Never seem to crack the 500 barrier?

wankel7

I just did a test on DSLreports and turned in a 407/140. Now I know the upload speed is banging:) But I never can get much better (470 down).

This is on an Aircard 580 at -61dBm with EVDO only selected.

Just wondering what the deal is...any ideas?

The results: Wankel7 ...
http://www.dslreports.com/archive/spcsdns.net?1=1&p=2

Thanks

James

xenophon · EVDO Addict Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 2003

Distance and obstructions between you and the the tower play a major role. Have you tried testing in different parts of town? Load on the tower could also be a factor but if the case, performance should bounce around at different times of the day.

The 580 card has an older chipset than the S620 card so in many cases the S620 will outperform the 580.

You are within range that Sprint markets EVDO performance so it is in within service level expectations. If you are in the 14-day trial period, you could swap the card for an S620 but it's not a guarantee the S620 will outperform the 580 as it depends on your environment.

wankel7 · Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 2:43 pm Post subject:

Yeah , I am well outside of the 14 days.

I am having some funky signal problems in my APT where the signal goes from -80dbm to -120dBm. Maybe I can convience tech support its hardware and get a different card.

Maybe the upcoming PRL will help the Aircard?

James

sprintokc · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 11

Personally I'm finding that the 580 aircards are usually more compatible with customer laptops than the S620s. Having said that, they're all pretty decent, and the performance differences should be negligable. As mentioned previously, there are a lot of variables outside of your control, things like distance to tower, interference, network congestion, etc. Usually we quote to customers speeds between 400 - 700 kbps, so you're connecting within the range that we typically expect it to operate. Beyond that, you could try connecting at other locations, times of day, indoors vs. outdoors, etc... but it seems like it'd be a lot of unecessary work all things considered.

Michael · Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 8:23 pm Post subject:

Search on EVDOforums.com & EVDOinfo.com there is a wealth of information on this topic because Verizon also uses the Novatel 620 and Sierra AirCard 580. There were many laptops (e.g. Dell Inspiron 6000), where the Novatel card would not work but the AirCard 580 would. This has more to do with power requirements of the cards.

From a performance point of view, we have found the Novatel cards to give slightly better performance. If you are going to be hooking up signal amplifiers or external booster antennas, the Novatel would be better, because the antenna connector on the Novatel card is much more robust compared to the Sierra AC580 (or PC 5220) card. The Sierra connector is tiny and can easily break, where the Novatel is much easier to insert into the card.
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wankel7 · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 9:25 am Post subject:

Yeah, I sort have tried other locations. Like I did one test a few days prior in Lewisville, TX and then another test in Yipsilanti, MI and never cracked the 500 barrier.

I dunno what the deal is. I am not complaining because that is still fast. However, be nice to figure it out.

James

sprintokc · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 11

That is interesting. I've seen it break the 500k barrier here where I live. You might see if anyone else in your area with a power vision connection is able to break the 500k barrier, or see if you can with your aircard on another laptop.

Normally for slow speeds I'd say call in, get a ticket opened, but 400+ isn't considered slow at all. We usually only do tickets for connection speeds consistently under 300k. The thing about connection speeds is a lot of times it can be kinda subjective depending on who you're doing the test through and the laptop you're using.

wankel7 · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 8:04 pm Post subject:

Yeah, I need to do more testing. The intresting thing is that my upload speed is really good. Although my download speed might on the low avg.

I was uploading at 140. Which is quicker than others.

James

wankel7 · Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 7:36 am Post subject:

445/140 when I just did another test. For once I think my conditions are optimal...

-55dBm

I think the tower is across the highway from me.

I wonder if Sprint would let me switch to a Merlin card?

James

xenophon · EVDO Addict Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 2003

It's a little premature because I haven't done enough testing but I suspect you may be pointed to a slow HA Address.

First try updating the HA Address by updating your profile in Connection Manager. Be disconnected and do Menu->Device Diag->Update Data Profile.

If that doesn't help, see this thread...
http://www.evdoforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=2001

I've tested various HA Addresses and some definitely are slow, like down to 200Kbps.

If up for experimenting...

Read thread above, call Tier 2 data support group at 866.818.1944 (long wait). Explain that you can never get good performance even though you have a great signal. Tell them you read on evdoforums.com that the HA Address could be the problem and that you have an address you'd like to try. Ask them to walk you through the ##DATA settings to set a new Home Agent address. When they give the you MSL code, write it down for future reference.

Try these HA addresses...
68.28.89.76
68.28.81.76

xenophon · EVDO Addict Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 2003

I found an HA on West Coast that is particularly slow.

You may be pointed to this HA, which I can't get greater than 400Kbps.
68.28.57.77

However this one is fairly fast, over 800Kbps...
68.28.57.76

If you do a traceroute and paste the results, I can see if you are going through this HA.

Go to Windows command prompt, Start->Run->cmd
At c:\ prompt, type...

tracert www.evdoforums.com

Paste results here or private message me.

wankel7 · Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 12:45 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the advice...when my night minutes start I am gonna call Sprint and get my MLS and start playing.

I did the update the data profile and it didn't do much to the speed. Still didn't crack 500.

However, I travel a lot...is the HA addy a regional thing?

Hum, where is my HA in there:)

James

xenophon · EVDO Addict Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 2003

Looks like you are going through Kansas City and not West Coast so the HA address is probably not your issue.

wankel7 · Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 12:53 pm Post subject:

Unless there are slower ones over here too:)

horsessmellfunny · Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 1:03 pm Post subject:

I have an AC580. So far the performance has been really good for me. I especially like the antenna. That does actually help a bit. I will be getting a booster antenna soon though, and I've read the connector is kinda flimsy. I am also out of my 14 day trial, but I know I can upgrade if I need to. Is it really worth it to upgrade/ Especially with the flimsy antenna idea in mind? Any help is much appreciated!

Thanks!