WATCH: A behind-the-scenes look at Verizon's smartphone tests

BEDMINSTER - Can you hear me now?

Even though it stopped airing the famous commercials featuring the "Test Man' uttering the phrase several years ago, Verizon Wireless still is curious to know: How well is its network performing?

"We are the gatekeepers protecting the consumers using our network," said Sam Oommen, Verizon Wireless' director of its Device Evaluation Lab in the township, just a few miles from the company's headquarters in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards.

Oommen and his team of engineers invited Gannett New Jersey to tour their facility on Wednesday, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the rigorous testing every smartphone, tablet and connected device endures to ensure the best customer experience on the Verizon network.

Without revealing any trade secrets or unveiling any device prototypes, engineers demonstrated six of the 15 controlled-environment lab tests that each device or prototype on Verizon's network goes through before being sent out for field testing. These include devices not manufactured by Verizon Wireless that run on its network.

Study: Verizon takes top networking honors

"Every device has a criteria, some basic requirements," Oomen said "There are certain standards devices need to pass before we allow them on our network."

The testing, for components such as a device's processor, antenna, audio and hardware durability, is conducted in secure, vaultlike rooms called shield rooms. The rooms block radio signals and sound from the outside, creating a consistent environment in which machine test systems can simulate networks, such as LTE, for devices to be tested on.

Reminders, in digital and analog form, inside and outside the rooms, are boldly and frequently visible so not to risk compromising a test's integrity.

"Errors are very rare," Ooomen said, suggesting a rate of less than .1 percent.

"We haven't had any errors since I have been working here," said Ishita Desai, a testing engineer with the company for 18 months. Desai manages a system-determination-shield room, where she tests devices' emergency 911 calling capabilities on different bandwidths under different scenarios.

The baseline criteria a device must meet before the Device Evaluation Lab will commence testing requires the device's manufacturer to conduct its own internal and external testing, gathering certification of compliance and safety, said Lutz Ehrlich, Verizon Wireless' director of Network Systems Performance.

"The devices are about 95 percent ready when we receive them," Ehrlich said.

Ed Donofrio, Verizon Wireless' executive director, noted that the lab tests devices pre- and post-production.

Although systematic, Ehrlich said, the lab's service performance, device evaluation and device performance-testing process lasts four weeks.

"Sometimes we can speed up the process for a particular campaign, such as rolling out a device for the holidays," he said.

"We stand behind the technology that's sold in our stores and represents our brand," Oommen added.

Staff Writer Joe Martino: 908-243-6608; jmartino@gannettnj.com