Yes. Since we intend to see if the network infrastructure capabilities related to 4G, a 4G data plan is ‘good to have’ for this user study.
It depends on the quality of connection provided by your mobile network provider. Better the connection, more is the data consumed.
As per our analysis based on previous measures on an average it consumes data between 1MB to 80MB per measurement. So, depending the on the interval of measurement that you set for Netradar app, it can consume up to 0.5 MB for approximately 20 measurements.
If you don’t have a 4G SIM, it is highly advisable to upgrade your current SIM to 4G just by contacting your mobile network operator and it is completely free of cost as far as we know. But if you don’t have a 4G connection and don’t wish to upgrade it, but still want to contribute to our experiments just by your 2G/3G connections, feel free to use it right away.
But if are genuinely interested in contributing to our experiments by using a 4G connection and you promise to contribute more by using the Netradar app throughout the day, do let us know - we will see how we can help you.
This is completely dependant on the beloved people of Namma Bengaluru. Since we want to measure the cellular infrastructure across Bangalore, if more people are contributing to this user study it would be sufficient to use the Netradar app for at least 1 to 2 hours per day while commuting to your college/workplace for about 5 to 10 days.
Once you install the app and follow the instructions, your intervention with the app is not needed at all. So we would be happy if you use it for more than 2 hours per day for more than 10 days.
P.S: We are planning to carry out this user study till 15th March 2016 as per our current plans.