Testing and Mapping a Cellular Data Network?

bgsneeze writes "In order to resolve an ongoing issue with a vendor, I have been trying to find a way to test different 3G data devices empirically. I would like to be able to chart signal strength, latency, and bandwidth. I would also like to create a map of the coverage area. I have a test 3G card from three different providers. I would like to be able to travel with the setup to several different locations and run tests. What software or techniques would Slashdotters use to test the different devices? Are there any free or open source software packages that will do this?"

Good Luck With That

[pushf popf]

I would suggest learning that it's pointless to test for something you can't fix. You'll waste much less time and energy.

Your provider won't care even a Tiny Iota [futurama-madhouse.com.ar] about your results. If you show that their network is fine, they'll ignore you. Even if you prove their network is not fine and all the packets are routed though a Sinclair ZX80 in Clive's basement they'll still ignore you. If you're really lucky, you might get a nice, polite "Fuck you very much, We're not fixing it."

Knowledge is knowing that they have 3000ms latency between nodes. Wisdom is knowing that the only thing you can do is vote with your wallet.

3G Coverage != Good Speed

[Stenchwarrior]

I wouldn't worry about charting the signal strength for 3G. You can be in a densely populated area showing five bars of 3G and your speed and latency can still be dog shit depending on how many people are hitting the tower, similar to your cable modem. It might be worth it to record whether or not you have 3G just to help map out your general coverage, but that doesn't mean you'll have great speed. Although, you can find something like that here [cellularmaps.com].

As for speed I like to use a util called iperf [ucf.edu] for measuring speed from one device to another across a network. You may have to open ports on your firewall or setup a VPN, which will add unwanted overhead, but you will get a good idea of which carriers have the best speeds. You can also run the simple tests using other websites like here [speedtest.net] or here [pingtest.net].

Re:Good Luck With That

[phantomfive]

However, if you have 3G cards from three different providers, and your company wants to know which one to use to deploy their new fancy device, and they don't actually trust any of those providers (for good reason), it may be a good idea to go out and make sure with real world tests before you jump to one provider or another.

Re:3G Coverage != Good Speed

[kent_eh]

I wouldn't worry about charting the signal strength for 3G. You can be in a densely populated area showing five bars of 3G and your speed and latency can still be dog shit depending on how many people are hitting the tower, similar to your cable modem. It might be worth it to record whether or not you have 3G just to help map out your general coverage, but that doesn't mean you'll have great speed.

Also, if your 3G network is based on CDMA (WCDMA, HSPA, HSDPA) then signal-to-noise ratio is as important as raw signal strength. SNR in both the downlink (what you receive from the base station) path - which you might be able to measure, and the uplink (what the base station receives from you) -which you have no way of measuring directly.
And while you might be able to control the signal level somewhat, you have very little control over the noise part of the equation.