During our work in connecting diagnostic devices out in the field, it became clear that not all locations were created equally. Sometimes there would be little to no issues with connecting to the mobile internet, whereas in others, it was an everyday struggle.
Evaluating the quality of a site before a site visit was essential to a successful deployment. Due to a phone’s small form factor, one could be mailed physically to a site, preconfigured with the data sizes and SIMs that should be used. This would allow us to test with multiple phones and networks and limit user error.
Partnering with FIND, we needed a way of determining the compatibility of a site by instructing local teams and cutting out the need for expensive diagnostic equipment.
The mobile application that we produced, DCT - also referred to as the ‘parachute phone’ – is cross-platform. It will run on both iOS and Android, as well as older Windows phone technology. In order to collect the testing results, there is a centralised server deployed in the cloud that collects and reports on the results from each site; this is also the endpoint that is used for testing.