Hotspotter: An Incentivized Crowdsensing System for WiFi and Cellular Network Coverage Visualization

Reliable internet access is a key enabler for economic growth. Although the Philippine government launched initiatives to improve connectivity, connection speeds remained below the global average, especially for mobile networks. This paper presents Hotspotter, a system that aims to aid implementers and stakeholders in quantifying and addressing network coverage issues. Hotspotter is an incentivized crowdsensing system that collects, maps, and visualizes WiFi and cellular data to pinpoint hotspots and dead zones for the effective deployment and relocation of WiFi access points. A mobile application for Android was developed to facilitate data collection on geolocation, nearby WiFi access points, and connected cellular networks. The user interface visualizes the aggregated data in a hexagon-grid map. Fieldwork was conducted in two sitios of Barangay San Lorenzo, Norzagaray, Bulacan to stress-test the Hotspotter system in a Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Area (GIDA). It was found that 2G and 4G had the widest coverage and strongest signals overall, with modal signal strengths of 4.0 and 3.0, respectively. Being at the cutting edge, 5G was not yet supported. In the end, the mobile application’s passive sensing, collecting, and caching of data successfully operated even in the most isolated areas without an internet connection.