With the new iPhone6 just released, and a new Samsung coming out next month, a lot of people are thinking about signing new cellphone contracts.
[WEB EXTRA: Click here to see the full report | Download the app to check your service: iPhone | Android ]
Some carriers are offering deals to convince you to switch. Local 6 discovered there is a tool that can help you tell which service is best for you, before you're locked in.
The Cell Phone Coverage App from RootMetrics.com is designed to show you what service is best in different areas. It got the attention of Andy Salmon.
"Yeah, sure I would definitely use an app like that," she said.
Consumers like Salmon, who are in the market for a new service, can save themselves aggravation by zooming into their neighborhood and checking cell service right down to a city block.
RootMetrics CEO Bill Moore explained how in depth his company went while testing Orlando's coverage.
"We drove over 1,100 miles miles and performed 25,000 tests. And the tests that we do are actually what consumers do, which is make and place calls," Moore said. "We do a series of data tests, where we upload and download, a max speed test to see how fast that network goes."
RootMetrics latest report rated Verizon as the best overall performance in Central Florida. When it came to best call performance, it was a three-way tie between Spring, Verizon and AT&T.
The was a one major upset when it came to fastest download speed in Orlando – T-Mobile topped Verizon.
T-Mobile has actually massively improved in each of the large metropolitan marketplaces," Moore said. "They've been rolling out their technology at a breakneck speed. And as a result, that speed has come up. The reliability king is still Verizon."
Verizon customer Leah Peavy is not surprised.
"I'm not surprised at all," Peavy said, while pointing out how happy she is with her service. "It is a little more expensive than the other ones, but it has really good coverage."
Rather than just relying on the overall report, Moore suggests you zoom into area of the map where you'll actually use the service.
"Everyone in Orlando is going to have different experiences, because we all live, commute and play in different areas," Moore said. "And so that's why the map becomes really important for people to really drill down and see what their probability performance is versus just looking at report which is an average of entire marketplace."
Moore said all carriers have rolled out their fastest data service in metro Orlando. That's good news even if you don't live in Orange County, because once upgraded service is launched, carriers typically expand it outward, away from the core of the city, to reach more customers.