Free tool

Check Network Coverage

Coverage changes street by street, so the only reading worth buying equipment on is one taken where your router will sit. Here is how to take it with a phone, and what the number means.

Check the signal where the router will sit

Take a phone with a SIM on the network you are considering to the exact spot — the window or room where the router would go. Indoors and outdoors can differ a lot.
Note what it connects on: 5G, 4G or 3G. Then run our speed test there, once in the day and once in the busy evening.
If you can, read the signal strength in dBm. Many Android phones show it under Settings, About phone, SIM status. A router shows it on its status page, often as RSRP.
Repeat with each network you are considering. The best network on your street may not be the best one across town, so ask the operator about your address too.

What the reading means

−75 dBm or strongerStrong: An indoor router at a window should do well here.
−75 to −90 dBmWorkable: Fine indoors, better with the router at a window facing the mast.
−90 to −105 dBmMarginal: Indoors this is hit and miss. An external antenna is usually the difference between working and not.
Weaker than −105 dBmToo weak: Too weak for an indoor router on its own. Think outdoor unit with a high-gain antenna, or satellite.

A rough guide, not a survey of your building. Walls, trees and the time of day all move the number.

Tell us where you are

Send us your town, the network and the reading you got, and we will suggest equipment that suits it. A photo of the phone or router screen helps.

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