Anyone using a mobile device to access the web via cellular/LTE — whether at home, or traveling abroad — will likely tell you: there’s nothing quite as frustrating as NOT being able to establish or maintain a solid connection.
Sure, when you set out to purchase a device through your desired wireless carrier, you’ll be able to see a snapshot of that carrier’s available coverage on paper, and whether or not you’ll have that coverage in your home, office, and the general vicinity.
Unfortunately, however, coverage maps aren’t always a clear indication of how good your connection will actually be — and, as most of us know, once you’ve signed on the dotted line, that’s pretty much it!
However, there is another way to determine — beyond your carrier’s claims — the actual strength of cell signal you can expect in any given area of the country — and it was actually updated with the latest findings just recently.
The report comes to us courtesy of RootMetrics — an independent mobile analytics firm that periodically tests, and creates reports, on the strength of various wireless network’s connections across the U.S.
Among other variables — such as measuring each network’s reliability and speed, RootMetrics also factors in aspects such as data, calling, and SMS/MMS messaging performance, in order to formulate and offer up broad performance rankings of wireless signal strength in over 125 metropolitan areas across the country.
As per the firm’s recent findings: it appears that the top three locales where you can expect to score a strong cell signal in the U.S. are Lansing, Michigan; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Atlanta, Georgia — which clocked in at 98.5%, 98.2%, and 97.9%, respectively.
On the other side of the coin, the RootMetrics report also found that the lowest performing area of the country was Hudson Valley, New York — which clocked in at a mere 88.1%. Scranton, Pennsylvania (home of the famous Dunder Mifflin paper company), and Omaha, Nebraska, rounded out the lowest scoring locations — cropping up at 91.9% and 91.3%, respectively.
Feel free to check out the complete report for yourself here.
Cellular reception varies from place to place, and network to network — even within your own home or office; so it’s always important to scope out the facts and try to determine what network will work best for your needs beforehand.
Do you get adequate cell signal in your home or office? Let us know in the comments!