Very slow DATA in Bend, OR on 4S
buckZor
Newbie

Chose to go with VZW with my new 4S. Ran some speed tests on the ATT iPhone 4 prior to activating my 4S. Verified WIFI was disabled, rebooted the device several times to verify data speeds using both OOKLA and Xtremelabs speedtester apps on app store..

 

-- With ATT iPhone 4 --

  • Latency ranged between 121ms and 137ms
  • Download ranged between 4.12Mbps and 5.33Mbps
  • Upload ranged between 800Kbps and 1.85Mbps

-- With VZW iPhone 4S --

  • Latency ranges between 174ms and 228ms
  • Download ranges between 0.34Mbps and 0.39Mbps
  • Upload ranges between 0.05Mbps and 0.24Mbps

Browsing around seeing other speedtest compares, I am not seeing this large of a discrepancy in other areas. Might there be a problem in Bend, OR?

Labels (2)
0 Likes
1 Solution

Correct answers
Re: Very slow DATA in Bend, OR on 4S
dbbrass
Contributor - Level 3

The fastest 3G download speeds that you will ever see with Verizon no matter where you or what phone you have will top out at 2mbs.  Real world speeds are typically less than this... but Verizon 3G speeds tend to be more consistent overall and closer to their peak of around 2mbs depending upon where you live.  AT&T on the other hand has 3G (HSPA+) speeds of which with the iPhone 4S claim speeds of up to 14.4mbs.  This is their current incarnation of what they sell as '4G', but in reality is compressed packet 3G.  Verizon doesn't support HSPA+.  Now first and foremost with AT&T, you have to be in an area that supports HSPA+ to get these kinds of speeds.  This area is limited.  AT&T also supports HSPA which can achieve up to 7mbs as well.  This is what the AT&T iPhone 4 supports.  So in theory the new 4S can do 14.4mbs and the 4 can do 7mbs with AT&T.  HOWEVER, the big problem with AT&T is that the download speed can vary dramatically as opposed to Verizon.  So take your pick consistent slower 3G speeds with Verizon or inconsistent albeit higher speeds with AT&T.  WIFI connections totally level the playing field in any case.  It really depends on where you are and what your needs are.  Personally, I'll take the consistency as where I live I generally always get around 1.5mbs download speeds with Verizon.  Your results may vary dramatically and if you get better results with AT&T, then that may be a better choice in your case. 

 

NOW 4G LTE is another story...  But iPhones won't support this till likely when the next model comes out sometime mid/late next year.

View solution in original post

0 Likes
Re: Very slow DATA in Bend, OR on 4S
silver6055
Specialist - Level 1

buckZor wrote:

Chose to go with VZW with my new 4S. Ran some speed tests on the ATT iPhone 4 prior to activating my 4S. Verified WIFI was disabled, rebooted the device several times to verify data speeds using both OOKLA and Xtremelabs speedtester apps on app store..

 

-- With ATT iPhone 4 --

  • Latency ranged between 121ms and 137ms
  • Download ranged between 4.12Mbps and 5.33Mbps
  • Upload ranged between 800Kbps and 1.85Mbps

-- With VZW iPhone 4S --

  • Latency ranges between 174ms and 228ms
  • Download ranges between 0.34Mbps and 0.39Mbps
  • Upload ranges between 0.05Mbps and 0.24Mbps

Browsing around seeing other speedtest compares, I am not seeing this large of a discrepancy in other areas. Might there be a problem in Bend, OR?


Well, you won't match those AT&T speeds on Verizon!  But those VZ ones do seem too slow.  The problem could be the network or could be an issue with your phone.   Do you know others with 3G Verizon smartphones in your area (not necessarily iPhone 4S).  If so, see what speed they are getting.  If they are getting speeds as slow as yours, then it IS the network there (and you can decide whether switching back to AT&T is the way to go!)   If their speeds are fast, say in the 1-2Mbps range, I would suspect an issue with your phone.

 

I would also try your phone on Wifi, if you get slow speeds there again suspect your handset.

0 Likes
Re: Very slow DATA in Bend, OR on 4S
wacktool
Newbie
Im in the same boat. 3g on verizon sucks compared to att. I may go back.
0 Likes
Re: Very slow DATA in Bend, OR on 4S
djxer0
Newbie

I'm definitely seeing it here in Massillon/Canton Ohio. Those speeds you're posting are very comparable to what I have gotten.

 

I knew EV-DO was slow but this is pretty bad. Its a little disappointing considering the sales rep told me to expect 1-2Mbit consistently.

 

I think it has something to do specifically with the 4s too. My wife got an iPhone 4 and she is getting 600-700Kbit.

0 Likes
Re: Very slow DATA in Bend, OR on 4S
drivebylake
Newbie

My speed on Verizon seems to be what I expected. I'm in downtown chicago. My speedtest was as follows:

 

Down = 1.34 Mbs / Up = .81

 

Is this concidered normal?

Interested to see how this varies over time. I'll post more.

0 Likes
Re: Very slow DATA in Bend, OR on 4S
dbbrass
Contributor - Level 3

The fastest 3G download speeds that you will ever see with Verizon no matter where you or what phone you have will top out at 2mbs.  Real world speeds are typically less than this... but Verizon 3G speeds tend to be more consistent overall and closer to their peak of around 2mbs depending upon where you live.  AT&T on the other hand has 3G (HSPA+) speeds of which with the iPhone 4S claim speeds of up to 14.4mbs.  This is their current incarnation of what they sell as '4G', but in reality is compressed packet 3G.  Verizon doesn't support HSPA+.  Now first and foremost with AT&T, you have to be in an area that supports HSPA+ to get these kinds of speeds.  This area is limited.  AT&T also supports HSPA which can achieve up to 7mbs as well.  This is what the AT&T iPhone 4 supports.  So in theory the new 4S can do 14.4mbs and the 4 can do 7mbs with AT&T.  HOWEVER, the big problem with AT&T is that the download speed can vary dramatically as opposed to Verizon.  So take your pick consistent slower 3G speeds with Verizon or inconsistent albeit higher speeds with AT&T.  WIFI connections totally level the playing field in any case.  It really depends on where you are and what your needs are.  Personally, I'll take the consistency as where I live I generally always get around 1.5mbs download speeds with Verizon.  Your results may vary dramatically and if you get better results with AT&T, then that may be a better choice in your case. 

 

NOW 4G LTE is another story...  But iPhones won't support this till likely when the next model comes out sometime mid/late next year.

0 Likes
Re: Very slow DATA in Bend, OR on 4S
AZSALUKI
Legend

drivebylake wrote:

My speed on Verizon seems to be what I expected. I'm in downtown chicago. My speedtest was as follows:

 

Down = 1.34 Mbs / Up = .81

 

Is this concidered normal?

Interested to see how this varies over time. I'll post more.


since the iphone isn't LTE capable, you are getting very acceptable speeds. anything over 1mbps on a 3g device is as good as it gets. until they make an LTE iphone, 1-1.5mbps is the best you'll get (with verizon anyway).

 

dbbrass explained everything as well as i've seen it explained.

0 Likes
Re: Very slow DATA in Bend, OR on 4S
marketing_guy
Newbie
You are not getting good speeds. I just returned the phone for my DROIDX and its speeds are double
0 Likes
Re: Very slow DATA in Bend, OR on 4S
buckZor
Newbie

Believe VZW was just hammered over the weekend..  Speeds have stabilized in the last few days, I am now getting results like:

 

Latency: 119ms

D/L: 1.64Mbps

U/L: 0.78Mbps

 

So.. like dbbrass said, numbers I can live with.. to me it is a NOTICEABLE speed drop from ATT Data speeds, BUT.. I enjoy being able to MAKE a phone call and not DROP phone calls.  I'm already falling in love with VZW for PHONE performance.  Their DATA is slower, but I can live with it.

 

Thank you to all the posters.

0 Likes
Re: Very slow DATA in Bend, OR on 4S
chris_36
Newbie

I agree! Verizon's 3G network is absolutely RIDICULOUS in Oregon! My average data speeds vary, but normally are anywhere from 0.35 down/ .20 up! The only use I get out of this is being able to surf the web! Netflix, YouTube, etc. don't even load properly over this atrocious network!

0 Likes