See where your phone actually works
Take Cell Service - Verification System along on a drive or a train ride. It quietly checks your connection as you travel and gives you a simple, colour-coded map of the good spots, the patchy spots and the places where nothing gets through.
Why Cell Service - Verification System exists
Bars are not service. Your phone can show full signal, or even 5G, while a page won't load, a video call keeps freezing and a photo takes forever to send. What matters is whether the service you pay for is actually usable where you live, work and travel.
Cell Service - Verification System was built because of the ongoing cell phone problems in Trent Hills - problems that have gone unaddressed by the municipality. It turns everyday frustration into a clear, time-stamped record you can point to, instead of arguing about signal bars. Learn more at haylestrom.ca.
Your results go to the CRTC. Community reports - both the good service and the bad - are sent to the CRTC on behalf of the community to show how inconsistent cell service really is in our area. Every test you run becomes part of that evidence.
App developed & provided for Trent Hills and Northumberland County by Steven Haylestrom.
Not travelling? Check one room or spot in 30 seconds.
My tests Community reportKeep your tests if you change phones
Testing never needs an account. If you'd like your own results to follow you to a new or reset phone, you can add a free account with an email and password.
Create a free accountWhat you get
- A simple rating. Great, Good, Fair, Weak, Very Weak or No Connection - no jargon.
- A colour-coded route. See at a glance which stretches let you down.
- Your trip history. Distance, time and coverage for every trip you record.
- A saveable copy. Export your trip as a spreadsheet or map file whenever you like.
One thing to know: for now the test only runs while this app is open on screen. Keep your phone unlocked and on this screen during the trip - if it locks or you switch apps, we simply pause and tell you afterwards.
Works on iPhone and Android
- iPhone or iPad: open in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen for a full-screen app. Safari still pauses the test when the screen locks.
- Android: tap Install app in Chrome. Chrome can keep the screen awake for you during a trip.
- Your trips are saved on your phone first. Real tests are also shared anonymously to build a community coverage picture - an anonymous install ID only, never your name, number or account.
Test details
While a test is running the app sends a tiny request to its own server about every 2 seconds and records how long the reply takes, or whether it fails. Timing depends on your phone and browser, so the app stores the real timestamp of every check instead of assuming a perfect 2-second rhythm.
A slightly larger download runs roughly every 30 seconds to estimate speed. Keeping it rare protects your data plan and battery.
Your location is recorded whenever your phone reports a new position - not on the check rhythm - so the route stays smooth.
Each check becomes a 0–100 usability score from reachability, response time and measured speed. That is turned into the plain rating you see: Great, Good, Fair, Weak, Very Weak or No Connection.
What the app cannot see: signal bars, dBm, RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, band or cell tower details. Browsers don't expose them, and nothing here estimates or claims them. It also never touches contacts, messages, camera or microphone, and it cannot tell whether you are on a phone call - pauses are simply recorded as app interruptions.