Network speed question

[gone down south]

I need some schooling on how network speeds are calculated.....

I'm on T-Mobile prepaid, and according to the Network Signal app HSPA is 14.4mbps, HSPA+ is 21.4mbps.

What happened to the 21 and 42 they were advertised as? Or have I just misunderstood the concept?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[Ryandroid86]

I need some schooling on how network speeds are calculated.....

I'm on T-Mobile prepaid, and according to the Network Signal app HSPA is 14.4mbps, HSPA+ is 21.4mbps.

What happened to the 21 and 42 they were advertised as? Or have I just misunderstood the concept?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

I know it can sound confusing... but its not...
think about your router at home... It will most likely have a rate of (100 mps) or so depending on how old it is... but its limited by a few different variables....
1. how fast is your internet provider
2. how many ports are being used in your router
3. how much broadband does it have
4. and how many people are connected on it at once

so that 100 mps just turned into 15 to 30 mps. (in my case)

HSPA has a MAX speed of 21 mps that you will never see unless you were the only person on that tower and you were literaly on top of it
and HSPA+ has 42 mps MAX speed,
there is other techy stuff involved... but who cares... that is a simple version.

 

[gone down south]

Yeah, I get that if you do a Speed Test the actual upload/download speeds will vary widely based on local conditions.

I'm wondering why Network Signal shows the actual network type as hspa 14.4 / hspa+ 21.6. I'm getting great speeds (10-15 up, 2-3 down), just wondering what 14.4/21.6 versus 21/42 actually means.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[yfan]

Yeah, I get that if you do a Speed Test the actual upload/download speeds will vary widely based on local conditions.

I'm wondering why Network Signal shows the actual network type as hspa 14.4 / hspa+ 21.6. I'm getting great speeds (10-15 up, 2-3 down), just wondering what 14.4/21.6 versus 21/42 actually means.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

The jump from 14 to 21 is basically an increase in HSPA speed. HSPA + 42, or what is known as *dual carrier* HSDPA, is an upgrade that lets capable devices basically establish two pipelines to the tower, thereby doubling the speed. That's my understanding, anyway.

 

[gone down south]

The jump from 14 to 21 is basically an increase in HSPA speed. HSPA + 42, or what is known as *dual carrier* HSDPA, is an upgrade that lets capable devices basically establish two pipelines to the tower, thereby doubling the speed. That's my understanding, anyway.

So why am I seeing HSPA+ listed at 21.6mbps? SF-San Jose is definitely a 42 region for TMobile.

 

[yfan]

So why am I seeing HSPA+ listed at 21.6mbps? SF-San Jose is definitely a 42 region for TMobile.

The app may not be able to distinguish between HSPA+ and dual carrier HSPA+, which is itself a variant of HSPA+. If you're getting good speeds, I wouldn't worry about the rest. I'm in the SF-SJ area as well, and eagerly awaiting my own Nexus 4 to test on T-mobile's network.