Anyone else NOT use available 4G?

[tscharf]

I'm just curious how many people out there like myself have 4G in their area but choose not to use it. Don't get me wrong, the 4G speeds are nice but for me the additional battery drain is not worth it.

 

[unixpsycho]

most of the time 3G is faster! Unless I have 4 bars.

 

[milominderbinde]

I keep my 4G off unless streaming HD.

 

[Pure87]

I don't use 4g unless I'm having trouble loading pages on 3G, which isn't often.

 

[wsrep]

How bad is the battery drain if you are on 4g all day?

 

[splmonster]

most of the time 3G is faster! Unless I have 4 bars.

Huh? Since when is 3G faster then 4G?

How bad is the battery drain if you are on 4g all day?

It does draw much more power when using 4G, but it's not horrifying. It really is for when you need the extra bandwidth. It's not something you leave on the whole day.

 

[PM-Performance]

I just dont leave it on all the time because its not available everywhere yet. If it were, I would deal with the battery drain and leave it on.

For the record a few years ago, I remember when everyone used to shut off 3G and just turn it on when needed. Lol.

The battery drain isnt horific if my memory serves me. I left it on for the first few weeks I had the phone with no problems

 

[NxTech3]

Huh? Since when is 3G faster then 4G?

Since its a WiFi-like hotspot, if you are on the edge of coverage where you have it but the signal is poor, 3G can be faster than 4G. At my house in Port Orange, which is on the edge of 4G in Daytona Beach, websites on 3G do load faster than 4G during the day. At night 4G flies.

 

[Caitlyn McKenzie]

Where there is 4G, the 4G is usually much faster and I make use of it. 4G is still being installed here in Cincinnati though, so I can't use it all the time.

 

[Darth Mo]

I only use it when I'm streaming video or the rare occasions I'm downloading a large file or uploading a lot of photos.

otherwise, the flakiness of the connection is too annoying. I have done any scientific testing, but it seems like it can take around 45 seconds (maybe more?) to give up on the 4G signal then re-negotiate a 3G signal. That constant interruption when I'm trying to use data isn't worth it. I get good 3G speeds where I am so for now that's the best option.

 

[Edge767]

I use it when I need/want faster Internet access. I was at a baseball game on Friday night and wanted to upload pictures and video I took. It was taking forever on 3G. I switched over to full bars of 4G and all uploads were done in a few minutes. I had a fully-charged phone when I got to the field, so I knew I was safe using the 4G, but had I not had a fully charged phone, I may not have used it. I am always afraid of being stuck without power on my Evo although admittedly, the phone is pretty decent about battery with normal use.

 

[DesertSilver#AC]

I have 4G in my area but don't use it for the following reasons:
- turning on my 4G radio consistently causes my phone to lag like crazy...my biggest issue (there's a thread discussing this issue)
- 3G is "fast enough" for occasional browsing and streaming Pandora/Slacker
- when I move in and out of buildings there is a delay in changing between 3G and 4G that causes data transfers to stall
- more battery drain (I estimated my typical use to be 5hrs on 4G vs 8 hrs on 3G)
- inside my work building, I get no 4G reception; otherwise I'm at home using wifi

4G is significantly faster (~2500kbps vs ~600kbps) but it's only a big benefit when downloading a large file or website, which isn't often when NOT on wifi. IMHO in everyday use, it's not that big of a deal.

I know those in non-4G areas are probably not understanding why there would be people that have 4G available and not using it, but hopefully the mass will soon have it available to experience for themselves. I know the tech is in its infancy and will advance, so we'll wait to see what the coming years bring.

EDIT: I thought I'd bring up that I really hope things get better really soon because a HUGE benefit of 4G is that data and voice can be used at the same time.

 

[unixpsycho]

Huh? Since when is 3G faster then 4G?
.

I love how people split hairs.

Depending on where I am, my 4G speeds were slower than 3G. I thought I made that clear in the post (Quote: "Unless I have 4 bars").

 

[anon(67326)]

I rarely use 4G unless it's a video call. Otherwise my phone's battery wouldn't last the day.

 

[cg1492]

Unless I am at home or somewhere I can plug in my phone i use 3g. Has anyone else had problems using the android market using 4g? When I try to dl stuff from teh market using 4g nothing ever downloads till i swap back to 3g?

 

[hk-usp45]

I turn 4G on when in 4G area and 3g does not work (and 4G does)

 

[sveilien]

How bad is the battery drain if you are on 4g all day?

Lol, there is no such thing as "all day" with 4G on. ;-)

 

[eldub1]

I use it when I can. Love the speed boost

 

[Jet915]

Anyone know if they are gonna make where you just automatically connect to 4G? It's a slight inconvenience when you are traveling around and need to turn on 4G to see if it's in the area.

 

[DougB541#CB]

Not with the current battery drain.

I mean, you should only worry about it if you need a lot of data quickly and you are not around wifi. Like i switch to 4G when updating podcasts or uploading pictures to facebook. Even though i have full 4G in my apartment, i usually just connect to wifi (even though the 4G upload times are quicker) because of the battery difference.