Cellular Network Assessment

Use this feature to check device connectivity to the cellular network.

Most assessments are completed in under one minute, but may run for as long as four minutes, the default maximum for all Business Units. During the assessment, the module stops its local beacon, listens to the cellular network, and gathers and locally stores assessment data. When the assessment is complete, the module resumes its local beacon and you can retrieve the assessment summary from the endpoint. All summary data is pushed from the mobile app to the FDM Tools server on synchronization. When synchronization is complete, the assessment data is cleared from the Field Tools application.

To indicate that the Start Cellular Assessment command was received, the screen displays "Waiting for Beacon." You can wait while it completes the assessment.

  • Most assessments take less than 20 seconds.

  • Four minutes is the default timeout if the beacon hears nothing from the endpoint.

If you choose not to wait, click Exit. The IMR receiver shuts off, and you can move on to another endpoint and return to this one later. The endpoint continues to collect the assessment data and build the summary even if you exit.

For efficiency, you can perform multiple assessments at a time, reviewing the summary of one while you are waiting for others to complete.

  1. Tap or select the module from the main menu.

  2. Tap or select Cellular Information.

  3. Tap or select Cellular Network Assessment.

  4. Tap or select Start Cellular Assessment

  1. Tap or select the module from the main menu.

  2. Tap or select Cellular Information.

  3. Tap or select Cellular Network Assessment.

  4. Tap or select Assessment Summary. The following fields display in the assessment summary.

Overall Assessment

Graphic representation of the quality of the cell signal. Calculated with a combination of the signal measurement fields described near the end of this table.

  • Excellent (3 green bars): Registration was successful with good signal quality.

  • Fair (2 yellow bars): Registration was successful with marginal signal quality.

  • Poor (1 red bar): Registration failed with sub-optimal or no network statistics obtained, indicating unlikely successful operation.

Endpoint ID

The ID number of the device you are working with.

Assessment Status

Displays one of the following, indicating the activity of the module at the time the assessment was performed.

  • Endpoint Not Searching. The cellular device is not attached to a network and is not searching for a network.

  • Connected to Home network. The cellular device is attached to a network.

  • Timeout searching for network. The cellular device was searching for a network but the search timed out.

  • Attach Rejected. The cellular device attempted to attach to a network but was rejected by the network.

  • No cellular network found. The cellular device searched but could not find a suitable network.

Time of Assessment

The date and local time when this assessment was performed.

Duration of Assessment

The number of seconds it took to complete this assessment.

Cell Tower ID

The identifier of the cell tower that the device is connected to.

Receive Signal Quality

A measurement of the power in a received cell signal.

  • Excellent (3 green bars): -15 dB or greater

  • Fair (2 yellow bars): -16 dB to -18 dB

  • Poor (1 red bar): -19 dB or less

Signal to Noise Ratio

Compares the strength of the signal to the strength of background noise.

  • Excellent (3 green bars): 2dB or greater

  • Fair (2 yellow bars): -2dB to 1dB

  • Poor (1 red bar): -3 dB or less

Reference Signal Power

The power of signals received from the cell tower to help the device estimate the quality and strength of the link.

  • Excellent (3 green bars): -105 dBm or greater

  • Fair (2 yellow bars): -104 to -109 dBm

  • Poor (1 red bar): -110 dBm or less

  1. Tap or select the hamburger menu icon.

  2. Tap or select Cellular Assessment Info. Filter options are displayed in a pick list.

  3. Select and configure an appropriate filter (options include One Day, One Week, Since Last Sync).

  4. Tap or select [Proceed]. A list of summaries is displayed.

  5. Tap or select the Request Summary Info link for the endpoint in question. The assessment summary displays.

  6. Review the values as defined in Reviewing assessment summaries via the task menu.

To verify that the module has a good connection to the cellular network, verify the following ranges:

  • Receive Signal Quality (RSRQ) average is greater than -19 dB

  • Signal To Noise Ratio (SINR) average is greater than -3 dB

  • Reference Signal Power (RSRP) average is greater than -110 dBm

If any one of these values do not fall into the recommended ranges, your endpoint does not have a good connection to the network. This can be due to either a bad installation, a bad location, or a bad device.

Investigate the installation of the module. Take action to correct any RF obstacles and/or improve upon the initial installation. For example, if you have a non-RF-friendly lid in a pit installation, exchange it out for an RF-friendly lid.

After improving the installation, wait 24 hours and test the signal strength again. If you still cannot achieve a good connection, you may need to replace the module or change the location of the installation. Discuss options with your Itron Technical Representative, as the best choice varies from environment to environment.