New to EVDO internet questions

crs1247 · EVDO Newbie Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 7

I just found out about being able to use evdo network razr to be able to get high speed internet. I called alltel and added the axcess broadband which is 59.99 a month. I went to speedtest.net and here are my stats:

Here is the question: I thought that evdo had speeds of 400-700 kb/s with bursts up to 2.4. I have full bars on my phone with evdo showing. Why is my speed so low?

I just also bought a Kyocera KPC650 card off ebay, will it boost my speeds?

And the axcess broadband unlimited means unlimited right? I am not gonna get charged more than the 59.99 a month am I? I asked the alltel rep and they said I will not see any other charges other than the 59.99 but sometimes their reps are not the most knowledgeable.

I know some of these questions may be silly, but I am new to all of this. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Jeff33UK · EVDO User Joined: 07 Jan 2007 Posts: 35

I'm also new to this but EVDO is a shared resource so you'll never see consistent speeds, and factors like the tower capacity and number of people using it will also affect it. Your speeds are low but not unusual for AllTel in my experience. I live in a signal challenged area and have varying speeds. Between 200kpbs - 400kpbs average. On good days it can go up to 600-800kpbs. I have a KPC-650 with external amp and antenna. I can't comment on the razr but I've heard the KPC-650 is one of the best cards you can get (Rev0 anyway). I've heard the way you connect the razr to the PC can affect speeds (USB, Bluetooth, etc..). The card shouldn't have these issues for you.

Oh - number of bars does not always equate to speed. Try it in different locations too. Sometimes I get better speeds with 2 bars than 4 (max).

I've had my KPC-650 a couple of months now, use it a lot and never been charged overages or roaming. $60 + tax is it. It sure beats satellite.

crs1247 · EVDO Newbie Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 7

Ok, Thanks! Yea, I live in an area where all that is available is dialup and wildblue. Wildblue completely sucks and the speed I have with alltel is faster than that of wildblue. I guess anything that is faster than dialup is a move in the right direction. I already have a cell phone line, but when you activated your kpc650 did you have to pay extra for another line or is it just the 59.99 a month using the kpc650?

Jeff33UK · EVDO User Joined: 07 Jan 2007 Posts: 35

How did you guess I had Wildblue? You're right though and it is really terrible!! Thats why I jumped on EVDO as soon as I found it. To answer your question, no it was just $59.99 with no other phone line or account attached. $99 for the card and 2 year contract. The way I figure it its 'only' $200 to get out of the contract if I need to down the road and thats still cheap compared to some of the out clauses for satellite contracts....

Capt Ron · Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 6:58 pm Post subject:

I am using the Razr phone connected to my laptop, to access EVDO and am getting good speeds of around 95 upload and 400 down loads. The speed does vary but still good speeds. I saw a speed of around 600 one time.

And I added the service to my phone for $25. a month for unlimited access.

Great Service Alltel
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Ron

crs1247 · EVDO Newbie Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 7

How did you get it for $25 from alltel?

Capt Ron · Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:26 pm Post subject:

All you have to do is ask them to add the service to your cell phone and use a data cable to connect to your laptop. They told me how to do it. I had heard about it on another site and ask them. I tried an older cell phone the first time and couldn't get EVDO so I upgraded to a new RAZR.

I just checked the speed and it was 631kbs download and 101 upload.

I canceled my Road Runner service when I got this and only use it now.

It has worked great for the last two months.
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Ron

Big10 · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 22 Jan 2007 Posts: 11

Im using my Razor phone and this is all I get. I thought I was in a Broadband coverage area.
Why does my upload suck so bad?

colebert · EVDO Heavy User Joined: 26 Jan 2007 Posts: 106

i have yet to find a fast Alltel EVDO connection compared to Sprint. But I'm looking Smile

Capt Ron · Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:05 pm Post subject:

I use Alltel all of the time and never have a speed that slow. The slowest that I have ever seen was around 60 for a short time.
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Ron

Big10 · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 22 Jan 2007 Posts: 11

Is there something wrong with my phone or something. Do I need to talk to an alltell rep? Is there anything I can tweak to make it better.

Capt Ron · Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 9:25 pm Post subject:

I think that you should talk with tech support. I just checked my speed which is the slowest that I have ever seen for a down load. It was right after the Super Bowl and everyone must be on their cell phones because the download was only 190kbs but the upload was still around 100kbs.

They should be able to tell you what the problem is. It may very well be the tower that you happen to be using.

Good Luck
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Ron

breethon · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 26 Sep 2006 Posts: 12

My upload with Alltel is consistently 500 Kbps download/100 Kbps upload. I use the tether method as well with a E815 Motorolla, but I also have an amp and external antenna. We have barely one bar signal without it.

beek · EVDO Newbie Joined: 08 Feb 2007 Posts: 1

I am in the Charlottesville, VA and have my Alltel tethered via Bluetooth to my Macbook Pro but can only consistently get download speeds of around 115 which sucks. Any thoughts on why this is so low?

Capt Ron · Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:15 pm Post subject:

You have to use the data cable. The bluetooth connection isn't supported.

I think it has something to do with the driver being used. It would be nice if EVDO would work on bluetooth. Maybe someone will come up with a driver that will alow it.
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Ron