Time to ante up on Sprint 4G

[lkillen]

I bought my EVO June 4th, 2010. That was a 0002 and I am up to a 0004 now. I bought my daughter the same for Christmas.

I live north of Atlanta, GA and when I got the phone, I was given a coverage map that showed I lived just outside of the 4G area but I was assured the map was outdated so my home was probably covered. Of course, this is cutting edge technology so expect things to be a little bumpy for a while until ALL the towers get upgraded blah, blah, blah

When I went home, I would see a hint of 4G on the porch. Hardly enough bandwidth to run a successful SpeedNet. Sometimes when I did, I would get a 6.5 Meg down and about 1 meg up but nothing to write home about. I always turn on WiFi in the house, anyhow.
But I worked in Sandy Springs in Atlanta so I was pretty sure I would get good 4G there. It is densely populated and the home of UPS, where I was a programmer.

So, I get to my desk and crank up 4G. No cigar. Now I am 20 feet from a window since I am a contractor and only REAL UPS'er get to see the light of day. But I hike over to the window and I have 4G!!! So I stand there playing with the bandwidth but it is spotty and dropping out. I am 7 stories high in one of the largest cities in the Southeast but 4G is nothing but a novelty toy. I turn it off and connect to the highly restricted WiFi.

But in the car, out from the mean rooftops, I am sure I am going to be in Bandwidth heaven. I turn on 4G and after about 30 seconds, it acquires and I start streaming Talk Radio. There is Rush Limbaugh beating up on commies, just like I like. But he drops out and WunderRadio hangs. I dick around again and get him back up but if I drive 50 feet, it drops. This goes on for a half hour and then I switch it off and stream 3G. 3G gets the job done but I am paying 4G premium for 2 phones.

Being the generous guy I am, I don't whine to Sprint. I figure it'll take some time. Rome wasn't built in a day and nothing is guranteed except Shipping and Handling. I am a pretty accepting kinda guy. But every now and then, I crank up the old 4G, just to see if something has changed. Sometimes I am in a new city, getting off the plane. Maybe these people are the lucky ones. But, if anything, it seems to have gotten worse.

Then a co-worker comes to work with his ThunderBolt!! He runs Speednet and out of the box, he is getting 40 MB down!!! I actually tether to him and get like 15 down!! He is on LTE, of course. He has to pay for data after a level. But his works. I tell him, no I curse him, "your bandwidth will slow, my son" after everyone else gets on but that was over six months ago. True, he is not hitting 40 and has to suffer a reliable 25 MB deep inside the bowels of the building.

Some are there any Sprint users here that truly get a reliable, usable and solid 4G without hugging a window or sitting under the stars, perfectly still on a moonless night? Or have we been taken to the cleaners?

[JeffKay]

I find 4G to be an utter disappointment. Sprint should be ashamed of that service and the premium they charge.

Even worse, when 4G loses signal (very often) most software apps I run (especially streaming) crash or run into problems switching networks (4 to 3g)

One thing though - the data caps on 4G LTE are going to KILL people. 40mbs down sucks up bandwidth pretty quick. I can't wait to see the fallout from that one.

Also, speed tests vs real implemented speed - that's what i want to see.

[Big Redneck3100]

My 4g is more like no g....im in houston an can use it outside, but inside...yeah right..

Sent from my PC36100 on the PPCGeeks App

[cal_j]

I say quit bitching and be thankful you have something. I pay 20 bucks extra a month for the evo and the nexus and the closest large city to us isn't even on the road map for another year.

Sent from my PC36100 on the PPCGeeks App

[Riley]

I must admit I get descent 4G coverage at work and home. But the nationwide roll out has been a joke. This is the main reason I will not upgrade until I know definitively what there long term 4G strategy is. Wimax coverage is way too spotty. Try downloading something and if you lose 4G signal, the downloads drop when it switches to 3g.

[duck9191]

works fine for my, just as fast as my comcast cable and alot cheaper. honestly what do you expect, at 2.5ghz signal propagation sucks. the agreement with lightsquared should bring some better 4g action, and the consolidation of ppt/iden services to cdma will free up some extra spectrum to improve 3g service.

[lkillen]

Originally Posted by duck9191

works fine for my, just as fast as my comcast cable and alot cheaper. honestly what do you expect??

I expect it to work after paying a premium for two phones for over a year. This may be a shocker but I have to deliver what I promise. I am a contrzct programmer and I work off specifications. If, at the end of a agreed upon period of time, I do not deliver what I agreed upon, I have to start making concessions.
I expect to get what I have paid for.

[CripledCyclone]

At work(near Atlanta) I get 6mb/s down from speednet.. However, at my house (in buford) I get jack for 4g. I'm 5 stories up at work and not near a window.

I am dissapointed I can only use it at work and it cost's an extra $10/M for the Unlimited data plan when I can only use 3g at my house.

Also, Sugar Hill? I live like 15 minutes from you. :P

[DaveTN]

Part of the problem is CDMA's inability to penetrate buildings effectively, which is why you can go to your window and get a fair signal but not inside your house. I've had issues with it for many years.
Interesting thing about my house is that its wood frame construction with brick and hardboard siding. However, under the siding is 1" thick foam panels with foil backing on them.
I get almost NO signal inside my house unless I stand in front of a window and I can get a margianl signal. Outside, I'm at full signal and even get 4G on my EVO. Step back inside and its gone. This is one of the reasons sprint has provided me with an airave and now and Airvana - which does 3G but not 4. With the Airvana on, I get great phone and data (no 4G) but if I switch it off, the signal is gone.
The interesting thing is, I can stand on my deck in my back yard and see a tower that according to the many available tower maps, is a Sprint tower. There are others that are all close to me as well.
Sorry to go on and on...
The end result is - and I was told this in other threads in the past - is that CDMA really can't penetrate buildings well and GSM can. I guess thats why when my kids have friends over, they get perfect reception in my house with their GSM phones.

David

[CripledCyclone]

Originally Posted by DaveTN

Part of the problem is CDMA's inability to penetrate buildings effectively, which is why you can go to your window and get a fair signal but not inside your house. I've had issues with it for many years.
Interesting thing about my house is that its wood frame construction with brick and hardboard siding. However, under the siding is 1" thick foam panels with foil backing on them.
I get almost NO signal inside my house unless I stand in front of a window and I can get a margianl signal. Outside, I'm at full signal and even get 4G on my EVO. Step back inside and its gone. This is one of the reasons sprint has provided me with an airave and now and Airvana - which does 3G but not 4. With the Airvana on, I get great phone and data (no 4G) but if I switch it off, the signal is gone.
The interesting thing is, I can stand on my deck in my back yard and see a tower that according to the many available tower maps, is a Sprint tower. There are others that are all close to me as well.
Sorry to go on and on...
The end result is - and I was told this in other threads in the past - is that CDMA really can't penetrate buildings well and GSM can. I guess thats why when my kids have friends over, they get perfect reception in my house with their GSM phones.

David

Yea, I have an Airave in my house too. works better then airvana imo.