What is SINR?

SINR stands for Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio, a way of

expressing the quality of wireless reception right this instant where you are
SINR = S / (I+N)
S = power of the desired signal which you are receiving
I = power of other sectors also being picked up in the mix
N = noise power from all sources your receiver internal noise,
noise from nearby electronic equipment, welding shop next door,
navy ship off the coast, etc etc.
Under normal, semi-clean circumstances the Interference is way bigger
than the noise, and the signal quality ratio is for all practical purposes just
the power of the desired sector versus the power from all the other sectors.
This measurement is C/I:
C/I = C / I
C stands for carrier and its the same thing as S in SINR
I stands for interference, and its the same thing as I in SINR
N is small enough it isnt really a player, and can be ignored
3-2005

(c)2005 Scott Baxter Scott@ScottBaxter.com

340 - 1

Ec/Io and C/I

AP

C
I

mobile receive power

Relationship of

C/I and Ec/Io

For EV-DO Signals

Power from
Serving Sector

Ec

Interference Power
from other cells

Io

Ec/Io, db

0
-10
-20
-30
-30

-20

-10

+10

+20

There are two main ways of expressing

signal quality in 1xEV-DO
C/I, is the ratio of serving sector power to
everything else, mainly all other sectors
C/I determines the forward data rate
mobiles measure C/I during the pilot
burst period, then from it decide what
data rate to request on the DRC
Ec/Io is the ratio of one sectors pilot power to
the total received power
the mobile uses Ec/Io to choose which
sectors to request for its active set
Ec/Io and C/I are related, and one can be
calculated from the other
EVDO Ec/Io is close to 0 db near a sector,
and ranges down to -10 at a cells edge
EVDO C/I can be above +10 db near a
sector, and -20 or lower at the edge

C/I, db
3-2005

(c)2005 Scott Baxter Scott@ScottBaxter.com

340 - 2

Relationship of Ec/Io and C/I in 1xEV-DO Systems

-30

-25

-20

-15

-10

-5

10

15

20

C/I,
db

-0.04
-0.14
-0.17
-0.21
-0.27
-0.33
-0.41
-0.51
-0.64
-0.79
-0.97
-1.19
-1.46
-1.76
-2.12
-2.54
-3.01
-3.54
-4.12
-4.76
-5.46
-6.97
-8.64
-10.41
-12.27

20
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-6
-8
-10
-12

3-2005

-5

-10

Ec/Io, db

Ec/Io,
db

-15

-20

-25

-30

C/I, db

(c)2005 Scott Baxter Scott@ScottBaxter.com

340 - 3