The big Vodafone Auckland upgrade

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BDFL - Memuneh
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#752785 29-Jan-2013 17:06

If your network is 100% 3G (such as Telecom NZ) then you can switch 3G only mode and save battery by avoiding search for stronger signals nearby, as there won't be any 2G signals on the network.

On Vodafone NZ you can do the same, but have to remember that 2G and 3G do not overlap, so in some cases you will get reduced coverage. While this means in some places you will get slower mobile data when on 2G at least you don't lose voice and SMS.

I set my Telecom handset to 3G only while in New Zealand and when I go to the USA I set it back to 2G/3G.

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#752795 29-Jan-2013 17:23

PaulBrislen: So here in Three Kings I've gone from no signal (had to use a Femto to connect) to three/four bars of reception throughout the house.

This is a tremendous change - very good for someone who works from home.

In addition my speed has jumped from at best 1.5Mbit/s down to 3.5Mbit/s down, which is tremendous. I don't have a DC capable device here but my next purchase will have to be something that can rock along so I can take advantage of it.

Given these speeds you'd have to wonder just what a 30/10 UFB plan could do that this can't (aside from pricing I guess).

And then there's LTE...

cheers

Paul

If every home user switched to mobile data for their broadband, I think you will find those speeds would quickly evaporate. You can aways drop another fibre, but in the air once the spectrum is used, it's used.

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#752796 29-Jan-2013 17:25

And remember, it's shared. If you are the one person using the cellsite for mobile data then you get all that for yourself. Once more people start joining you have to share the spectrum and speed is reduced depending on load (also coverage are reduces depending on load).

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#752797 29-Jan-2013 17:25

MattEast:
PaulBrislen: So here in Three Kings I've gone from no signal (had to use a Femto to connect) to three/four bars of reception throughout the house.

This is a tremendous change - very good for someone who works from home.

In addition my speed has jumped from at best 1.5Mbit/s down to 3.5Mbit/s down, which is tremendous. I don't have a DC capable device here but my next purchase will have to be something that can rock along so I can take advantage of it.

Given these speeds you'd have to wonder just what a 30/10 UFB plan could do that this can't (aside from pricing I guess).

And then there's LTE...

cheers

Paul

I'm going to have to unplug the femto when I get home and see if this has made a difference.

Sudden surge of femto cells on TradeMe; quickly flick em off to Wellington + Christchurch users before their network upgrade :)

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exportgoldman

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#752825 29-Jan-2013 18:07

Well done Vodafone. Quite a nice network you have there now.

Wasn't there a big fuss and bluster by Vodafone when 2 Degree's was going to come into the market, that it would delay/divert investment into the 3G networks. Or was it the lower mobile calling pricing?

Glad to hear it was just bluster and your getting on with getting a good network. :-)

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#752837 29-Jan-2013 18:27

I was in Chch last week and was seeing 24mb/s at my hotel and workplace as well as the air port in both Chch and Auck.

At home on Patumahoe I am now getting around 13mb/s I will test at work where it has previously been quite slow.

When people say they get 3mb/s I have never had speeds this slow!

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#754005 31-Jan-2013 17:17

so I work in the Viaduct Harbour in Auckland (Bucklame!) right beside the Vodafone office and I also live quite close nearby 3 mins away so I've had a good chance to thrash the new Dual Carrier cell in my area over the last 2 weeks

I'm consistently getting 20Mb and often am getting 25Mb even during busy times, this speedtest.net example is from lunchtime today

This is from my Nokia Lumia 920 running Windows Phone 8 inside my building too

https://www.speedtest.net/wp/223915.png

edit: also I promise this was over DC H+ not WiFi, there is a stupid bug in the speedtest.net app that you can see that the top right, the WiFi icon is displayed as long as the WiFi is turned on, not even needed to be associated, even if you're using the 3G. Known issue from Ookla side

networkn

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#754008 31-Jan-2013 17:19

I was very excited about this upgrade, but unfortunately it has come at a reasonable cost, my battery life is about 1/3 worse now than it was before, though I would have expected the opposite. My Data speeds have improved and I can actually drive home without loss of calls 3 times which has plagued me for the last 3 years, so that is much appreciated. I wish the cost wasn't that I had to charge my phone every day. Anyone else seeing this? I have a GSIII?

firewire

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#754014 31-Jan-2013 17:44

You would expect a phone of that calibre to need a daily charge regardless of network configuration.

networkn

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#754017 31-Jan-2013 17:45

firewire: You would expect a phone of that calibre to need a daily charge regardless of network configuration.

No Sir. I haven't ever had to daily charge this phone, nor it's predecessor. I can get 2-3 days from it usually.

PaulBrislen

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#754018 31-Jan-2013 17:46

I haven't had a smartphone last more than a day since the iPhone 3G and that was only because I switched everything off.

Currently my Sam GsIII lasts about ten hours because I use it continuously.

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#754019 31-Jan-2013 17:51

networkn: I was very excited about this upgrade, but unfortunately it has come at a reasonable cost, my battery life is about 1/3 worse now than it was before, though I would have expected the opposite. My Data speeds have improved and I can actually drive home without loss of calls 3 times which has plagued me for the last 3 years, so that is much appreciated. I wish the cost wasn't that I had to charge my phone every day. Anyone else seeing this? I have a GSIII?

Maybe because you can use it 3x more now :)

Try lock to 3G only

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