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What 3G speeds are you getting?

D

davehries

Newbie
Hello All,

I rec'd my EVO on Sat. Based on what I read about the reason for the extra $10.00 fee for premium service, I went ahead and purchased the phone, even though I don't have access to 4G at this time or maybe never have.

I have been checking my 3G speeds with Speedtest.n##. I have never used a phone with wireless data, so I was not just sure what to expect. I live in Tulsa, OK and this morning I went for a drive around the city and took speed reading at various points. My 3G results ranged from 0.36 to 1.93 Mbps down and 0.36 up. I decided to stop in at a local T-Mobile store and run a test there and compare it with a T-Mobile phone. It just so happened that a friend was there with his Google N1. So, we both ran the speed test on the same server. The best I could get was 1.93 Mbps and he got 3.95Mbps down.

This got me to wondering if these speeds are typical for Sprint and why pay the extra $10.00 per month for a phone that was billed as providing an enhanced wireless experience. It may be enhanced, but it sure is a slow experience. By the way, at home my Wi-Fi speeds are 10.08 down and 3.00 up.

Now, I know that speed varies by area and that Sprint Tulsa may just be a poor service area. Of course, all of this in is anecdotal. But, I wonder how this compares to your real time experiences.

Please don't flame me, I am total new to cell phones with data plans.

Regards,
 
At my house I was getting 2.06 down and .96 up. Not so well when I tested it at work today around town. Was getting .96 down and .5 up
 
In Dallas, TX yet get no 4g signal at home. :(

Have a Touch Pro on Sprint and testing the speeds with the phones right next to each other getting:

Touch Pro - 1.35Mbs Down / .32 Mbs Up
EVO - .75Mbs Down / .63Mbs Up

edit: Did a bunch of tests and took an average of the speeds.
 
500K-1.2Mbs is about the "median" 3G speeds regardless of carrier, for most areas, not close to a tower/antenna. I wouldn't compare to T-Mobile's 3G as it will be running at 7Mb and 21Mb...if the signal is clean enough. My T-Mo service was recently upgraded and I was able to do 7.44Mbs at a local store, but at my house, 3mi away, I'm still averaging about 900Kbs.

Personally I think that the WiMax, as a technology, and the frequency Sprint has it on, will provide a varied experience...especially given what people in Europe have been posting about their WiMax experiences. Whether or not that extra speed/cost will be worth it to you, only you can decide. If you are going to be streaming a lot of video, you may want to go with the higher bandwidth plan. For general data connectivity, including SIP calls, you should be fine with 3G.

FWIW, for comparison's sake, T-Mo's 7Mb/21Mb plan only costs $10/mo "total".
 
chanchan said:
In Dallas, TX yet get no 4g signal at home. :(

Have a Touch Pro on Sprint and testing the speeds with the phones right next to each other getting:

Touch Pro - 1.35Mbs Down / .32 Mbs Up
EVO - .75Mbs Down / .63Mbs Up

edit: Did a bunch of tests and took an average of the speeds.
Click to expand...

Now that's interesting. I've been assuming that the differences in speeds between my iPhone and Evo side by side were due to Sprint's network. It never occurred to me that it could be the phone itself.

What would cause that? Weak radio?
 
I have little faith in the speed tests. My speed test was horrible, but I could watch a hd video on youtube, or load this site, quickly for a phone. I suggests trying websites that you like, including youtube, and see if you feel comfortable with the download times.
 
What if we did this, just to see what happens.

Run speedtest.net from your location to the Dallas, TX server and report your results.

Mine were 0.55 Mbps down and 0.39 Mbps up. Ping 263. Showing 3 bars on 3G. Time 9:25 pm. From Oklahoma.

Not sure what this will tell us, but could be interesting.
 
Well I have been anywhere from 500k to 1.1m all day but the latency is what has been impressing me. On average 123ms. I mean compared to broadband that isn't great but it is impressive and even at lower speeds I was still streaming Netflix on my laptop without jittering or degraded picture. Sprint has never been the fastest but ask real network geeks about Sprints network.. They do a damn good job. People don't get hung up on the speed. What is your latency compared to others?
 
Latency has most definitely been very impressive. I typically saw close to 500ms on AT&T's 3G network and like you am averaging in the 120s on Sprint. Still can't use the connection for much in most places though.
 
Out of the two tests I've run at my house 0.3-1.03 down and 0.3-0.6 up. Latency 170-373.
 
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