Comparing 3G Networks

bsk_cw writes "Brian Nadel got hold of cellular network cards from AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon, and tried them out with a Lenovo ThinkPad X300 notebook. He watched videos on commuter trains, worked with e-mail at cafes, listened to Internet radio at the airport, and downloaded large files while in a moving car. AT&T came out on top in his tests in the New York area (summary here). Some of the reader comments report different conclusions, so a YMMV is in order."

Comments

What's the lag?

[MBCook]

My big question would be: what's the lag?

The last time I tried to use a cell network for internet access, the lag was horrid (300+ms) compared to real broadband. How is the lag on these systems? I'd rather have the responsive 450kbps connection than the unresponsive 1.5mbps connection.

Does anyone see the connection here?

[postbigbang]

Philadelphia's muniWiFi network goes dead next month when Earthlink pulls the plug.

Oddly, the telcos start allowing metered access of their 3G networks; no all-you-can-eat plans anymore. In megabyte increments in one case.....

Re:5GiB, $60

[0100010001010011]

Now is that 1-8 cents or 1-8 dollars?

Re:5GiB, $60

[sapphire wyvern]

Er, are those plans really sold in GiB/MiB? Data plans are usually measured in GB/MB; GiB/MiB is supposed to be for RAM, (sometimes) flash storage, and other binary multiples. Data carriage is almost always sold using standard SI prefix meanings.

Re:5GiB, $60 but Sprint capless

[RJFerret]

I used Sprint EVDO as my only broadband (with SecondLife), streaming a few gigs each day from mid 2006-2007 on their unlimited plan. Always listened to music, and sometimes watched movies too... Now seeing what other services offer (rather, limit) I love Sprint even more! -Randy

It wasn't a fair comparison

[letsief]

I don't think the reviewer did a very fair comparison. Most significantly, he should have used similar data cards- preferably using cards over USB. The AT&T and Verizon cards were larger, and probably able to pick up weaker signals better. They also included built-in batteries, which greatly impacted the laptop battery life test.

I'm also a little skeptical of his bandwidth testing method. I've never heard the Alken site, and the tests I did right now on my own system aren't even close to my actual performance (although, maybe they're justing getting slammed with traffic). It would have been interesting to see if signal strength played a factor as well.

In any case, most people I've heard from have had exactly the opposite results. Usually Sprint is the fastest, with Verizon not far behind and AT&T bringing up the rear. Sprint also has considerably more 3G coverage than the other two carriers. Without saying anything about their customer service, I think Sprint is the clear choice when it comes to data plans.

Re:It wasn't a fair comparison

[kylehase]

Absolutely correct. If you wanted to isolate the wireless connection as the variable then each provider should setup their own download server on their network. It would be in their interest to use a beefy server and place it optimally on the network for wireless downloads.

For an even more controlled test you'd need to use the same server hardware and same application layer protocols on each network.

Unfortunately, while this would be a great test for wireless transfer speed it's not a good test of actual browsing/downloading.

Re:5GiB, $60

[BBF_BBF]

You can get unlimited data and text and 500 minutes of voice for $30/month on Sprint if you get the plan that's been floating around a lot of Hot Deals forums across the net for the last year. You can get it, for instance, with the HTC Mogul, which acts as a wireless router (with modding) to allow however many laptops you have nearby to access the net. The SERO plan that you're referring to DOES NOT ALLOW TETHERING. You may be happy with your "work around", but any business person foolish enough to do that is just asking for a meaty lawsuit that will cost his/her company lots more money and maybe a misdemeanor for theft. I agree it's not fair that "tethering" costs unreasonably large amounts of money, while "unlimited" on-phone browsing is *much* less. But such is life and it's what the market will bear.

Re:5GiB, $60

[FooAtWFU]

You can get unlimited data and text and 500 minutes of voice for $30/month on Sprint if you get the plan that's been floating around a lot of Hot Deals forums across the net for the last year. For values of 'unlimited data' less than 5 gigabytes a month, per standard Sprint Terms Of Service, I presume?

Crowdsourcing the Data

[DavidD_CA]

Maybe something already exists, but wouldn't it be cool if there was some kind of app that people could install on their laptops that would upload metrics to a central server and make it available to review?

The app could tie into the 3G card and pull your approximate location, your carrier, and your average speed and upload it all to a server. As long as it doesn't also upload personal data, or your IP, etc, I can't foresee privacy issues (and it would be opt-in anyway).

With enough people running an app like this, the data could come together quite nicely and allow people to view a map overlayed with the different networks and average performance.

And I bet such a site could be supported by ad revenue. (3: Profit)

Re:5GiB, $60

[Spy Hunter]

For what it's worth, Sprint does not enforce the 5GB limit. Verizon did for a while but they got fined for false advertising (Unlimited BroadbandAccess(tm) say the ads), so they stopped. It's asinine to have to agree to ridiculous TOS restrictions like that, but that's what you get with oligopolies.

What about roaming in other countries?

[loshwomp]

I want to know if there are carriers that will provide data service and not completely rape me when I travel overseas. Usually when I ask a US carrier about international anything (rates, service, whatever) they have nothing but blank stares to offer.

How do you get data service overseas?

How to Choose a 3G Service

[gamartin]

Trial and error is key -- once you narrow the cost/feature choices then MUST actually try it out in your circumstances, especially for "difficult" environments like commuter trains. Remember they all have return policies for good reason!

Example: Metro North commuter train in NYC:

1. first tried AT&T, which worked great at my house but had a major dead zone on the commuter train -- the connection would always break at that location and have to be restarted... unacceptable. Returned everything to AT&T store for a full refund.
2. consulted a map of cell towers (do your own search), found that Sprint had the closest tower to the difficult dead zone
3. tried Sprint Mobile Broadband, which worked much better -- no dead zone, smooth continuous connection for the entire commute (at least until the train goes underground near Grand Central), pleased with service

Notes about using Sprint Mobile Broadband:

• Sprint somewhat supports linux -- I was able to get the Pantech PX-500 card working on my linux laptop in no time using documentation from the Sprint web site
• don't expect blazing speeds -- realistically get several hundred kbps, which is more than fine if your expectations are reasonable
• latency is good enough -- I do e-mail with a shell account, and latency is generally no problem
• coverage is quite good -- every reasonable location I have tried has had reasonable coverage, including a farm in upstate New York

SUMMARY: I had a bias against being a Sprint customer, but coverage and linux led me there, and I have been quite satisfied with Sprint Mobile Broadband.

Its called the stompbox.

[Anonymous Coward]

stompbox
is an OSS Mobile 3G/WiFi Router Project.