Both InControl and the router web interface show detailed cellular information in several places.
But what do the acronyms and values mean? Let’s have a look.
The cellular WAN quality is one of the first things to check when cellular routers are deployed.
The following acronyms are used to indicate 3G and LTE signal quality:
| RSSI | Received Signal Strength Indicator | Signal Strength | 3G and LTE |
| EC/IO | Energy to Interference Ratio | Signal Quality | 3G |
| RSRP | Reference Signal Received Power | Signal Strength | LTE |
| RSRQ | Reference Signal Received Quality | Signal Quality | LTE |
| SINR | Signal to Interference-plus-Noise Ratio | Throughput | LTE |
Below is an indication of the signal interpretation.
When installing cellular solutions you are often limited by environmental factors and the available networks in the area, but by using a site survey you’ll always be able to pick the most appropriate location for the router. Additional external antennas can make a huge difference if you can’t install the router in the optimal location.
| EC/IO | RSSI | RSRP | RSRQ | SINR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 0-6 | -70 dBm | > -90 dBm | > -9 dB | >10 |
| Good | -7 to -10 | -70 dBM to -85 dBm | -90 dBm to -105 dBm | -9 dB to -12 dB | 6 to 10 |
| Fair | -10 to -14 | -86 dBm to -100 dBm | -106 dBm to -120 dBm | -12 dB to -15 dB | 0 to 5 |
| Poor | -14 to -20 | > -100 dBM | -120 dBm | -15 dB to -20 dB | <0 |
The Ninja’s View
Both InControl and the router web interface show the cellular details in several places.
We use the router’s web admin console if we need to view real-time values, because there can be a slight delay in sending these details to InControl.
We use the InControl WAN quality report for regular monitoring and fault finding.
The report shows the signal information in a selected time period and also includes latency details for the selected time-period.
This makes it possible to investigate historic issues with a cellular connection.
