Does StraightTalk throttle?

[6tr6tr]

I'm thinking of using ST for the N4 but I've read reviews which say that they throttle people and sometimes cut them off after random amounts of data usage (it's not always consistent). Has this happened to anyone here? Have you been able to use over 3Gb of data without an issue?

 

[howarmat]

I'm thinking of using ST for the N4 but I've read reviews which say that they throttle people and sometimes cut them off after random amounts of data usage (it's not always consistent). Has this happened to anyone here? Have you been able to use over 3Gb of data without an issue?

att or T mobile? I have heard it happening before but it does seem to be random most times.

 

[6tr6tr]

att or T mobile? I have heard it happening before but it does seem to be random most times.

I'm going to start with TMobile but might switch to AT&T.

 

[kneeldug]

Yes, ST throttles. I'm in Cincinnati.
AT&T sim. 25 days and 1gb used. Very even and normal usage from day to day. Very few minutes, very very few texts.
They have me throttled from 3.5 down to .3 down.
Their customer service is horrible too. It can take 3-4 hours to talk to someone and even with the callback, they will make you wait for 40 minutes before someone gets on the line.

 

[nickacs]

Switched from TMO $30 prepaid plan, that didn't work for me afterall, to ST AT&T here in Atlanta 2 weeks ago and no issues. Been a "light" user so far, so maybe that's why.

But there's NO way to know for sure because the other main thread on this topic talks about people using < 2GB/month and throttled and people who use 3-5+GB and NO throttling whatsoever for years!
The only way is to try it for a month and see for yourself. It's going to also depend on your location, as people say that factors into how many bandwidth is being used by everyone in the area. Sounds stupid, but hey, it's their way!

Good luck

 

[runtmms]

There are many reports of seemingly random throttling. It's the main reason I stayed away from Straight Talk. I don't know about AT&T options. You can get prepaid service directly from T-Mobile with clear data limits. I went with one of their MVNOs - Solavei. $49 unlimited talk/text/data, and you get 4g speeds for the first 4GB.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[greydarrah]

On ST AT&T (you need to specify AT&T vs Tmo) they throttle for no predictable reason. I live in bumm fuc GA, way outside of a major city and they throttled me almost daily while using less than 100 mg per day. The throttling went down to more like 2G than 3G...very unusable for any kind of browsing. My personal theory on ST is that they are buying "re-sold" minutes from the carrier that automatically get throttled whenever non ST customers of that carrier are using lots of data...but it's just a theory.

I switched to Tmo $30 plan and couldn't be happier.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

They don't allow streaming, so people are probably being throttled because they got caught streaming.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[minnemike]

They don't allow streaming, so people are probably being throttled because they got caught streaming.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

Lame! But it makes total sense.

 

[Nonymous666]

They don't allow streaming, so people are probably being throttled because they got caught streaming.

This. They use the proxy they tell us enter in APN settings for detection of streaming. The proxy looks for requests going to places like youtube and netflix and they'll throttle you quick if it sees that happen. That's why most people say to just leave the APN proxy fields empty.

But even if left empty, they may still throttle you if they see you using too much data. If somebody complains with something like, "I only got to use 500MB this month, and they throttled me already!" They're likely not throttling because the person used 500MB. They're probably throttling because something like one or two hundred MB was all used in a day.

 

[dan1431]

While not scientific I have been playing around with Straight Talk (at&t) to determine if I can be happy with their service and discovered a few interesting things.

The proxy makes a huge difference, with the proxy I was throttled three days after using Pandora in my car and watching a few YouTube clips (approx 100Mbs).

Without the proxy I used more DATA (2.5GBs) streaming Pandora all month long in my car, watching YouTube clips and using my Slingbox and I was not throttled once.

Four months in and it seems that the proxy is the cause of throttling for minor stuff. My guess is using large amounts of DATA (6-7GBs)would probably still get you throttled.

Dan

 

[greydarrah]

While not scientific I have been playing around with Straight Talk (at&t) to determine if I can be happy with their service and discovered a few interesting things.

The proxy makes a huge difference, with the proxy I was throttled three days after using Pandora in my car and watching a few YouTube clips (approx 100Mbs).

Without the proxy I used more DATA (2.5GBs) streaming Pandora all month long in my car, watching YouTube clips and using my Slingbox and I was not throttled once.

Four months in and it seems that the proxy is the cause of throttling for minor stuff. My guess is using large amounts of DATA (6-7GBs)would probably still get you throttled.

Dan

On ST AT&T, my wife got throttled daily for using way less than 100mg, and I had her APN set up with a blank proxy. I don't know this, but I think it's all tied to the area you use your phone in. I believe that in a given geographical area, if heavy AT&T data usage is occurring, AT&T throttles data...first its minutes that are sold to ST, then, if that doesn't fix the problem, to actual AT&T customers, but that's just my guess at how it works. I do think they treat ST customers as second class, probably because of how cheaply they sell the minutes to walmart/st.

 

[droidmyme]

Throttling isn't so bad. Capping is bad. Canceling is even worse.

Sent from my LS670 using Android Central Forums

 

[Bobbi Childress]

Funny, I've never had that problem. I have had service with them for over 4 years. They have even replaced my daughter's phone when SHE broke it...not once, but twice!