There is a multitude of networks in the U.S., but not all of them are reliable. Come to think of it, networks have a lot to do with coverage, which, essentially, makes or breaks a given network.
Verizon Wireless is without a doubt the best carrier in the country. Make no mistake because this has nothing to do with the affordability of their services, but the vast coverage the network boasts compared to others like AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and U.S. Cellular. If you residential area, work place or places you travel to regularly have poor network coverage, well, that might just be the end of your honeymoon.
While it’s easy to find one area with poor coverage for a given network compared to the other in the same area, you can eliminate this problem by having a dual-SIM smartphone. Unfortunately, dual SIM pones are not something you easily come across here in the U.S., but luckily, Google Project Fi has the perfect solution to this shortcoming.
Through a partnership with three major U.S. carriers in the shape of T-Mobile, Sprint and U.S. Cellular, Google Project Fi has the upper hand when compared to those who solely depend on one network, say, Sprint. With Project Fi, you don’t have to worry about your network having poor coverage in an area you’ll be visiting. If, for instance, Sprint encounters connectivity issues in a given area, Fi will scan and identify another option that has better coverage than Sprint, be it T-Mobile or U.S. Cellular, and connect through the same without affecting what you are currently doing on your phone.
If none of these carriers has a good connection yet there’s an open Wi-Fi hotspot that offers a stronger signal, Google Project Fi will use this hotspot to give you fluid connectivity, including Wi-Fi Calling. Still, the fact that Fi has a partnership with three major U.S. carriers doesn’t mean the entire country is covered. There are areas where these carriers don’t boast the best coverage, but lucky enough, Fi has the easiest of ways for checking whether your area is covered.
It only takes a few seconds of your time and you’ll know whether Google Project Fi has coverage in a given area. All you need is to visit the page at fi.google.com/coverage and enter the details of your preferred location (state, city, ZIP). This should get you a clearer map of your area and from this, you can tell if Project Fi is supported in the region or not.
In areas with the darkest green, it shows that Google Project Fi has full LTE coverage. If you happen to see anything lighter, it represents 3G and/or 2G coverage. Of course, this can hardly be a perfect representation of Fi’s coverage, but it’s a useful tool for anyone looking to get started with Project Fi or even for those moving or traveling across the country.