Patent ID: 8160571

Claim:
A method for collecting performance quality data, comprising: operating a mobile device in cooperation with a particular wireless network, the mobile device operable to access contracted wireless network services via the particular wireless network; loading a software program onto the mobile device; receiving a set of configuration data; detecting whether or not a global positioning system is already in operation; if the global positioning system is already in operation, then receiving latitude and longitude coordinates from the global positioning system, and collecting a plurality of performance characteristics of the mobile device according to the configuration data if the latitude and longitude coordinates fall within a particular geographic area, the performance characteristics representative of wireless network quality; if the global positioning system is not in operation, then identifying a group of cell towers within the particular wireless network, determining which cell tower the mobile device is currently associated with, and collecting the plurality of performance characteristics if the cell tower the mobile device is currently associated with is one of a group of cell towers received as part of the set of configuration data; and wirelessly communicating at least some of the plurality of performance characteristics from the mobile device.