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Consider 3G speed before you jump the gun

lavrishevo

lavrishevo

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jan 9, 2007
1,864
204
NJ
Take heed that Verizon throttles their 3G network in order to improve voice reliability. If you are a heavy data user you may regret a major downgrade in data speed. We are talking painfully slow if you are used to getting over 2 Mbps on AT&T. Verizon's 3G speeds really suck compared to AT&T.

It is not uncommon to be getting 5 Mbps down on AT&T and my experience with Verizon I was lucky to get 1 Mbps at off-peak hours.

Not to mention, the inability to use data and voice at the same time.
 
So no data and voice at the same time? Thats insane! So if I'm surfing the web, checking email or streaming pandora my iPhone won't ring,it will just go to voice mail and I will get notified after I stop using data?

You don't think verizon will have a fix for this come launch day? Huge failure if not. I see a lot of people returning their iphones to verizon if that is the case
 
Consider Verizon has a larger 3G network and no dropped calls.

By the way the data stops and the call comes through, it doesn't go to Voicemail.
 
jas1973 said:
So no data and voice at the same time? Thats insane! So if I'm surfing the web, checking email or streaming pandora my iPhone won't ring,it will just go to voice mail and I will get notified after I stop using data?

You don't think verizon will have a fix for this come launch day? Huge failure if not. I see a lot of people returning their iphones to verizon if that is the case
Click to expand...


Why are you talking about Voice and Data? The TS is talking about Verizon data speeds are slower than Att overall depending on were you live/work...
 
shadrap said:
Consider Verizon has a larger 3G network and no dropped calls.

By the way the data stops and the call comes through, it doesn't go to Voicemail.
Click to expand...

Okay well that isn't so bad. But you will not receive texts while on a call?
 
As it stands right now that is the deal. It may be a CDMA limitation I do not know.

Let me put it this way, I am working in Vegas right now and the other day I tethered my phone to download the iPad firmware as to help jailbreak a friends device and I was seeing as high as 900 Kbps. In other words 521 megabytes downloaded in 11 min.
 
lavrishevo said:
Take heed that Verizon throttles their 3G network in order to improve voice reliability. If you are a heavy data user you may regret a major downgrade in data speed. We are talking painfully slow if you are used to getting over 2 Mbps on AT&T. Verizon's 3G speeds really suck compared to AT&T.

It is not uncommon to be getting 5 Mbps down on AT&T and my experience with Verizon I was lucky to get 1 Mbps at off-peak hours.

Not to mention, the inability to use data and voice at the same time.
Click to expand...

The data and voice network are completely separate. There is no data throttling...

And I'm sure most would rather have more consistant coverage than higher speeds.
 
jas1973 said:
So no data and voice at the same time? Thats insane! So if I'm surfing the web, checking email or streaming pandora my iPhone won't ring,it will just go to voice mail and I will get notified after I stop using data?

You don't think verizon will have a fix for this come launch day? Huge failure if not. I see a lot of people returning their iphones to verizon if that is the case
Click to expand...

This is not how Verizon works. If streaming pandora or surfing the web via 3g and a call comes in that takes precedent and will stop pandora or your data. I have had a droid on vzw for over a year and never missed a call because i was using data. This is a complete misunderstanding you will always get calls and texts over pandora running trust me. If you are on a call then you cant surf the web or listen to pandora but you will not have calls go straight to vmail.
 
Yes, it's a limitation in CDMA that disallows the use of data while on a voice call. If you ever had dialup, you'd know how this works. If you haven't, I can understand. Basically, the call will go through, your data will pause (or stop, depending) and then you'll resume your data after the call is ended. From what I understand, you also still receive texts while in a call.

So, this means that when you're sharing your internet connection to your friends and your boss calls, they lose internet. Also, good luck on their "unlimited" internet.
 
jas1973 said:
Okay well that isn't so bad. But you will not receive texts while on a call?
Click to expand...

Yes, you will get texts while on a call. Texts are sent via the signaling channel and are not dependent on data.
 
Zac7 said:
I have had a droid on vzw for over a year and never missed a call because i was using data.
Click to expand...

Or so you think! :D. But you wouldn't really know would you?

Kidding of course!

At any rate, Verizon's data speeds are terribly slow, and my iPhone 4 on AT&T has been much more reliable with voice than my Verizon phone was before that. This is of course just my experience and I understand that others have had different experience with ATT vs. Verizon.
 
NKT said:
Yes, you will get texts while on a call. Texts are sent via the signaling channel and are not dependent on data.
Click to expand...

pyroza said:
You can send and receive texts while on a call.
Click to expand...

Texts will come through fine, but if the text has a picture or video, you won't be able to get the picture or video unless you hang up the call correct? Doesn't that use the 3G network?

-Kevin
 
kbmb said:
Texts will come through fine, but if the text has a picture or video, you won't be able to get the picture or video unless you hang up the call correct? Doesn't that use the 3G network?

-Kevin
Click to expand...

Correct. MMS/video messages will wait to download until the voice call is ended.
 
Small White Car said:
So...exactly like at&t, then?

Oh, well, I guess I'm not being totally fair. With at&t you can get 1.2 Mbps! Fantastic...wouldn't want to miss out on that.
Click to expand...

Funny, I ran a speedtest not one hour ago on my AT&T iPhone. Got 2.83 Mbps. That was at about 4:30 pm in the middle of Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.

Let's be honest now shall we?
 
Small White Car said:
So...exactly like at&t, then?

Oh, well, I guess I'm not being totally fair. With at&t you can get 1.2 Mbps! Fantastic...wouldn't want to miss out on that.
Click to expand...

As mentioned before, I travel all over the U.S. as a production engineer and majority of the time I see over 3 Mbps and as high as 8 when tethered, which is a significant difference.
 
Peak-hours in Boston

Friend's Droid, my iPhone 4. Both speed tests done with the speedtest.net app

Droid: 0.98 mbps/0.13 mbps up
AT&T: 5.80 mbps/1.65 mbps up

My network is almost 5x times faster and the upload is 12.5x faster. Both are huge noticeable differences. When it's not peak hours, I'm averaging between 5-6, and his Droid has never been over 1.2 mbps. EVDO is complete ********, if I'm pushing these great speeds on HSDPA consistently.

And there have been many times where we're inside buildings and I'm sitting there on my HSDPA network and the Droid (and one other friend's Droid incredible) have been dropped down to a 1x connection
 
The problem is the majority of Americans do not live in areas with AT&T 3G and the ones who live in smaller towns with 3G aren't getting those speeds. For example in Charlotte you may hit 3G speeds of 2-3 Mbps, but in High Point you are getting 500 Kbps. Then AT&T 3G only blankets the actual metro areas of North Carolina if you aren't near a city or a beach you are on edge.

Verizon 3G on the other hand covers almost the entire state. Now it might peak at 1.2-1.4 but you still have 3G nearly everywhere.
 
lavrishevo said:
As mentioned before, I travel all over the U.S. as a production engineer and majority of the time I see over 3 Mbps and as high as 8 when tethered, which is a significant difference.
Click to expand...

I regularly travel to 12 US cities and have only seen 3 Mbps twice in my life. And 1.0 to 1.5 is far more common.

SLC Flyfishing said:
Let's be honest now shall we?
Click to expand...

Ok, here's my all my Speeds Tests from around the US for December and January:

1.27
1.37
0.05
1.12
1.30
0.47
1.80
2.31
1.40
1.01
0.27
0.73
0.01
0.01
1.68
0.02
1.74
2.82
2.06
1.20
0.67
0.03
0.32

Is that honest enough? You'll notice I didn't even mention all the sub-1.0 tests in my last post which means I was actually being kind to at&t. (And yes, these are "real" cities like San Diego, Dallas, and Philadelphia, I'm not driving out to the middle of nowhere to do these or anything like that.)
 
Small White Car said:
I regularly travel to 12 US cities and have only seen 3 Mbps twice in my life. And 1.0 to 1.5 is far more common.



Ok, here's my all my Speeds Tests from around the US for December and January:

1.27
1.37
0.05
1.12
1.30
0.47
1.80
2.31
1.40
1.01
0.27
0.73
0.01
0.01
1.68
0.02
1.74
2.82
2.06
1.20
0.67
0.03
0.32

Is that honest enough? You'll notice I didn't even mention all the sub-1.0 tests in my last post which means I was actually being kind to at&t. (And yes, these are "real" cities like San Diego, Dallas, and Philadelphia, I'm not driving out to the middle of nowhere to do these or anything like that.)
Click to expand...

Here are mine since downloading the app the other day. Tested all over the Wasatch front (greater Salt Lake City area).

3.77
2.83
2.68
2.34
1.78
1.87

I've always tested during early afternoon (when I travel to college), which I imagine is a fairly heavy data usage time.

Fact is, AT&T's network is faster. My results agree, and every report I've been able to dig up agrees as well. It's usually not even close.

Plus you can use it during a call if needed. Those two facts make Verizon's network really unnateactive to me.
 
Small White Car said:
I regularly travel to 12 US cities and have only seen 3 Mbps twice in my life. And 1.0 to 1.5 is far more common.



Ok, here's my all my Speeds Tests from around the US for December and January:

1.27
1.37
0.05
1.12
1.30
0.47
1.80
2.31
1.40
1.01
0.27
0.73
0.01
0.01
1.68
0.02
1.74
2.82
2.06
1.20
0.67
0.03
0.32

Is that honest enough? You'll notice I didn't even mention all the sub-1.0 tests in my last post which means I was actually being kind to at&t. (And yes, these are "real" cities like San Diego, Dallas, and Philadelphia, I'm not driving out to the middle of nowhere to do these or anything like that.)
Click to expand...

maybe you were using the wrong app....

Here is a screen shot of my recent history starting today....from a small indiana city:

4.8.png
 
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