NetSense: Mobile Communication Data Collection and Analysis

NetSense is an Android application for collecting and analyzing cellular network data from LTE, 5G (NR), and legacy networks (GSM, WCDMA, CDMA, TD-SCDMA). The app enables researchers and network engineers to monitor cell tower information, detect potential fake base stations, and analyze mobile network performance.

Features

• Multi-Network Support: Collects data from LTE, 5G NR, GSM, WCDMA, CDMA, and TD-SCDMA networks
• Real-Time Monitoring: Displays live cell tower information with automatic 3-second refresh intervals
• Cell Classification: Categorizes cells as Serving (primary), Secondary (carrier aggregation), or Neighboring
• Background Collection: Foreground service continues data collection when the app is backgrounded
• Data Export: Export collected data to CSV format for offline analysis
• Comprehensive Metrics: Captures signal strength, frequency, bandwidth, cell IDs, and network identifiers

Prerequisites

• Android Studio: Arctic Fox or later recommended
• Kotlin: 1.9.24+
• Android Device: Physical device running Android 7.0 (API 24) or later with cellular connectivity
• Permissions: The app requires the following permissions:
  • ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION (required for Android 10+)
  • ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION
  • READ_PHONE_STATE
  • ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION (Android 10+ for background collection)
  • POST_NOTIFICATIONS (Android 13+ for foreground service notification)

Setup and Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository-url>

2. Open the project in Android Studio.
3. Sync the project to download dependencies.
4. Build and run the app on a physical Android device (emulators may not support cellular data collection).

Network Information Collected

The app collects the following network metrics:

Network Type	Parameter	Description
LTE	RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power)	Measures signal strength
	RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality)	Measures signal quality
	SINR (Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio)	Measures signal-to-noise ratio
	ECI, eNB, CID, TAC, PCI	Cell identification parameters
	Frequency, Bandwidth	Operating frequency and bandwidth
5G NR	SS-RSRP, SS-RSRQ, SS-SINR	Synchronization Signal metrics
	CSI-RSRP, CSI-RSRQ, CSI-SINR	Channel State Information metrics
	NR-ARFCN	New Radio frequency channel number
	PCI (Physical Cell ID)	Cell tower identifier
General	MCC (Mobile Country Code)	Country identifier
	MNC (Mobile Network Code)	Network operator identifier
	Cell ID	Unique cell tower identifier
	Connection Status	Serving, Secondary, or Neighboring
	Signal Strength (RSSI)	Overall signal strength

Architecture

The app follows MVVM architecture with the following components:

• MainActivity: Single-activity host managing permissions and fragment navigation
• BackgroundService: Foreground service for continuous data collection
• CellInfoFragment: Real-time cell data visualization in a scrollable list
• CellLoggerFragment: Tabular view with export and data management features
• CellInfoViewModel: Core data collection logic using NetMonster library with Android API fallback
• Room Database: Persistent storage with CellInfoEntity and CellInfoDao
• CellDataCache: In-memory cache for real-time display performance

How It Works

1. The app uses the NetMonster library as the primary data source, with fallback to Android's native TelephonyManager APIs
2. Cell data is collected every 3 seconds using a polling-based approach
3. Data is cached in memory for real-time display and can be persisted to SQLite via Room
4. A foreground service ensures continuous collection even when the app is in the background
5. Users can export collected data to CSV format for offline analysis

Usage

1. Launch the app on a physical Android device
2. Grant the required permissions (location, phone state, notifications)
3. The app will automatically start collecting cell data
4. Cell Info Tab: View real-time cell tower information in a scrollable list
   • Serving cells (primary connection) are displayed with their associated neighboring cells
   • Data refreshes automatically every 3 seconds
5. Cell Logger Tab: View collected data in a table format
   • Use Export Data to save data as CSV to the Documents folder
   • Use Delete Old Data to clear all cached cell information
6. The app continues collecting data in the background via a foreground service notification

Tech Stack

• Language: Kotlin 1.9.24
• Min SDK: API 24 (Android 7.0 Nougat)
• Target SDK: API 36 (Android 15)
• Architecture: MVVM with ViewBinding
• Database: Room 2.6.1
• UI: Material Design 3, RecyclerView, Navigation Component
• Lifecycle: ViewModel, LiveData 2.8.7

Credits

This project uses the NetMonster Library for collecting and processing cell tower data. Special thanks to Michal Mroček and the NetMonster team for providing a comprehensive tool for network information analysis.

The NetMonster Library is licensed under the Apache License 2.0.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a new branch:

   git checkout -b feature-name

3. Commit your changes and push the branch:

   git push origin feature-name

4. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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For any issues or feature requests, please open an issue in the repository.