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Assessing Cellular Strength for Mesh Planning
Gathering Cellular Strength Readings
When we have technicians on-site dealing with the matter of cellular device installation, we must have the technician gather the cellular strength (in dBm or RSRP). Following this step-by-step guide, the technician can gather the cellular strength reading if they’re using an Android or Apple device:
Both dBm and RSRP are the same measurement on both Android and Apple.
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dBm (on Android) stands for “decibel milliwatts”, and it's a unit that measures the amount of power an amplifier or antenna can produce, or the signal strength at a location.
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RSRP (on Apple) stands for “Reference Signals Received Power” and it simply presents the dBm rating.
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Tap Settings
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Tap About Phone
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Tap Status or Network
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Tap SIM Status
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Your dBm is under Signal strength
You can see the dBm with them placing their phone directly on the charger.
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Launch phone app
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Dial *3001#12345#* and then tap the green Call button
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You will find yourself in the Field Test Mode Dashboard interface. Tap on the Menu button at the top-right: See attached pictures
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Next, tap on the Cell Info cell under the RAT section: See attached pictures
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In the next window, look for the RSRP cell. This is your signal strength: See attached pictures
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Then you have a reading while next to the charger or with phone on charger.
What does the RSRP/dBm I found mean?
RSRP (or dBm) is displayed as a negative number ranging from -80 to -100.
|
Cellular Quality |
RSRP (dBm) Rating |
OK to install modem? |
|---|---|---|
|
Excellent |
-80 |
Yes |
|
Good |
-81 to -89 |
Yes |
|
Poor |
-90 to -99 |
No |
|
No Signal |
-100 |
No |
If you’re hoping to install a cellular modem (modem kit or network box) in a location with poor cellular quality, then you may want to consider:
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If installing a modem kit, consider relocating the modem kit to another charger with better cellular quality. If that doesn’t work, use a cellular network box instead (see below).
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If installing a cellular network box, consider relocating the cellular network box somewhere in the garage with better cellular quality, then install relay box(es) if necessary to extend the mesh towards the chargers.
