Effect of rainfall on cellular signal strength: A study on the variation of RSSI at user end of smartphone during rainfall

Rainfall is a natural phenomenon whose temporal and geographical distribution varies widely across the globe. Wireless communications suffer a loss in network quality during rainfall which can affect the regional communication for a while. Growing concerns of climatic change also encourage to study the effects of natural phenomena like rainfall on other measurable parameters. In this work, we study the effects of rainfall on cellular signal strength at the user end, especially on RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator). RSSI is a measure of the power present in a received radio signal. Rainfall can cause natural interference over transmitting signals (radio waves) in microwave links. We use Signal Strength Android Application Programming Interface Keys popularly known as APIs to get realtime RSSI readings from smartphones. Rainfall intensity measurements are made by rain gauges. It has been concluded from the analysis that during rainfall there is a drop in RSSI values from the all-day mean.