0
jgoose71

4G Networks

Recommended Posts

Anyone in an area that has one? Mostly I would like to know if it lives up to the hype.

Verizon is starting to roll out it's 4G Network. My contract is coming up. Verizon is one of the most expensive providers out there. I may consider staying with them if 4G will give me some advantages that I don't currently have, like dropping my internet provider and just tethering my laptop to my phone. Does it's performance compare to a Cable modem? Or at least DSL or somewhere in between?

Also, can you surf the internet and make calls at the same time?

Inquiring minds want to know....B|
"There is an art, it says, or, rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss."
Life, the Universe, and Everything

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I've got an HTC Evo with 4G from Sprint. I don't live in an area that has it yet, but I did give it a pretty good run thru when I was in the Chicago Midway airport. It was very fast, it loaded a full webpage seemingly as quick as my home connection. Browsing the web was great, and every page and videos loaded very quickly.

I don't know how it would behave if you made it into a hotspot to share the connection, but I imagine it wold be a little slower but still good. High speed internet at home is only like $30/ month here so to me its would not be worth routing my laptops internet thru the phone for that small savings. And of course it sucks batteries while 4G is running.

Just my thoughts.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I drove from Ohio to Miami a few times, and I have flown all over, from Dayton to Miami. The only place Ive had the 4G work is Atlanta airport. It wasnt even active in Miami. I pay an extra $15 a month for 4G, and Im a little mad because I cant find it anywhere.

I have the Sprint Evo and I love it. Most of the time its faster to use the phone than the WiFi to search the web. When its lagging I turn off the WiFi and everything loads superfast just on 3g. Mostly the only time I see it slow down is when loading youtube stuff, or Sprint Tv.

Hopefully they will catch up and 4G will be available more often.


Ray
Small and fast what every girl dreams of!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
The reason Verizon is the most expensive is because they spend 10 times the money on their network as their competitors do, and when they roll out LTE (4G) you won't have to worry if it will work or not. Sprint started saying they had 4G the minute their first cell site started broadcasting the new technology, so technically they weren't misleading the public. They did have 4G even if it was just from one cell in their laboratory. Verizon on the other hand will have LTE installed in the majority of their markets before they start selling it. They might be the most expensive but they are worth it. I work in the wireless industry as a technician, and I get a free phone with unlimited everything, but I have a Verizon phone as my personal phone, along with all my fellow co workers.
There are no pessimists in skydiving.

My Advice: It's worth what you pay for it, and I'm an expert at it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Anyone in an area that has one? Mostly I would like to know if it lives up to the hype.

Verizon is starting to roll out it's 4G Network. My contract is coming up. Verizon is one of the most expensive providers out there. I may consider staying with them if 4G will give me some advantages that I don't currently have, like dropping my internet provider and just tethering my laptop to my phone. Does it's performance compare to a Cable modem? Or at least DSL or somewhere in between?

Also, can you surf the internet and make calls at the same time?

Inquiring minds want to know....B|



Bear in mind that it is all but assured that the top players (Verizon, AT&T) will have a tiered pricing plan for their 4G/LTE networks. It's not known how it will be tiered, rumors suggest that Verizon will tier the pricing based on speed that is subscribed to. It is also not known if there will be soft-caps like VZW, AT&T and T-Mobile have for tethering/data devices of 5GB per month (I'm inclined to think not, but...).

Sprint's WiMAX (operated by Clearwire) is in plenty of markets, and performs well - perhaps not quite as well as the hype suggests, but the company (just like Sprint) is in pretty serious financial trouble.

These "4G" networks are being touted primarily for data use, so if you have the right device, it "should" be able to handle calls and surf the web/handle data at the same time because the voice would be carried on the incumbent network, not the "4G" one.

What T-Mobile is marketing as their "4G", is really a 3G+ (HSPA+), which is very fast and reliable, but doesn't have the greatest coverage because they are the smallest carrier. Pretty much all of their smart phones can handle calls and data at the same time as long as you're in that footprint.

I have been a VZW loyalist for quite a while, and I think they're worth every penny, but if financial considerations forced me to look at other carriers, I would look at T-Mobile. Their HSPA is carried on a different freq than AT&T's congested network and performs really well if you travel to areas where T-Mobile has the coverage. Also, with several of their devices, you can use the phone and data features via UMA (wifi). It works very, very well.

Also, check out "4G" coverage from other players like MetroPCS. They bought some spectrum and to my understanding are near rolling it out too. Their pricing should be pretty aggressive, but bear in mind that coverage may be lacking.

In the end, I wouldn't recommend these as an alternative to a DSL or Cable...yet...
So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

I pay an extra $15 a month for 4G, and Im a little mad because I cant find it anywhere.



Read the fine print. Your not paying for the 4g. It is basically a tax on the EVO because it has a fast processor. THey call it an enhanced data experience. Fuckers
Dom


Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

According to CNN, 4G is a unicorn. The people are duped again by the cell companies.See the linked article
http://money.cnn.com/...m?cnn=yes&hpt=C2

Quote



Ive been following this for months. It isnt really a "unicorn".

The ITU (governs cell standards) just now came up with the official standards for 4g. Seems the carriers made up there minds months ago on what 4g should be and it isnt what they ITU says.

4g is coming, but what we have now is more like 3.5g.

Dom


Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
4G standards are supposed to support 100Mbps (Megabits per second). None of the networks come close to this. In the real word, "4G" is as someone else quote really more like 3.5G.
On a good 3G network, with a solid 5 bar reception, you can get about 3Mbps down and 1Mbps upload.
On the standards that Tmobile and Verizon are calling "4G", the theoretical download speed is 10Mbps. I have yet to be able to test real throughput speeds of these standards, but I suspect that they will be in the range of 6Mbps to 8Mbps.

I hope that helps you somewhat.
-NooB-

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I follow a Sprint Marketing Exec on Twitter. Actually the one quoted in the CNN article Lou linked to.

She bashed T-mobile for claiming 4g. I brought up the fact that technically no US carrier has 4g. She got very defensive. All she would say was "industry standard". I said "marketing".
Dom


Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0