AT&T 3G network speed improves 84% in performance test

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 71
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by freddych View Post


    I too live in Dallas. I too get dropped calls and it usually occurs when my phone switches from the 3G to Edge network. My suspicion is that it's a problem with the phone and not the network.



    Other than that I haven't been getting dropped calls, so try to see if you're getting dropped calls in the same areas and check down and see if that's the problem.

    You may be right.
    Quote:

    The iPhone 3G automatically switches between 3G and 2G networks for voice and data connections. In theory, the phone should hop off 3G when signal strength is too low or non-existent, and hop back on when the signal gets better.



    In our experience, however, the iPhone 3G isn't aggressive enough regarding the switch from 3G to 2G. In other words, you may find that your phone stays connected to a 3G network when the signal strength is too low to allow incoming or outgoing calls.



    The simple solution is to manually turn 3G connectivity, forcing a switch to 2G -- which may take several seconds -- and likely a boost in signal strength.*



    *I live in a small town with great cell phone services. However, just west of me is a very hilly country side where the bars can get down to virtually zero. I have switched to Edge and voila, bars galore.
    And there is even more… Boosting iPhone 3G signal strength

    http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-10115619-233.html
  • Reply 22 of 71
    Does the study say what time of day it was conducted? Wouldn't that play a role in performance from one network to another?





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post
    You may be right.
    More?Boosting iPhone 3G signal strength

    http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-10115619-233.html



  • Reply 23 of 71
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    Wasn't AT&T supposed to suck?



    Looks like Apple made the right choice again.



    I've felt AT&T coverage has been much better since at least the summer. Personally I would pick AT&T over Verizon, but I live in a city. Verizon is still much better then AT&T in rural areas. It would be nice if the iPhone worked on both carriers.
  • Reply 24 of 71
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by b real View Post


    Does the study say what time of day it was conducted? Wouldn't that play a role in performance from one network to another?



    The fact that the iPhone isn't very aggressive about switching between 2G and 3G may be deliberate. Switching between 2G and 3G is the most common reason for dropped calls on AT&T. I'm sure adding the additional radio spectrum to many cities last summer has also helped to avoid the 2G to 3G switching.



    I'm sure they were tested at the same time during business hours. To be fair to Verizon though, they should have included some rural areas in the sample. I'm surprised New York didn't score lower. Coverage isn't that great there. Although I doubt Verizon or any other carrier has great coverage either because of the large buildings and population density. Chicago is doing great. They just need to add subway coverage. I'm not sure how much San Francisco has improved though.
  • Reply 25 of 71
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jukes View Post


    What good are fast downloads if the signal doesn't penetrate large buildings like hospitals or university lab buildings?



    Who in their right mind wants the signal to penetrate through dense material like concrete, brick, reinforced steel and more?



    Perhaps you'd like to try lead?



    Even when I had a friend at T-Mobile they had localized zones in their buildings to make sure the signal was solid.



    Corporations will have to invest or keep those Old Copper lines running. If you think PBX corporate phone systems are going to die you're nuts.
  • Reply 26 of 71
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wraithofwonder View Post


    This article would seem to suggest that AT&T is doing something right...



    My mind has been blown.



    Lol, I agree. I've been trying to decide whether it's worth $30 to go from a 64gb WiFi iPad to a 32gb WiFi+3G iPad and this is making me lean toward the latter. I appreciate the significance of the improvements and was mainly considering whether the 3G was worth it if I couldn't get it. Good stuff. More to ponder. Glad to see some excellent progress here.
  • Reply 27 of 71
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by b real View Post


    Does the study say what time of day it was conducted? Wouldn't that play a role in performance from one network to another?



    Not sure what you are referring to.



    My experience has taught me that if there is a decrease in 3G service and voice becomes a problem, I switch 3G off. Invariably, my problems are solved.



    I have reset my iPhone and network settings on rare occasions. Rarely have I had any major issues, but I don't mind even restoring my iPhone completely.



    I must say, that since I got my TomTom/Car kit, everything, just worked better. If the attached article is any indication, my new setup actually satisfies the suggestion to attach a USB cable and give the phone a full charge. http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-10115619-233.html
  • Reply 28 of 71
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    [CENTER]Speed's nice and all, but what about connection reliability?[/CENTER]
  • Reply 29 of 71
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    Wasn't AT&T supposed to suck?



    Looks like Apple made the right choice again.



    Fast speeds mean nothing if you don't have coverage in your area. So its not the right choice for many. Look at no coverage as 0 and anything times 0 is still 0
  • Reply 30 of 71
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    Who in their right mind wants the signal to penetrate through dense material like concrete, brick, reinforced steel and more?



    Perhaps you'd like to try lead?



    Even when I had a friend at T-Mobile they had localized zones in their buildings to make sure the signal was solid.



    Corporations will have to invest or keep those Old Copper lines running. If you think PBX corporate phone systems are going to die you're nuts.



    I'd be afraid to use any cell phone that had a strong enough transmitter to eliminate dead zones in buildings. If you have a problem in a building, you buy a repeater. Most businesses that need their customers or staff to use cell phones have these. Verizon uses a lower frequency that can go through dense materials more easily, but you still need a repeater. You are always going to have dead zones in buildings despite what Verizon's commercials say.
  • Reply 31 of 71
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by extremeskater View Post


    Fast speeds mean nothing if you don't have coverage in your area. So its not the right choice for many. Look at no coverage as 0 and anything times 0 is still 0



    They are measuring coverage, just not rural coverage.



    Apple opened up bluetooth on the iPod touch for third party devices. I'd like to see a multi-carrier, minimalistic phone that you control by bluetooth (or wifi) from an iPod touch. Kinda like a headset, but includes the whole phone...
  • Reply 32 of 71
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Here in OC, I rarely get dropped calls, but I'm not a big voice user. I have noticed on the few occasions when I did experience a drop it was always when connecting to another cell phone never when connecting to a land line. Which makes sense since there is twice as much chance for the signal to fail when there is a cell connection on each end. Also you don't always know which carrier the other person is on so you can't always blame your own carrier for the drop.
  • Reply 33 of 71
    I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't see any indication as to what time of day they performed the test.



    If they performed it at 4am the results would be different than 5pm. They probably ran it during peak hours, but I just don't see it mentioned - I may be missing it.



    And if you have to switch out of 3G to use your phone during peak hours, then what's the point of paying for 3G service?





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post


    Not sure what you are referring to.



    My experience has taught me that if there is a decrease in 3G service and voice becomes a problem, I switch 3G off. Invariably, my problems are solved.



    I have reset my iPhone and network settings on rare occasions. Rarely have I had any major issues, but I don't mind even restoring my iPhone completely.



    I must say, that since I got my TomTom/Car kit, everything, just worked better. If the attached article is any indication, my new setup actually satisfies the suggestion to attach a USB cable and give the phone a full charge. http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-10115619-233.html



  • Reply 34 of 71
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by extremeskater View Post


    Fast speeds mean nothing if you don't have coverage in your area. So its not the right choice for many. Look at no coverage as 0 and anything times 0 is still 0



    This is a major misinterpretation of Verizon's ads - and why AT&T sued.



    Verizon claims that their 3G coverage is broader than AT&T's 3G covers - which is probably true. But when you look at how many people can't get a signal at all, Verizon has twice as many as AT&T.



    Not to mention that AT&T's 3G is faster than Verizon's 3G and AT&T's EDGE isn't all that much slower than Verizon's 3G, so the 'Verizon is better than AT&T" statement is nowhere near universally true. In fact, when you consider that the majority of people in the US live in metro areas, it's not true at all for the majority of the population.
  • Reply 35 of 71
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gin_tonic View Post


    In San Jose in my pervious location I couldn't even speak inside the building (AT&T)



    Funny. That was my experience too. I could walk 10 feet outside the door and get full strength though. That cleared up about 9 months ago. I get full strength throughout the building now.
  • Reply 36 of 71
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    Here in OC...





    "Don't call it that."



  • Reply 37 of 71
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by b real View Post


    I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't see any indication as to what time of day they performed the test.



    If they performed it at 4am the results would be different than 5pm. They probably ran it during peak hours, but I just don't see it mentioned - I may be missing it.



    And if you have to switch out of 3G to use your phone during peak hours, then what's the point of paying for 3G service?



    Perhaps you are referring to another posting. There is no formal testing in the article I was referring to. My own experience was typical no matter what time of day I was in the affected area.
  • Reply 38 of 71
    I think it's too little, too late for AT&T. They seem to think their bad image is only caused by the speed of the service when they have horrible customer service issues to deal with as well.



    I'm getting really sick and f*cking tired of paying a $30 iPhone service charge every month.
  • Reply 39 of 71
    I live in Albuquerque and AT&T is great here. I do experience problems when I travel to bigger cities. I want AT&T to be successful. I applaud the improvement. I hope it continues.
  • Reply 40 of 71
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JupiterOne View Post


    "Don't call it that."



    Not 'THE O.C.' that is stupid, just plain old OC.
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