are you using the speedtest app? which server are you hitting? i notice because of gps issues or whatnot that it always connects me to servers like 1000 miles or more away, but if I open up speedtest when connected to wifi, it gets the servers right and I have ones that are 10 miles away, then i turn off wifi and test it. Ping is likely going to be bad if you are connected to a server 3000 miles away.
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Lousy down/up load speed on 3G
- Thread starter johnwoo
- Start date
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- samsung epic 4g
sprint just called me back. had me run mobilespeedtest.com which of course doesn't have upload speeds. Guy was very nice so I'm gonna give him a break. Anyway, he confirmed that for my area, the upload speeds should be 350-500 and said the engineers will look at it and hopefully I'll hear back within 72hours.
If it is a radio software issue, then that'd be the third thing Samsung need to get done before the end of my return period (the others being fix the GPS lock issue and get Froyo out).
This assumes I don't run out of patience before then ...
I won't gamble on getting stuck with a phone that either doesn't get updated or can't because the issues turn out not to be addressable in software.
The fact that I got much better speeds on this thing a week ago makes me think Sprint are capping something, either on purpose or inadvertently.
I'm using a variety of tests, one of which is SpeedTest.Net, and averaging the results over several executions.
Server wise I've hit SpeedTest servers in WA, CO and KS (I'm in WA).
In terms of latency, once I'm on the backhaul it is not longer a function of the radio in the phone or 3G/4G performance. The difference in ping for me between something in WA and something in NY is on the order of 200-250ms, yet I'm seeing pings that run several seconds.
I agree, but you will never see these things before the return period ends. Samsung would do wrong by its shareholders and thats who counts. would you release a phone with bugs, most probably hardware, and then release updates to prove it before all the phones are unable to be returned? I can almost guarantee we see nothing until mid october after the fascinate hits 30 days.
But Sprint does seem like they might do something about the upload speeds so thats hopefully soon. I flat out told the guy I need to know because I love the phone, but 150k upload speeds is nonsense.
as for gps, its not the best, but mine works okay, locks on relatively quickly and gets the job done.
Froyo I believe will come out, can't imagine they would release all these phones and not update to froyo, the behold 2 backlash would be a minor inconvenience compared to what woud happen if they left these phones without froyo.
But Sprint does seem like they might do something about the upload speeds so thats hopefully soon. I flat out told the guy I need to know because I love the phone, but 150k upload speeds is nonsense.
as for gps, its not the best, but mine works okay, locks on relatively quickly and gets the job done.
Froyo I believe will come out, can't imagine they would release all these phones and not update to froyo, the behold 2 backlash would be a minor inconvenience compared to what woud happen if they left these phones without froyo.
Well, if you don't hear back from your guy, mines is suppose to call me back this Sun. Let's hope for some good news. If there is indeed a cap, my next question would be, why the cap on the Epic and not the Evo.
according to two people at sprint, in my area anyway, I should see 300-500kpbs, so I'm guessing there is something wrong with the network, even people with evos aren't getting much more in upload from what I can tell.
In my area and during my little test at the local Sprint store to see if my phone was defective, the Evo's were always in the 600-700 Kbps region with respect to upload speeds. The Epic's never broke 200 Kbps. From the release date, I have yet to witness an Epic in my area that's broken that barrier. Hopefully we'll get some real answers soon.
Bmerz
Well-Known Member
Well here's hoping the new Epic coming day after tomorrow works, as the one I have now sux on the speed test! A lot of times, I get a -0!!! *rolls eyes* The highest I've ever gotten on this Epic (that I have now) is 900+ and that was today while at the 1st Sprint store, and the rest of the time, I was getting less than 200.
Went to a 2nd Sprint store (one that has a tech repair center), and while there tested the Evo (on display), and it was getting on an average 1100-1300+. So I convinced them to get me a another one to try - as my current one is not acceptable!
If the 2nd one fails, I'll either consider the Evo - or, have to go back to Tmo, which I'd rather not have to do either - as I love the Epic, but will not pay extra for a phone and extra for service (4G extra fee), for something that is not up to par.
For fun I did a speed test using my WiFi - and it shot up at close to 3000! lol Too bad that's not the 3G speed!
Went to a 2nd Sprint store (one that has a tech repair center), and while there tested the Evo (on display), and it was getting on an average 1100-1300+. So I convinced them to get me a another one to try - as my current one is not acceptable!
If the 2nd one fails, I'll either consider the Evo - or, have to go back to Tmo, which I'd rather not have to do either - as I love the Epic, but will not pay extra for a phone and extra for service (4G extra fee), for something that is not up to par.
For fun I did a speed test using my WiFi - and it shot up at close to 3000! lol Too bad that's not the 3G speed!
Well I talked to Sprint after the broken tower was fixed and they basically said my sucky speeds will remain sucky. At least the guy didn't keep giving me the run around. I'm so bummed. I've had phones I liked before, this was the first one I just loved. The screen, the keyboard, the style..everything but the network. 
I would have ordered Fascinate, but a google phone without google search is kind of stupid. I don't want Bing.
I ended up ordering a Droix X Pre-owned on Verizon for 219 with 1 year contract. I'm hoping something comparable to the Epic comes out by then. Anyway, Good luck to everyone else. Its really a great phone.
I would have ordered Fascinate, but a google phone without google search is kind of stupid. I don't want Bing.
I ended up ordering a Droix X Pre-owned on Verizon for 219 with 1 year contract. I'm hoping something comparable to the Epic comes out by then. Anyway, Good luck to everyone else. Its really a great phone.
Flaspeneer
Well-Known Member
At first glance, this article looks a bit OT, but I thought it might be relevant to the discussion:
Things You Didn’t Know About The Epic 4G | Skatter Tech
"There is a currently a 1 Mbps upload speed cap on 4G networks. Sprint is working with Clearwire to, hopefully, lift the cap in the near future. Also another odd finding? The 4G radio won
Things You Didn’t Know About The Epic 4G | Skatter Tech
"There is a currently a 1 Mbps upload speed cap on 4G networks. Sprint is working with Clearwire to, hopefully, lift the cap in the near future. Also another odd finding? The 4G radio won
Flaspeneer
Well-Known Member
I empathize with you, Araliss. No other Android keyboard has felt as good; the action and spacing are perfect for me (I'm a studio and classical musician).
I could overlook the GPS or almost anything else, but, ironically, the criticism of the iPhone -- that, because of the network and other deficiencies, it's not really a phone -- is beginning to apply to the Epic 4G. The Android phone that had everything the iP4 does not is becoming the iP4.
I'll be doing a lot more sleuthing to try to resolve the upload issue on my Epic before giving up, but I can understand and respect your course of action (if you choose it ultimately).
I share the reticence with which you contemplate moving on.
I could overlook the GPS or almost anything else, but, ironically, the criticism of the iPhone -- that, because of the network and other deficiencies, it's not really a phone -- is beginning to apply to the Epic 4G. The Android phone that had everything the iP4 does not is becoming the iP4.
I'll be doing a lot more sleuthing to try to resolve the upload issue on my Epic before giving up, but I can understand and respect your course of action (if you choose it ultimately).
I share the reticence with which you contemplate moving on.
Thanks. I did have the iPhone 3g for 2 years. I had the opposite problem. It worked as a phone but AT&T never gave us 3g so it was horribly slow. I was determine this time to get a phone and a network that can handle it. The Epic was perfect, I thought I finally had it until I started getting the dropped calls, no signal, and horribly slow 3g speeds. I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I am that I can't keep it.
Oh well I'm on the phone now trying to cancel the Droid X and switch it out for the Fascinate. I'm still leery about ordering it because I'm not sure if the Galaxy S phones have weak radios. If this doesn't work out I'll get the Droid X which I've tested and it has a good signal around here. Going to give Galaxy S one more chance, I just hate Verizon messed with Google search on the phone and replaced it with Bing.
I hope you have better luck getting it sorted out. That keyboard was my number one feature. It was so nice to go to landscape and still be able to see your screen. At least I was able to order the fascinate with only a 1 year contract. If it doesn't work out I can get something hopefully better next year.
mikefromnj
Lurker
I just spoke to Sprint. I also have an Evo to test with. There is no question that the Epic is much slower than the Evo on 3G. The Sprint tech told me that they are aware of the issue and that Samsung and not Sprint is responsible to come out with a fix.
well actually sprint is responsible if they don't want a bunch of phones piling up in a backroom, if I get that response from sprint, my phone will go back, my service will go back, and I'll probably go to tmobile for a g2. and i really like sprint service, but not going to be stuck with a phone that has major hardware problems. and i really don't think these problems are software if the gps is any indication.
Well at least someone at Sprint finally admitted it. I did notice it seems mainly to be people with another Sprint phone to compare it to that notices. And the difference is huge. Now I'm worried about my Fascinate order, I guess we'll see tomorrow. I know what I was getting before on Droid X though.
There is no way I'd pay Sprints 29.99 asking fee for tether on the Epic.
mikefromnj
Lurker
The really strange thing is that the Sprint rep said that the siganl issue should not be effecting call quality or causing dropped calls. It should only be effecting data speed which it clearly is.
I also notice that in a room where my Evo gets a 4G signal my Epic keepes loosing it. I really like the Epic form factor but I will be keeping the Evo if they don't fix it within my 30 days.
I also notice that in a room where my Evo gets a 4G signal my Epic keepes loosing it. I really like the Epic form factor but I will be keeping the Evo if they don't fix it within my 30 days.
well they running out of time quickly.
My Epic can't get a signal where my old Samsung M620 could pull one in. I'm also getting a "4G disconnected" message every time I try to use it--and that includes Baltimore, Saint Louis and Detroit. I have an EVDO tower just outside my window and my 3G speeds suck. The return clock is running...
Yea something is definitely up. It again makes me wonder if I should accept driod x when it comes. (Verizon sent it out even though I cancelled it.) and test it against Fascinate connection and just take the 35 dollar activation hit.
jim2point0
Android Enthusiast
In actual real-world usage, I've had no complaints with my speeds. Whenever I NEED something to go fast, I just turn on 4G which is blazing fast for me. Seems like the Epic has an issue with maintaining a 3G connection. Perhaps that's juice defender. Even though my 3G numbers arent great (upload on 3G is HORRENDOUS), I never have trouble loading web pages or youtube videos.
Here are my speedtest app results. BTW, I am INSIDE a building. I will try again outside later on. I can usually get full 4G once I go outside.
3G:
4G:
Here are my speedtest app results. BTW, I am INSIDE a building. I will try again outside later on. I can usually get full 4G once I go outside.
3G:
4G:
and you have displayed the issue exactly, upload speeds never break right about 150kpbs and they should be about equal. 4g is capped at 1mb
In actual real-world usage, I've had no complaints with my speeds. Whenever I NEED something to go fast, I just turn on 4G which is blazing fast for me. Seems like the Epic has an issue with maintaining a 3G connection. Perhaps that's juice defender. Even though my 3G numbers arent great (upload on 3G is HORRENDOUS), I never have trouble loading web pages or youtube videos.
Here are my speedtest app results. BTW, I am INSIDE a building. I will try again outside later on. I can usually get full 4G once I go outside.
3G:
4G: