mobile broadband speeds?

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › mobile broadband speeds?

deanfourie

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#289608 16-Sep-2021 14:07

Hey guys, just recently upgraded to 4G broadband from 2degrees from a DSL copper connection giving me 1-2 MBPS.

Doing some tests, I have peaked at 100mbps. My question is what speeds should I expect? Can I get higher then 100?

Also, the speeds are inconsistent. Some times im peaking 10MBPS, so my other question is, is this based on network load and is this to be expected?

We are rural, although my router shows 5 bars (all bars) signal, can I get better speeds with an external antenna?

I am finding that the router is very impacted by where I place it for speeds. I have placed in the area I am getting the best signal.

Thanks for the help.

Jase2985

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#2779357 16-Sep-2021 14:10

You may be limited by your aerial/antenna or carrier aggregation

varying speeds is most likely caused by load and its just part an parcel of the service, there is only a limited bandwidth per tower which is shared.

an external antenna will likely make the service more consistent.

deanfourie

31 posts

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#2779365 16-Sep-2021 14:18

Great, thanks thats what I thought.

I did try this antenna but made very little difference

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/computers/networking-modems/wireless-networking/antennas/listing/3263767181?rsqid=ae6b8a21c8a1432e859f8587e94a9dcf-001&bof=vu5iMPPz

Could you recommend a good antenna or the best antenna technology?

Thanks again!

Spyware

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#2779366 16-Sep-2021 14:20

Antenna benefit typically comes from mounting external to the building.

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michaelmurfy

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#2779368 16-Sep-2021 14:22

Your speeds are dependent on network load - with 4G this can be all over the place.

Considering you're nearly at "full signal" I don't think you're going to be able to achieve much. You'll note they don't specify a speed with rural broadband as it is 100% best effort.

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snnet

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#2779376 16-Sep-2021 14:28

I wouldn't expect that antenna to do much at all, it's just like moving the modem around the immediate room really.

I've got one I mounted on my roof https://www.gowifi.co.nz/antennas/ant-228.html, greatly improves my signal though without it I'd get an "ok" or "good" signal - note an antenna like this requires extra cabling

There's probably other ones you could use as well.

c0ld

234 posts

Master Geek

#2779386 16-Sep-2021 14:49

My friend has gone with the 2degrees 300GB wireless plan at their bach and 100% sure that certain services are throttled at all times although it seems a bit random as to which ones are and which aren't. For instance they can consistently run speedtest.net tests at 120Mbps download and watch Youtube in 4K with zero buffering but Netflix (and fast.com confirms) is definitely throttled at around 10Mbps max along with a bunch of other services. Doing those same tests on a phone sim at that same location (Netflix) shows 100Mbps+ inline with the max speed the modem is seeing.

So if it's only certain services that are going slow (and you see consistently good speeds on other services) it could be that.

Linux

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#2779387 16-Sep-2021 14:49

@deanfourie 10MBPS or 10Mbps?

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deanfourie

31 posts

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#2779406 16-Sep-2021 15:31

Linux:

@deanfourie 10MBPS or 10Mbps?

Ill leave that one up to your imagination 🙃

RunningMan

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#2779414 16-Sep-2021 15:53

It does help if you use the correct units of measurement.

mb - millibits

Mb - megabits (about 1,000,000,000 mb)

MB - megabytes (about 8,000,000,000 mb)

Network throughput is routinely measure in Mb/s (megabits per second), and given you've used a real mixture of abbreviations it isn't clear what throughput you are seeing, and therefore if it is normal or not.

tripper1000

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#2779459 16-Sep-2021 17:41

deanfourie: We are rural, although my router shows 5 bars (all bars) signal, can I get better speeds with an external antenna?

I am finding that the router is very impacted by where I place it for speeds. I have placed in the area I am getting the best signal.

To the O.P. one thing to be aware of with 4G is that the signal strength is not necessarily proportional to speed. Sometimes a lower indicated signal strength gives better speed.

I'm not to sure of the specifics for the 2DM fixed wireless offering, but typically with 4G you get higher signal strength with lower bands/frequencies, but these lower bands have lower bandwidth and more congestion due to their greater range encompassing more customers. For instance (if my memory serves me correctly) 2DM has 20MHz of 1800 bandwidth, but only 12MHz of 700 bandwidth. Compared to 1800 off the same tower, the 700 band will give superior signal strength but inferior throughput. Also because the 700 MHz has better range, there can be more customers on it competing for the (lesser) bandwidth.

This is also why you will sometimes see great signal strength when you first switch on, but then signal strength drops: The device detects stronger/slower 700 or 900 MHz first, then the network bumps the device up into the 1800 (or 2100/2500 bands) where the bandwidth is better and competition less, but the range (and signal strength) less.

The higher, but faster frequencies, are also blocked more by the walls, so this is why a serious aerial will be out doors - to get you better speeds it is trying to get those higher frequencies that aren't getting through the walls so well.

Some (but not all) devices have a diagnostics screen/page (sometimes hidden) that tell you what band it is working in. If it is in the 700 or 900 bands, it indicates that you could get better speeds if you make a change to get it on the 1800 band.

(To get an idea what I'm on about and if you have a Samsung phone try dialing *#0011# (but don't make any changes!). It puts it into a service mode that tells you what band the phone is currently using. If you check it at different locations (eg inside the house vs on the roof or near a tower vs far from a tower), you can see it using different bands).

You should place the modem were it gets the best speed and not be so concerned with signal strength (obviously you need 'some' signal for it to work). But you don't want to be getting strong 700 (but slow) band when you could be getting faster but weaker 1800 band.

Edit = Quote added.

tripper1000

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#2779464 16-Sep-2021 18:07

By the way, 100Mbps is pretty dang good! I live urban and I would be lucky to get that at 3am, standing under the tower with the wind blowing in the right direction. 10Mbps isn't too bad - many rural people would give their first born for that. If you see big swings in speed between peak (6pm) and off-peak (midnight) then congestion is certainly the cause.

Also remember when speed testing that your WiFi can be the weakest link in this chain. If the router has got a 100Mbps connection to the tower but the WiFi only has a 10Mbps connection to your device, then you're only going to see 10Mbps. To remove this variable use Ethernet cable to your computer. Also, if other devices are using data in the house (eg sneaky Windows 10 updates or app auto updates, or someone else streaming), you're only measuring your share of the bandwidth, not 'the' 4G bandwidth.

coffeebaron

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#2779535 16-Sep-2021 19:08

If you can't see the tower, then very probably an antenna installation will improve speed and consistency. I do a range of MIMO antenna installs from around $600-$2000 depending on budget and requirements etc.

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