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criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs to SpaethCo

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Re: February 2011 Sprint 4G WiMax speeds

said 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.

SpaethCo
Digital Plumber
MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN

1 edit

SpaethCo

MVM

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.
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs

Member

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.

SpaethCo
Digital Plumber
MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN

SpaethCo

MVM

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
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs

Member

And why don't similar threads show up on the Sprint forums page at »community.sprint.com/baw ··· overview ?

SpaethCo
Digital Plumber
MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN

SpaethCo

MVM

said by criggs:

And why don't similar threads show up on the Sprint forums page at »community.sprint.com/baw ··· overview ?

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.

HSDays
join:2007-11-26
Reynoldsburg, OH

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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.


seaprobe
join:2006-07-16
Sunnyvale, CA

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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.

iLive4Fusion
Premium Member
join:2006-07-13

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My Unofficial Sprint 4G Speed's in Alabaster, AL tethered...

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.
seaprobe
join:2006-07-16
Sunnyvale, CA

seaprobe

Member

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.

Triptrailz
@clearwire-wmx.net

Triptrailz to criggs

Anon

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.

triptrailz
@clearwire-wmx.net

triptrailz to SpaethCo

Anon

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Ok i put a post in the january speedtests well its not january anymore. I just got the 4g U1901 and the dockingbay to help boost the signal. Its the first day i've had it and heres what i got


Now this just looks aweful... First of all, i'm in NYC and the IP is in seattle, washington. Secondly it says the ISP is clearwire corp. I have 3bars on sprint smart view and i tried calling sprints customer hotline and it was a very unpleasant experience. The woman i spoke to sounded like she had no clue to what i was talking about. Then she gave me a number for activating new products and it was some sort of fax line.

I did read the post and i suppose i will have to try to get ahold of someone that knows whats going on.
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs to Triptrailz

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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:

arjj
join:2007-02-06
Newton Center, MA

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That was my reading this morning, but there's a story behind this, one that's ready to turn me into a flat-earther.

I had become convinced that my problem was CINR, that the number of lit bars on the modem is less important to speed than the quality of the signal. After LOTS of googleing, I found a post from someone in Charm City who found that a) the modem was HIGHLY sensitive to position (rotating as little as 5 degrees) and b: putting tin foil 1/4" away from the front of the modem greatly increased the CINR readings.

He was able to get his as high as 35dB. I was starting with a CINR of 11dB with my p-poor speed results, and after an hour of tinkering, I got my CINR up to 17 dB with the results above. My ping scores dropped by 100 ms and my up/download speeds tripled.

Crazy?

triptrailz
@clearwire-wmx.net

triptrailz to criggs

Anon

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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.
mojo1
join:2006-12-05
Victoria, TX

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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.
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.
criggs

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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!!

triptrailz
@clearwire-wmx.net

triptrailz

Anon


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...

Triptrailz
@clearwire-wmx.net

Triptrailz

Anon

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.
ticktock8
join:2011-01-08
Saint Charles, IL

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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/

triptrailz
@clearwire-wmx.net

triptrailz

Anon

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.
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs

Member

Oops, missed a day.

Here's my speed today:

criggs

criggs

Member

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.

triptrailz
@clearwire-wmx.net

triptrailz

Anon

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.
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs

Member

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.

triptrailz
@clearwire-wmx.net

triptrailz

Anon


much better ping in nyc.

this is just crappy. The location has been the same for me since day 1.
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs

Member

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?