We're living in 4G nation. We weren't, a year ago. So it's time for us to once again measure mobile Internet speeds across the U.S.A. But this year, we'll do it bigger and better, with more networks and more cities than we did in 2010.
This time around, we're sending out drivers in two cars provided by Ford, kitted out with the latest Ford Sync and MyFord Touch technology. They'll drive to 21 U.S. cities, coast to coast, measuring speeds and reliability on six 3G and 4G networks using software custom-written by Sensorly, an innovative wireless-testing firm.
We'd like you to help, too. Our drivers will be roaming the nation starting May 5, Tweeting from @pcmphones all along the way. Tell us: What's the best place to eat in Oklahoma City? Chicagoans, what are the notorious wireless dead spots? You can even ask our drivers to test networks outside your house, and they just might do it, if it's on the way.
We chose our 21 cities to be scattered across the nation, yet whenever possible no more than a day's driving apart; they were also picked so they had as many networks as possible. We're dividing the country into four regions. The Northeast region includes Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington D.C. The Southeast includes Charlotte, Nashville, Jacksonville, and South Florida. The Central region includes Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, and Dallas. The Western region includes Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. We'll also take some measurements on the road between the cities, to try to get a gauge of rural network performance.
We'll use eight Android smartphones to test speeds and reliability on the AT&T, Cricket 3G, MetroPCS 4G, T-Mobile, Sprint 3G, Sprint 4G, Verizon 3G and Verizon 4G networks. All the phones run Android 2.2 and have their respective networks' fastest available modems, as well as relatively similar other specs (except the Cricket LG Optimus C, which is simply the best Android phone on Cricket.) That covers six of the top seven carriers in the U.S. (U.S. Cellular doesn't cover enough of our test cities to be included.)
Along with the LG Optimus C (Cricket), we'll be using the Samsung Galaxy Indulge (MetroPCS), the Samsung Galaxy S 4G (T-Mobile), the HTC EVO 4G (Sprint; two units to test 3G and 4G), the HTC Droid Incredible (Verizon 3G), the HTC Thunderbolt (Verizon 4G), and an unreleased AT&T phone with HSPA+ 21 capability.
To keep these phones charged and running, we have power inverters from Duracell, backup batteries from Energizer, Sanyo and Zagg, and a power-strip-like solution from Callpod.
Why use phones, when last year, we used laptops? More and more people are getting their mobile Internet service through a phone, whether it's on the handset itself, tethered to a laptop, or used as a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Sensorly's software, designed to our specifications, measures simulated Web connections, streaming, voice-over-IP calls and video calls. Sensorly's main business is creating some crowd-sourced coverage maps, and the company's maps of dead zones will get much better during the month of May. Download the free Android and iPhone apps to see the full maps for most U.S. carriers.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter and check out our weekly reports from the road throughout the month of May here at PCMag.com. Then there's going to be a bit of a quiet period as we create gigantic Excel spreadsheets and our editors and designers work their magic. The final report, along with our awards, will be published in late June/early July.
Feel free to ask questions in the comments below. Let's get rolling!