Cellumap: Make Your Own Coverage Map!

Hi All,

I'd like to announce here that CELLUMAP is now available to public Beta testing!

Cellumap Cellular Coverage Maps

...what is Cellumap? It's a revolution in cellular coverage maps, in that all the plots are made by YOU the subscriber, and NOT the network operator, who often only releases high-level and outdated coverage plots to the public.

How can you make your own coverage plots? Read more here, but basically you need a Symbian OS9.x (S60 3rd or 5th) phone with a GPS, and having a data subscription would be useful if you plan to use it alot. But in short, when you run the app on your phone, it starts the phones GPS, and takes the coordinates and a snapshot of the cellular network, and sends the data to the Cellumap server, where you can then view this point in real-time on a Google-Map display.

Here's a screenshot of some points made by Zürich Airport. The dots have the signal strength inside the center, and green indicates good signal strength, where yellow indicates worse (red and black would be the worst, but coverage there was decent, hence no red dots)



You can view CID and LAC plots as well, and filter plots by time/date. At the moment there aren't that many plots, but as with any user-generated web-site, it's only as good as YOU make it. If you have any comments or questions, please post them in this thread, or contact me via my website (in my signature).

Thanks, and happy plotting!

PS- "Cpacebo bolshoi" to a certain WA member who gave a hand!

 

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I finally got some beta testing done on Long Island Here's a snapshot of some AT&T 3G points down the LIE (495). The phone stayed on 3G the whole way I beleive:



oh, and here's some screenshots of the Symbian S60 phone app:



Here's a full list of screenshots:
http://www.cellumap.com/cellumap-screenshots.html

 

It's a "friendly user", who's trekking over to NJ and upstate, so you'll see some more points there as well. I imagine 3G will taper out as he heads upstate, but then 2G points should be visable.

Actually I was planning on a BlackBerry version next, but it you and Charlyee want WM, then hmmm... I'll think about it. Altho I don't have a WM device ...what's the cheapest WM device with a GPS? Is there something I can pick up on ebay for say around $100 or less?

*edit* oh, wait you're on Sprint? Oh, I don't know if this kind of thing will work with CDMA... maybe...hmmm...I gotta look into that. Can people make "freeware" apps for Verizon/Sprint? Or do they have to approve all apps first?

 

Thanks to everyone for the interest ...ok, that settles it, I'll have to make both RIM and WM versions :highclap: (when I can find time :O)

Charlyee also reccomended a HTC, I'll have to start looking at one of those for a cheap GPS enabled WM device.

As for a CDMA version, glad to hear you think it should work, I'll have to look into that more.

Patience You'll be old before you know it :O

Not a stupid question. Yes, it will work with ANY carrier world-wide .

 

Update:

-Thanks for the HTC reccomendations, Charlyee and Yankees, but I found a good deal on a new Samsung BlackJack 2 ($140 shipped). The BJ2 has quad-band GSM, plus tri-band 3G (850/1900/2100)...and of course GPS and WM6. So anyway, since I got alot of requests for a WM version, I'm bumping up devlopment on that and hopefully have a WM version in the coming weeks/months!.

-I see there have been people using the app in: Alaska, Texas, Florida, Indiana, New York, Switzerland and Bangladesh! :highclap: I can also confirm the Cellumap phone app works on the following: Nokia N95, E71 and 5800

 

It's never too late, Cellumap will be there for years to come, as will GPS enabled Symbian and WM phones

Oh, PS- for those waiting on a WM version: I'm downloading the 90-trial of Visual Studio 2008 Pro (required for the mobile development module plug-in). Since I don't want to pay the $200 or whatever for the licensed version, the clock is now ticking: I have 90 days to complete the Cellumap WM app
Download details: Visual Studio 2008 Professional (Trial)

PPS- I also see that Herr Gates makes Visual Studio Pro available FREE to students:
https://www.dreamspark.com/default.aspx

...if any student here registers for the free version ... let me know

 

The carriers listed in the drop-box appear dynamically when someone using that network logs a point. Since I only have a GSM/UMTS version out right now, you won't see Sprint or verizon, since they are CDMA.

I'd like to do a CDMA version, but most the development tools are geared for GSM/UMTS, because that's what 85% of the world is using. I know in the US it's more like 50/50 with GSM vs. CDMA ...and even if I do find something...actually WM has CDMA development tools...but I'm in Europe where there's no CDMA networks for me to test/develop it on :O (ok, well, there's some small fixed-wireless ones on 450Mhz, but ...)

I'm looking into the different versions of WM, and am a little confused Altho, I think if I develop something for the "Standard" it should work on the "Professional" or "Pocket PC" as well. I need to use mainly the RIL architecture, and I think that's valid accross all WM platforms. From what I read so far, it seems there will be more of a problem not with the different versions of WM, but more with how the OEM's implement them (ie: some may make radio interface parameters open and accessible, others may block them).

If anyone who has a WM device now, can you tell me:

Do you have (or have had) an app on your phone that can show you radio details like Cell ID, Signal Strength, frequency (eg: ARFCN)? If yes, please tell me your phone model, and what app it is. Also, if you tried some kind of app that should show you radio info, but failed to work on your phone, please tell me the make and model of that as well.

Thanks!

 

Not problems...challenges

Thanks, I'll look at that once I get my WM device.
Yea, with GSM you are only on one carrier, but with UMTS you can be connected to 3 cells simultaneously, so an average signal strength has to be used ... A.K.A: "Aggregated Signal Strength of the Active Set"

 

Just a quick update: I haven't had time to start development on either WM or BB versions ...but stay tuned. I'd also like to "simplify" the Syambian version, by rolling all 3 SIS files into one and signing it, and for that I need to not only register and pay $220 to Symbian, but also jump thru a bunch of certification hoops ...so we'll see...

Meanwhile, I'd like to say the beta testing is coming along nicely. Here's a nice drive test on the Centennial network just north of Ft.Wayne, IN. It's interesting to compare it to the publicly released coverage maps. You can see where the Centennial coverage map shows just right of "Cedar" where the signal drops from "Excellent" to "Good" it corresponds to the drive test result, where the signal strength drops from green (-80's dBm) to yellow (-90's dBm). I also compared the results with some other operators coverage plots, and Cellumap seems to be reporting coverage areas quite accurately so far

 

Thanks dmapr, I looked at the Thawte website, and it's interesting, and I may sign it in that way as well. But I was referring to Symbian's own signing system:
https://www.symbiansigned.com/app/page/overview/process

If you make a SIS file that accesses "sensitive" information on your phone (ex: cellular radio info like signal strength, MNC, MCC, etc) then the app needs to be signed by Symbian (and only by Symbian). You can sign the app yourself, but it's only good for your IMEI (ie: only your phone). This is fine for development, but bad for distribution. To have Symbian sign it so it can be used on any phone, you have to pay $200 for a developer license, and then $20 for each app. And the hoops that are given in the link above are really a PITA I don't know why Symbian just doesn't allow users to agree when they install the app "Do you allow this program to read your phones info?" and click "YES". It would make life easier for everyone So as the current "workaround" I have to ask each user sign the app themselves with their own IMEI. This is actually the way Nokia tells developers to distribute freeware (read here)

 

I would love to make one Java version to run on all phones and call it a day, but unfortunately, each phones OS has different ways of accessing the cellular parameters (like signal strength), and hence I have to make a new app for each platform (Symbian, RIM, WM, etc...) if you have a BlackBerry or Win Mobile device, stay tuned, one may be coming in the next weeks/months. I have nothing planned beyond that at the moment...

 

Good question, and the answer is: the way the app currently works, is that you can run it without any internet connection and it will view and record all the info (GPS location, signal strength, etc.) and then ask you if you are ready to upload. You can leave it in this state until you are in range of an internet connection (cellular or WiFi), and then you can send it.

So, for example, you can go outside, run the app, then come inside and send the data over your wifi connection. But you can only do it like this for one point at a time, meaning, you can not drive around record 10 points, then come back and send them all from your wifi. Maybe I can make a future version like that, but not at the moment.