The Project
Every mile has a signature
Tidepoint began as a question: what does a cellular network actually look like when you drive through it? The answer required building our own hardware — because no off-the-shelf logger records GPS, signal strength, and bandwidth in the same breath.
An ESP32 core built for the field, not the bench
The logger pairs an ESP32-S3 with a u-blox GNSS module and a cellular modem capable of reading RSRP, RSRQ, and live throughput. Everything runs on a low-power duty cycle designed for multi-day field deployments.
Firmware polls all three subsystems in parallel, tags each reading with a shared clock, and writes to onboard flash before anything ever touches a laptop. No phone required, no app, no fragile Bluetooth link to babysit.
ESP32-S3
GNSS
LTE Cat-1
Onboard Flash
From raw radio noise to a clean row of data
01
Capture
— GNSS fixes and modem diagnostics are sampled continuously, even in marginal coverage where most trackers give up.
02
Timestamp
— Every reading is stamped against a single synchronized clock so position and signal never drift apart.
03
Correlate
— Location, signal strength, and bandwidth are fused into one unified record per interval — no post-hoc matching required.
04
Export
— The complete log is packaged into a single file, ready to drop straight into Google Maps or Sheets.
Built for the tools you already use
Logs export as clean CSV for spreadsheet analysis, or as KML for instant plotting in Google Earth and Maps. Every row carries latitude, longitude, timestamp, signal strength, and measured bandwidth — no proprietary viewer needed, no lock-in.
Data Gallery Preview
Speed and signal, laid over the road itself
Each trip renders as a colored route: green where bandwidth is strong, amber where it thins out, red where the connection nearly disappears. A second overlay traces speed, so dead zones and highway stretches tell their own story at a glance.
What’s inside the enclosure
14
Days Battery
Continuous logging on a single 5000mAh cell at standard sample rates.
72ch
GNSS Chipset
u-blox multi-band receiver, sub-3-meter accuracy in open sky.
Cat-1
Cellular Modem
LTE Cat-1 modem reporting live RSRP, RSRQ, and throughput.
32GB
Onboard Storage
MicroSD logging with automatic CSV and KML file rotation.