Bit Error Rate (BER) & SNR Guide
Analyze communication system performance with our interactive simulators and MATLAB tools.
What is Bit Error Rate (BER)?
The BER indicates how many corrupted bits are received compared to the total number of bits sent. It is the primary figure of merit for any digital communication link.
BER = (number of bits received in error) / (total number of transmitted bits)
What is Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)?
SNR is the ratio of signal power to noise power, typically expressed in decibels (dB) to handle large variations in signal strength.
SNR (dB) = 10 * log10(Signal Power / Noise Power)
Example: An SNR of 3 dB means signal power is 2x stronger than noise.
Interactive BER Calculator
Calculate theoretical BER for PSK and QAM systems instantly.
M-ary PSK
---
M-ary QAM
---
Performance Comparison
| Technique | Bits/Symbol |
|---|---|
| BPSK | 1 |
| QPSK | 2 |
| 8-PSK | 3 |
| 16-QAM | 4 |
| 64-QAM | 6 |