Cell Info Lite, a free, advertizement-supported app that shows your RSRP bespeak strength in the center of its dashboard-like Gauge screen:
Links to third-party software are provided "as is," without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, and such software is to be used at your own take chances. Powerful Signal will not be liable for any damages y'all may incur in connection with downloading, installing, or using such software.
iPhone instructions
Getting the prison cell indicate strength reading on an iPhone is possible if your carrier and the chipset in your telephone both back up it.
Dial 
3001#12345# and printing the Call button:
This volition put your iPhone into Field Exam Mode. Y'all'll come across ane of the screens below:
If your Field Test Mode screen looks like this (#i):
Tap the list items menu at the top.
Under RAT,
tap Jail cell Info.
Look for the reading next toRSRP.
You can pin the RSRP reading to your Field Test Mode Dashboard past pressing the blue bookmark icon to the correct of the RSRP value.
To exit Field Examination Manner, swipe up or tap ◀ Phone at the top left-manus corner of the screen.
If your Field Test Mode screen looks like this (#two):
Tap the list items menu at the top, then tap Rach Effort.
On the next screen, await for the reading next to rsrp.
To exit Field Test Mode, swipe up or tap ◀ Telephone at the meridian left-hand corner of the screen.
If your Field Examination Mode screen looks like this (#iii):
Ringlet downwardly to LTE - Serving Cell Meas and expect for the reading next toRsrp0.
To leave Field Test Way, tap ◀ Phone at the top left-hand corner of the screen.
If your Field Examination Style screen looks like this (#4):
Tap 1xEV-Practise.
On the next screen, await for the reading next to Rx AGC0.
To get out Field Examination Mode, tap ◀ Phone at the summit left-paw corner of the screen.
If your Field Examination Mode screen looks like this (#5):
Tap LTE.
On the next screen, tap Serving Cell Meas.
On the adjacent screen, look for the reading adjacent to rsrp0.
To get out Field Exam Manner, tap ◀ Phone at the top left-mitt corner of the screen.
If your Field Test Style screen looks like this (#six):
Unfortunately this combination of chipset and carrier does not allow yous to get a cell signal reading in dBm. You lot'll accept to take a signal reading with another iPhone, an Android telephone, or a bespeak meter.
To exit Field Test Fashion, tap ◀ Phone at the elevation left-hand corner of the screen.
Your prison cell indicate will fluctuate
The signal yous receive from the cell belfry volition continually increment and decrease in strength, even if yous're not moving. Standing all the same, you'll commonly see fluctuations of ±5 dB. This is mainly due to user load on the jail cell belfry—the belfry antenna'southward power has to be spread across all the connected devices. Pinnacle usage times (rush 60 minutes, lunch 60 minutes, etc.) can issue in noticeably lower power for all users.
Because of shifting usage loads, signal forcefulness from a jail cell tower to your phone is constantly irresolute. If your cell bespeak is −110 dBm RSRP, you tin probably make a telephone call without whatever problems. If your −110 dBm signal falls to −120 dBm RSRP considering of the load on the tower, you might drib a telephone call but be able to redial and reconnect in a few seconds.
- Fix the cell betoken in your small office.
- Fix the cell signal in your home.
- Fix the prison cell indicate in your vehicle.
Physical barriers cake cellular transmissions
It's possible to be close to a cell tower but still be receiving weak cell indicate. Many building materials—including physical, metal, low-eastward glass, forest, and plaster—reflect or absorb cellular frequencies, preventing them from penetrating the building and reaching your phone. Stucco with wire mesh, metal roofs, big logs, and vapor barriers in attics as well impede cellular signal, every bit volition a large physical building betwixt you and the prison cell belfry.
If you're outdoors, dense forest and hills volition reduce or block prison cell signal. Low areas around lakes, rivers, and gullies can besides experience problems—at that place is signal, but it's passing mode over your head.
Dumbo urban areas with tall buildings have a different gear up of issues: Sometimes the top floors of buildings, twoscore or fifty stories upwards, can't get reliable cell signal considering cell tower antennas are aimed at lower elevations.
In these situations, a cell telephone signal booster for abode, office, or vehicle can solve your reception problems.
I can run into the belfry, but I have no indicate
Sometimes you can see your carrier's tower downward the road or off in the distance, but you're even so experiencing weak cell bespeak. Just because you can encounter the tower, though, doesn't mean that the tower is broadcasting in your management. This type of issue is more than common along remote highways where cell signal is mostly directed toward the highway and little or none is directed behind the belfry.
The sector antennas used on prison cell towers broadcast signal but in certain directions. Only because you can see the tower does not mean that it sees you.
It'southward as well possible that the tower nearest to y'all is owned or leased past a different carrier than the i you're using.
Frequency and technology limitations
Different cellular frequencies travel shorter or longer distances. Cellular transmissions in lower frequency ranges (700 MHz LTE and 850 MHz CLR) accept more than twice the range of transmissions in higher cellular frequencies (1900 MHz PCS and 1700/2100 MHz AWS).
Low-band cellular frequencies can travel long distances, with the lowest frequencies having the longest ranges. (Click to enlarge.)
Slower, low-frequency transmissions as well penetrate building materials more easily than faster, higher-frequency transmissions. You might be able to go slower cellular service at 700 MHz inside a big, downtown building but non get faster PCS or AWS service because those higher-frequency bands can't go through the building's concrete outside.
If you tin can decide which frequencies your carrier uses in your expanse, yous might be able to discover the reason behind the reception issues y'all're having. (Powerful Signal tin can help you lot with this; give us a phone call or email us for help.)
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Source: https://powerfulsignal.com/cell-signal-strength/
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