criggs join:2000-07-14 New York, NY |
to SpaethCo
Re: February 2011 Sprint 4G WiMax speedssaid by SpaethCo:It's the same system - Sprint doesn't manage the tower radios. I don't question that is the case. What I DO question is whether there is NO DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER between the way Sprint 4G customers are managed/throttled versus the way Clear 4G customers are managed/throttled. The anecdotal evidence both on this forum and elsewhere indicates there IS a difference. Could it be coincidence? I guess. Might it be a statistical quirk? Perhaps. But it is incontrovertible that the online evidence, in fora and otherwise, indicate that the two companies APPEAR to be managing/throttling their 4G customers differently. Yes, the evidence might be flawed, and in-depth analysis might refute that evidence. But that such evidence does indeed exist there can be no doubt. |
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SpaethCoDigital Plumber MVM join:2001-04-21 Minneapolis, MN 1 edit |
said by criggs:The anecdotal evidence both on this forum and elsewhere indicates there IS a difference. The reports are ABSOLUTELY AND COMPLETELY MEANINGLESS without usage statistics tied to it. Search here, search over at the Clear forums and it's very evident that if you're pushing to consume 50+GB/mo you have a reasonably high probability of encountering the throttle. You know this because folks are posting over and over again what their usage patterns are that are triggering their encounter with the cap, and management is correlating in the threads with details about tower usage. Unless folks with Sprint start posting that they are reaching the same known source conditions for triggering the cap, you can't draw any conclusion whatsoever. The base of participation in the Sprint forums is too small, and the quantity of known data is even smaller. |
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criggs join:2000-07-14 New York, NY |
criggs
Member
2011-Feb-4 6:21 pm
said by SpaethCo:The reports are ABSOLUTELY AND COMPLETELY MEANINGLESS without usage statistics tied to it. Search here, search over at the Clear forums and it's very evident that if you're pushing to consume 50+GB/mo you have a reasonably high probability of encountering the throttle. Are we sure about that? It seems to me that I've read stories from Clear victims about bumping into the throttling not because they themselves were heavy users but because their TOWER was being overutilized. And if tower over-utilization is a major factor/trigger, then throttling would be just as likely to affect, and to be reported by, normal users as heavy users. |
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SpaethCoDigital Plumber MVM join:2001-04-21 Minneapolis, MN |
said by criggs:Are we sure about that? It seems to me that I've read stories from Clear victims about bumping into the throttling not because they themselves were heavy users but because their TOWER was being overutilized. And if tower over-utilization is a major factor/trigger, then throttling would be just as likely to affect, and to be reported by, normal users as heavy users. Again, it's all about perception of what constitutes a "heavy user." Clear positioned itself as an "unlimited" alternative to cable ISPs which have caps around 250GB/mo. When framed that way, it's reasonable that the average Clear subscriber wouldn't consider 50GB/mo to be "heavy" use. Threads like this one are quite common on the Clear forums: » forums.clear.com/clearco ··· _all_day |
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criggs join:2000-07-14 New York, NY |
criggs
Member
2011-Feb-4 9:32 pm
And why don't similar threads show up on the Sprint forums page at » community.sprint.com/baw ··· overview ? |
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SpaethCoDigital Plumber MVM join:2001-04-21 Minneapolis, MN |
Most Sprint users are folks with 4G phones, like the person who posted the speedtest results from their Android phone that you didn't recognize a few posts back. Most of the threads in the Sprint forums are complaining about 4G coverage, which make complete sense in relation to mobile users who are looking to connect with their phones. Also, Sprint never ran a "Replace your ISP with our service because unlike your ISP we're unlimited" like Clear did. When Clear launches in a market they have TV ads, mailers, newpaper inserts, etc, and all of their ads mention replacing your home ISP. Sprint primarily focuses on selling 4G as a faster mobile smartphone service, and as an enhanced business mobile data offering. The services are positioned completely different from a marketing standpoint. |
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HSDays join:2007-11-26 Reynoldsburg, OH |
to criggs
I'm seeing much better speeds than when I last posted in the January thread. I've removed the battery from my Overdrive and run it off AC only.
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My Unofficial Sprint 4G Speed's in Alabaster, AL tethered... |
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criggs join:2000-07-14 New York, NY |
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said by seaprobe:Uploading a large email attachment, my sustained rate was about 0.24, or less than half of this. Still, much better than I had with EVDO. Still, that's a problem on the upload side. Your minimum average upload speed should be .5 mbps or 500kbps. I just checked Sunnyvale on the Sprint coverage map, and most of it is not only covered by 4G but has the more powerful indoor (dark blue) coverage, so you almost certainly have a problem. If you check » coverage.sprint.com/IMPA ··· coverage , and put in your Sunnyvale street address, you'll know for sure if you're in an indoor, outdoor or NO-door(!) (i.e. 3G) area. But the odds favor indoor, considering the percentage of Sunnyvale that has 4G. If the map confirms what I suspect, it's time you called Sprint; that upload is just not right. The upload speed is capped, yes; but it's capped at 1mbps, and you're only getting anywhere from a half to a quarter of that; that's not right. |
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Thank you, criggs. Yes, I am in a blue area, and have three bars in my house. 4G was turned on in my block only a few weeks ago, and has improved from 2 to 3 bars since then (RSSI is now -73), so I have a strong signal.
I was also using a VPN to my company, and I can't say with confidence this was due to the 4G or to VPN concentrators overloaded, or the exchange server. Too many variables to lay the blame on Sprint. |
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Triptrailz to criggs
Anon
2011-Feb-5 1:31 am
to criggs
I just recieved the 4g USB U9109 and the docking bay. I've been using it, and here is what i have been consistently getting so far Now first of all, i am not in Seattle washington, I'm in NYC. Secondly, it is saying that my ISP is clearwire corp., when it should be saying Sprint PCS. I D/Led the driver from the sprint webpage and not the CD it came with. could that be an issue? my cd drive is not functioning properly at the momemt. heres what i get when i change the server to new york, NY. Its looking better but still not where i want it to be. I called sprint and my first attempt was aweful. The woman i spoke seemed to have no clue as to what i was talking about and gave me a number to call that ended up being a fax number. I will try calling again tomorrow but if anyone here can help me that would be great. |
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triptrailz to SpaethCo
Anon
2011-Feb-5 2:01 am
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criggs join:2000-07-14 New York, NY |
to Triptrailz
said by Triptrailz :Secondly, it is saying that my ISP is clearwire corp., when it should be saying Sprint PCS. I noticed that your name has an @clearwire-wmx.net attached to it. How come? said by Triptrailz :I D/Led the driver from the sprint webpage and not the CD it came with. could that be an issue? Frankly, I doubt it, but others here may have more to say on that. said by Triptrailz :I will try calling again tomorrow but if anyone here can help me that would be great. About the only thing I can suggest assumes you have a Windows XP-or-earlier computer, in which case you can take advantage of the Tweaks-DrTCP pages on this web site. In addition, others on this site have a lot of experience with external antennas, which could also help with your issue. Other than that, there's really not much you can do, except hope you find a Sprint Tech Support person who can find it with a rake. And, just to keep this thread on track, here's what I'm getting today: |
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arjj join:2007-02-06 Newton Center, MA |
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triptrailz to criggs
Anon
2011-Feb-5 7:35 am
to criggs
This is a new comp that came with Vista already installed. I did notice that My name had clearwire-mxe.net on it and i have no clue as to why it would say that. I do not have an email with clearwire. Sorry about that double post, the last post was actually submitted a few hours before the one right before it. any help would be great. |
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mojo1 join:2006-12-05 Victoria, TX |
to criggs
Things are looking like they are getting back to normal here. On a side note, I have cut the cord and am relying solely on my 4G connection for web and TV. I am moving at the end of the month and thought now would be a good time to try it. So far, so good. My VOIP works well (not perfect) and Netflix and Hulu streaming are great. |
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criggs join:2000-07-14 New York, NY |
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said by triptrailz :This is a new comp that came with Vista already installed. In that case, don't even bother with the Tweaks and DrTCP and all that jazz; it's irrelevant for Vista and Windows 7. Which just leaves you the external antenna option, I'm afraid, about which I'm the wrong guy to ask, sorry. |
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Hey, Triptrailz, have you taken a look at your CINR? Arjj may be on to something! Take a look at his postings today!! |
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triptrailz
Anon
2011-Feb-5 5:29 pm
heres what i'm getting now... Still says i'm in seattle. My CINR score ranges anywhere from 12-18. I went to maxmind.com for more info and heres what i got Your IP Address 50.12.18.75 Countries United States Region NY (New York) US Area Code 718 US Metro Code 501 Global Cities Bronx US Zipcode* Latitude/Longitude 40.8499/-73.8769 ISP Clearwire Corporation Organization Clearwire Corporation Netspeed Cable/DSL Domain Name clearwire-wmx.net I'm moving into manhattan in 3 days so i hope this all changes. My ISP is not clearwire. Why is my domain name clearwire-wmx.net... I'm going to try this on my laptop and i'll post what i get... |
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Triptrailz
Anon
2011-Feb-5 6:48 pm
Same results on my laptop. I'm going to order the overdrive. I'll see how both perform after i move and i'll return 1 of them. I'm a little nervous because i'm in a zone right now that is blanketed in 4g indoor service and the place i'm moving to is borderline some-indoor(lighter blue) and indoor. Wow, these are the highest i've seen so far. |
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HSDays join:2007-11-26 Reynoldsburg, OH |
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Beware of the Overdrive!! I would wait for this little beauty to be released... » www.slashgear.com/mifi-3 ··· 5123383/ |
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triptrailz
Anon
2011-Feb-5 9:03 pm
that does look nice. What do you call that thing? Heres some pretty bad numbers. I'm moving soon and i would like something that can replace dsl/cable. This U1901 usb modem is just not cutting it for me. I have yet to test it at my new apartment so i will see what happens after i move. I will try these options if i dont see improvement. 1. Try the overdrive 2. pay the cancelation fee ($200+) on my iphone and get the HTC evo or shift and use that as my permanent ISP and pray that it performs better for me. actually i would get the evo or shift first, then cancel my iphone incase i get screwed. 3. wait for that new hotspot item. 4. keep my iphone, get the htc evo, return the USB modem, get the new Hotspot unit, return the htc evo or that new hotspot thing. |
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criggs join:2000-07-14 New York, NY |
criggs
Member
2011-Feb-7 10:24 am
Oops, missed a day. Here's my speed today: |
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criggs
Member
2011-Feb-8 9:54 am
And here's my speed today: Keep in mind that at the moment I'm watching Al Jazeera English, which streams at 800k, so my download speed in fact would probably read about 8.4 mbps on Speedtest if Al Jazeera wasn't playing. |
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triptrailz
Anon
2011-Feb-8 11:18 am
Criggs, what modem/phone are you using? are you tethering to your PC or laptop. Wifi or usb? I'm very happy with these results btw. Anything over 4mbps will do it for me. Too bad this is not consistent with my U1901 usb modem. its still saying i'm in seattle, wash. and its still saying clearwire corp. I move in 2 days, looking foward to seeing what the results will be at my new locale. |
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criggs join:2000-07-14 New York, NY |
criggs
Member
2011-Feb-8 12:21 pm
I am using a Franklin U600 USB modem connected to my laptop. Frankly, the appeal of the Overdrive has always escaped me. I can build my own ad hoc wireless network, thank you, which, in fact, I have done (I have two laptops).
Since you are moving shortly, I can understand that getting exercised over your current results does not make much sense. Nevertheless, the fact remains that that upload speed is way below spec, and hopefully you will get much better results at your new location.
As for using the New York server or the Seattle server, do you get roughly the same results from both servers? I ask because, as Sprint customers, we are sometimes routed all over the place to equalize the load on the network. I'm not positive, but I think it's in the realm of plausibility that, on occasion, we might find ourselves occasionally accessing the Net through a Sprint entry point rather far from our geographical location. That may not happen often, but that is a possibility, I believe. |
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triptrailz
Anon
2011-Feb-8 4:37 pm
much better ping in nyc. this is just crappy. The location has been the same for me since day 1. |
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criggs join:2000-07-14 New York, NY |
criggs
Member
2011-Feb-8 5:03 pm
And I actually think that's abnormal too, based on my own experience.
By that I mean that every time I reconnect I'm given a different IP address, with regard to Speedtest servers I'm sometimes routed to New York NY, sometimes to Red Bank NJ, sometimes to Philadelphia PA, sometimes even to Maidstone England, etc. etc. It strikes me as peculiar that you are ALWAYS sent to the same server. Have you noticed whether your IP address also changes every time you connect? |
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