
0dB is no interference, -20dB is high interference 90dBm is excellent, -120dBm is poor or no signal 70dBm is excellent, -110dBm is poor or no signal Here is a quick breakdown of the numbers: To improve the signal you could try to relocate the router closer to a window, or an external cellular antenna may be needed if the cellular signal is blocked or there is a metal roof on the building, for example. If you have a weak RSRP of -105dBm and an RSRQ of -18dB, the resulting cellular network may be slow or unreliable. To get the best performance out of the cellular connection, you will want to check its RSRP and RSRQ. Say you’ll be installing a Pepwave MAX BR1 for cellular backup in your home or business. Typically better signal quality results in a more reliable connection. RSRQ is typically displayed in a range from 0dB (highest quality) to -20dB (lowest quality). This again only applies to 4G LTE networks and is a measure of the signal quality of a cellular connection. RSRQ is Reference Signal Received Quality.

Many devices show RSSI for LTE connections along with RSRP, but RSRP is a better indicator of signal strength. An RSRP of -95dBm would be a strong signal whereas -115dBm would be very weak. A cellular phone or another LTE-equipped device would display signal strength in RSRP, measured 0dBm (best signal) to -110dBm (weakest/no signal). RSRP is short for Reference Signal Received Power, used when measuring 4G LTE networks. A cellular router or cellular amplifier may show an RSSI of -70dBm, which would be a strong connection. RSSI is used when measuring the strength of 3G networks. RSSI is displayed as a negative number from 0dBm (best signal) to -110dBm (weakest/no signal). RSSI is short for Received Signal Strength Indicator and is a measure of cellular signal strength.

While these things may sound daunting at first, we’ll break it down to what you need to know and provide a real-world example of how this info can be used. Whether you are going to install and manage a cellular router or deploy a cellular signal booster or amplifier system, there are a few acronyms that you’ll frequently encounter.
