Slow Download...?

staylory · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 18 Mar 2008 Posts: 19

Hey guys. I've got an UM150 card with alltel. No antenna, amplifier or router. I'm getting a pretty slow download speed of about 20-30kbps sometimes going up to 40kbps.

I did a test on speakeasy and here's the results:
Download Speed: 831 kbps (103.9 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 120 kbps (15 KB/sec transfer rate)

I've got 2 bars of signal.
Connected at 1xEvdo
-89 dbm for 1xRTT
-89 dbm for 1xEvdo

Is it normal for my download speeds to be this slow? Is there anything I can do to improve it?

Thanks,
-Taylor

lewxam · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 7:24 am Post subject:

Are you using the UM150 in a desktop or a laptop?

cath-ode · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 7:39 am Post subject:

You said ur getting slow download speeds.... but the speed test shows your getting great speeds for that card.

It could of been who u were downloading from?

staylory · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 18 Mar 2008 Posts: 19

Using it on a laptop at the moment. The speedtest does show a good connection but I'm download a driver from dell atm and my dl speed is 35kbps. I mean it's faster than dial up but satellite was faster.

lewxam · Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 8:55 pm Post subject:

Try your laptop in different locations (near windows, etc). Try it outside. If it works better outside, you might investigate getting an external antenna.

staylory · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 18 Mar 2008 Posts: 19

WOW

My desk is right beside a window and I've read on this forum where people had been placing their modems on the window seal and getting a better connection. I didn't think anything of it because my desk is like right beside the window. I got the usb cable that came with my card and hooked my modem into it and stuck it on the window seal. I'm now downloading at 100kbps+.

I had 15 days to decide if I wanted to keep this or not. It's day 7 and I know now I'm keeping it Smile

. Even bought a router on 3gstore!

Thanks guys,
-Taylor

karlyn · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:31 am Post subject:

I have similar results with congested sites like Dells' with my work server being the worst. The foreign server speed is the problem. This is something you don't notice much when you're on dial-up!

My Firefox download dialog shows the transfer rate in kilobytes per second (KB/sec) instead of the kilobits per sec (kbps) -- 100 kbps = 12.5 KB/sec.

whyzeman · EVDO Heavy User Joined: 14 Dec 2007 Posts: 103

I was about to return my booster antenna when I realized the "window" thing. I put the booster in the window and mounted the router to an outside wall and my speeds went up to a worth-60-dollars-a-month tolerable rate. Before I got the router and booster, I could only get decent speeds from one room in my house (the garage) and would KILL to get your speeds in other parts of the home. Now, with the 350 and wireless-n, I can sit anywhere and be happy.

But, I wouldn't use any OEM driver page as a benchmark for download speeds. At various times of the day, even on the T3 I have at work, HP and Dell can go to a crawl. I assure you, the problem is not on your side.