On my Xperia Z3 the wifi download is OK, but with a slow upload, why?

[Ian Batty]

Xperia Z3 WiFi download OK, slow upload, but home LAN and desktop work just fine.

Hi, folks, some help please!

I have a mixed WiFi/ethernet system.

Linking to my ISP from my desktop, *either* via wifi or the ethernet (wired) LAN, I get around 8 Mbit/s download, 600 kbit/s upload.

Disconnnecting the ethernet and going wifi via a wifi dongle, I get pretty much the same on the desktop system.

I'm using Ookla speed test, and the upload speed starts high (over 400 kbit/s) then quickly builds to around the 600 kbit/s speed.

Using my Xperia Z3 *two months old), I get around 7.5 Mbit/s download, only about 350kbit/s upload, *and* theupload starts off at maybe 20~30 kbit/s then 'steps' to around 350 kbit/s - it's as though the Xperia is somehow negotiating a new connection speed as it goes.

I'm using a Belkin Wireless N router with MIMO and dual antennas. I tried sitting right beside the router (this gave me a signal around –45 dBm), but it made no difference. The router is locked on 802.11 g.

If I speedtest on my desktop (generic PC, WIN7), and use a TP-Link TL-WN822 dongle, I get around 7.6 Mbit/s down, and around 600 kbit/s up, *though* the upload test does kick off at around 250 kbit/s, then rise to the final figure of 600 kbit/s.

If I do an internal LAN speed test, all over wifi from the Xperia upto the wifi layer, then down to the desktop via the TP-Link dongle, I get well over 10 Mbit/s each way.

So the problem seems to be, somehow, with the Xperia wanting to establish a connection to the ISP. I've read about turning "wifi optimization" off, which I've doneto no useful effect.

I have a "smart" electricity meter which is also in the 2.4 GHz band, but I reckon that sitting the Xperie *right beside* the router should eliminate any contention - I could be wrong, so please consider this as a possible cause.

We also have Uniden XDECT 8100-series cordless 'phones. There are no other 2.4 GHz services, and the problem is consistent night andday.

This whole thing would be minorly anoying, except that we live in country Victoria, Australia, one of the world's worst bushfire environments, and we need to get prompt and accurate emergency warnings.

As it stands, we get erratic connections, incident maps won't refresh, and it's not realistic to sit at the desktop 24/7 *just in case*.

Has anyone any ideas?

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: Xperia Z3 WiFi download OK, slow upload, but home LAN and desktop work just fine.

Welcome to Android Central! If it's just the upload speeds that seem to be affected, that shouldn't cause any issues with you receiving alerts or any other information over the web, since that would be dependent on downloads.

Does anyone else live around you, or are you pretty isolated? If there are other residences nearby, then their wi-fi networks could be causing some congestion, depending on which channel you're using. Use an app like Wifi Analyzer to see how congested the various channels are, and use that as a guide to select which channel your router uses. You'd have to log into your router's settings using your computer browser--see the manual for more instructions.

 

[Ian Batty]

Re: Xperia Z3 WiFi download OK, slow upload, but home LAN and desktop work just fine.

Thanks,B. Diddy, for your response.

1. I am well clear of any other wifi (at least 400 yards), and nothing shows upon my various 2.4 GHz spectrum snoopers, iincluding WiFi Analyzer.

2. Check me out on this. Since the Ethernet/ADSL transport layers require an ACKnowledge response before sending the next packet/cell/Transmission Unit, a *very slow* upload/upstream speed will mean that the remote server/computer will spend a lot of time waiting to send.

This would not matter if the remote server/sending station was using a *non-acknowledged* protocol such as UDP, but (IIRC) TCP needs those ACK packets coming back for it to send data in a continuous/fast stream.

So I suspect that the slow updates I'm getting are due to delayed/dropped ACK packets caused by my slow upload speed to the ISP.

*Whichever* it is, I'm still no wiser about the slow upload from my Xperia from the router via my wifi network versus the 10Mbit/s-plus transport across the internal WiFi netowrk itself *and* the desktop's ability to get at least 300 kbit/s over the same wifi network to the same router.

Can anyone throw any more light on this one?

Ian.

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: Xperia Z3 WiFi download OK, slow upload, but home LAN and desktop work just fine.

Thanks, I hadn't thought of that. I'm not that technically proficient, so I can't pretend to confirm or challenge what you're saying there.

Have you considered trying different DNS servers? The Ultimate Guide to Changing Your DNS Server