Signal strength RSRP (reference signal received power)
How strong your network's signal is when it reaches the phone. All values are negative; closer to zero is stronger.
−80 dBm or higher (for example −70 dBm) is generally strong.
Site survey app · Android and iPhone
Check your CBRS coverage with WalkTest, a site survey app
WalkTest is a walk test app from Waveform for Android and iPhone. Walk your building with a phone on your network and map signal strength and speed room by room. It works on CBRS private LTE and 5G networks as well as carrier and Wi-Fi networks.
Private5G.com is operated by the team behind Waveform and RSRF.
- Phones
- Android · iPhone
- Free walks
- Up to 5 min
- Maps onto
- Your floor plan
- Exports
- PDF · CSV
On a CBRS network
What WalkTest can check on a CBRS network
CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) is shared spectrum at 3550–3700 MHz that private LTE and 5G networks in the US can use. Once your radios are on the air, WalkTest answers the practical questions below, and ties each reading to the spot where you took it.
Is there signal where people work?
Signal strength (RSRP). How strong your network's signal is when it reaches the phone, at each spot on the floor plan.
AndroidIs the signal clean?
Signal quality (SINR and RSRQ). Whether noise and interference are drowning out your signal. Strong signal alone doesn’t guarantee good speeds.
AndroidIs the phone really on our CBRS network?
Frequency band. Band 48 (LTE) or n48 (5G) means the reading came from CBRS spectrum. Any other band means the phone is using another network, such as a carrier's.
AndroidWhich radio covers this spot?
Cell IDs (PCI, eNodeB ID, NCI). Numbers that identify the radio, or cell, serving the phone. Where the ID changes along your route, the phone has moved to another radio.
AndroidIs it fast enough for our apps?
Speed tests. Download speed, upload speed and latency (the delay before data arrives). Upload matters most for cameras that send video.
AndroidiPhone
Step by step
How to run a walk test
A walk test is the measuring part of a wireless site survey: you walk the site with a phone and record what it receives. These steps follow the app’s workflow as Waveform and the store listings describe it.
- Get a test phone onto your network
Use an Android phone for signal readings. It must support Band 48 or n48 and hold a SIM card or eSIM from your network, or it can’t connect. Our device guide shows how to check. WalkTest runs on ordinary phones, not calibrated test equipment, so test with the models your staff and machines will use.
- Add the building and its floor plan
Enter the building’s address and upload the floor plan as a PDF. You can pin the plan to its place on Google Maps, so every exported reading carries a latitude and longitude.
- Pair more phones if you want a comparison
One phone is the lead: you mark your position on it, and it stores readings from the others. Pair a phone on a carrier network to compare it with yours, or a second phone model. The free version pairs 2 phones; Pro pairs up to 4.
- Check the band, then walk
Before you start, confirm the phone shows Band 48 or n48. Then walk where devices will work: aisles, loading docks, offices, stairwells, and the corners farthest from a radio. Tap Mark where you stand as you go, and the app spreads readings along your route. On a rooted Android phone (one unlocked for full system access), you can also lock the phone to one band, so every reading comes from the band you are testing. Free walks stop at 5 minutes; Pro removes the limit.
- Set thresholds and export
In the app’s settings, set the ranges that count as good or poor for each measurement; the PDF report uses them. The PDF shows coverage maps and averages for every floor. The CSV file lists every reading with its location, for iBwave or other radio-planning software.
- Test again after changes
A walk test is a snapshot. Walk again after you add or move a radio, and when coverage complaints start. Your SAS can also move your radios to another channel or lower their power (see CBRS explained).
Reading the results
What the numbers mean: RSRP signal strength, SINR and RSRQ
WalkTest colors readings by the ranges you set. If you don’t have targets yet, Waveform’s guide to phone signal readings gives these rough bands. They describe phone signal in general, not targets for your network: ask whoever designs it what your devices and apps need.
Signal quality SINR (signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio)
How much of what the phone hears is your signal rather than noise and interference. Higher is better.
Over 10 dB is excellent, over 5 dB good, over 0 dB acceptable. Below 0 dB means low quality.
Signal quality RSRQ (reference signal received quality)
A second quality measure. All values are negative; closer to zero is better.
Over −9 dB is excellent, over −12 dB acceptable. Below −12 dB means low quality.
Frequency band LTE Band 48 or 5G n48
The band the phone is using. On a CBRS network it should read 48 or n48 everywhere you walk.
Band 48 (LTE) and n48 (5G) both cover 3550–3700 MHz.Limits
What a walk test can’t tell you
It is not a SAS
A SAS (Spectrum Access System) authorizes every CBRS radio and assigns its channel and power. WalkTest only measures the signal your radios send. It can’t authorize a radio or tell you which channels you will get.
It is not a site design
It measures radios that are already on the air. A full wireless site survey also plans where new radios go and how many you need. That takes a radio design by an engineer, and WalkTest’s CSV export can feed one.
It doesn’t check spectrum rules
Federal protection areas and Priority Access Licenses near your site don’t show up in a walk test. The CBRS map gives that planning context for an address.
iPhone runs speed tests only
The App Store listing names download speed, upload speed and latency. Signal strength, quality, band and cell IDs are listed for Android only. Waveform says Android phones allow a much deeper set of signal measurements.
Platforms and price
WalkTest on Android and iPhone
From the store listings and Waveform’s WalkTest page, checked Oct 2, 2026.
Android
Google Play: WalkTest - Indoor Cell Mapping
- Measures
- RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, frequency band, cell IDs (PCI, eNodeB ID, NCI), download and upload speed, latency
- Networks
- Carrier networks and private LTE and 5G networks
- Band locking
- Yes, on rooted phones (phones unlocked for full system access): lock the phone to one band to test that band alone
- Requires
- Not stated on the listing page
- Updated
- September 23, 2026
iPhone
App Store: WalkTest - Cell/Wifi Testing
- Measures
- Download speed, upload speed, latency
- Networks
- Cellular and Wi-Fi
- Listed by
- Staircase 3, Inc., the company Google Play names as the developer behind Waveform.com
- Requires
- iOS 15.6 or later
- Updated
- Version 1.0.6, November 5, 2025
Price
WalkTest is free to download. The free version walks for up to 5 minutes with 2 phones. Pro adds unlimited walk length, up to 4 phones, unlimited buildings, more detailed reports and more signal measurements.
The App Store lists four monthly subscriptions from $99.99 to $399.99, and Google Play lists in-app purchases in the same range. Neither listing says what each price includes. Waveform offers a free trial of Pro through its WalkTest page.
Related guides and tools
- CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) explained: who can use the 3.5 GHz band, and howCBRS is shared 3.5 GHz spectrum you can use without buying a license. A plain guide to the tiers, the SAS, radar zones, PALs and power rules.
- CBRS devices: which phones, routers, and modules support Band 48 and n48Which iPhones, Pixels, rugged phones, routers and modules support CBRS Band 48 or 5G n48, and how to check the band a phone uses.
- Private LTE networks: what they are and how to set one upWhat a private LTE network is, why most private networks still use LTE, the CBRS spectrum and equipment you need, and how to set one up.
- CBRS spectrum and protection mapCheck DPAs, PAL holders, and Part 96 device-class and height rules for a location.
- Project brief builderAnswer six guided questions and get a brief you can share.
Sources, checked Oct 2, 2026
- WalkTest - Cell and WiFi Signal Mapping for Android and iOS — Waveform. Features, free and Pro versions, Android and iOS differences.
- WalkTest - Indoor Cell Mapping — Google Play (developer: Waveform.com). Android measurements, private LTE/5G testing, band locking, CSV export, in-app purchase prices, last update.
- WalkTest - Cell/Wifi Testing — Apple App Store (seller: Staircase 3, Inc.). iPhone measurements, iOS version requirement, subscription prices, version history.
- Field Test Mode for iPhones and Android (updated February 17, 2026) — Waveform. What RSRP, SINR and RSRQ mean, and the rough reading bands.