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jbailo
join:2004-03-07
Kent, WA

jbailo

Member

Any Spark Users Here?

Anyone on the new Sprint Spark LTE network? I know it's a limited -- but fast moving -- rollout.

As a Clear user, I'm hoping they switch me over seamlessly before shutting down the Clear antenna in 2015.

Any knowledge of pricing and performance? Ping speeds?

PamelaTS
Digital Chick
join:2004-04-20
Dallas, TX

PamelaTS

Member

I was a clear user couldn't wait to get away from it. The current lte is faster and more stable than wi-max ever was. Just get a spark compatible device live with lte until spark is available.

jbailo
join:2004-03-07
Kent, WA

jbailo

Member

I'm hoping Sprint converts me when they turn off Clear.

What's your Speed? Ping?

PamelaTS
Digital Chick
join:2004-04-20
Dallas, TX
Asus RT-AC66
HTC 5G Hub

PamelaTS

Member

Well I dropped Clear for cable, TWC had lived down to my expectations. Though it's consistently 10 times faster than Clear was. I can stream full hd Netflix, on Clear I had to set the quality to the lowest and it still buffered like crazy less than a quarter mile from a tower.

My phone and tablet are Sprint LTE. Just tested my Galaxy S4 (non Spark SPH-L720) ping was 51ms, 9.5Mbps down, 5.6Mbps up. I'm in a spark area bought my S4 before the S4s where spark compatible (SPH-L720T). Compared to the wifi speed connected to my Asus RT-AC66R/SB 6141/TWC (ping 32ms, 22.86Mbps down, 3.26Mbps up). My Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 scored very similar, within normal random test variations.

TheTechGuru
join:2004-03-25
TEXAS

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I am in a Spark area but can't use it because for some odd reason it is not enabled on iPhone's (5c/5s) even though they should be technically compatible.
chris92
join:2008-09-20
Coal Valley, IL

1 edit

chris92

Member

Actually they are not technically capable. The Sprint version supports bands 1, 3, 5, 13, and 25. So, it cannot do Sprint's band 26 for 800Mhz, and band 41 for 2.5GHz (Spark). Band 25 is Sprint's other LTE that they are deploying more widely. Band 25 does not propagate as much as Band 26, and is slower than Band 41. The other bands are not Sprint's.

Edit: After further investigation, it might support Band 26

TheTechGuru
join:2004-03-25
TEXAS

1 edit

TheTechGuru

Member

For iPhone 5c/5s






jbailo
join:2004-03-07
Kent, WA

jbailo

Member

Well this is interesting. I have Sprint (VirginMobile) and at my apartment it's only 3G.

I took a bike ride to a Starbucks a few miles away and saw a tower at about 100 yrds from where I was sitting outside.

At first I did a SpeedTest using the Starbucks Wifi (powered by Google fiber) and got 20 Mbps, 10ms ping.

Then I turned off the Wifi to make sure I was using the CDMA network and the 4G light came on (my phone is LTE capable). Ok so I ran the Speedtest again and got 9Mbps and 50ms ping.

That's competitive with my Clearwire, which, on a good day, will give me 7Mbps and 60ms ping.

In theory I could use my phone as a hotspot when there is 4G all over. However, I just read from Virgin that they are going to start imposing data caps for 4G -- after which they'll step you down to 3G.

Guess you can't win in these games...

mackey
Premium Member
join:2007-08-20

mackey to PamelaTS

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to PamelaTS
said by PamelaTS:

The current lte is faster and more stable than wi-max ever was.

Um, no, it's not. At least in this area.

My (WiMax) Evo 3D regularly pulled double-digit speeds 24/7 with almost full bars.

My (Spark) LG G2 gets either 0 or 1 bar where I use it most (home and work) and I'm lucky to see 1 mbps while the sun's up. It's so bad Pandora has minute+ long gaps between songs. At 2am I can sometimes hit 9+ mbps though. Earlier today I was out in an area which gave me 5 bars so I decided to run a speed test and...... 511 kbps. Upload gave me 1.9 mbps though Before I ran that test I attempted to use my Banks' app but it struggled to load and threw an error when I tried to log in.

GIVE ME MY FAST WiMax BACK!!!

/M

PamelaTS
Digital Chick
join:2004-04-20
Dallas, TX
Asus RT-AC66
HTC 5G Hub

PamelaTS

Member

It will always depends on the density of service on any tower. In Dallas I rarely saw double digit WiMax on my Clear modem G or my Samsung S2 Sprint WiMax.

My current location I had full signal on my Clear Modem G and it would mostly run around 2-3 Mbps occasionally doing only 0.5 down. My S2 would behave slightly better.

WiMax uses more power reducing battery life. Since I upgraded to lte my data anywhere in town is far more stable than the frequent dead spots that were WiMax.

jbailo
join:2004-03-07
Kent, WA

jbailo

Member

Here's a speed test I just did with my Clear Wimax ( 55ms ping, 7Mbps down; 1 Mbps up)

»www.speedtest.net/result ··· 7284.png

And this is not untypical, but it can degrade at peak. Still, I can watch Netflix movies at any time of day!

Part of it depends on the number of subscribers using a single tower.

I've never yet heard or read a single technical argument as to why LTE technology is better than Wimax. I do know that a single Wimax antenna, can cover as much as 30 sq. miles (unobstructed).

I have never read any technical specs on the coverage of an LTE antenna. And I would need a technical definition of what "stable" means.

TheTechGuru
join:2004-03-25
TEXAS

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Sprint LTE.



compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

compuguybna to jbailo

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Sprint LTE alive and well here! (Galaxy 3 Tab)

PamelaTS
Digital Chick
join:2004-04-20
Dallas, TX

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That's not double digit downloads speeds, not likely to stream Netflix super Hd at its highest resolution without buffering. Bet you have to lower the res on Hulu plus also

jbailo
join:2004-03-07
Kent, WA

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Can you use your Galaxy 3 Tab as a hotspot -- like can you watch all your Netflix through a Chromecast or XBox using the LTE network? And hook up all your home devices to it? Unlimited data? No throttling for high usage?
jbailo

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You said earlier:

"My phone and tablet are Sprint LTE. Just tested my Galaxy S4 (non Spark SPH-L720) ping was 51ms, 9.5Mbps down, 5.6Mbps up. "

I guess I don't see why my 7 Mbps is that much worse than your 9 Mpbs.

And doesn't the average streaming movie only require 2 Mbps...
jbailo

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Same question...is this on a single use device like a phone? Or can you use it as a hot spot and stream Netflix through it? Unlimited data? No throttling?

PamelaTS
Digital Chick
join:2004-04-20
Dallas, TX
Asus RT-AC66
HTC 5G Hub

PamelaTS

Member

Clear definitely throttles, they got caught, sued and lost. Clear isn't unlimited never throttled. In some areas I get double digits down and up, at home (a densely populated area) not so, my Clear model G modem with a gigabit Dial band N router never saw double digits down the, two addresses I'd used it the best I ever got was 7 that wasn't consistent though usually 3 down and that was with all 5 lights on.

LTE is superior period that's why WiMax is dying off, going the way of DSL and dial-up.

jbailo
join:2004-03-07
Kent, WA

1 recommendation

jbailo

Member

said by PamelaTS:

LTE is superior period

And yet you can't give me one technical reason as to why it's superior...just marketing.

PamelaTS
Digital Chick
join:2004-04-20
Dallas, TX

PamelaTS

Member

No marketing, WiMax is dead. It's like VCR's and video tape everyone moved to DVD and now BluRay. WiMax had it's day, move on dude.

jbailo
join:2004-03-07
Kent, WA

jbailo

Member

How much do they pay you for this?
jbailo

jbailo

Member

"...some carriers continue considering WiMAX over TD-LTE because TD-LTE networks remain cost prohibitive in comparison to WiMAX. Those TD-LTE solutions also tend to be chipset-based, making them impossible to upgrade via software. Further, the TD-LTE ecosystem has only recently started coming together, particularly in the fixed space, Daniels said."

Telrad focused on its TD-LTE future but still sees WiMAX demand - FierceWirelessTech »www.fiercewireless.com/t ··· 03cVNBGQ

compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

compuguybna to jbailo

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My phone is NOT my primary internet device. im not glued to my phone 24 x 7 where I am even inclined to watch NETFLIX on a mobile device. I have 60+mbps cable internet for that.....
said by jbailo:

Can you use your Galaxy 3 Tab as a hotspot -- like can you watch all your Netflix through a Chromecast or XBox using the LTE network? And hook up all your home devices to it? Unlimited data? No throttling for high usage?


jbailo
join:2004-03-07
Kent, WA

1 edit

jbailo

Member

Yesterday I took the commuter train I used to take from Kent, WA to Seattle, WA each day. Back then I brought my Clear mobile option and as I traveled to the city and back would get very up and down results.

So today, since I now have my 4G LTE phone running on the Sprint/VM network, I thought I'd so some Speedtesting.

First at Kent Station downtown, I got a 4G light. My results were 4.87 Mbps. Not at all different from Clear. As the train started heading north, the results quickly deteriorated (same as Clear), going to 2.32 and then the 4G light went off and the speed became 0.38.

They didn't come back until the train stopped in downtown Seattle, and I went to a near at which point I got a really nice 16.36Mbps. However, when I went to my destination, Safeco Field to see Mariners baseball, the speed deteriorated down to 0.06 and lower!

I realize that this is because of all the users clustered in the stadium, still -- other than that single 16Mbps result, the other results were entirely the same as what I recorded with Clearwire!!

I'm wondering if "LTE" is just "Wimax" with a proprietary name. Not one person has given me a single technical reason why they are different. (Saying "better coverage" is not a technical reason, that's a marketing reason. I mean things like bandwidth, protocol, wavelength and so on. Even saying "faster" isn't a technical reason because you can run the Wimax II protocol (like they do in South Korea) and get the same fast speeds or faster.)

TheTechGuru
join:2004-03-25
TEXAS

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said by jbailo:

Same question...is this on a single use device like a phone? Or can you use it as a hot spot and stream Netflix through it? Unlimited data? No throttling?

It is a phone, unlimited data, no throttling, hot spot enabled via jailbreak.

JohnQP
@184.216.113.x

JohnQP to jbailo

Anon

to jbailo
said by jbailo:

I'm wondering if "LTE" is just "Wimax" with a proprietary name. Not one person has given me a single technical reason why they are different. (Saying "better coverage" is not a technical reason, that's a marketing reason. I mean things like bandwidth, protocol, wavelength and so on. Even saying "faster" isn't a technical reason because you can run the Wimax II protocol (like they do in South Korea) and get the same fast speeds or faster.)

If it was the same thing only rebranded, Sprint wouldn't be spending tons of money ripping out Wimax and installing LTE in its place, now would they? Besides, overall speed is dependent on the entire system, not just the radios on the tower.

If you want a single "person" to give you a technical reason why LTE isn't just Wimax with a proprietary name, all you have to do is ask Mr. Google.

jbailo
join:2004-03-07
Kent, WA

jbailo

Member

Well ok, here's a technical article...which summarizes the difference as

The respective histories of LTE and WiMAX are pretty different; their technologies, however, are pretty similar...

But the most telling difference between Wimax and LTE is

LTE will require the use of a SIM in order to operate. This will be convenient for cellular devices that are already compatible with a SIM, but not for laptops and other technological devices without SIM interfaces. WiMAX does not require a SIM or any other hardware token. Therefore, all authentication methods used to identify a customer’s device will be easily entered into several devices

Which pretty much explains why Wimax was available as a standalone ISP (Clear) but LTE is adopted by individual phone networks.

WiMAX is more of an open Internet service and its devices will be compatible with most all Internet devices. LTE, on the other hand, is more exclusive to certain ISPs. If you buy an LTE card from Verizon, you can only use it with Verizon products.

»www.goingwimax.com/what- ··· UAK.dpuf

JohnQP
@184.216.113.x

JohnQP

Anon

said by jbailo:

If you buy an LTE card from Verizon, you can only use it with Verizon products.

You can read anything you want into all this stuff. It's pretty clear you have made up your mind it's all a big conspiracy.

But your statement that I quoted is the real point. Of course, the Verizon LTE sim card will only work with Verizon. The sim card was designed with carrier billing in mind in the first place. The device itself can work with other compatible networks.

In Europe, and to some extent in the US, you can swap sim cards between GSM phones (which use sim cards) and just move those credits to a different device as long as the device is compatible with the carrier's technology. I do it all the time.
JohnQP

JohnQP to jbailo

Anon

to jbailo
said by jbailo:

LTE will require the use of a SIM in order to operate. This will be convenient for cellular devices that are already compatible with a SIM, but not for laptops and other technological devices without SIM interfaces. WiMAX does not require a SIM or any other hardware token. Therefore, all authentication methods used to identify a customer’s device will be easily entered into several dev

Forgot to refute this stuff. It's either too old to be germane anymore, or nonsense if it is current. As just one example, Sprint offers a Netgear USB modem that holds a microsim. I have one. Microsims are real small. Problem solved. Latops and such don't need a built in sim holder/interface.

vicml972
@66.87.96.x

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Dallas, TX Spark LTE is live...Northwest HWY and Marsh Lane, this is the fastest speed I have seen to date here in Dallas TX.