Low cost QoS and RF power measuring tool for 2G/3G mobile network using Android OS platform

The proliferation of corporate and end user mobile internet services offered for smartphones and tablets, makes it necessary to monitor the quality of service and experience provided by mobile internet service providers. In this context, we introduce a low cost tool for monitoring network parameters as received signal power and network responding time. The application is used for signal and latency monitoring for fast and slow moving users in a surveyed area especially for in car communication. The developed application can be useful for mobile operators in order to improve their network quality as well as for end users who can get an insight into the quality of service offered by their service provider. In the proposed application, two software tools are used; first, the capabilities of the android programming interface and second the PHP scripting for measured data post-processing and reporting on web servers. The application is currently tested in Tirana, Albania for evaluating the network parameters of mobile providers showing that only monitoring the received signal power level is not sufficient for assuming a good quality of service.