Engadget Review - 1.5mbps ? WTF?

[danielkogan]

Anyone bothered by the down/up speed Atrix 4g is posting? 1.5mbps is taking us back in time! Why would the iPhone at the same location get 2 to 3 mbps but the BRAND NEW Atrix 4g only get 1.5? Every review has this slow time.

Imagine, getting the phone and trying to watch Youtube with 1.5? Useless! I know, someone will say that ATT will upgrade and back haul their network. When, any guarantees on that info?

I just know this will happen: I buy the phone, wait for this damn upgrade and Sept comes around and I'm still browsing the web at 1.5 mbps. I hate you ATT!

This doesn't worry anyone?

 

[Lason]

Thats horrible, I just ran speedtest on my nexus one and got 2.3mbs down and 1.5mbs up. If my atrix ends up being slower then Ill probably end up returning it and wait on LTE.

 

[sw33ndawg]

Anyone bothered by the down/up speed Atrix 4g is posting? 1.5mbps is taking us back in time! Why would the iPhone at the same location get 2 to 3 mbps but the BRAND NEW Atrix 4g only get 1.5? Every review has this slow time.

Imagine, getting the phone and trying to watch Youtube with 1.5? Useless! I know, someone will say that ATT will upgrade and back haul their network. When, any guarantees on that info?

I just know this will happen: I buy the phone, wait for this damn upgrade and Sept comes around and I'm still browsing the web at 1.5 mbps. I hate you ATT!

This doesn't worry anyone?

ATT officially announced they're going to start aggressively backhauling in March.

 

[dominicanyorkjl]

4g

according to a sales rep the 4g network hasn't officially launched yet...dont know exactly how true it is, many of them are misinformed

 

[textiaac]

This is starting to be a bummer.

 

[sw33ndawg]

This is starting to be a bummer.

Why? The 4G network isn't even activated yet...

 

[Jonneh]

Why? The 4G network isn't even activated yet...

I think he's probably saying it's becoming a bummer because everyone has been so excited for the Atrix, but it feels like every single day there's at least one new negative thing we learn about owning the Atrix on AT&T, before we get the phone. It's just starting to feel like such a huge hassle to get & fully enjoy this phone...I'm beginning to wonder if I will still go for it (I didn't preorder, just gonna wait a bit for the smoke to clear and *crosses fingers* maybe prices to drop)

 

[dwd3885]

use the XtremeLabs speed test app. Better results than speedtest.net on Android in my previous tests. Also, those are basically 3G speeds. 4G won't be realistic until March in many areas. THen you'll see the speeds pop!

 

[ka3yan]

One thing to note too is that the reviewer is in NYC. NY like a lot of other giant metropolises (sp?) (think LA, DC, San Fran, etc.) get way bogged down on AT&T's network. One device might pull great numbers while another right beside it doesn't. I'm going to give the Atrix the benefit of the doubt and blame AT&T's "4G" network. HSPA+ has rolled out on nearly 100% of the network according to AT&T...just the backhaul portion hasn't. So I can't explain why the iPhone pulled great numbers...probably because Mr. Jobs is in concert with the devil. Who knows.

 

[xandrius]

I wonder what the bandwidth would be like if hspa+ was turned off in favor of 3G? Since the proper backhaul hadn't been installed in most area could it be possible the current backhaul on the hspa+ sucks more than 3G? I guess I will find out when I get my phone.

 

[Droid800]

I wonder what the bandwidth would be like if hspa+ was turned off in favor of 3G? Since the proper backhaul hadn't been installed in most area could it be possible the current backhaul on the hspa+ sucks more than 3G? I guess I will find out when I get my phone.

Its all the same network, all on the same frequencies. The pipe for regular 3G is just smaller.

I'm still shocked that people don't get it that HSPA+ isn't some magical new technology; its an evolution of HSDPA, and is fully backwards compatible. You can't just 'switch' to 3G, because its ALL THE SAME EQUIPMENT.

 

[textiaac]

Its all the same network, all on the same frequencies. The pipe for regular 3G is just smaller.

I'm still shocked that people don't get it that HSPA+ isn't some magical new technology; its an evolution of HSDPA, and is fully backwards compatible. You can't just 'switch' to 3G, because its ALL THE SAME EQUIPMENT.

Yea I have been saying the same thing too. I think it will take a few months for ATT's backhual to take effect. Even if it doesn't i am perfectly fine as long as it stays above 1 mbps.

 

[Droid800]

Yea I have been saying the same thing too. I think it will take a few months for ATT's backhual to take effect. Even if it doesn't i am perfectly fine as long as it stays above 1 mbps.

This is the problem that comes with AT&T and T-mobile advertising this as 4G. People honestly are being led to believe that this is new technology totally different than what those networks currently run on. It isn't. Yes, its an evolution, but its not new in the sense of LTE or WiMax being new. There's no switch you can throw to go back to the 'old' 3G, because its all the same equipment.

 

[btgrave]

This is the problem that comes with AT&T and T-mobile advertising this as 4G. People honestly are being led to believe that this is new technology totally different than what those networks currently run on. It isn't. Yes, its an evolution, but its not new in the sense of LTE or WiMax being new. There's no switch you can throw to go back to the 'old' 3G, because its all the same equipment.

All Tmo's fault!

 

[Droid800]

All Tmo's fault!

Eh. The difference is that T-mobile actually has the speeds to back it up. AT&T never will.

 

[ka3yan]

Never say never. I switched from T-mo a number of years ago because their network sucked and their customer service was abhorrent. Things change.

 

[corneliusm]

All Tmo's fault!

Actually, all of the carriers are doing it. Sprint is incorrectly marketing WiMax as 4G, Verizon is incorrectly marketing LTE as 4G. WiMax2 and LTE Advanced are true 4G.

4G spec requires peak download speeds as 100+ mbps minimum from moving vehicles (trains and cars), and approximately 1gbps for stationary users. I don't think any wireless network currently available satisfies that requirement.

 

[Droid800]

Actually, all of the carriers are doing it. Sprint is incorrectly marketing WiMax as 4G, Verizon is incorrectly marketing LTE as 4G. WiMax2 and LTE Advanced are true 4G.

4G spec requires peak download speeds as 100+ mbps minimum from moving vehicles (trains and cars), and approximately 1gbps for stationary users. I don't think any wireless network currently available satisfies that requirement.

Those rules were relaxed to allow for current LTE and WiMax networks.

 

[Droid800]

Never say never. I switched from T-mo a number of years ago because their network sucked and their customer service was abhorrent. Things change.

AT&T has too many customers to make it possible. They don't have the resources to build out their infrastructure to the level that would make T-mobile's speeds possible on AT&T.*


*Until LTE comes...

 

[corneliusm]

Those rules were relaxed to allow for current LTE and WiMax networks.

I think this is what you meant to say:

Those rules were relaxed to satisfy marketing departments of major carriers.

ITU was forced to loosen the 4G spec after a flood of carriers realized that they couldn't cope with potential class-action lawsuits due to false advertising.

Still doesn't change the fact that they lied to us. Funny thing is that LTE is still short for "3GPP Long Term Evolution". What happens when LTE Advanced comes out and offers 1 gbps downloads? Will carriers market what was supposed to be baseline 4G as a 5G network?