Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face situations where the operator’s stated mobile Internet speed is not true, and pages in the browser are loaded with a noticeable delay. Visual indicators like “4G” or “LTE” on the screen can be deceptive, since they only indicate the type of technology, but not the real strength of the radio signal that your device’s antenna receives.
To accurately diagnose problems with the connection of standard icons in the status bar is clearly not enough: the user needs to access hidden system data or use specialized software that will show technical indicators in numerical terms. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to access the engineering menu, how to correctly interpret the values of dBm and RSRP, and which applications will help to conduct a deep analysis of the quality of coverage in your location.
Understanding these parameters will allow you not only to choose the best operator, but also to optimally adjust the access point or decide whether to purchase an external signal amplifier, we will consider both the standard capabilities of the MIUI and HyperOS shell, and advanced methods for those who want to know about the state of the network absolutely everything.
Visual assessment and standard status indicators
The first and most affordable way to measure communication quality is to look at the status bar at the top of the screen. Xiaomi devices display G, E, 3G, H+, 4G or 5G icons, which indicate the generation of the network used. However, it is worth noting that the presence of a 4G or 5G icon does not guarantee high data transfer speed, since this is only an indication of the ability to connect to the tower of the corresponding standard.
You can often see that the number of sticks in a signal changes dynamically when you move around your apartment or office, a phenomenon that is due to the fact that the Android operating system aggregates the signal level data and rounds it up for the user's convenience. In reality, jumps from 4 to 5 sticks can mean a change in signal level by only a few decibels, which in critical situations can lead to a connection break.
⚠️ Warning: Don’t rely solely on the number of signal bands. In dense urban areas or inside buildings with thick walls, the phone may show the full signal level, but the actual speed will be low due to the high load of the operator’s base station.
For a more accurate visual assessment, modern versions of MIUI can activate real-time Internet speed mapping through notification settings and status bars, which allows you to see the current channel activity, but not the technical quality. If you see that speeds often drop to zero when you're in active use, that's a direct sign of the radio channel's instability.
Use of the Engineering Menu for Accurate Measurements
The most reliable information about the status of the radio module is provided by the built-in engineering menu, which is a hidden part of the system, designed for testing equipment by engineers, but also accessible to ordinary users. USSD-code that works on most models without the need for root rights.
To get into the testing menu, open the standard Phone app and dial the combination ##4636##. Once the last digit (*) is entered, the system will automatically redirect you to the Testing section. Here you are interested in Phone Information. This section displays the key technical parameters of the current connection.
☑️ Checking in the engineering menu
In the window that opens, scroll down to Signal Strength. Here you will see the ASU (Arbitrary Strength Unit) and the signal level in dBm. The dBm is a negative number, and the closer it is to zero, the better the signal. For example, -60 dBm is a great signal, and -110 dBm is a very weak one, close to network loss.
It’s important to note that the interface of this menu may vary slightly on different processors (Snapdragon, MediaTek), but the key metrics remain the same. If the menu does not open using standard code, your operator or firmware may block this access, and then you will have to use third-party applications.
What if the code doesn't work?
Decoding of technical parameters: dBm, RSRP, SINR
Once you have access to technical data, many users are faced with ambiguous acronyms. To be effective, you need to interpret these values correctly. The main indicator is RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) - the power level of the received reference signal. As with general dBm, the RSRP values are negative.
The second most important parameter is SINR (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio), which was formerly called SNR. It shows the ratio of useful signal to noise. High signal strength (for example, -80 dBm) at a low SINR (less than 0 dB) means that the ether is littered with interference, and you will not get high speed even with a full scale on the screen.
Here is a table that will help you classify your connection quality based on your numerical values, and save this data to quickly assess the situation in different locations in your apartment or city.
| Parameter | Excellent value. | Average value | Bad value | Critical significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSRP (dBm) | -60 to -80 | -81 to -95 | -96 to -110 | below -115 |
| SINR (dB) | 20 | 10 to 20 | 0-10 | below 0 |
| ASU | 30 | 15 to 29 | 5-to-14 | 5 |
Please note that the values ASU A relative unit that depends on the type of network (GSM, UMTS, LTE). For LTE The signal level in dBm is calculated by the formula: dBm = -113 + (2 * ASU). Understanding this dependence allows you to quickly estimate the quality of communication, even if the application shows only the quality of the connection. ASU.
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RSRP shows the strength of the signal, and SINR shows the purity of the signal. For fast Internet, both are important: a strong but noisy signal will work slowly.
Third-party applications for detailed network analysis
If the built-in tools don't seem informative or inconvenient, Google Play offers a host of customized tools, and Network Cell Info Lite has been the leader in this category for years, not only showing numbers, but also visualizing the location of cell towers on a map using your phone's GPS data.
Another powerful tool is CellMapper. This app is unique in that it collects coverage data in crowdsourced mode: you help build a coverage map, and in return you get access to detailed statistics on all the surrounding base stations, including their ID, frequencies and channel width, which is especially useful for choosing an operator when buying a new smartphone or router.
- 📡 Network Cell Info Lite is the best choice for real-time signal visualization with graphs and a compass on the tower.
- 🗺️ CellMapper – a professional tool for mapping coverage and obtaining technical data about the LTE/5G network.
- 📶 OpenSignal – convenient for speed testing and finding Wi-Fi access points, has built-in coverage maps of major operators.
Using these apps, you can identify dead zones in your home or office, you can walk through rooms with a running tester and find the point where RSRP and SINR are highest, and this is where you should place your smartphone when you make important calls or use it as a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Factors affecting the quality of signal reception
Why does the phone catch the net perfectly at one end of the room and lose it at the other? There are many physical factors that affect the propagation of radio waves, most notably wall materials, concrete walls with reinforcements, metal insulation of facades and energy-efficient glass-stained windows with spray create the effect of a Faraday cell by shielding the signal.
Also, the terrain and the presence of high-rise buildings between you and the base station have a significant impact. In urban conditions, the signal often comes in the form of reflected waves, which can cause interference and degrade the SINR parameter. Even the weather (heavy rain or snowfall) can weaken the signal, especially in high-frequency bands.
⚠️ Warning: Phone cases, especially those made of metallic thread leather or thick silicone with magnetic fasteners, may reduce the level of reception on the phone. 3-5 If you have a bad signal, try removing the case for inspection.
And remember, the base station itself is loaded, and in the evening, when subscriber traffic is high, the speed can drop even if the signal level is good, and this is a limit on the bandwidth of the operator's equipment, which the smartphone user cannot fix.
Methods to improve reception on Xiaomi devices
If the measurements are not satisfactory, you can try software methods to improve the situation. In the same engineering menu (#4636##) in the section "Tune your preferred network type", you can try to change the mode of operation. For example, switching from LTE/TD-SCDMA/GSM to just LTE Only can make the phone hold on to the 4G network, even if the signal is weak, instead of constantly jumping to 3G.
However, using LTE Only has a serious side effect: incoming voice calls may stop if your carrier does not support VoLTE (Voice over LTE) technology.
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Periodically turn on Flight Mode for 10-15 seconds, which causes the phone's modem to reconnect to the network and possibly choose a closer or less loaded base station.
In extreme cases, when software methods fail, you may be left with physical movement closer to the window or using external antennas (if the phone design allows them to be connected, which is rare) or signal repeaters. For home use, setting up calls over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi) can be an effective solution, if your carrier and tariff plan support this feature.