In one aspect, a wireless device monitors radio link quality for a link between the wireless device and a wireless transmitter that is configured to transmit a discovery signal at spaced, periodic, intervals and that is further configured to intermittently transmit subframes carrying user data, such that the wireless device is unable to predict which subframes will carry user data before attempting to detect the subframes. The wireless device collects, for each of the spaced, periodic, intervals, discovery-signal signal quality metrics corresponding to the discovery signal. The wireless device also collects, for each detected subframe carrying user data, detected-subframe signal quality metrics corresponding to the detected subframe. The wireless device generates, for each of a plurality of evaluation intervals, an in-synch or out-of-synch indication, based on a combination of the discovery-signal signal quality metrics corresponding to the evaluation interval and the detected-subframe signal quality metrics corresponding to the evaluation interval.