Cellular Signal Quality Analyzer
Updated Apr 8, 2026
Enter your cellular router's RF signal metrics to get a per-metric status rating and composite health label. Runs each metric through standard 3GPP threshold bands and returns an Excellent / Good / Fair / Poor / Critical composite rating with a plain-English summary of what the metrics mean for your branch WAN.
Includes band classification context (Low / Mid / High-Band), technology throughput notes, interference detection when strength and quality diverge, and specific recommended actions when signal is degraded. No external API calls — fully deterministic.
Signal Quality Analyzer
Enter RF metrics from your cellular router to assess signal health and next steps.
Results will appear here after analysis
Enter your RF metrics above and click Analyze Signal
Cellular RF Metric Reference
Field-friendly reference for LTE and 5G signal metrics. Values vary by carrier, modem, band, antenna setup, and environment — treat ranges as typical guidance, not universal absolutes.
What Each Core Metric Tells You
- RSRP — Signal strength from the tower. The first number to check.
- RSRQ — Signal quality under real-world load and interference conditions. Can be poor even when RSRP looks healthy.
- SINR — Signal versus interference and noise. Directly controls how fast the tower can talk to your modem.
- RSSI — Total received power including everything (signal + noise + interference). Useful for trend-watching; less useful alone for root cause.
Signal Quality Thresholds — Digi-Aligned LTE Reference
| Level | RSRP | RSRQ | SINR | RSSI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | ≥ −80 dBm | ≥ −10 dB | ≥ 20 dB | ≥ −65 dBm |
| Good | −90 to −81 dBm | −15 to −11 dB | 13 to 19 dB | −75 to −66 dBm |
| Mid Cell | −100 to −91 dBm | −20 to −16 dB | 0 to 12 dB | −85 to −76 dBm |
| Cell Edge | < −100 dBm | < −20 dB | < 0 dB | < −85 dBm |
RSRP, RSRQ, and SINR thresholds are aligned with Digi LTE documentation. RSSI thresholds are a nictools supplemental reference and are not Digi-documented values. mmWave environments and carrier-specific implementations may differ.
All Metrics Explained
| Metric | Full Name | What It Measures | Why It Matters | Good Range | Poor Range | Notes / Caveats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSRP | Reference Signal Received Power | Received signal strength from the serving cell's reference signal | Primary indicator of signal strength. Lower (more negative) = weaker signal. Drives coverage and handover decisions. | ≥ −80 dBm | < −100 dBm | Most commonly cited metric for cellular WAN health. Start here when troubleshooting. Thresholds per Digi LTE reference. |
| RSRQ | Reference Signal Received Quality | Signal quality relative to total received power (interference + noise included) | Reveals whether interference or congestion is degrading the channel. Can be poor even when RSRP looks healthy. | ≥ −10 dB | < −20 dB | RSRP/RSRQ divergence (good strength, poor quality) typically points to sector congestion or nearby interference. Thresholds per Digi LTE reference. |
| SINR | Signal to Interference + Noise Ratio | Ratio of signal power to combined interference and noise floor | Directly controls what modulation the tower can use — higher SINR enables higher-order modulation (64QAM, 256QAM) and faster speeds. | ≥ 13 dB | < 0 dB | Also written as SNIR or SNR depending on modem vendor. Negative values indicate more noise/interference than signal. Thresholds per Digi LTE reference. |
| RSSI | Received Signal Strength Indicator | Total received power across the channel — signal, interference, and noise combined | Useful for quick trend checks and antenna adjustment feedback, but less precise than RSRP/RSRQ/SINR for root cause analysis. | ≥ −75 dBm | < −90 dBm | Includes all noise and interference. Use RSRP/RSRQ/SINR to understand why RSSI is low. |
| CQI | Channel Quality Indicator | UE-reported index (0–15) representing channel quality as seen by the modem | Higher CQI causes the eNodeB to schedule higher-order modulation, directly translating to faster throughput. | 10–15 | 0–4 | Reported by the modem to the tower. Not always exposed by consumer/branch routers. |
| EC/IO | Energy per Chip to Interference Ratio | Signal quality ratio used in CDMA/UMTS (3G) networks | Legacy 3G quality metric analogous to SINR. Not applicable to LTE or 5G. | > −6 dB | < −12 dB | UMTS/CDMA only. If your modem reports this, it may be on a 3G fallback connection. |
| PCI | Physical Cell ID | Integer identifier (0–503 LTE, 0–1007 NR) of the serving cell sector | Used for site troubleshooting, neighbor cell analysis, and carrier escalations. Unexpected PCI changes indicate a handover. | Stable | Frequent change | Same PCI on different sites is normal. PCI conflicts on the same tower are a carrier-side issue. |
| EARFCN | E-UTRA Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number | Channel number that maps to a specific LTE center frequency | Identifies which LTE band and exact frequency your modem is camped on. Useful for confirming band preference settings took effect. | N/A | N/A | Each EARFCN maps to one band and one center frequency. Lookup tables are widely available. |
| NR-ARFCN | NR Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number | 5G NR equivalent of EARFCN — maps to a specific 5G center frequency | Confirms which 5G band is active. Useful when validating 5G carrier configurations or NR fallback behavior. | N/A | N/A | Sub-6 and mmWave NR-ARFCNs occupy different ranges. Check carrier docs for band mapping. |
| Band / Channel | Frequency Band | The LTE or 5G frequency band currently in use | Different bands have very different range, building penetration, and throughput ceilings. Band choice is often the biggest lever for branch WAN stability. | Low or Mid-Band for stability | mmWave without LOS | Low-band (B12, B13, B71, n71): best coverage. Mid-band (B4, B66, n41): balanced. mmWave (n260, n261): max speed, minimal range. |
| Cell ID / eNB / gNB | Cell Identifier / eNodeB ID / gNodeB ID | Unique ID of the serving base station and sector | Identifies the specific physical tower and sector serving the modem. Essential for carrier escalation tickets. | Stable | Rapid cycling | eNB = LTE base station, gNB = 5G base station. Cell ID = eNB/gNB ID × 256 + sector index (LTE). |
| TAC | Tracking Area Code | Identifier for the tracking area the UE is registered in | TAC changes indicate the device has moved to a new registration area. Large unexpected changes may indicate roaming or misconfigured SIM policy. | Stable | Frequent change | Not a signal quality metric — used for network registration and paging. Changes during normal handover are expected. |
Quick Interpretation Guide
Strong RSRP, poor RSRQ
Sector congestion or nearby interference. The tower is close but the radio environment is noisy — other users or RF sources are competing for the same channel.
Contact carrier about congestion on the sector, or test a different band if the router supports it.
Good RSRP, bad SINR
Interference-dominant environment. Signal strength is adequate but another RF source is drowning it out.
Check for nearby interference sources. A directional antenna may help isolate the tower signal.
Weak RSRP, decent RSRQ / SINR
Distant tower, but the RF path is relatively clean. Performance may be acceptable but signal margin is low.
A high-gain directional antenna pointed at the tower often provides the biggest improvement here.
Bad RSRP + bad SINR
Weak and noisy signal. This link is likely unreliable for primary WAN use.
Evaluate whether cellular is viable at this site. Consider a different carrier, band, or site survey.
RSRP / RSRQ / SINR all good, slow speeds
RF metrics are healthy — the bottleneck is likely carrier-side congestion, plan throttling, or a device/config issue.
Check carrier plan limits, QoS settings, and whether the modem is using carrier aggregation.
Strong RSSI, poor RSRQ / SINR
Total received power is present, but usable signal quality is poor. Interference, noise, or congestion is the dominant issue — not raw signal strength.
Focus on RSRQ and SINR to diagnose. RSSI alone does not confirm a healthy link; quality metrics matter more for throughput.
Metrics improve with antenna reposition
Physical RF path matters. Even a few degrees of rotation or a foot of height change can meaningfully shift RSRP and SINR.
Use RSRP as the primary guide during antenna alignment; watch SINR for interference confirmation. RSSI can provide quick trend feedback during adjustments.