- I built the best cellular coverage map of all time
and it's not just one map, it's four different maps
with powerful filters and helpful color options.
It's got views of cellular networks
like you've never seen before.
But before I show you the map, why even build this?
It's because having great coverage is the number one
most important factor when you're picking a cell phone plan.
Would you want to pay for service that never worked?
No, probably not.
Thankfully, the carriers publish their own coverage maps
except that's the problem. These maps are terrible.
T-Mobile says this neighborhood is blanketed
in their 5G Ultra Capacity Network
which can get speeds up to three gigabits per second.
I am here at the neighborhood
and I am connecting to 5G Ultra Capacity,
as you can tell in the status bar,
but if we run a speed test,
you can see I'm getting under 30 megabits per second down
and under one megabit per second for the upload.
Not the kind of performance you would expect
from a next generation 5G network
and definitely not the service
T-Mobile advertises in this area.
Meanwhile, Verizon claims this neighborhood
is covered by their fast 5G Ultra Wideband network
which I've personally seen get over 1600 megabits per second
in some spots around the city.
And here on the street you can see I'm only connecting
to 4G LTE on Verizon's network.
And in terms of data speeds, we are looking at just
under 50 megabits per second for the download
and just around two megabits per second for the upload.
Not bad, but also very much not 5G Ultra Wideband.
And AT&T indicates this neighborhood is covered
by their new 5G+ network
but is AT&T's coverage map accurate.
And we are on location in this beautiful,
circular neighborhood in Colorado.
We're not getting 5G+ though just regular AT&T 5G.
Still great speeds.
Looks like around 70 megabits per second down
and just under 10 megabits per second up.
Great speeds and performance, but again,
it's just AT&T 5G, no 5G+ as the map indicates.
I was tired of misleading maps with inaccurate data
so I decided to build my own map.
Introducing CoverageMap.com..
This is a community contributed map
that updates in real time, has a leaderboard, achievements,
and the best map filter options you'll ever see.
And like I said at the beginning of this video,
this isn't just one map, this is four separate maps
with five powerful filters and three helpful color options.
I'll show you three ways
you can use these maps and filters
to view coverage like you've never seen before.
Then I'll show you exactly how you can contribute data
to this project and help build out
a better coverage map in your area.
The first way you can use this map is to compare coverage
but with a unique twist you haven't seen before.
Whether you're moving into a new city,
moving into a new home in the same city,
or not moving at all,
it's important to know which network is best in your area.
Previously you had to search for your city,
try and line up the maps, and then cycle between
the different networks to gauge which one looked best.
This was a hassle and of course
all of the maps told you they had great coverage
in your area so it wasn't very helpful.
Now it's a completely different story.
All of the networks are accessible on the same map
so they perfectly line up
and it's much easier to compare coverage.
Plus you get more detailed information
about what data speeds are actually like on each network.
Here it kind of looks like T-mobile is the best.
They have the most darker hexagons
that represent getting speeds between
300 and 1,000 megabits per second.
This method works for comparing coverage, but still
wouldn't it be easier if each hexagon
just told you what network was best in that specific hex?
That's what we thought.
So we created the best carrier view.
It immediately shows you the network
with the fastest download speeds in each hexagon.
And this view also works for both upload speeds and latency.
This is so simple yet so powerful and helpful
and for some reason it's never been done before.
This is the new best way to compare coverage.
This second great way to use CoverageMap.com
is to plan a trip.
Sometimes parts of America can have terrible wifi
but surprisingly good cellular service.
With our helpful comparison tools,
you can now easily see what network is best
at the airport, at your hotel, at the Airbnb,
or even which coffee shop to go to in town
for the fastest cellular connection.
You can even use the speed filter,
to filter out slow hexagons and only show places
that meet the minimum speed requirements for a Zoom call
or other work video meeting.
Digital nomads will find this map especially useful.
They'll not only be able to tell what network is best
at an RV park, campsite, or other location,
but also which specific spots get the fastest speeds
and have the best reception.
Digital nomads and honestly everyone else
will also love that you get your own personal coverage map.
You can easily see what networks you tested,
where you tested them, and what the performance was like.
The best part is that as you contribute data,
you are instantly helping out everyone
in the community who is planning a trip
to that location in the future.
And the third great way to use this map
is to find out where carriers are deploying
their next generation wireless networks.
Verizon has been building out their
5G Ultra Wideband network like crazy
and AT&T has been rapidly expanding
their mid-band 5G network.
But the problem has been that you've never known
exactly where to find these new networks.
When AT&T first began rolling out C-band,
which is part of its mid-band 5G network,
it was only available in eight metro areas.
But what AT&T didn't tell you
was where in those eight metro areas
you could actually find its C-band Network.
They just gave you eight massive dots on a map.
On a similar note, Verizon's coverage map
used to show where to find millimeter wave,
the ultrafast kind of 5G, but Verizon's new coverage map
now hides the millimeter wave locations.
Thankfully CoverageMap.com can show you exactly
where these networks are being deployed.
We specially tuned the colors on the map
to try and highlight low-band 5G,
mid-band 5G, and millimeter wave locations.
You can zoom all the way in
to 0.1 kilometer resolution for a precise location
of where these fast speeds have been reported.
You can even click on a hexagon and tap get directions
so you can test that specific location for yourself.
And my favorite part
about having a community contributed map
is that we can track the rollout
of these new 5G networks in near real time.
No more waiting for the carriers to update their maps.
Now as community members discover new locations
of C-Band, millimeter wave,
or pockets of T-mobile's new standalone 5G network,
we will all be the first to know.
Speaking of contributing to the map,
how can you contribute data to this map?
The number one easiest thing you can do
is download the free app called SpeedSmart
on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
SpeedSmart is a free speed testing application
that lets you measure network performance.
All you need to do is download the app,
turn off wifi so you're on cellular,
and then run one speed test.
That's it, you're done.
Thanks to our amazing partnership with SpeedSmart,
your test will automatically show up on the map in due time.
then you'll want to export your data as a CSV file
In addition to SpeedSmart,
we also support uploading CSV files
from other popular speed testing applications.
There are three key benefits to creating your free account
and uploading your speed tests.
Number one is you'll get your own personal coverage map.
You'll be able to see all your results
right there on the map.
You can track where you've been,
what networks you've used, and you can even filter your data
using our powerful filter tools.
Number two is you'll earn points
to compete on the leaderboard.
We built a national level leaderboard
as well as state level leaderboards.
You'll be competing each month
to see who can get the most points
and fill out your state's coverage map the quickest.
As a quick pro tip
you get bonus points for running speed tests
in areas that haven't been mapped yet.
And number three
you'll be helping the community as a whole.
Every test you upload is one more data point
towards building a better map for everyone.
And who knows,
maybe one day the carriers will use this
to make their coverage maps even better.
Check out CoverageMap.com
at the link in the video description
and be sure to download SpeedSmart to run your first test
and contribute data to the map.
And one more quick thing,
this map was custom built from the ground up
by my co-founder and business partner, Trevor.
He spent hundreds of hours,
on weeknights and weekends,
building the realtime engine and designing the map
and making it the best it could be for you guys.
So if you made it this far in the video,
I would really appreciate it if you commented,
"Thank you, Trevor," because he definitely deserves it
and this one is for me.
Thank you, Trevor.
I am so excited our map is here and I can't wait to use it.
All right, that's it for this video
and I hope to see you on the leaderboard.
(soft pop music)