Whether you use AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile, everyone has had bad cellular data experiences, especially at IHS. Why is the signal at our school so bad for some, and great for others? Which company has the best service, and which has the worst?

Many students have often found themselves struggling to get good cellular connection at IHS, especially if you use Verizon or AT&T. Sophomore Emily Algate, an AT&T user states that “Snapchat does not work inside the school for me.” Junior Suzette Alancheril, a Verizon user, says that she “typically has one to two bars inside the school.” On the other hand, there are those who use T-Mobile. Senior Finn Aierstock, who uses T-Mobile, states that the cell service at the school is “pretty great. I usually have perfect service.” Additionally, freshman Daniel Shunko, another T-Mobile user, says that he gets “three to four bars of cell service at the school.” This is a big leap from one to two bars, a reality those who use AT&T or Verizon must face daily.

Since those who use AT&T and Verizon experience bad cell service at IHS, students have been guessing where the best and worst reception is for these companies. Algate states, “The best Wi-Fi is around the portable area or somewhere on the third floor.” Alancheril agrees, saying that it is “usually best in the classrooms and around the portables.” For lucky T-Mobile users however, Aierstock says the service seems to be “pretty equal everywhere. You always have three to four bars.”

To test these theories of where the best cell service is, all the different parts of the school were tested to find the cellular service capabilities for each of the companies. These are the results:

Gyms & Weight Training Room

Around the gyms and weight training room, both AT&T and Verizon have good service for inside the school, around two bars. Even so, this is nothing compared to T-Mobile, which has four bars.

Performing Arts Wing/Center

The preforming arts wing has decent cell service for AT&T and Verizon. Both have two bars again. T-Mobile, on the other hand, has around three bars, bad for its usual at IHS.

Cafeteria

With the best Verizon signal in the school, the cafeteria has three bars for both Verizon and T-Mobile. However, the same cannot be said for AT&T, who averages at about two bars.

Office

Contrary to what one might believe, the office has only one bar of cell service for Verizon users and a mere two for AT&T and T-Mobile users.

First Floor Second & Third Wings

The dreaded science wing has always been notorious for its bad cell service. It seems that for Verizon and AT&T, the rumors are true, as you only get one bar of cell service there. For T-Mobile however, it is not as bad, with signal averaging around three bars in both hallways.

Second Floor First Wing

The student support center/math hallway has surprisingly great service inside the school. Here, both AT&T and Verizon have two bars, and T-Mobile has an astounding four.

Second Floor Second Wing

This hallway of assorted classrooms also has assorted cell service, with Verizon at one bar, AT&T at two bars, and T-Mobile at three bars.

Second Floor Third Wing

The language arts hallway is a place of generally good service. That is, for T-Mobile. While this company has three bars here, AT&T only has two, and Verizon falls at one bar.

Third Floor First Wing

Starting off strong on the third floor, T-Mobile’s cell service has a whopping four bars. Less great however, are the signal of Verizon and AT&T, with Verizon at two bars and AT&T at one.

Third Floor Second Wing

Similar to the first wing, the third floor second wing also has four bars of signal when using T-Mobile, but one bar for Verizon and two bars for AT&T.

Third Floor Third Wing

The math hallway, usually a place of no phones, has surprisingly good cell service. This hallway has two bars for both AT&T and Verizon, and four bars for T-Mobile.

Portables

The moment we have all been waiting for: The cell coverage of the portables, which seems to be as good as people think. You can get two bars there for Verizon, three for AT&T, and four if you use T-Mobile.

While all these statistics say a lot about IHS, they do not clearly state certain facts, such as where you get the best and worst Wi-Fi for each company. So, here are the best places you can go to get cell service at IHS (and the worst places):

For Verizon: Head to the cafeteria, preferably by the lunch line for the best signal. To find the worst service, go to either the office, science wings, or the second wing on both the third and second floor.

For AT&T: To find the best service, go to the portables farthest from the school. The worst signal can be found in the science wings as well, or the first wing third floor.

For T-Mobile: The best service for T-Mobile can be found anywhere on the third floor, inside the portables, or at the gyms. The worst signal is in the preforming arts wing.

As it turns out, T-Mobile has the best cellular service inside the school compared to AT&T and Verizon. This does not undermine the efforts of these other two companies however, and it is sure to be said that we haven’t seen the last of them.