When Only Five Bars Will Do
by Jack Cutts
Back in March of this year, I found myself in search of a new wireless provider. For a technophile like me, this process is both exhilarating and fraught with tough decisions. On one hand, selecting my new phone was a weeks-long labor of love. On the other, figuring out which provider here in the DC area had the best and most reliable signal was a tough task. Let’s face it: once you pick your mobile service provider you’re essentially beginning a one- to two-year relationship, so you better get it right!
Soliciting advice from friends was certainly one option, but given the range of different handsets they use, the types of places they live (apartment buildings vs. townhouses, for example), and the ways in which they use their mobile phones (calling, text messaging, mobile data, listening to music, etc.), it was tough to figure out which provider might be the best fit for me.
Luckily I stumbled upon Signalmap.com. This site allows users to type in any address in the US, Canada, Japan, UK, Germany, or Australia and will return a map with data points indicating signal strength for mobile providers serving that area. For instance, typing in the address of CEA’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia shows relatively strong signals for each of the major national carriers. The site also will display signal strength data for regional and local carriers where applicable. In addition to listing the provider, the site asks users to input how many “bars” of signal strength they received, what model of handset they’re using, and whether they were indoors or outdoors at the time.
Of course, a system like this one is only as good as the data users provide. If you find this site useful, make sure to input some data points of your own as a way of helping the next person looking to change wireless providers. The site currently has over 57,000 data points in the U.S. alone! In additional to tools like Signalmap.com, most wireless carriers offer new customers 14-30 days to cancel a contract without incurring an early termination fee, so once you bring home your new mobile phone, check to make sure it has a good signal in the places you’ll be using it the most (home, work, school, etc.). Make sure to read the fine print to find out exactly how many days you’ll have to cancel your contract.
As more and more consumers use their mobile phones for everything from calling friends to organizing their lives, one’s choice of phone and service provider take on ever-greater importance. By using tools like coverage maps provided by carriers, Signalmap.com, and consumer-friendly return policies, customers can ensure they will enjoy the best possible wireless experience.
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