Sprint LTE Coverage Maps via Sensorly

[naturecannon]

That is just what someone has mapped...

Hmm, so they are turning off the mapping when they hit the side streets?  I am not doubting you, so dont get me wrong.  Just find it odd the main roads are getting the service/mapping with all the people mapping out there on their journeys and routes home.

[Paynefanbro]

Hmm, so they are turning off the mapping when they hit the side streets?  I am not doubting you, so dont get me wrong.  Just find it odd the main roads are getting the service/mapping with all the people mapping out there on their journeys and routes home.

No, it's just that no one has mapped the side streets yet. You can always map those areas yourself. It's just easier to map along a popular route for yourself. If you go down that sidestreet while mapping it will get added to Sensorly. It's completely crowdsourced.

[digiblur]

 

 

That is just what someone has mapped...

 

 

Hmm, so they are turning off the mapping when they hit the side streets? I am not doubting you, so dont get me wrong. Just find it odd the main roads are getting the service/mapping with all the people mapping out there on their journeys and routes home.

You need to have a talk with your local mappers then and tell them to drive the side streets. In my area the mappers go in the neighborhoods, some ride bikes on trails, through the woods, some take boats up and down the river, some even go out into the bays creating odd shapes.

But nevertheless you are welcome to use Sprint's maps that show more than what is there.

 

 

[naturecannon]

You need to have a talk with your local mappers then and tell them to drive the side streets. In my area the mappers go in the neighborhoods, some ride bikes on trails, through the woods, some take boats up and down the river, some even go out into the bays creating odd shapes.

But nevertheless you are welcome to use Sprint's maps that show more than what is there.

HAHA Ok I will talk to them. 

I guess I will also start mapping myself now and then and see what happens. But.... I wont go out of my way to use my phone while driving or pull over to turn off mapping when I get off the main/major roads 

[NGeorge]

Yeah just as noted... it's all crowdsourced... when I am actively mapping I try to hit a few side streets, but for the most part just assume that if a main route shows extremely strong coverage, it'll be that way in a near circle around the tower.

[naturecannon]

This is where I am confused with sensory. Pic below (center area)  is deep in the country on country road near a tower. Only shows service on the road a few miles each direction. Thats as far as coverage goes? Or the mappers only mapped for a few miles on that road (which I highly doubt)?  Both purple blobs are only a few miles long????

 

[dedub]

That is a very fringe signal, someone was driving along fletchers mill road and the light purple is the 4g that was active along that route.

 

the darker purple up by spring water is more likely where the 4g tower is, and apparently no one has driven along spring water with sensorly on with an active 4g signal.

 

You could also try switching the sensorly map to spring 3g to get a better idea of where 4g will eventually be available, the 3g maps are pretty nearly entirely mapped out they have been around for several years now.

[S4GRU]

When the sites come online one at a time, I have the following method for Sensorly mapping of a new site:

 

I go directly to the site, and circle it getting all the sector ID's. Then I drive away in the cardinal directions, north-south and east to west on the nearest arterial streets to plot the extents of the coverage. Then I go back to the site and drive around in concentric circles the best the neighborhood streets allow. All while Sensorly is mapping.

 

However, if I'm mapping with my wife and/or kids in the car, my mapping tends to just be arterial roads and highways between Point A and Point B...with possible variations in the route to pick up more coverage.

 

It may seem strange, but I really enjoy mapping time. I get to see parts of a city I've never driven, and I get to enjoy my favorite drinks from Starbucks, Jamba Juice, Bad Ass Coffee and Sonic. And perhaps a spicy chicken sandwich from Chickfila if one is along my route.

 

There is also a sense of accomplishment to get back to your computer and pull up Sensorly and see all the tracks you've left. So though my carbon footprint may be large, at least it's in shades of purple!!!

 

 

 

Robert from Note 2 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[Paynefanbro]

That's a fringe signal so likely yes. In NYC there is not a single tower that goes out for miles. Each tower is limited in range to within a couple of blocks which is about 1000 feet or so in radius. Gives us better indoor penetration, but not the best.

[dedub]

Also, elevation changes, trees and other building can make a pretty big difference in signals and map lines.

[WiWavelength]

Gives us better indoor penetration, but not the best.

 

No, outdoor penetration is definitely the best.  It is wild.

 

Sorry, I could not resist...

 

 

AJ

[Moropo]

omg cant stop laughing!

[dstar2002]

Get your car charger, start mapping a trip, drive around aimlessly until you are almost out of gas, refill, repeat.  Drive every road you can come across. Map will fill in nicely.

[WiWavelength]

omg cant stop laughing!

 

Now, the question is -- how is Sprint with "nostril penetration"?

 

 

AJ

[NGeorge]

I also think that these types of coverage blotches (especially the little purple dots that pop up) are due to Sensorly's "passive" data collection option that they try to get you to activate when you install the app. Best I can tell is that it randomly pops on and surveys what the phone sees and then pops off... you end up with purple dots on the LTE map--which generally means if I go near it with a full trip map turned on, I've just found a new tower. It doesn't really do much good for showing the breadth of coverage, but it does seem to do a good job of letting you know where previously undiscovered LTE is sitting for a wider area.

N

[digiblur]

I believe the OP needs to put the Sensorly down and use the Sprint.com maps as this seems to be what he/she is looking for.

[gr8nuguy]

thats why i use the "map trip" instead of just passive

[WiWavelength]

I believe the OP needs to put the Sensorly down and use the Sprint.com maps as this seems to be what he/she is looking for.

 

According to Sensorly, VZW LTE is also largely limited to highways, is not everywhere it claims to be.  OMGZ, LTE must be a scam.

 

 

AJ

[digiblur]

According to Sensorly, VZW LTE is also largely limited to highways, is not everywhere it claims to be.  OMGZ, LTE must be a scam.

 

 

AJ

 

And it shows VZW has less coverage then Sprint in my area!  DOH!! 

[briank86]

According to Sensorly, VZW LTE is also largely limited to highways, is not everywhere it claims to be. OMGZ, LTE must be a scam.

 

 

AJ

If it's on the Internet it must be true.

[gr8nuguy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmx4twCK3_I&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[BRUCEinGR]

To the original poster (and anyone else too), here is an OVER SIMPLIFYED explaination.

 

So as not to be bombarded with corrections from those more knowledgable, there are definately exceptions to what I am about to type, I'm just trying to make this easy to understand.

 

Most mapping on Sensorly is probably done by people running the app while on their normal commutes, which would be logical that these would largely involve travels on major roads, and not as much the "lesser traveled roads".  Especially in a newly activated area, coverage may have been found by surprise, and no one has made it back into that area to map the secondary roads/areas.  Some people go out specifically just to add map points when they know an area is active, others may simply map only along the routes they would normally travel because they don't have time and/or fuel to use for such a task as mapping.

 

Of couse another factor is the more populated an area is, the greater the chances of someone meeting all the criteria of having a Sprint LTE phone that can run the Sensorly app, actually having the app installed, actually actively using the app, and being in that area where a signal is, and then actually receiving that siganl.

 

That being said, if you think about a piece of graph paper, with all the little squares, now imagine those squares on a map.  The way the Sensorly app works is each time the GPS in your phone indicates you are in a different square, it samples your signal and reports the color to put in that square (yes, I know, they really look more like circles on the map).  So, if no one actually takes a phone, meeting all the criteria above, into one of those squares, it won't show any coverage on the map.  Hopefully that makes sense.

 

So the conclusion, if you would like to see the map filled in more, feel free to run the app on your phone and travel into the areas that you think don't show enough coverage and make your contribution to the map.  That's the only way it happens, someone needs to be there running the app and having their phone send in a report.

 

Many here, including myself, have added quite a few points on the map, it's a community effort, and the more people who do their part, the better it works. 

 

[Rocket87]

 

 

This is how you map an area....

 

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

 

[tommym65]

 

 

This is how you map an area....

 

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

But all those empty squares -- Where's the coverage?  How does Sprint get those radio waves to turn corners like that?  It must be aliens!

[naturecannon]

I believe the OP needs to put the Sensorly down and use the Sprint.com maps as this seems to be what he/she is looking for.

Sprint.com Coverage maps do no good at this time if LTE isnt listed on their site for my area yet..

 

I am currently fascinated with cell towers and the coverage areas. The new LTE and sensorly make it bit more fun with discovering. I am trying to get a grasp on how accurate sensorly is and how much LTE signal the towers in my area are sending out. With that said.... not sure why the comment "put sensorly down"!!   I am not a guy coming here to complain about my service....just seeing weird observations (in my noob opinion) and posting here to kick it around. I still dont buy the it must have been the only spot mapped by the users, one would think mapping would be left on and more dots connected. Plus with LTE not be Official out in these areas I think its just a tad bit of signal leaching out but then again I may be wrong and here to learn. As said I am fascinated with all this tower/signal/LTE and mapping thing.

 

I took a trip to MT Hood today (took the boy to camp) and drove most of the country back roads and was mapping. Brought back memory's of the wardriving kick I was on back in the day..

 

There is a tower about 5 miles from my house which showed some LTE when up close (not on sensorly), rolling hills and lots of tree between my house and it. I have another about 10 miles away, large tree also but way less hilly and the one which my phone hits on mostly. I post up some more info and pics on it soon but have some info to gather first . I was out in my yard tonight and got an LTE signal. NEVER seen it before.

 

Ya I know this post is spuratic and rambling but I am having fun