Cellular signal strength with iPhone

Summary

This is a hidden tool for iOS to measure Rx CBSD signal strength

Question

How can I measure CBRS LTE signal strength with my iPhone 11?

Customer Environment

iPhone 11 CBRS/LTE AP Measuring signal strength

Resolution

First, open the Control Center (or head over to the Settings app) and turn off Wi-Fi.
Then, open the Phone app and enter in the following numbers and symbols, exactly as written (including the stars and pound signs):
*3001#12345#*
Select LTE:

Then look for menu labeled “Serving Cell Meas.” This will contain measurements taken from the “serving” cell—the one you’re currently connected to.

You’re looking for “rsrp0,” which is the Reference Signal Received Power for the tower closest to you (although you may be connected to a secondary, further tower, whose power is listed under “rsrp1”).
This should be a negative number, in a range from around -40 to -140. A number closer to -40 is a really strong signal, while a number closer to -140 is a really poor signal. Anything between -40 and -80 is very good and you shouldn’t have any signal problems. Anything below -120 is very poor, and you might suffer interruptions in your connection and very poor data speeds.
There’s another useful data point on this page, labeled RSRQ0 (Reference Signal Received Quality). This is a value derived from both the signal strength and interference. This usually ranges between -3 (good) and -19.5 (bad). It’s possible to have a lower number, but to do so you have to have a really noisy, low-power signal.

Article Number:
000010021

Updated:
February 15, 2024 07:38 AM (10 months ago)

Tags:
Performance, Installation, Troubleshooting, Ruckus Cloud LTE

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