May
Technical Benefits
5G Signal Strength and 5G-NR Bands
5G NR stands for 5th Generation New Radio. It is the latest mobile network technology, providing faster speeds and lower latency than 4G LTE. The 5G router has a 5G cellular modem inside to connect to the 5G cellular networks and provide an internet connection.
If you’re wondering whether the 5G router works in your area, the first step is to check the 5G signal coverage. Please ensure you have an activated 5G SIM card, then examine signal conditions using the practical methods outlined below.
How to check the 5G signal strength?
To achieve optimal speed and a stable connection on the 5G router, it should be installed in an appropriate location, such as an elevated position, near a window, and away from obstructions and RF equipment. Please remember that the 5G terminal device and its antennas should cover the 5G frequency bands used by your carrier.
Coverage Map:
Many mobile carriers provide coverage maps for their 4G and 5G services. You can also check third-party services for coverage. The easiest way is to verify online that your location is included.
Field Tests:
i. The easiest way is to use a 5G smartphone and check the signal bars. When there are more than two 5G signal bars, the 5G router generally works well.
ii. The more accurate way is to read the below signal parameters in a smartphone’s field test mode. Please refer to the video on how to turn on field test mode on an iPhone. Some Android phones also support native field test mode, and you can also use the signal test app.
iii. Our 4G/5G SIM card routers display key signal parameters on the front page for easy monitoring of the mobile connection.
5G Cellular Signal Parameters
RSRP stands for Reference Signal Received Power. It is the main parameter for measuring the 5G reference signal power level received from the cell tower. RSRP directly reflects the strength of the 5G signal at the device and is one of the most important indicators of coverage quality.
RSRQ stands for Reference Signal Received Quality. It measures the received 5G signal quality by comparing the power level to the overall noise level. RSRQ is particularly useful for identifying network congestion and interference, even when signal strength appears adequate.
SNR, also called S/N and SINR, stands for Signal to Interference Plus Noise Ratio. It compares the 5G signal to the combined interference and noise levels. A lower SNR value will lead to slow data speeds. When SNR is below 0 dB, interference is higher than the signal level, which could severely impact 5G internet connectivity.
Note: RSRP and RSRQ are expressed as negative values (usually 2~3 digits). Values closer to zero indicate better signal conditions. SNR is a positive value. A higher SNR indicates lower RF interference and better overall signal quality.
What is a good 5G signal strength?
The internet speed on 5G modems varies depending on the signal quality and the available 5G-NR frequency bands. Understanding 5G signal strength measurement helps select cellular routers, install antennas, or optimize placement.
For most 5G routers, a good signal typically means an RSRP between -80 and -90 dBm with an SNR above 13 dB, which is usually sufficient to deliver stable connectivity, low latency, and consistent download speeds.
Unlike 4G LTE, 5G operates across a much wider range of frequency bands and uses more advanced radio technologies. The 5G signal quality depends not only on raw signal power (dBm) but also on stability and resistance to interference. What is considered “good” can vary by factors such as the 5G NR band, distance from the base station, physical obstacles, and network congestion; meaning stronger signals generally support higher and more stable throughput, while weaker signals may still show “5G” on a device but lead to slower speeds, higher latency, or frequent drops.
To make these signal strength thresholds easier to interpret in real-world scenarios, the following chart shows how common RSRP, RSRQ, and SNR values generally correspond to overall 5G signal quality and user experience.
5G Sub-3GHz Signal Definition Chart
| RSRP (dBm) | RSRQ (dB) | SNR (dB) | |
| Excellent | > -80 | > -10 | > 20 |
| Good | -80 to -90 | -10 to -15 | 13 to 20 |
| Poor | -90 to -100 | -15 to -20 | 0 to 13 |
| Bad | < -100 | < -20 | < 0 |
Definition of 5G Signal Strength
These signal strength levels generally translate to the following user experience.
Excellent: Maximum speed and data throughput.
Good: Stable connection and good data throughput.
Poor: Maintain data connection with restricted throughput.
Bad: Connection drop or unable to keep a stable connection.
Cellular 5G-NR Frequency Bands
5G NR operates across diverse spectrum bands from 600 MHz to mmWave. The most used and widely deployed 5G-NR networks are Low-band 600 MHz to 1 GHz and Mid-band 1 GHz to 6 GHz. Here are the general divide types of the Sub-6 5G-NR frequency spectrums:
LB (Low-band) – 617~960 MHz
MB (Mid-band) – 1452~2400 MHz
HB (High-band) – 2300~2690 MHz
MHB (Mid-high band) – 1452~2690 MHz
UHB (Ultra-high band) – 3400~3800 MHz
Since spectrum allocations vary by country and mobile operator, both the 5G router and cellular antennas must support the specific 5G-NR bands used in your region. Outdoor Router offers 5G router models with broad global band support for international or multi-region deployments.
| No. | Uplink | Downlink | Bandwidth | Duplex |
| n1 | 1920 – 1980 MHz | 2110 – 2170 MHz | 60 MHz | FDD |
| n2 | 1850 – 1910 MHz | 1930 – 1990 MHz | 60 MHz | FDD |
| n3 | 1710 – 1785 MHz | 1805 – 1880 MHz | 75 MHz | FDD |
| n5 | 824 – 849 MHz | 869 – 894 MHz | 25 MHz | FDD |
| n7 | 2500 – 2570 MHz | 2620 – 2690 MHz | 70 MHz | FDD |
| n8 | 880 – 915 MHz | 925 – 960 MHz | 35 MHz | FDD |
| n12 | 699 – 716 MHz | 729 – 746 MHz | 17 MHz | FDD |
| n13 | 777 – 787 MHz | 746 – 756 MHz | 10 MHz | FDD |
| n14 | 788 – 798 MHz | 758 – 768 MHz | 10 MHz | FDD |
| n18 | 815 – 830 MHz | 860 – 875 MHz | 15 MHz | FDD |
| n20 | 832 – 862 MHz | 791 – 821 MHz | 30 MHz | FDD |
| n24 | 1626.5 – 1660.5 MHz | 1525 – 1559 MHz | 34 MHz | FDD |
| n25 | 1850 – 1915 MHz | 1930 – 1995 MHz | 60 MHz | FDD |
| n26 | 814 – 849 MHz | 859 – 894 MHz | 35 MHz | FDD |
| n28 | 703 – 748 MHz | 758 – 803 MHz | 45 MHz | FDD |
| n29 | N/A | 717 – 728 MHz | 11 MHz | SUL |
| n30 | 2305 – 2315 MHz | 2350 – 2360 MHz | 10 MHz | FDD |
| n34 | 2010 – 2025 MHz | 2010 – 2025 MHz | 15 MHz | TDD |
| n38 | 2570 – 2620 MHz | 2570 – 2620 MHz | 50 MHz | TDD |
| n39 | 1880 – 1920 MHz | 1880 – 1920 MHz | 40 MHz | TDD |
| n40 | 2300 – 2400 MHz | 2300 – 2400 MHz | 100 MHz | TDD |
| n41 | 2496 – 2690 MHz | 2496 – 2690 MHz | 194 MHz | TDD |
| n46 | 5150 – 5925 MHz | 5150 – 5925 MHz | 775 MHz | TDD |
| n47 | 5855 – 5925 MHz | 5855 – 5925 MHz | 70 MHz | TDD |
| n48 | 3550 – 3700 MHz | 3550 – 3700 MHz | 150 MHz | TDD |
| n50 | 1432 – 1517 MHz | 1432 – 1517 MHz | 85 MHz | TDD |
| n51 | 1427 – 1432 MHz | 1427 – 1432 MHz | 5 MHz | TDD |
| n53 | 2483.5 – 2495 MHz | 2483.5 – 2495 MHz | 11 MHz | TDD |
| n65 | 1920 – 2010 MHz | 2110 – 2200 MHz | 90 MHz | FDD |
| n66 | 1710 – 1780 MHz | 2110 – 2200 MHz | 70/90 MHz | FDD |
| n67 | N/A | 738 – 758 MHz | 20 MHz | SDL |
| n70 | 1695 – 1710 MHz | 1995 – 2020 MHz | 15/25 MHz | FDD |
| n71 | 663 – 698 MHz | 617 – 652 MHz | 35 MHz | FDD |
| n74 | 1427 – 1470 MHz | 1475 – 1518 MHz | 43 MHz | FDD |
| n75 | N/A | 1432 – 1517 MHz | 85 MHz | SDL |
| n76 | N/A | 1427 – 1432 MHz | 5 MHz | SDL |
| n77 | 3300 – 4200 MHz | 3300 – 4200 MHz | 900 MHz | TDD |
| n78 | 3300 – 3800 MHz | 3300 – 3800 MHz | 500 MHz | TDD |
| n79 | 4400 – 5000 MHz | 4400 – 5000 MHz | 600 MHz | TDD |
| n80 | 1710 – 1785 MHz | N/A | 75 MHz | SUL |
| n81 | 880 – 915 MHz | N/A | 35 MHz | SUL |
| n82 | 832 – 862 MHz | N/A | 30 MHz | SUL |
| n83 | 703 – 748 MHz | N/A | 45 MHz | SUL |
| n84 | 1920 – 1980 MHz | N/A | 60 MHz | SUL |
| n85 | 698 – 716 MHz | 728 – 746 MHz | 18 MHz | FDD |
| n86 | 1710 – 1780 MHz | N/A | 70 MHz | SUL |
| n89 | 824 – 849 MHz | N/A | 25 MHz | SUL |
| n90 | 2496 – 2690 MHz | 2496 – 2690 MHz | 194 MHz | TDD |
| n91 | 832 – 862 MHz | 1427 – 1432 MHz | 30/5 MHz | FDD |
| n92 | 832 – 862 MHz | 1432 – 1517 MHz | 30/85 MHz | FDD |
| n93 | 880 – 915 MHz | 1427 – 1432 MHz | 35/5 MHz | FDD |
| n94 | 880 – 915 MHz | 1432 – 1517 MHz | 25/85 MHz | FDD |
| n95 | 2010 – 2025 MHz | N/A | 15 MHz | SUL |
| n96 | 5925 – 7125 MHz | 5925 – 7125 MHz | 1200 MHz | TDD |
| n97 | 2300 – 2400 MHz | N/A | 100 MHz | SUL |
| n98 | 1880 – 1920 MHz | N/A | 40 MHz | SUL |
| n99 | 1626.5 – 1660.5 MHz | N/A | 34 MHz | SUL |
| n100 | 874.4 – 880 MHz | 919.4 – 925 MHz | 5 MHz | FDD |
| n101 | 1900 – 1910 MHz | 1900 – 1910 MHz | 10 MHz | TDD |
| n102 | 5925 – 6425 MHz | 5925 – 6425 MHz | 500 MHz | TDD |
| n104 | 6425 – 7125 MHz | 6425 – 7125 MHz | 700 MHz | TDD |
| n105 | 663 – 703 MHz | 612 – 652 MHz | 40 MHz | FDD |
In practice, you can check the 5G coverage and signal strength before buying a 5G router and find an optimal location. For signal blind areas, our outdoor waterproof routers provide flexibility in choosing the installation site and support higher-gain external antennas to improve signal reception.
If you need help selecting a 5G router or planning a signal evaluation and deployment, please contact us for professional support.