Please Help?? Researching wifi issue on my iPhone 4

[countzero2k10]

Ok, here is my issue. I am experiencing annoyingly slow wifi download speedtest results from the speedtest app at 3 different locations with AT&T-served internet. Laptops are unaffected as well as any Android-based phones I've been able to test. Here are some of the results I have gathered at this point.

My house:
AT&T 6mb DSL
ASUS WL-500G Premium v2 with DD-WRT v24 (802.11b/g only router)
G-Only
Avg speedtest results - 1mb down on iphone4


Friend 1:
AT&T 3MB DSL
ASUS WL-520GU with DD-WRT v24 (802.11b/g only router)
G-Only
Avg speedtest results - 1mb down on iphone4


Local Apple Store:
AT&T Worldnet Service 20mb
unknown hardware
Avg speedtest results - 2mb down on iphone4


As a separate test I tried a friend with cable internet service and here is my result..

Friend 2:
Knology Cable 8mb service
ASUS WL-520GU with DD-WRT v24 (802.11b/g only router)
G-Only
Avg speedtest results - 7.3mb down on iphone4


So it doesn't seem to be a router issue and it seems to me to be isolated to just an issue with AT&T served internet and maybe just in my area. I really don't know. That's why I'm hoping for some broader help here.

And one more thing...I just bought an iPad over the weekend and this happens on it too...what gives?? Is this just an AT&T issue since it seems like its not just a problem with my iphone? I guess I'm just not sure how to proceed or who to call at this point.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[countzero2k10]

Anyone?

 

[Iphone4Issues]

Slow Iphone 4 Wi-Fi Download speed (slow youtube)

Hey, just read your post. I am having the same issue. I tested my iphone 4 and my Iphone 3gs on multiple networks. Here are my test results using speedtest.net application from the app store. I tested 3 times and reported the averaged results below.

My House:

-Comcast internet 16 mbps internet service provider
-Linksys WRT150N wireless N router

Results:
Iphone 3GS: Download: 10-14 Mbps
Upload: 3-6 Mbps

Iphone 4: Download 0.8-1.1 Mbps
Upload 3-5 Mbps


Starbucks free Wi-Fi:
-not sure what internet and router they use

Results:
Iphone 3GS: Download: 5-6 Mbps
Upload: 3-4 Mbps

Iphone 4: Download 0.7-1.1 Mbps
Upload 3-4 Mbps

Apple Retail Store Wi-Fi:
-not sure what brand of router they use but it’s one of apple's based on what the tech support said

Results:
Iphone 3GS: Download: 8-10 Mbps
Upload: 4-6 Mbps

Iphone 4: Download 1.0-2.5 Mbps
Upload 4-6 Mbps

After all these tests I decided to have my phone looked over by one of the genius bar tech support people.


After scheduling an appointment at the Apple store and showing the problem to the tech support guy, he decided my Iphone 4 must have faulty hardware and gave me a replacement iphone 4. After replacing the phone and giving me a new one I re-ran the test at the apple store in front of the technician and still had the same issue (slow download but good/fast upload). He then said "I guess it must be an inherent nature of the iphone 4", unwilling to try another iphone 4. I asked him didn't you just say "it must be faulty hardware 15 min ago?" and pointed that this one is exibiting the same "faulty hardware problem and therefore qualifies for a replacement." He would not replace it again.....

I think all the iphone 4's (maybe certain batches/ serial numbers) are experiencing this fault. If others could run the speedtest.net app and share their results over Wi-Fi connection maybe we could get a better idea of the number of iphone 4's plagued with this issue. I'm about to call Iphone technical support and see what they can do for me as the tech support person at the apple store did not fix my issue. It's definitely an issue with the phone so apple will need to either fix it with a hardware recall or a software patch (assuming a software patch can even fix it)

Maybe the new models of iphone 4's will have the wifi+ weak antenna death grip signal fixed in which case I will be revisiting the apple store for a new/fixed model.

 

[Iphone4Issues]

Iphone 4 slow download

I'm suprised you got 7.3 Mbps download at your friend's Wi-fi. I cant seem to get anything this high anywhere. Try to run a few more tests if you can and I will do the same. Maybe your friend has a different revision of the same router or is running in B mode? I know you said G mode but if you guys have the same router version (by that i mean revisions of the same model such as 1.0 1.1 1.2 etc) then my theory of Iphone 4 being very picky about what router it connects to is now shot.

 

[countzero2k10]

Ran a few more tests. Friend with cable is definitely running G-only because I set up his router for him and he would have zero clue how to change it. Still testing as it should.

Went up to the Apple store today to talk to the "Geniuses". I don't think the guy I talked to understood what I was trying to tell him at all. I showed him the test on the Macbook running at 20mb down and then ran it on the iphone and it showed 2mb down. His response was, well the iphone's radio isn't as strong as the macbook so it won't test as good. So basically he said I was SOL and that the iphone's wifi radio sucks.

This is of course after I showed him the results from my friend's house where I was getting 7.3mb down on an 8mb pipe... Sure, its the radio.

edit: This also doesn't explain why it would be faster on the 3GS. Why would they put a crappier radio in the 4? That certainly doesn't make sense now does it? lol

Does anyone think that restoring the phone back to iOS 4.0 would be worth testing? Maybe 4.0.1 messed with the wifi somehow. I don't remember the wifi crawling this bad before the update.