Comparison clip of iPad 3G on Vodafone NZ and XT

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bingothewonderdog

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#64948 26-Jul-2010 15:34

Not sure which forum is appropriate as this is really a network comparison as experienced by the iPad device

A longish clip with no audio track or commentary but you'll get the idea

Comparison of using identical iPad 3Gs side-by-side on the Vodafone NZ network and Telecom XT. Shows high-speed browsing and download experience both in the city and outside the city.

[Moderator edit (MF): please watch the whole clip - it starts in an area where Vodafone 3G is 900 MHz, so obviously the iPad is operating on 2G. At three minutes it moves to Auckland CBD, where both networks are 3G]

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#356599 26-Jul-2010 15:41

It looks like that first test is in an area with Vodafone 2G coverage. Check my blog post http://www.geekzone.co.nz/freitasm/7334. The Auckland CBD test is faster.

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NonprayingMantis

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#356600 26-Jul-2010 15:42

heh

magu

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#356610 26-Jul-2010 16:00

Wow. I knew XT was fast, but this is insane. I wonder how 2degrees would fare in those tests.

EDIT: If it is indeed a 3G VF spot.

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#356612 26-Jul-2010 16:00

Outside Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown probably not better, since they use Vodafone's network...

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bingothewonderdog

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#356622 26-Jul-2010 16:09

magu: Wow. I knew XT was fast, but this is insane. I wonder how 2degrees would fare in those tests.

EDIT: If it is indeed a 3G VF spot.

Piha is indeed a 3G VF spot but it's extended coverage which doesn't support the iPad

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#356625 26-Jul-2010 16:11

bingothewonderdog:
magu: Wow. I knew XT was fast, but this is insane. I wonder how 2degrees would fare in those tests.

EDIT: If it is indeed a 3G VF spot.

Piha is indeed a 3G VF spot but it's extended coverage which doesn't support the iPad

As I suspected and posted in my first reply...

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kiwitrc

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#356629 26-Jul-2010 16:13

bingothewonderdog:
magu: Wow. I knew XT was fast, but this is insane. I wonder how 2degrees would fare in those tests.

EDIT: If it is indeed a 3G VF spot.

Piha is indeed a 3G VF spot but it's extended coverage which doesn't support the iPad

So this would be a pointless comparison then?

freitasm

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#356631 26-Jul-2010 16:15

No, it's not. It shows that the iPad 3G is not 3G everywhere on Vodafone. Go into 3 minutes and you see a comparison of Vodafone and XT in the Auckland CBD. You will notice the speed test is much more balanced, but XT was still 400Kbps faster at that place.

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xpd

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#356632 26-Jul-2010 16:15

According to the map on Vodafones site, Piha should have the following :
Calling, 2G & 2.5G
3G Broadband Extended

However Extended will only work at Broadband speeds where it shows 3G Broadband coverage on the map. Where it shows 3G Broadband Extended coverage on the map these devices will work at slower speeds.

So not a fair test IMO but as MF said above........

XPD / Gavin

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#356634 26-Jul-2010 16:17

Wait, can you hear that?????? It sounds like it's Paul Brislen...............

"But, but, but, but our network is the only one Apple trusts."

kiwitrc

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#356635 26-Jul-2010 16:17

freitasm: No, it's not. It shows that the iPad 3G is not 3G everywhere on Vodafone. Go into 3 minutes and you see a comparison of Vodafone and XT in the Auckland CBD. You will notice the speed test is much more balanced, but XT was still 400Kbps faster at that place.

OK didnt last till 3 minutes.

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NonprayingMantis

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#356636 26-Jul-2010 16:18

kiwitrc:
bingothewonderdog:
magu: Wow. I knew XT was fast, but this is insane. I wonder how 2degrees would fare in those tests.

EDIT: If it is indeed a 3G VF spot.

Piha is indeed a 3G VF spot but it's extended coverage which doesn't support the iPad

So this would be a pointless comparison then?

how so? It's trying to compare how the iPad works on XT vs Vodafone in rural and urban areas.

In Piha ( the rural area), Vodafone has no 3G coverage for the iPad whereas Xt does, therefore the iPad works incredibly slowly on Vodafone and much faster on XT.

In urban (outside the Voda building in Auckland by the looks of it), both networks have 3G coverage for the iPad, therefore the speeds are much closer (although Xt is still about 10-20% faster)

seems a perfectly fair comparison to me.

myndlyz

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#356637 26-Jul-2010 16:20

xpd: According to the map on Vodafones site, Piha should have the following :
Calling, 2G & 2.5G
3G Broadband Extended

However Extended will only work at Broadband speeds where it shows 3G Broadband coverage on the map. Where it shows 3G Broadband Extended coverage on the map these devices will work at slower speeds.

So not a fair test IMO but as MF said above........

Lol how is it not fair??? Vodafone are advertising their service as 3G and so is telecom, so is it not just a simple comparison??

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#356638 26-Jul-2010 16:20

xpd: So not a fair test IMO but as MF said above........

I think it's a fair test. It shows the iPad won't get 3G everywhere with one operator, but it will always be 3G on another. That's all. It also shows a comparison where both have 3G services available.

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bingothewonderdog

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#356642 26-Jul-2010 16:24

The point is that the iPad works at high-speed on Vodafone only in the limited 3G coverage of the cities and some towns.

The iPad doesn't work at high-speed in the much more extensive "Extended 3G" because Vodafone doesn't support this - it rolls back to heinous GSM/GPRS speed.

The iPad works at high-speed on Telecom because XT supports the iPad wherever there is XT coverage.

For coverage information on high-speed iPad usage in other areas visit:

http://www.vodafone.co.nz/coverage
Tick "3G Coverage" (red) and un-tick "Calling, 2G &2 2.5G".
Do not tick "Extended 3G Coverage" as Vodafone extended 3G does not support the iPad at high-speed.

and

http://www.telecom.co.nz/coverage
Zoom in for high-speed iPad coverage as the iPad is supported at high-speeds wherever there is XT.

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