CellRadar guide: check your signal and Wi-Fi in 5 minutes
The CellRadar app shows the signal your phone really gets, in plain words, and helps you work out why the internet feels slow. In five minutes you can read your live mobile signal, run a speed test, check your Wi-Fi channel, find the best spot in a room and see which devices are on your network. Here is a simple order to try things in.
What the CellRadar app does, and what it does not
CellRadar measures, explains and points you to the fix. It reads your mobile signal in dBm with the network type, carrier, band and cell ID. It analyses nearby Wi-Fi, tests your speed and lists the devices on your network.
It cannot boost your signal or speed up your network. No app can. What it does is show you where the problem is, so you can pick the right fix: a better channel, a better spot, or a call to your provider.
There is no account to create. Your readings, scans and saved places stay on your phone. The app is available in 14 languages.
Before you start: permissions
Android treats Wi-Fi scan results and cell details as location information, so apps need location permission to read them. When the app asks, allow location access, or it will not be able to show nearby networks or full mobile signal details. If you want new-device alerts or the live readout in the notification bar, allow notifications too.
Minute 1: read your live mobile signal
Open the app and look at the home screen. It shows your live mobile and Wi-Fi signal. For mobile, you will see:
- Signal strength in dBm, a real number rather than bars.
- The network type, such as 4G or 5G.
- Your carrier.
- The band and cell ID your phone is using.
If dBm is new to you, our guide on what dBm means explains it in a few minutes. Walk to another room and watch the number change.
Minute 2: run a speed test
Open the speed test and run it from where you usually use the internet. It shows download, upload, ping and jitter. Run it once next to the router and once in the room where things feel slow. The difference tells you a lot.
If you are not sure what the numbers mean, see download, upload, ping and jitter explained.
Minute 3: check your Wi-Fi channel
Open the Wi-Fi Analyzer. It lists nearby networks, draws a channel graph showing which channels are crowded, recognises Wi-Fi 6, 6E and 7, and suggests a channel to try. If your network shares a busy channel, changing it in your router settings can help. Our guide on how to find the best Wi-Fi channel walks through it.
Minute 4: find the best spot
Open the Wi-Fi Meter and walk slowly around the room. The live gauge rises and falls with your Wi-Fi strength. Use it to find the best place for your desk, your sofa, or a mesh point.
For a whole floor, the Dead-zone Walk Map lets you walk a room and colour each spot by its measured signal. Weak areas stand out at a glance.
Minute 5: see who is on your network
Open the Device Scanner. It lists the devices on your Wi-Fi with names and makers. The Network Map draws them around your router. If you see something you cannot explain, our guide on what to do about an unknown device on your Wi-Fi helps.
Turn on Network Guard if you want an alert when a new device joins.
When you want an answer, not just numbers
The CellRadar app also turns readings into plain-language answers:
- Network Doctor: runs step-by-step checks and gives a plain-language verdict on why the internet is slow.
- Game & Call Check: tells you whether your connection is ready for video calls, gaming and 4K.
- Network Health Report: a score out of 100 with performance and security findings.
- Ask CellRadar: type a question and it runs the right test.
Other tools worth knowing
- Signal map: your own readings on a map, with offline maps and place search.
- History and reports: a signal history with PDF and CSV reports, handy when you contact your carrier.
- Widget and live monitor: a home-screen widget and an optional live readout in the notification bar.
- Wi-Fi QR codes: scan one to join a network, or create one to share yours.
- Password vault: encrypted storage for your Wi-Fi passwords.
- Privacy Sweep: devices on your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices nearby, in one tap.
- Satellite & Sky View: the satellites your phone receives and how open your sky is.
- Network tools: ping, DNS lookup, traceroute, port check, Whois, IP location, MAC lookup, IP calculator and Wake-on-LAN.
- Discovery and terminal: Bonjour, UPnP and NetBIOS discovery, SNMP and an SSH/Telnet terminal.
Where to go next
You can find more details on the CellRadar page. If you want to make sense of your first readings, start with the guides linked above, then come back to the app and test one change at a time.
Frequently asked questions
Can the CellRadar app boost my signal?
No. No app can boost a radio signal or speed up a network. CellRadar measures your signal and Wi-Fi, explains what the readings mean and points you to the fix.
Why does CellRadar need location permission?
Android treats Wi-Fi scan results and cell details as location information, so apps must have location permission to read them.
Do I need an account to use CellRadar?
No. There is no account, and your readings, scans and saved places stay on your phone.
Does CellRadar work on 5G?
Yes. It shows the network type your phone is using, including 5G, along with signal strength in dBm, band and cell ID.