| reply to xrayman
Re: Post Your 2012 Clear Speed Test Results 
Signal RSSI:-60, CINR:26
This is on a Clear Spot Apollo 4G. They told me on the phone it's tower congestion and even said what times I should use it for the best speed. The tower is not even a mile away - maybe not even a half of a mile, it's very close.
I have the old plan where you only paid $60/mo and you got both a home modem and a clear spot. I was paying $45/mo just for the home modem so I figured it was a steal. At first I used it in the car to stream radio and stuff and I'd lend it to other people who needed mobile internet that day for some reason. That was an older model clear spot and the USB port broke off. (I paid $99 for it brand new - 1 year warranty). After threatening the manager Ishbu or whatever his name is that I was going to cancel my entire account, they sent me a (refurbished) Apollo if I agreed to pay a "$9.95 shipping fee". Fine.
I decided to mount it on the wall at my office (which is a few miles away from my apartment - in a very poor neighborhood) to get the best signal and use it for large downloads. Right now I only have 768/384 dry loop business DSL from AT&T on a grandfathered $19.95/mo rate. (I am self employed and on a budget) The DSL is stable as hell (other than their free modem sucked and I had to get a 2Wire from the thrift shop for $3) and runs a cheap VOIP without problem.
My home modem is fine. It's always adequate for whatever I need it to do. I'm on the 3rd floor and have practically direct line of sight. I have gotten 12, even 13 Mbps. Sometimes it slows down because one of my neighbors only a few doors down has a spot and I guess they like to torrent a lot or something. My apartment just also happens to be in a very wealthy/rich part of town. And guess what, the Apollo works a lot better in my apartment even with a LOWER CINR!
You can read into what I've said above however you like but it seems pretty "Clear" to me how they are configuring the backhaul on these towers. We need more (and reliable) speed at the office and I no longer need the mobility of the spot. I need reliable fast internet at home.
I'm in Houston so that means Comcast or AT&T. The office is considered a small business address and therefore is subject to higher pricing despite not really getting anything better than a home connection except for maybe some kind of higher priority.
I already have Comcast at home and an account with them so they might be the easiest replacement there if I can get something for $40/mo. There's some promo business DSL/U-verse going on right now for $40/mo as well where you get 6 Mbps I think. That would keep me at the same budget I've got now. |
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| reply to xrayman
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ivman
join:2010-08-15
Shortsville, NY | reply to xrayman
WiMAX RSSI: -71 dBm
WiMAX CINR: 24 dB
5.3 miles from tower
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1 edit | reply to xrayman
Hi, ivman your speeds looking good.
My prime time speeds have been low all summer.
WiMAX RSSI: -71 dBm
WiMAX CINR: 22 dB
They are better in the AM, kids not out of bed, I guess.
Local time 8:46 AM
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| reply to xrayman
Looking good this Sunday AM
WiMAX RSSI: -70 dBm
WiMAX CINR: 22 dB
5.5 miles from tower
External grid antenna
Test at 9:38 AM local time.
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| reply to xrayman
WiMAX RSSI: -70 dBm
WiMAX CINR: 21 dB
5.5 miles from tower
External grid antenna
Test at 8:52 AM local time.
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| I'd kill for some of the speeds I'm seeing here. I'm 5.5 miles away from the tower, CLEAR insists my performance is due to that distance because it "takes the data a long time to travel 5.5 miles"
I have great Line of Sight and a nice antenna:
RSSI: -61
CINR: 26
My upload speed is normally closer to 1 Mb/s |
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 arkw
@clearwire-wmx.net | reply to xrayman
Xrayman, I'm near 59 and I88 and NEVER get download speeds like you get . |
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| reply to xrayman
Clear looking good this AM
WiMAX RSSI: -70 dBm
WiMAX CINR: 22 dB
5.5 miles from tower
External grid antenna
Test at 7:15 AM local time.
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ivman
join:2010-08-15
Shortsville, NY | WiMAX RSSI: -73 dBm
WiMAX CINR: 22 dB
5.3 miles from tower
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ivman
join:2010-08-15
Shortsville, NY | Previous test was middle of the night. This is mid-morning on a Sunday.
WiMAX RSSI: -74 dBm
WiMAX CINR: 21 dB
5.3 miles from tower
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ivman
join:2010-08-15
Shortsville, NY | Previous test was mid-morning on a Sunday. This is 10:20pm on a Monday night.
WiMAX RSSI: -71 dBm
WiMAX CINR: 25 dB
5.3 miles from tower
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| wow is it the external antenna that makes you guys get 10+ speeds? im not even 2 miles from a tower and im only getting 4-6mb/s
RSSI:-67, CINR:26 |
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| thedips, Your numbers look good, then it is all tower/system loading. |
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| but would an antenna help improve my system? currently at the moment i have my wireless turned off since im using an apple router for my home network (home lan). but would that external antenna help me receive a better incoming signal/ line from the clear tower? |
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| reply to xrayman
You don't need a better signal, your numbers are great.
An directional antenna would make it possible for you to select a different tower that could have less users on it. You need to first check if you have a second Clear tower you have a chance of connecting to. It all depends on tower loading, many are very overloaded with users. |
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| well according to the map within a 5 mi radius on all sides of me there are about 20+ towers. however wouldnt my system just pickup whichever is the strongest signal? meaning the immediate 5 towers within the range of my extender would get picked up no matter what? or would the overload just get passed along to the next tower? i find it interesting that there are so many towers but im pretty sure clear shares towers with sprint? because here in los angeles clear 4g isnt as popular. |
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| A narrow beam directional antenna could pick out just one tower. |
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| thanks xrayman for all the help!!!
i was thinking somehting like this?
»hawkingtech.com/products/wireles···12w.html
im confused tho most tutorials and reviews usually comment about these antennas increasing the WIFI signal of the local network.. however im using an apple router for my wifi lan. and disabled the wifi on the actual clear hub itself? will that configuration still be ok? will the antenna just work for incoming signal for towers? i dont really need to extend the "range" of my home network |
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| reply to WacoUser
»www.speedtest.net/result/2127703865.png
At least I'm better than *someone*.
In ATL, between 1/4-1/2mi from the tower. |
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