If you're looking to purchase a cell signal booster for a building or stationary RV, there are two critical measurements of the outdoor signal you need to take in order to find the right device.
Once you have these numbers, our Signal Specialists can help guide you on the best booster.
The two critical numbers are:
You can find this information by entering Field Test Mode on iPhones, or using apps on Android devices (we'll discuss these later).
We're all familiar with our phone's signal bars. But what do they actually mean?
Well, it varies from phone to phone. Each manufacturer makes a decision on how to combine "signal strength" (RSRP) and "signal quality" (SINR) and translate them into bars.
Getting exact RSRP and SINR values gives you a much more granular view of your signal. If you're buying a booster, having RSRP and SINR measurements is critical.
For example, if you have strong signal you can often use a lower-cost booster, and if your SINR is low you should make sure to order a high-gain outdoor antenna.
Unfortunately not all iPhones support taking RSRP and SINR measurements in Field Test Mode. iPhones with Intel chipsets are capable of taking these measurements, but phones with Qualcomm chipsets are not.
The table below shows all compatible iPhones for each carrier:
Verizon | AT&T | T-Mobile | Sprint |
iPhone XR | iPhone 7/7+ | iPhone 7/7+ | iPhone XR |
iPhone XS/XS Max | iPhone 8/8+ | iPhone 8/8+ | iPhone XS/XS Max |
iPhone 11 | iPhone X | iPhone X | iPhone 11 |
iPhone 11 Pro/11 Pro Max | iPhone XR | iPhone XR | iPhone 11 Pro/11 Pro Max |
iPhone SE 2nd Gen 2020 | iPhone XS/XS Max | iPhone XS/XS Max | iPhone SE 2nd Gen 2020 |
iPhone 12/12 Mini | iPhone 11 | iPhone 11 | iPhone 12/12 Mini |
iPhone 12 Pro/12 Pro Max | iPhone 11 Pro/11 Pro Max | iPhone 11 Pro/11 Pro Max | iPhone 12 Pro/12 Pro Max |
iPhone SE 2nd Gen 2020 | iPhone SE 2nd Gen 2020 | ||
iPhone 12/12 Mini | iPhone 12/12 Mini | ||
iPhone 12 Pro/12 Pro Max | iPhone 12 Pro/12 Pro Max |
Note:
The following devices have Qualcomm chipsets and will not show signal strength and quality information:
To access field test mode on an iPhone running iOS 13, you just need to follow these steps. If your phone's running the more recent iOS 14, scroll down a little further for updated instructions.
If you've updated your iPhone to iOS 14, you'll follow a very similar process to the above, with a few adjustments for the new Field Test Mode interface.
If you're using an Android device, we actually recommend using the Network Cell Info Lite application instead of Android's Field Test Mode.
Once you open the app, your RSRP signal strength is shown, and SINR is shown as "RSSNR."
If you're working a Signal Specialist at Waveform on a home or office project, please take screenshots of Network Cell Info Lite's home tab on all 4 sides of building and send them to our team.
Note: Some Android phones (like the Google Pixel) do not report SINR correctly. If the app is not showing "RSSNR," or is showing your "RSSNR" as 30 dB, that means it's not measuring SINR correctly. You can instead use the "RSRQ" measurement for signal quality. If your RSRQ is greater than -10 dB (e.g. -6 dB) then your signal quality is good. If RSRQ is less than -12 dB your signal quality is low.
If you want to see Android's less detailed Field Test Mode information, you can enter "Settings" then select "About Phone." Your signal strength in decibels (dBm) will be displayed under “Network” or “Status.”
Signal strength (RSRP) is measured in decibels milliwatts (dBm).
A higher values means a stronger signal. But all the values are negative, so don't get caught out! -60 dBm is stronger signal than -80 dBm, -80 dBm is stronger than -90 dBm, etc.
An RSRP -80 dBm or higher (e.g. -70, -60 or -50 dBm) is considered strong signal. This means that you can use a broadband signal booster, like those made by weBoost, Wilson, HiBoost and SureCall.
If your RSRP is lower than -80 dBm (e.g. -90 or -100 dBm), you should use a 100 decibel single-carrier booster like the Cel-Fi GO X, or for larger buildings, the Cel-Fi Quatra 2000. Please note: If your signal strength is less than -115 dBm, even the GO X and Quatra likely won't work well without a very high gain antenna like our Grid Parabolic.
Signal quality (SINR) is measured in decibels (dB). Any SINR measurement over 10 dB is excellent, over 5 dB is considered good, while over 0 dB is acceptable. A negative SINR means that you have low signal quality.
A booster will help increase the signal strength, but it won't help improve the signal quality. The only way to improve signal quality is to buy a high gain antenna like our Grid Parabolic, which requires careful aiming.
As a general rule, -80dB or higher (ie, -70, -60, -50) is considered strong signal. -110dB or lower (ie, -120, -130) is very weak.