I don't think AT&T's speeds are dramatically faster in reality. The other day I was streaming Netflix over Verizon to my iPad 2 while at the same time I was on AT&T's EDGE on my iPhone. I think that's proof of who's better. When you're on EDGE, you're screwed. And there's A LOT of it and too little 3G. I take a little slower data when it's consistent. I'll pay $5 more to get 0.75 GB of data per month. It's a no brainer.
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Verizon iPad 2 vs AT&T iPad 2
- Thread starter Greg Punzo
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Verizon is what I could get on launch day even though I knew AT&T was better in my area.
The Verizon side has been fine. Perhaps, not bad to have phone with AT&T and iPad with Verizon. In an emergency, one or the other might work especially as I have noticed in the past when I lose electricity, AT&T will often go out and Verizon doesn't, only in my area probably.
The only thing I have a problem with is that the data plans are suck these days.
I sure wish I had gotten on AT&T unlimited iPad plan. The iPad can really suck down data quicker than iPhone. There is so much you can do with it.
The Verizon side has been fine. Perhaps, not bad to have phone with AT&T and iPad with Verizon. In an emergency, one or the other might work especially as I have noticed in the past when I lose electricity, AT&T will often go out and Verizon doesn't, only in my area probably.
The only thing I have a problem with is that the data plans are suck these days.
I sure wish I had gotten on AT&T unlimited iPad plan. The iPad can really suck down data quicker than iPhone. There is so much you can do with it.
So far testing in my area it seems like the verizon is always a consistent 700kbps up and down when AT&T can be anywhere from 400kbps-2mbps down and 60kbps-250kbps up, the download stays pretty much the same but the upload is what spikes down to 80kbps and people on Skype say I'm breaking up when I can hear them cleary because of the much higher download. On verizon it's great for skype calling and pretty consistant 3G speeds but horrible for videos/Netflix streaming
I'll keep posting as I test more area's, but in general is this how the 3G companies behave for you? And which do you find to have better coverage in buildings?
I'll keep posting as I test more area's, but in general is this how the 3G companies behave for you? And which do you find to have better coverage in buildings?
I finally got my tests done and uploaded.
The first is the speedtest.net app which tests ping times and throughput.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai4wswF6FU0
The second test is using DSL Reports test page with downloads a small file multiple times and calculates the speed. I then downloaded a 2mb jpg from the same page.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WH_NzHFM2Q
In my area Verizon is the clear choice. I will test it this next week in the SF Bay area and will also have an IPAD 2 for AT&T. I suppose that the Ipad1/Ipad2 variable could slightly affect the results.
The first is the speedtest.net app which tests ping times and throughput.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai4wswF6FU0
The second test is using DSL Reports test page with downloads a small file multiple times and calculates the speed. I then downloaded a 2mb jpg from the same page.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WH_NzHFM2Q
In my area Verizon is the clear choice. I will test it this next week in the SF Bay area and will also have an IPAD 2 for AT&T. I suppose that the Ipad1/Ipad2 variable could slightly affect the results.
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I will be in SAC next Tuesday and then in the City Wed-Friday of next week. I will rerun the tests and post here.
My sense is that they will show the same. We were on AT&T about 3 years ago and dropped many calls between SAC and the Bay. This improved significantly when we move to VZW.
I can't speak for Sacramento, but AT&T speeds and coverage in the middle of San Francisco are dreadful. Apparently it's a regulatory issue that makes getting permission to build additional towers a nightmare. I couldn't tell you anything about Verizon in the region.
It really does vary dramatically from one area to another, so I'd do as much homework as possible before deciding. My AT&T iPad 2 arrived today here in Bellevue, WA where I've had generally good experiences with their service. A quick test shows 5.69mbps down and 720kbps up. When the iPhone 4 launched I was able to consistently get 1.5mbps upstream for a few days but it appears that they decided to cap it since then.
The major deciding factor for me is that the technology AT&T uses is in use in many parts of the world and the device is unlocked, allowing me to drop in a micro-SIM from a carrier in London for a week's service for a fraction of what I'd pay for wireless service in a hotel. That's a huge win in my eyes.