n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY
 ·Optimum Online
| Interesting Review
When I saw the review the other day I was impressed by the detail. Unfortunately TMO, my carrier, is too new to the game to be reviewed.
My firm has an all-you-can-eat plan with Sprint and that is probably the best value as the review points out. While AT&T is the fastest, those overage charges are crazy! Of course Verizon has their TOS that can get you disconnected for doing the most innocuous things.
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I support the right to keep and arm bears. |
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joeschuh
join:2000-10-02
Englewood, OH
| Sprint the worst?
I think Sprint actually beats Verizon in most cases (where I have tried both). I can't speak to AT&T -- although the article read like a commercial for AT&T.
Sprint was said to have the slowest network yet pages loaded the fastest (although tiny differences). |
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dcdeadbeat
@insidehighered.com
| they all have issues
I am in D.C. and have laptops with Sprint cards, Verizon cards, and At&t. Some of my laptops have internal cards and some have either usb or pcmcia. I have to say, no matter where you are, all 3 networks have issues. However if I had to pick a clear winner, I would agree with AT&T.
The only real advantage for Verizon is that it works in the tunnels of the Metro, because you must have internet access while underground. |
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techjoe
Premium
join:2004-02-20
Schererville, IN
| riiiight
The slowest of the three cellular data networks, the Sprint network delivered on average 494Kbit/sec. download speeds to my notebook. That's roughly a third slower than AT&T's network. Its average upload speed was 294Kbit/sec. and the network's top speed was 1.2Mbit/sec. It connected in 3.7 seconds. 494kbit? Hmm thats strange, everywhere I go with my Sprint I clock ~700kbit-1mbit download rates. I've been to a half dozen states, urban and rural-ish areas.
At work I benchmarked AT&T vs Sprint quite a few times and Sprint always came out on top transfer speed-wise. Our users have been trading in their AT&T cards for Sprint left right and center over the past year or two as well.
YMMV definitely on this one I guess.
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Baka wa shinanakya naoranai |
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weaseled386
join:2008-04-13
Port Orange, FL
 ·Verizon Wireless B..
·Bright House
| My unofficial tests don't match...
Okay, so they're not exactly tests. A coworker of mine had an AT&T 3G aircard, and I have a Verizon. On several occasions we've sat right beside each other to see how things load. In the middle of Orlando, Gainesville & Daytona Beach, Florida the Verizon chewed up the AT&T and spit it out!
I thought it may have been his laptop settings (he knows little about laptops & settings). So I loaded up the AT&T control panel and had the same result has he in my laptop.
Down here AT&T cell service is king. I just wish they would have branched their tests to other markets. |
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bignate
join:2005-12-05
Austin, TX
| ATT
i use my att Tilt almost every daay tethered to my laptop and i get between 700k and 1.7m down but it is ususally on the high side.
when i use speedtest.net the average i get is about 1.5m down and 450k up with latency of about 180ms(this varies the most). though if it fall to edge these numbers drop to about 200k/80k/500ms. |
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bobjohnson
Premium
join:2007-02-03
Titusville, FL
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·RoadRunner Cable
1 edit | reply to weaseled386
Re: My unofficial tests don't match...
said by weaseled386  :Okay, so they're not exactly tests. A coworker of mine had an AT&T 3G aircard, and I have a Verizon. On several occasions we've sat right beside each other to see how things load. In the middle of Orlando, Gainesville & Daytona Beach, Florida the Verizon chewed up the AT&T and spit it out! I thought it may have been his laptop settings (he knows little about laptops & settings). So I loaded up the AT&T control panel and had the same result as he in my laptop. Down here AT&T cell service is king. I just wish they would have branched their tests to other markets. here, sprint cards run on average 2000 dn and 500 up and dwarfs at&t's 3g coverage in much of florida |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
 ·North State Commun..
|  Suspect Results
If they want to test the actual technology, test it in a rural area with no load on the towers. 500, or 5000, data points doesn't matter if you're testing at 8 overloaded towers.
This is a representative sample of the NY Metro area only and should be treated as such. |
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dadkins
Can you do Blu?
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
·Comcast
| Huh?
"... the fact you can't legally use your Verizon EVDO connection for anything other than e-mail or browsing"
Uhm... say again why this would appeal to someone who needed access from more places than Hotspots.
Need to connect for business, but they don't allow anything but email and browsing?
Get kicked for uploading/downloading a spreadsheet? WTF?
Can you screw me now? Good! 
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Think outside the Fox... Opera |
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patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY | reply to techjoe
Re: riiiight
Agree, Sprint EVDO has always been regarded as faster than Verizon EVDO. |
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majortom1029
join:2006-10-19
Lindenhurst, NY | hmm
Of course they didnt test on long island 3g coverage stops basically at the nassau suffolk border. |
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gaforces
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
join:2002-04-07
Santa Cruz, CA
1 edit | reply to bobjohnson
Re: My unofficial tests don't match...
I'm on the Sprint EVDO rev0 (still waiting on my Touch revA update) and it's working pretty well ...
ATT doesn't have 3g available here.
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There is no greater sign of a general decay of virtue in a nation, than a want of zeal in its inhabitants for the good of their country. ~ Joseph Addison |
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AZ_OGM
join:2007-01-12
Phoenix, AZ
| reply to dadkins
Re: Huh?
Not necessarily true. My company uses Verizon aircards at remote sites that don't have any other means of connecting to the internet (Cable or DSL). Its plugged into a TopGlobal which connects to a Cisco VPN firewall. We can run 3 citrix terminals and a network printer. Aside from crappy latency, they are fairly rock solid. I don't know what they pay for AYCE, but its better than other options.
Once again YMMV, but Verizon's EVDO appears to work better here than Sprint's. |
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en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | reply to gaforces
Re: My unofficial tests don't match...
When I tethered my cellphone to my laptop, I had ~1Mbps down, and that was last August here in Los Angeles.
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Canada = Hollywood North |
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en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | reply to patcat88
Re: riiiight
Their article claims to have only tested in NY/CT area.
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Canada = Hollywood North |
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mlohrwork
join:2001-05-30
Laurel, MD
| It all depends on where you are!
I have tested the ATT laptop connect with the pcmcia card in many places.
Kauai ~20kbps down and 13 kbps up
Honolulu airport 800 kbps down 109 kbps up
Phoenix Arizona 1600 kbps down 1400 kbps up
Hagerstown MD 16 kbps down and 16 kbps up
University of MD 1200 kbps down 300 kbps up
Denver Co 84 kbps down 38 kbps up
Blue Ridge drive 8 kbps down 6 kbps up
performed with Dslreports java test. The mobile tests gave higher numbers on all the edge (slow numbers) measurements.
It is all location! Chose the system by where you will use it. It has worked every where so far. With ATT all have indicated a POP in the center of the US. |
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ATHF
join:2004-12-20
00000 | 3.6 minutes or 228 seconds to load a webpage
even on the fastest AT&T
Wow i takes 3.6 minutes or 228 seconds to load a webpage
that's worse then dialup must be alot of latency |
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scavio
Premium
join:2001-07-14
Melmac
clubs:   | Ummm... you're missing a decimal point there big guy. .228 seconds, not 228. |
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avd706
insert annoying animated gif here
Premium
join:2003-02-06
Union, NJ
| reply to ATHF
Doesn't Sprint and Verizon roam on each others networks. How did the author know what network he was actually on?
There are too many variables here, overloaded cell sites, sub optimal drivers, poor hardware implementation. Its just not comprehensive. |
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Fox McCloud
Crazy like a fox.
join:2006-07-23
·Embarq
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
|  Bull
I've never seen AT&T hit 2.5 megabits per second...I've only seen Sprint users be able to do this (there was one Verizon user who was really close to this, but, overall, Sprint was way faster).
EVDOforums has a map that lists a whole bunch of users and the speeds they got...AT&T is not included, but just from seeing people posts speeds and such, I've yet to see AT&T top Sprint.
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"True Patriotism is more closely linked with dissent than it is to conformity and a blind desire for safety and security...I accept the definition of patriotism as that effort to resist abusive state power." -Ron Paul |
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