LTE/5G Modem RSRP, SINR, RSRQ ranges and labels (excellent, good, etc.)

RouterOS Beginner Basics
1

Hello all,

I have a MikroTik Chateau 5G ax router with RG502Q-EA LTE modem. When I look at the console, I can see various ranges (e.g., -46 dBm) and their corresponding labels (e.g., excellent). How can I access which ranges correspond to which labels on the router?

For example, I am looking something like the following as a table for different network scenarios 5G SA, 5G NSA, and LTE for all available metrics.

For 5G SA:
RSRP more than -80 is excellent,
RSRP between -80 and -90 good,
RSRP between -90 and -100 fair,
RSRP below -100 poor.

I tried to look at the source code but did not understand where I can find these mappings. They do not come from the AT commands so Mikrotik must be setting these ranges and corresponding labels. Can anyone help me?

Best,
Birkan
mikrotik-lte-modem-5g-sa.png
mikrotik-lte-modem-lte.png

2

Should be the same for both 4G/LTE and 5G/NR which you can find most anywhere ie something like below. These numbers are just meant to give you a general idea.

RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power): The strength of the signal your device receives from the cell tower.

Level		RSRP (dBm)	Description
Excellent	-80 to -65	Strong signal, ideal for high-speed data and reliable connections.
Good		-85 to -80	Reliable signal, good for most activities including streaming.
Fair		-90 to -85	Weaker signal, may experience slower speeds or occasional drops.
Poor		Below -90	Very weak signal, likely to have frequent drops and slow speeds.

RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality): The overall quality of the signal, considering factors like interference. Higher (less negative) values are better.

Level		RSRQ (dB)	Description
Excellent	-10 to -5	High-quality signal with minimal interference.
Good		-15 to -10	Good quality signal, suitable for most uses.
Fair		-20 to -15	Acceptable quality, but may experience some degradation in performance.
Poor		Below -20	Low quality signal, likely to have noticeable issues with speed and reliability.

SINR (Signal-to-Interference-Plus-Noise Ratio): The ratio of the desired signal to background noise and interference. Higher values are better.

Level		SINR (dB)	Description
Excellent	25 or higher	Very strong signal relative to background noise, excellent performance.
Good		15 to 25	Strong signal, good performance for most activities.
Fair		5 to 15		Moderate signal, may experience some slowdowns or reduced quality.
Poor		Below 5		Weak signal, performance significantly impacted by noise and interference.

RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator): A general measure of signal strength, often used in older network technologies (like 2G/3G). Higher (less negative) values are better.

Level		RSSI (dBm)	Description
Excellent	-60 or higher	Strong overall signal strength.
Good		-70 to -60	Decent signal strength, generally reliable.
Fair		-80 to -70	Weaker signal, may experience some issues.
Poor		Below -80	Very weak signal, likely to have significant problems.
3

Hello @Larsa,

Thank you for your response. I also found ranges on the internet based on different sources, as you also mentioned. Unfortunately, they do not align with what Mikrotik is showing all the time.

Firstly, some sources show different ranges for 4G/LTE and 5G/NR. Some sources suggest 5G/NR needs a cleaner signal, thus higher positive values to achieve the same ‘excellent’ label.

Additionally, based on my testing, the ranges are different between your suggestions and what Mikrotik shows. For example, -100 dBm for RSRP is considered as fair on LTE, where it is shown as poor on your mappings. On 5G SA, -90 dBm for RSRP is considered good, where it is considered fair in your suggestion. I recorded these differences for RSSI, RSRP, SINR, RSRQ, and their NR-RSRP, NR-RSRQ, and NR-SINR counterparts.

Is there an official mapping resource from the Mikrotik to understand how they are translated into actual labels? I am sure it is somewhere in the code but I did not find where it is yet.

Best,
Birkan

4

First: RSSI is completely useless quantity in 4G/5G as it contains everything … including your microwave owen (and you probably imagine how much it helps your data transfers).

Next: mapping between numbers and words are subjective and different between vendors, there is no 3GPP standard describing them. And with a reason: every device has different (even ever so slightly) receiver with different sensitivity (RSRP) and selectivity (RSRQ), even same numbers mean different net performance (which is what actually counts). And, at the end of the day, it’s subjective to user whether some particular throughput is good or fair or whatever.

5

The 5G high-speed band FR2 (mmWave) need stronger and better signal quality to work well, but otherwise, it’s pretty much the same as 4G. Though 5G does have a bunch of new signal metrics and things like CRS aren’t sent as often.

For a more detailed explanation, Google or use your favorite AI and look up “Compare RAN signal metrics RSRP, RSRQ, and SINR between 4G/LTE and 5G/NR.”