Cellumap – Cellular Coverage Maps
by Jason Norment
Dec 1, 2010 11:38 AM –
Install
Cellumap – Cellular Coverage Maps. Cellumap allows you to upload your GSM, UMTS or CDMA network info such as signal strength, cell ID and GPS location from you phone to be viewed in real-time on the coverage map available at www.cellumap.com
Price: Free
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Easy way to map your cell coverage
- Crowd-sourced
- Easy to use
- Cross-platform (Symbian & Blackberry) and supports over 80+ countries
- Engineering mode for the technically advanced individuals
Cons
- Won’t only send data if app is in the foreground
- Coverage map not viewable on mobile device
- Crowd-sourced
Features:
Just to be clear, this isn’t a “top downloaded app” in the Market or a “must have” but when I came across it, I felt it was an interesting enough application to develop a review for. One AndroidTapp reader stated that they would like an app that “allows me to create a map of available wireless signals in a particular area”. This is the closest I found and it works pretty well.
The idea is for consumers to be able to provide cellular coverage maps from their own data. On Cellumap’s website you can select which country, cellular carrier and type of technology to display on a map based upon Google Maps. Here’s how it works:
- Download the application from the Android Market
- After installation, you’ll be given a screen with a lot of data. The app needs to be in the foreground in order for it to send any data
- You have two main options: Send Data 1X or Auto-Send. The first option is used for sending the data manually per each button press. Auto-Send is used to automatically send the data in a pre-determined interval that you can select in the settings (Short, Medium, Long distances).
- After finishing submitting your data, view it online through the website www.cellumap.com
Seems pretty simple right? It might seem a little overwhelming to look at for some but there’s a lot more data provided than most users may want to look at. I emailed Radio Raiders, the developer of Cellumap, and I asked “How does this app help a consumer?” and “Why would someone continue to use this application for extended periods of time”? Here’s some of the response I received:
“The main idea behind it is to allow users to view their (and others) cellular coverage in real-time. It’s interesting to see what areas have good coverage and which don’t. As to your question “Why would someone continue to use this application for extended periods of time?”, I can’t answer, as people can have various reasons. I myself am a cellular network engineer, so it’s interesting and nice for me to have a quick way to view cell coverage and network details on a map display. I think most of the other users are cellular “hobbyists” or “enthusiasts” but I can’t speak for their usage behaviors.”
Usefulness:
Eh, that’s tricky. This app is more informational and plays on the “cool factor”, not really falling under the category useful.
Interface:
Lots of data displayed but very easy interface.