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LTE in Chicagoland

MJedi

MJedi

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 16, 2010
902
396
Hello,

I have the new iPad with LTE from Verizon, and would like to see what others are getting for their speeds. I am especially curious what the AT&T LTE iPads get.

From Arlington Heights:
Server: Chicago, IL
Download: 23.65 Mbps
Upload: 16.01 Mbps
Ping: 38 ms

From Elgin:
Server: Chicago, IL
Download: 11.21 Mbps
Upload: 8.09 Mbps
Ping: 38 ms

From Hoffman Estates:
Server: Chicago, IL
Download: 9.04 Mbps
Upload: 6.02 Mbps
Ping: 39 ms
 
sub par out in far west suburbs: just west of Aurora on AT&T LTE 3 bars

4.82/ 1.58



Go further west to Plano/Sandwich 4G

2-3 down/ 2 up
 
Southside (Burbank)

4.57Mbps/3.67Mbps on iPad3 showing LTE
7.90Mbps/3.11Mbps on iPad3 showing 4G (LTE disabled)
7.93Mbps/2.88Mbps on iPhone4S showing 4G connectivity

I hate ATT so much right now :(
 
Looks like ATT is gonna have a hard time selling LTE in the Chicago area. I'll be heading to my local Apple store to trade in my ATT unit for a Verizon one.
 
Chicago is probably one of AT&T's weakest LTE markets. They have only enough bandwidth for a single channel of LTE. Verizon has more than twice as much spectrum. Also, from what I understand, AT&T's LTE coverage isn't as widespread.
 
My LTE speeds above are not much faster than 3G speeds. Hoping it improves over time.
 
jlp2979 said:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393286,00.asp

Interesting read on AT&T LTE service in Chicago, not sure if things have since changed here. I am in Chicago and avoid AT&T like the plague, I've had bad experiences in this city (live in river north, work in loop). You made a wise choice, stick with Verizon.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I get between 15-25mbps on Verizon consistently on the north side of chicago. My coworker on AT&T gets 11mbps at best on the south side. I sent him this link, I'm thinking he's going to return it for Verizon, he's already mentioned he's considering it.
 
KPOM said:
Chicago is probably one of AT&T's weakest LTE markets. They have only enough bandwidth for a single channel of LTE. Verizon has more than twice as much spectrum. Also, from what I understand, AT&T's LTE coverage isn't as widespread.
Click to expand...

Yea, until AT&T uses their AWS holdings(or the Qualcomm spectrum), it's gonna be a tougher sell for them. SF has 20Mhz though so I've been pulling down decent speeds on ATT
 
Thanks everyone for posting your speeds.

Anyone else care to add their findings?
 
Thanks for posting your speeds, I usually have to be in the Chicago land for meetings a few times a month. I do have AT&T though.
 
From Park Ridge/Rosemont IL:
Ping: 22ms
Down: 25
Up: 16

From Glenview IL:
Ping: 40ms
Down: 22
Up: 11

From Geneva IL:
Ping: 33ms
Down: 14
Up: 11

All were against the Aurora, IL server.

Been an AT&T user since iPhone's intro years ago and almost 5 years prior to that with various other phone models. Voice quality was always spotty, call drops 3-4 times per day. Data was always just OK, never great. I was the last to switch to Verizon in my family and now have all lines on Verizon, a LTE MiFi and data packages on everything. Very, very happy with both voice and data quality. Just wish we could do both at same time.
 
My AT&T iPad in Naperville:

LTE
64 ms ping
11.91 Mbps down
4.20 Mbps up

In Lombard:

LTE
89 ms ping
6.08 Mbps down
1.68 Mbps up

From researching and reading about AT&T's LTE limitations in Chicago (and Verizon's speed, coverage, and hotspot advantages), I chose to trade in my AT&T model for a Verizon one. I haven't signed up for a Verizon data plan yet as I still have data left on my AT&T plan...as such I kept my AT&T SIM card and am using it in the Verizon model for access to "4G"/HSPA+ data. Results in Lombard for Verizon model with AT&T SIM:

4G/HSPA+
108 ms ping
4.84 Mbps down
0.62 Mbps up
 
Yikes! ATT really sucks.

I wonder if they will improve it.

Also, how about in city? Probably spotty as hell.
 
I'm getting pretty lackluster speeds with AT&T.

Out in the burbs, it is a little more bearable - I remember I got a few downstream numbers in the upper teens - but in the city, it's just ugly.

Here are the results from a test I took sitting at my desk - heart of the city:
- 128 ms ping
- 3.21 MBps down
- 0.58 MBps up
- The LTE indicator is on with 2 bars

How is Apple about swapping out iPads for a different version? With the 14 day return policy, looks like I have about 2 days left to decide...

I stuck with AT&T - since I have phone service with them - but since these things are just completely separate, I figure I might as well go where the speed is...

EDIT - as far as the rest of the city - coverage hovers around that "really fast 3g" mark - even on the train ride home, where I travel about 19 miles a day, the fastest I have ever gotten has been in the 6-7 MBps down range...
 
TheKricket said:
I'm getting pretty lackluster speeds with AT&T.

Out in the burbs, it is a little more bearable - I remember I got a few downstream numbers in the upper teens - but in the city, it's just ugly.

Here are the results from a test I took sitting at my desk - heart of the city:
- 128 ms ping
- 3.21 MBps down
- 0.58 MBps up
- The LTE indicator is on with 2 bars

How is Apple about swapping out iPads for a different version? With the 14 day return policy, looks like I have about 2 days left to decide...

I stuck with AT&T - since I have phone service with them - but since these things are just completely separate, I figure I might as well go where the speed is...

EDIT - as far as the rest of the city - coverage hovers around that "really fast 3g" mark - even on the train ride home, where I travel about 19 miles a day, the fastest I have ever gotten has been in the 6-7 MBps down range...
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat. I predominantly need coverage for my train ride (Metra Southwest Line). I get horrible coverage on it, and avg about 1Mbps during first quarter of the trip out of Union Station. The rest hovers around 3-5Mbps, and the absolute max I've hit is 7Mbps (same as my 4S). I called Apple who said it wouldn't be a problem to trade in for the Verizon model. My only concern now is that I'll get the Verizon unit, am curious if I'd be able to switch back if I notice that the Verizon coverage isn't any better for my train ride.
 
Traded in my AT&T unit for a Verizon one. Speeds went from 6d/2u to 15d/13u. :-D

And Apple rep says I have a fresh 14 days to test and see if I want to go back.
 
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