Cell Phone Coverage

Town leadership recognizes the desire to improve cell coverage throughout, both in building and general coverage.  The improvement of cell service coverage was identified as a Quality of Life initiative by Town Council in January 2016.  Throughout that time frame, town staff has met with industry leaders including Verizon, Coal Creek, AT&T, Ghost Networks, Engineering Wireless Services, American Tower, Crown Castle, and T-Mobile.  The result of these discussions was the culmination of a task force in Spring 2018.  

For additional information, please email cellcoverage@paradisevalleyaz.gov.

Click here to view the presentation given to Town Council on December 6th, 2018.

Click here to view a pamphlet on tips you can do to improve the cell phone reception.


Picture1

Quick Tips on Improving your Cell Phone Signal

Locate Your Nearest Cell Phone Tower

  • Knowing the closest cell phone tower location helps tremendously when it comes to getting the best reception: the closer your phone is to the tower, the better the signal strength.  There are several ways to locate the nearest cell tower:
    • Websites (Good):
      1. AntennaSearch.com: This website contains a lot of data on cell tower location, so you may need a little patience to mine out the data you need.
      2. CellReception.com: All you need is your zip code or city and state to find cell tower locations by the major carriers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, & T-Mobile) and read reviews and ratings from users like yourself.
      3. OpenSignal.com: Open Signal ranks in the top 4 carriers and their signal with a cell phone coverage map and then further compares your area cellular coverage nationwide and even worldwide. You can also refine the type of cell phone signal by 2G, 3G, and 4G.

    • Apps (Better):

      1. OpenSignal (Recommended): OpenSignal features a compass that points in the direction of your carrier's cell tower.

      2. RootMetrics' Cell Phone Coverage Map

    • DIY (Best):
      Your smartphone is a great way to find signal strength.  Cell phone signals are measured in dBm (decibels). They're basically radio waves, the AM/FM kind. All cellular devices operate within this standard: -50 dB to -120 dBm signal level.  -50 dBm is considered full strength (full bars). -120 dBm is considered a dead zone.

      • The number of bars on your phone is subjective.  But dBm readings are not subjective.
        1. Find dBm readings on your phone.
        2. Walk around your house.
        3. The number closest to -50 dBm is where you get your best signal