Posts Tagged ‘HSPA’

Mobile Broadband Shootout: T-Mobile HSPA+ Takes on Sprint and Clear 4G

Mobile Broadband Shootout: T-Mobile HSPA+ Takes on Sprint and Clear 4G

For reasons we don't fully understand, Philadelphia has become the mobile broadband mecca of America. A few months ago, Clear and Sprint began selling 4G mobile WiMax service in the larger metro area (promising 3 to 6 Mbps), including nearby areas of New Jersey. And just last week,Sony, T-Mobile announced that it will be offering a faster version of 3G called HSPA+ in the city (with a theoretical max of 21Mbps).

This past weekend, we journeyed to the city of brotherly love to exercise our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of high-speed data transfers. Our goal was to see Sony VGP-BPS13A/Q Battery devices and services offer the highest speeds, widest coverage, and best overall user experience.

Devices and Services Tested

We set out to test the following mobile broadband modems and their associated networks:

•Sprint OverDrive: For .99 (with two year contract) and .99 a month thereafter, you get a Sony VGP-BPS13B/Q Battery powered mobile broadband router (like the MiFi) that lets you connect multiple devices to either 3G or 4G, depending on what's available in your location. While the 3G service is limited to 5GB a month (5 cents per MB overage charge), the 4G is unlimited. So if you live in a 4G coverage area you really could use this device all the time.
•Clear 4G Mobile USB: You can buy this sleek modem for just .99 without a contract and pay just a month for unlimited 4G service. The downside is that, once you go outside of Clear's WiMax coverage zone, the Mobile USB is a laptop ornament. Clear makes several accessories for the Mobile USB, including the Clear USB Performance dock, which boosts signal strength for added speed. We tried dell vostro 1510 battery dock in one of our test locations (see below).
•T-Mobile webConnect Rocket USB: T-Mobile's new USB device supports 3G everywhere and the higher-speed (but not technically 4G) HSPA+ standard in Philadelphia and other markets in the future. The Rocket dell vostro 1310 battery runs with a two-year contract or 9 with no contract. The standard data plan is .99 for a strict limit of 5GB per month with a punitive fee of .20 for every megabyte over the limit. If you buy the modem without a contract, you can pay .99 a month instead, which adds up to 0 less in costs over 24 months. Too bad the software can't tell you whether you're getting a standard 3G or HSPA+ signal. You can only tell by the speed you are getting.
•Sprint MiFi 2200 (The Control): This 3G-only modem was used in a couple of our locations for comparison purposes only, just to show the difference between a typical 3G signal and the HSPA+ or 4G speeds supported by the other devices. It actually did quite well. As featured on "Into Tomorrow…with Dave Graveline", airing Friday, March 19!

How We Tested 3G, 4G, and HSPA+

We tested in four locations in the Philadelphia area: two were near windows, one several hundred feet from a window, and another location underground. In each location, we conducted the following tests using a Lenovo ThinkPad X301 with Windows 7 (64-bit) Sony VGP-BPS13 as our test laptop:

•Speedtest.net: We visited the popular Speedtest.net broadband test site three times and took the average upload and download speed in megabits.
•Web surfing: We visited three popular Web site home pages (nytimes.com,cnn.com, and espn.com) three times each in Firefox 3.6 with caching disabled. We used the popular plug-in Firebug to time these page loads down to the tenth of a second. To determine average page load times shown in the results below, we dropped the slowest of the three visits to each site (to eliminate outliers) and then averaged the remaining results.
•FTP Upload / Download: We uploaded a 5MB file to our FTP server and downloaded a 50MB file from the same Sony VGP-BPS13A/B Battery.
•YouTube Video Frame rates: Using the Flash 10.1 plugin, we played two different versions of the Star Trek trailer, one in low res 360p and one in high-definition 720p. Using Flash's own logging ability, we determined the average frame rate.
Round #1: Liberty Place Food Court (near a window)

We headed into Philadelphia and set up shop in the shops at Liberty Place, a small shopping mall strategically located right in the city center, between the Liberty One and Liberty Two office towers. The food court Sony VGP-BPS9 Battery is huge, allowing us to test both near a window and several hundred feet away from one. We conducted our first series of tests in front of the window.
As you can see, the T-Mobile device clearly dominated here. The HSPA+ speeds were much stronger than those offered by either 4G device. Downloading a 50MB file via FTP in just 1 minute and 35 seconds is pretty amazing. It's also worth noting that upload speeds were far better with the T-Mobile device. Among the two 4G devices, the Clear 4G Mobile USB Modem was the clear winner in this test.

Round #2: Liberty Place (far from a window)

We moved over 100 feet away from the window and sat deep inside the building to see how being far away from a window affected our connectivity. As you can see below, the change was dramatic and Toshiba pa3534u-1brs Battery not in a good way.
All of the devices slowed down dramatically when deep inside the building. In this case, though, the 4G devices were hurt the most. The Sprint Overdrive did a little better, but both struggled to upload files, and the Clear modem was so slow in this location conducting our FTP download test that we gave up.

The webConnect Rocket remained fast when downloading Web pages and testing on Speedtest.net, though it was definitely slower than before. For reasons we can only attribute to random YouTube strangeness, we had difficulty playing our 360p clip, but not the 720p Star Trek trailer on the Rocket.

Location #3: 30th Street Station Track 3 (Underground)

On our way home from Philadelphia, we had the opportunity to run an additional series Sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery of tests in the train station (thanks to an extensive delay). We were one level underground, which is definitely not optimal for broadband reception, but this allowed us to see which devices and services could handle this extreme, but very common situation and which could not.
The sad reality is that we couldn't get a consistent connection from either the Clear modem or the T-Mobile webConnect Rocket while underground. The webConnect registered just one bar and took several minutes just to complete one run of the Speedtest.net test. As you can see its speed of 0.03 Mbps upload and 0.1 Mbps download are basically unusable.

The Clear 4G Mobile USB modem was highly inconsistent underground. The software showed 2-3 Mbps, but Sony VGP-BPS9A/B Battery as we tried to conduct our tests, the modem kept dropping its connection and reconnecting itself, making it impossible to complete most tasks. For a few minutes, we were able to connect long enough to complete the download and to start streaming video, but after a while, we were getting kicked off of our connection too rapidly to do anything more.

The clear underground winner was the Sprint OverDrive, because it was able to switch itself into 3G mode and maintain a consistent connection.

Round #4: Cherry Hill, NJ Living Room

Another location was a friend's living room in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Cherry Hill Sony VGP-BPL8A Battery is located about 15 minutes outside of Philadelphia and falls squarely within the Clear / Sprint 4G WiMax coverage zone. Unfortunately, T-Mobile's HSPA+ coverage area does not include Cherry Hill, so the webConnect Rocket only connected at standard 3G speeds in this location. Like most living rooms, this one had several windows and we sat just a few feet away from them.

In this first location, the only real competition was between battery the two WiMax devices, the Sprint OverDrive and the Clear 4G Mobile USB modem. Though they seemed pretty evenly matched in video streaming and web page downloading, the Clear modem got a much higher score on Speedtest.net's benchmark and did noticeably better on FTP uploading and downloading.

When we attached the Clear modem to its performance-enhancing dock, the Speedtest numbers shot way up but the real-world numbers stayed about the same. Still, if we were doing something even more intensive, we would have appreciated the bandwidth from the dock.

It's also worth noting , even at its default 3G speeds, the T-Mobile webConnect Rocket was a lot faster than Sprint's 3G MiFi. So, under normal 3G conditions, the webConnect is still a solid device.

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MiFi – The Intelligent Mobile HotSpot For HSPA and CDMA Networks

MiFi - The Intelligent Mobile HotSpot For HSPA and CDMA Networks

The Mi-Fi is a line of compact wireless devices that work to provide Wi-Fi on the go. It was developed by Novatel Wireless and introduced to the USA in May 2009. This device comes in different models and each of them has pretty much the same functionality. The 3 current versions are MiFi 2200, 2352 (for Europe Only) and the 2372 (For North America Only). We will talk about the compatible networks shortly.

If you are still not sure what this device does, then I can explain better. We all know how wireless routers work. A wireless router is able to perform the functions of a router and also provide wireless access points. This enables other computers or devices to pick up internet signals. The MiFi is no different in its function, except for the ability to be fully mobile. Now that we got that out of the way, let's move on…

MiFi 2200: The MiFi 2200 runs on CDMA 1xEVDO RevA networks.  It provides that on the go wireless hotspot that people like me need.  This device supports a maximum of 5 users at a time, so you can share your wireless internet with friends and family. As far as speed goes, this version pales in comparison to the 2352(For Europe Only) and 2372 (For North America Only). CDMA2000 and wideband CDMA deliver data up to 384 Kbps.  So if you were sharing this device with friends, you are looking at a data speed of 14kbps to 76kbps data per single device.  I could not find out whether this device provides expandable storage so it is safe to say that it doesn't. Now let's move on, shall we.

MiFi 2352 for Europe and MiFi 2372 for North America: All hail the power of the new HSPA technology! HAHAHAHAHA, ok let's get serious. These versions run on the HSPA networks with amazing speed. Provides a whooping 7.2 Mbps download and 5.76 Mbps upload. Expandable storage is up to 16GB via MicroSD slot. Up to 5 users can be supported at one time. Wow I like this…

Features

*Connects up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously

*Computers, PDA's, cameras, music players, personal and game players and more

*Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery

*GPS- enabled

*Advanced internal antenna system

*NovaSpeed® capable

*Auto-install and auto-connectivity

*10M (30 ft) range of network coverage

Benefits

 *Wireless and secure internet connectivity from virtually anywhere

*Portable and convenient – smaller than a deck of cards

*Great for travel – family, friends and colleagues can connect

*Perfect for the mobile professional – creates a virtual office wherever you go for your and your co-workers

*Easy installation with MobiLink™ Connection Manager- no CD required

*Enhanced performance and less connectivity interruptions with NovaSpeed®

*Lasts up to 4 hours on a single charge so you can be anywhere and have connectivity (when connected to one Wi-Fi device)

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Vodafones to invade the wireless connection as well!

It seems like only some specific phones just like smartphones, are able to fully access the internet. Not only can these phones access the internet, they could also receive special services by both their online and mobile networks. However, you shouldn’t have to worry anymore, since the mobile network technology is quickly extending its reach and has now come to Vodafones in the guise of the new MiFi 2352.

The MiFi 2352 is also known as an intelligent Mobile Hotspot for European HSPA Networks which can pick up 3G connections when you are using your Vodafone. Sweet isn’t it? Say goodbye to days of wandering around probable hotspots and lurking around for Wi-Fi connection. Now you wouldn’t have to go head over heels after certain types of phones, when you already have one which you could use to have decent internet connection.

The MiFi 2352 is another option which you can definitely go with whenever you are looking for a 3G connection.  Now what exactly is a MiFi 2352, you may ask. The MiFi 2352 is just a small device, handy enough to be carried around. If you’re curious, it weighs a hardly 100 grams! It is built to be light, for you to be able to carry it around without any trouble.

This little devil works just like a Wi-Fi router as well as a 3G modem through by accessing the internet through mobile networks with the use of a computer or any online network-able device which has an internet connection. Just so you see, it works exactly like a smartphone.

Full and fast internet connection, that’s what the HSPA+ is all about!

Connecting to the internet has never been this easy! You used to look for modems which would be able to link up with personal computers so that you could take up business transactions online. With the fast innovation of technology you will no longer have to wait long to experience full blown and fast internet connection.

The network world currently has HSPA to rely on for better connection, but then again, it doesn’t even stop there. Recently, developed, the network has now HSPA+ to trust in fast connectivity. The HSPA + is the next advancement in the high-speed packet access wireless broadband technology, according to officials from companies. This in turn will be featuring a much greater capacity in terms of data throughput as compared to those of standard 3G networks, which you presently experience.

Promoted by Telephonica the Novatel Wireless Intro Ovation MC996D High-Speed USB Data Modem’s attributes include a peak data speed, of up to 21.6 Mbps when it comes to the downlink and a raging 5.76 Mbps on the uplink. Extraordinary performance is being delivered when it comes to the upload and downloads speed, which makes up three times more than that of the regular HSPA mobile devices.

According to the business marketing at Telefonica, this innovative launch of the MC996D is the answer to the immediate need of high speed mobile solutions in Spain. Activities of the company focus mainly on the fixed and mobile telephony businesses which have broadband as the key tool for the development of both.