Sprint LTE Coverage Maps via Sensorly

[orangeblue]

What people are trying to say is that the EVO LTE has probably the worst LTE reception of the Sprint lineup. Just about any other device would get you better reception. While that might not do much for speed, it would lessen the gaps in LTE coverage.

 

A Spark device would do something for speeds, as just about anywhere you get WiMax you would likely see Band 41 coverage. 

 

I know that the device may not have the best service but not every LTE customer got a device that supports B41. I can only compare what I have and B25 is so slow that they should call it 3G+

[S4GRU]

I know that the device may not have the best service but not every LTE customer got a device that supports B41. I can only compare what I have and B25 is so slow that they should call it 3G+

Oh stop. You're on one band, on a poorly performing device in a market far from complete. I don't want to see anymore posts like that. You've been around here long enough to know what's going on.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

[CaryTheLabelGuy]

I know that the device may not have the best service but not every LTE customer got a device that supports B41. I can only compare what I have and B25 is so slow that they should call it 3G+

Why not just bite-the-bullet and get yourself a shiny new Tri-Band phone that is a known RF performer (Nexus 5, G2/G3, S5) and see how much better your service is. You have 14 days to test drive it. If it still sucks, take it back and switch to TMO.

 

Sent from my LG G3 using Tapatalk

[burnout8488]

A used Nexus5 on Swappa is very budget friendly. It's not worth having an EVO LTE any longer than you absolutely have to.

[twitek]

Using your map, I checked our address (we've had Sprint for almost 3 years) and we definitely do not have 4G coverage like the map shows?  And more interesting...if I switch to AT&T 4G (my company phone, which does have 4G here inside the house) it doesn't show any AT&T 4G coverage???  I wanted to download the app to my Sprint phone, but Google won't let me switch off of the company phone.  Gotta love Google...

[Dkoellerwx]

Using your map, I checked our address (we've had Sprint for almost 3 years) and we definitely do not have 4G coverage like the map shows?  And more interesting...if I switch to AT&T 4G (my company phone, which does have 4G here inside the house) it doesn't show any AT&T 4G coverage???  I wanted to download the app to my Sprint phone, but Google won't let me switch off of the company phone.  Gotta love Google...

 

The lightest shade of purple is always suspect. You have to have a device with a strong radio to pick up coverage. A tri-band "spark" device would help considerable in your situation. 

 

Also note, these aren't "our" maps, they are provided by Sensorly. 

 

You might want to consider removing your physical address from your profile, unless you like stalkers!

 

to S4GRU! 

[S4GRU]

Using your map, I checked our address (we've had Sprint for almost 3 years) and we definitely do not have 4G coverage like the map shows? And more interesting...if I switch to AT&T 4G (my company phone, which does have 4G here inside the house) it doesn't show any AT&T 4G coverage??? I wanted to download the app to my Sprint phone, but Google won't let me switch off of the company phone. Gotta love Google...

I use AT&T too. I find their LTE maps pretty overstative. But not quite as bad as Sprint's. Sprint's LTE maps do get better if you zoom in far enough to the point they show different color gradients for BEST and FAIR. Then just ignore the FAIR coverage. BEST pretty much shows the true coverage area.

 

Robert via Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[blackwaterstout]

Does anyone know how much data is consumed on Sensorly while mapping a trip?  I assume most of the data would be from loading maps as you travel along.  Is sensorly working by just logging signal dbf as specific time or distance intervals?  The reason I ask is because most other carriers do not offer unlimited data so those on ATT, Verizon, T-Mo, etc may shy away from using sensorly simply because they fear it's a data hog.  Whether it's a misconception or not.

 

I've read that a single Oookla Speedtest will consume around 20MB of LTE Data.  For reference how much data is consumed by Sensorly in a 1 hour mapping session?

[maxsilver]

Does anyone know how much data is consumed on Sensorly while mapping a trip?  The reason I ask is because most other carriers do not offer unlimited data so those on ATT, Verizon, T-Mo, etc may shy away from using sensorly simply because they fear it's a data hog.  

 

It's actually not a lot of data to simply map a trip (assuming you run zero speed tests). You don't have to display the Google Map as you go (so it's not downloading vector/image data) at which point your just sending a tiny bit of data every second.

 

Optionally, I think you can also tell Sensorly *not* to submit map data as you go, so you could map a trip now, but only upload it later (while on Wifi at home/work, for instance). That way, you use almost zero mobile data.

[blackwaterstout]

It's actually not a lot of data to simply map a trip (assuming you run zero speed tests). You don't have to display the Google Map as you go (so it's not downloading vector/image data) at which point your just sending a tiny bit of data every second.

 

Optionally, I think you can also tell Sensorly *not* to submit map data as you go, so you could map a trip now, but only upload it later (while on Wifi at home/work, for instance). That way, you use almost zero mobile data.

Interesting. I didn't realize you could turn off the maps. Also, unjust looked through the setting and didn't notice anyway to delay reporting until WiFi.

[maxsilver]

 Also, unjust looked through the setting and didn't notice anyway to delay reporting until WiFi.

 

I just downloaded Sensorly, and it still appears to be there.

 

Under "Settings" -> "Report to Server" , check the box labeled "Only over WiFi" and the message will read "Yes, only report to server when connect to Wifi".

 

[S4GRU]

Yeah, Sensorly uses so little data, that even on a fixed AT&T data bucket I just let it run. At each point, it is only logging a few dozen numbers. Just a mere few bytes. Even on a 1,000 mile trip it won't use one MB. Of course, that's not using maps.

 

When I go into Sensorly, on the main menu, I select Map Trip. And then I hit Start. I just leave that page running in the app and never access the maps. Very little data is used this way. Only sending a few bytes for every point collected. I can then go and use other apps and leave it in the background even.

 

To report only when connected to WiFi, click the Sensorly logo in the upper left corner. Select Settings in the menu. Select Report to Server. Then check the Only over WiFi box. That way you can map without care for data use. But if you use the maps while mapping, that will still use data. Just stay out of the map tab and all is good. It won't load anything unless you're on a map page.

 

If you're running the newest version of Sensorly, you have to intentionally select View Maps to even load a Map. I turn off passive mapping, as all my mapping is intentional. I don't want to map LTE in an area where the site is not fired up yet because it will map weak coverage repeatedly that will be a pain to map over when the actual site goes live. If it's a route you use often, it could take a dozen repasses of a new live site to even show on maps.

[blackwaterstout]

I just downloaded Sensorly, and it still appears to be there.

 

Under "Settings" -> "Report to Server" , check the box labeled "Only over WiFi" and the message will read "Yes, only report to server when connect to Wifi".

 

Yeah, Sensorly uses so little data, that even on a fixed AT&T data bucket I just let it run. At each point, it is only logging a few dozen numbers. Just a mere few bytes. Even on a 1,000 mile trip it won't use one MB. Of course, that's not using maps.

 

When I go into Sensorly, on the main menu, I select Map Trip. And then I hit Start. I just leave that page running in the app and never access the maps. Very little data is used this way. Only sending a few bytes for every point collected. I can then go and use other apps and leave it in the background even.

 

To report only when connected to WiFi, click the Sensorly logo in the upper left corner. Select Settings in the menu. Select Report to Server. Then check the Only over WiFi box. That way you can map without care for data use. But if you use the maps while mapping, that will still use data. Just stay out of the map tab and all is good. It won't load anything unless you're on a map page.

 

If you're running the newest version of Sensorly, you have to intentionally select View Maps to even load a Map. I turn off passive mapping, as all my mapping is intentional. I don't want to map LTE in an area where the site is not fired up yet because it will map weak coverage repeatedly that will be a pain to map over when the actual site goes live. If it's a route you use often, it could take a dozen repasses of a new live site to even show on maps.

Thanks to both of you for the info. I must've been in an airhead mood because for some reason I overlooked that option.

 

That description makes a lot of sense.

[Vampy Wolve]

Hi, since a long time ago, no speed improvements and fixes has been done in towers were I live; 00690(zipcode, PR) and 00603. Why? Every time it is getting slower. Im supossed to be in a LTE are less than a mile from the near tower. And can not get LTE inside my home unless I get near my windows or on the patio. 3G speeds are around 300 kbps down and up too. LTE speeds 700 kbps down and 400 up. Latency 278 ms aprox. Why this is happening? iPhone 5s 7.1.2. In 2013 LTE was at 1.0 Mbps down and 3G was at 500 kbps down. So please can someone send a call to techs here in Puerto Rico to fix and improve the towers? In other places inside buildings I get even into Roaming!!!! Comeon help us here in Puerto Rico. I had call and nothing, go to the Sprint store and nothing. So this is my only hope. Come and help us get better connections and speeds!!! Please!!??

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gr8nuguy]

So please can someone send a call to techs here in Puerto Rico to fix and improve the towers?

We are not affiliated with Sprint so we can't send techs there to fix the issues. If I were you, I would call Sprint DAILY or every other day and have your friends and family do the same. The more people who call with the same issue, the more likely it will be looked at. 

[Vampy Wolve]

We are not affiliated with Sprint so we can't send techs there to fix the issues. If I were you, I would call Sprint DAILY or every other day and have your friends and family do the same. The more people who call with the same issue, the more likely it will be looked at.

So sorry, I was thinking that there were people of Sprint answering questions here too. Not only people from Sensorly. Ups my bad [emoji16]. Continue the great work with the app on iOS, I really love your app, because it give a lot of more info than others. Thanks for the good work into the app. Hoping you can try at least and talk to your contacts in Sprint to see why they forgot the island of Puerto Rico after 2013.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[robcncg]

So this is my first post and I couldn't resist responding after spending the past 2-3 hours patiently, yet curiously reading like two years of the past comments in this thread lol. I just discovered sensorly today and I'll not gonna lie, even with 7 years of cell phone sales/management, the app left me with tons of questions and this was literally the only forum I could find with any real answers.

 

As I read the comments, almost all of my questions were answered. I loved the video of the guy running from the cops btw lol and the pic of the sensorly penis art Lmfao! Awesome stuff!!!

 

SO HERE'S THE QUESTION: let's say I map a trip with the active contribution option enabled right? Let's assume I got all systems go in the background (streaming music, background data, a dozen accounts automatically syncing, Facebook, Twitter, etc)...does anyone know what kind of effect that may have (if any) on the data speeds, signal strength, etc?

 

I love back roads and side streets and most of the ones I take to work and friends houses are completely unmapped! Including a long 7 mile stretch on a road twenty feet away from three gulf of Mexico.

 

I want to map them but don't want to throw the data results off. Can anyone shed any light on this?

 

Psssttt...cough..cough...sensorly representative...cough? Lol thanks for the inevitable feedback. I got work in the morning. Hopefully you guys get back to me before then!

[mc_gusto]

So this is my first post and I couldn't resist responding after spending the past 2-3 hours patiently, yet curiously reading like two years of the past comments in this thread lol. I just discovered sensorly today and I'll not gonna lie, even with 7 years of cell phone sales/management, the app left me with tons of questions and this was literally the only forum I could find with any real answers.

 

As I read the comments, almost all of my questions were answered. I loved the video of the guy running from the cops btw lol and the pic of the sensorly penis art Lmfao! Awesome stuff!!!

 

SO HERE'S THE QUESTION: let's say I map a trip with the active contribution option enabled right? Let's assume I got all systems go in the background (streaming music, background data, a dozen accounts automatically syncing, Facebook, Twitter, etc)...does anyone know what kind of effect that may have (if any) on the data speeds, signal strength, etc?

 

I love back roads and side streets and most of the ones I take to work and friends houses are completely unmapped! Including a long 7 mile stretch on a road twenty feet away from three gulf of Mexico.

 

I want to map them but don't want to throw the data results off. Can anyone shed any light on this?

 

Psssttt...cough..cough...sensorly representative...cough? Lol thanks for the inevitable feedback. I got work in the morning. Hopefully you guys get back to me before then!

Welcome to the forums. I never get any hiccups while streaming music while sensorly is mapping. But what you can do to make sure is upload only when on wifi. It will still collect data and upload later when on wifi.

[robcncg]

Thank you! So it's not actually downloading lots of data while mapping like a speed test would right? Just testing radio signal strengths.

 

By the way in a corporate T-Mobile employee if you guys have any questions regarding our network

[robcncg]

Ok So I have a question that I hope someone can answer because I have no idea.

 

So I downloaded Sensorly on the store phone at a corporate MetroPCS store and ran it. Its "riding the T-mobile" network so I wasn't surprised to see that it indicated it was using T-mobiles network during a speed test.

 

BUT then I also downloaded Coverage check by Root Metrics and ran another speed test and this time it came up as using the MetroPCS network. Why the discrepancy? Im assuming that Sensorly uses a different method to detect the carrier than root metrics.

 

Anyone know how one or both of these apps detects the devices current network?

[mc_gusto]

Thank you! So it's not actually downloading lots of data while mapping like a speed test would right? Just testing radio signal strengths.

 

By the way in a corporate T-Mobile employee if you guys have any questions regarding our network

Yeah its only really downloading maps and the network "footprint"

[blackwaterstout]

I'm having an issue but it's more related to the phone than sensorly. I'm trying to track the extent of LTE in my town. What I've noticed is that all goes well when I drive from an LTE location out toward 3g territory. But once the phone gets on 3g and I drive back toward LTE area it takes forever before the poo hone switches back to LTE. So I'm not really getting the full footprint of LTE coverage. Sometimes the phone will hold onto 3g even when the LTE signal is strong.

 

Has anyone mapped in LTE only mode? There is an app called advanced signal status that allows me to select that option on my s5. I think that would give a true lte footprint.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A

[chamb]

I'm having an issue but it's more related to the phone than sensorly. I'm trying to track the extent of LTE in my town. What I've noticed is that all goes well when I drive from an LTE location out toward 3g territory. But once the phone gets on 3g and I drive back toward LTE area it takes forever before the poo hone switches back to LTE. So I'm not really getting the full footprint of LTE coverage. Sometimes the phone will hold onto 3g even when the LTE signal is strong.

 

Has anyone mapped in LTE only mode? There is an app called advanced signal status that allows me to select that option on my s5. I think that would give a true lte footprint.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A

Yes, Yes.  I have this situation.  If I happen to drop off LTE and get on 3G in some coverage hole, it does not go back on LTE even when driving by a site with both 1900 and 800 LTE active and strong.  Sometimes it NEVER goes back to LTE even after several hours.  I am not sure if it is a Galaxy S5 problem or a network issue.  An airplane toggle puts me back on LTE and it will work fine until I somehow get back in a nasty coverage situation.

[The_Chemist]

Yes, Yes.  I have this situation.  If I happen to drop off LTE and get on 3G in some coverage hole, it does not go back on LTE even when driving by a site with both 1900 and 800 LTE active and strong.  Sometimes it NEVER goes back to LTE even after several hours.  I am not sure if it is a Galaxy S5 problem or a network issue.  An airplane toggle puts me back on LTE and it will work fine until I somehow get back in a nasty coverage situation.

Happens to my girlfriend's S4T as well.  LTE never comes back until an airplane mode toggle. 

[mikejeep]

Yes, Yes.  I have this situation.  If I happen to drop off LTE and get on 3G in some coverage hole, it does not go back on LTE even when driving by a site with both 1900 and 800 LTE active and strong.  Sometimes it NEVER goes back to LTE even after several hours.  I am not sure if it is a Galaxy S5 problem or a network issue.  An airplane toggle puts me back on LTE and it will work fine until I somehow get back in a nasty coverage situation.

 

If you're seeing this while you are actively mapping and uploading to Sensorly, it is because your device will not look for LTE until the data connection goes idle. If you're streaming music, uploading to Sensorly, etc. it will probably never flip back. Either pause your data session for a moment, or use something like LTE Discovery or SignalCheck to restart your mobile connection -- that will also do the trick if LTE is present.

 

-Mike