T-Mobile 5G UC in San Francisco with BAD mobile hotspot speed

[monkeycsk]

My S22 gets between 500-600-700M down depending on the time of the day. however, when i am using Mobile HotSpot, my Mac Air only gets 1M down.

is this even possible? Does anyone in San Francisco with T-Mobile have a similar experience?

 

[B. Diddy]

Which plan do you have? Is it possible you had already used up your month's allotment of 5G tethering last time you checked?

 

[mustang7757]

Depending on what you're doing on the hotspot it can get throttled

 

[monkeycsk]

Depending on what you're doing on the hotspot it can get throttled

i was not doing anything. i just ran the speed test on my laptop and i got less than 1M. gee, from 600M+ on my phone to < 1M on my laptop. is there even a point to use Mobile Hotspot - that seems to be pretty useless to be honest.

 

[B. Diddy]

But what plan do you have? Are you certain you haven't used up your monthly allotment of 5G tethering? It may also be worth chatting with T-Mobile support about this.

 

[mustang7757]

i was not doing anything. i just ran the speed test on my laptop and i got less than 1M. gee, from 600M+ on my phone to < 1M on my laptop. is there even a point to use Mobile Hotspot - that seems to be pretty useless to be honest.

Yeah strange but agree with B
Diddy mentioned

 

[J Dubbs]

i was not doing anything. i just ran the speed test on my laptop and i got less than 1M. gee, from 600M+ on my phone to < 1M on my laptop. is there even a point to use Mobile Hotspot - that seems to be pretty useless to be honest.

It does sound like your hotspot is being throttled. Maybe switch your phone to 4G only while your hotspotting and see if it's any better. Maybe they're throttling the 5G more aggressively since it's still not everywhere, and more folks would be trying to use it ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

 

[monkeycsk]

But what plan do you have? Are you certain you haven't used up your monthly allotment of 5G tethering? It may also be worth chatting with T-Mobile support about this.

this is the first time ever i tried using mobile hotspot. i had used USB tether in the past but that option stops working since i updated to the latest Mac OS

 

[B. Diddy]

this is the first time ever i tried using mobile hotspot. i had used USB tether in the past but that option stops working since i updated to the latest Mac OS

Ok, but that still doesn't quite answer the questions I posed to you ...

 

[monkeycsk]

Ok, but that still doesn't quite answer the questions I posed to you ...

i have an unlimited text and data plan. if this is the first time i use mobile hotspot, would it be fair to say i have not used up my allotment of 5G tethering?

 

[B. Diddy]

It's still important to know the exact plan. For example, the Essentials plan includes unlimited text and data, but only 3G speeds for mobile tethering: https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans

 

[monkeycsk]

It's still important to know the exact plan. For example, the Essentials plan includes unlimited text and data, but only 3G speeds for mobile tethering: https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans

i have the 55+ plan

i just google 3G tethering for the 55 essential plan and it says about 600 kbps which is about 4M

""
What is the speed limit for tethering T-Mobile?

The Magenta plan includes a set amount of high-speed tethering, after which tethering usage continues at a maximum of 600kbps (3G speeds). The T-Mobile Essentials plan includes tethering at a maximum of 600 kbps.
""

on the phone with TMobile, of course the very first thing the rep suggests was to upgrade to a a new plan - and i immediately say NO THANKS.

then the rep told me the actual SIM card wears out over time, so they agreed to ship a new SIM card.

does everyone know about SIM card wears out over time and that they need to be replaced? that is the first time i hear about this.

 

[Laura Knotek]

600 kbps is a slow speed. I wouldn't count on being able to stream video on your computer at that speed.

 

[B. Diddy]

i have the 55+ plan

i just google 3G tethering for the 55 essential plan and it says about 600 kbps which is about 4M

""
What is the speed limit for tethering T-Mobile?

The Magenta plan includes a set amount of high-speed tethering, after which tethering usage continues at a maximum of 600kbps (3G speeds). The T-Mobile Essentials plan includes tethering at a maximum of 600 kbps.
""

on the phone with TMobile, of course the very first thing the rep suggests was to upgrade to a a new plan - and i immediately say NO THANKS.

then the rep told me the actual SIM card wears out over time, so they agreed to ship a new SIM card.

does everyone know about SIM card wears out over time and that they need to be replaced? that is the first time i hear about this.

I'm glad we have an explanation for your situation. If mobile tethering is important to you, it might still be worth changing your plan, but that's of course up to you.

Any piece of hardware can deteriorate over time. It's less common for SIM cards to go bad than SD cards, but it's still possible. If they're shipping the replacement SIM for free, then there's no harm in using it.

 

[monkeycsk]

600 kbps is a slow speed. I wouldn't count on being able to stream video on your computer at that speed.

agreed. i am only getting 100kbps or < 1.0M which is why i feel something is wrong.

 

[B. Diddy]

Ok, but just to be clear, your mobile data tethering seems to be operating as advertised, i.e. limited to 3G. Remember, that 600 kbps speed is the maximum, not the guaranteed speed that you'll always get.