Speed less than stellar

[delerium]

Just got a shiny new Galaxy Note 3 a few days ago (Galaxy S2x died) and I'm finding the speed less than desirable. I'm located in downtown Toronto, behind Maple Leaf Gardens (Yonge & College area). The speeds I was getting at home on the S2x were averaging 10-15Mbps down and 5-10Mbps up, which was the norm for that phone.

I would have expected a slight improvement on the Note 3, since it's LTE and the S2x was not. That is not the case, however, as the average download speed is 7-9Mbps down and 2-8Mbps up.

It should also be noted that we have another device on Fido service and in-house speeds are 25-35Mbps down and 15-25Mbps up, so the location isn’t an issue, unless Telus has an problem with their service in my location.

Furthermore, Wi-Fi is absolutely horrible. We're on 8Mbps cable service and all other devices in the house get 7-8mbps down, but the Note 3 only manages 1-2.5Mbps down. I've factory reset the phone, uninstalled the battery & SIM card, reset the router, but nothing changes - Wi-Fi connectivity is just ridiculous, even when I'm in the same room as the router. Laptops, iPhones, iPads have no Wi-Fi issues.

I've noticed the Wi-Fi issues being mentioned all over the Internet in various forums, but no definitive solutions.

I've reported the LTE speed issues to Telus support but they came back stating there were no issues on their end and closed the ticket. I've reported the LTE speed issues through the Telus NetXP app, but not sure if any responses come back from those submissions.

Not sure what to do - should I be returning this phone?

[Dark_Knight · Accepted solution]

It definitely sounds like a hardware issue with your phone @delerium . One way to confirm for sure would be to put the TELUS sim into an unlocked device and test the speeds. If you can't do that, you should just get the phone replaced and see if there is any improvement. 

Have you tried disabling the LTE and testing the HSPA download speeds? That would be a good indication of whether it is a network issue as well. 

[delerium · Accepted solution]

Forgot to mention that we have an iPad Mini 2 on the same account as the Note 3 with it's own sim and it gets the same speeds, although it is marginally faster (about 0.5 faster, so negligible). No unlocked devices available.

Switched the Note 3 to WCDMA/GSM (this was the next option down from LTE) and that actually improved the download speed to 14-16Mbps down, so LTE is unable to even match an older technology's speeds! After switching back to LTE, there is a mild improvement... 11-12Mbps down, up is 2-6Mbps.

The Mini managed 12.75 this morning, which I suppose is within Telus's range, but it should still be better than 4G speeds.

[delerium · Accepted solution]

One more thing I forgot to mention: yesterday, I did a test while outside a few blocks away from home: 21 down, 17 up, so the phone is capable, but not in my home location, even though Fido service here is fine, and so is Telus's older technology.

[ET · Accepted solution]

Have you called in at TELUS and spoke to the technical assistance department? I might be something with the towers.

[delerium · Accepted solution]

Yes, I did speak with them - they said there were no issues in my area, told me about the Telus's NetXP app and that was it. A few hours later they sent an email stating they were marking the issue as resolved and closing the ticket. I haven't responded to that yet, but I'll be telling them to re-open the ticket, as the issue is obviously not resolved.

[Dark_Knight · Accepted solution]

Yeah, that's a tough sitatution. Because the issue is happening inside a building, they can't do anything. Hopefully the speeds improve when they rollout the 700mHz spectrum later this year. It allows for better network penetration.

[delerium · Accepted solution]

That shouldn't make any difference. If that was the case, then why is Fido (Rogers) able to provide their advertised speeds? Remember, I mentioned we have another device on Fido, and it has no speed issues, running at 25-35 down consistently inside the building. I'm not in some remote location of the city, I'm in the downtown core. Also, whether I'm inside or outside at this location, the result is the same.

Also, why am I able to get the proper speeds at WCDMA/GSM (4G), with downloads speeds coming in faster than LTE? That really does not make any sense – LTE can’t provide the speed but WCDMA/GSM can? Why did I even bother with this phone then? That’s a step backwards – the Galaxy S2x had better speeds than the Note 3 – something is wrong when a newer device, by 2 years, cannot outperform an older device!

[ET · Accepted solution]

Well they might have a good service in your building and have a worst in other building as towers aren't located all at the same spot from one carrier to another. However, as @Dark_Knight mentioned. The 700mHz spectrum rollout scheduled for later this year might change things.

[Dark_Knight · Accepted solution]

Cellular networks are not all the same @delerium Rogers/Fido may have towers that are closer to you, they may also be tilted in a way that allows you to get better reception. The frequency of the cellular network also plays a huge factor in network performance. Typically, the higher the frequency (1900mHz, 2100mHz, etc) the shorter the distance the signal can travel and the worse the building penetration. TELUS might be using a 1900mHz band in your area and Fido might be using 850mHz as well. 

The recent 700mHz auction was incredibly important to the carriers because it is, for lack of a better phrase, the beachfront property of all wireless spectrum. *shivers because I sounded like James Moore*. The 700mHz frequency can be used to cover larger areas and is able to penetrate buildings, trees, etc better than most other frequencies. 

If having LTE reception in your home for data is that important to you, I might suggest purchasing a wireless booster from a company like Wilson Electronics.  

[delerium · Accepted solution]

OK, another update: this morning's tests yielded better results: 17-18 down, 10-15 up, so there must be a congestion issue around here or their consistency needs some work.

[Dark_Knight · Accepted solution]

It definitely sounds like a hardware issue with your phone @delerium . One way to confirm for sure would be to put the TELUS sim into an unlocked device and test the speeds. If you can't do that, you should just get the phone replaced and see if there is any improvement. 

Have you tried disabling the LTE and testing the HSPA download speeds? That would be a good indication of whether it is a network issue as well. 

[delerium · Accepted solution]

Forgot to mention that we have an iPad Mini 2 on the same account as the Note 3 with it's own sim and it gets the same speeds, although it is marginally faster (about 0.5 faster, so negligible). No unlocked devices available.

Switched the Note 3 to WCDMA/GSM (this was the next option down from LTE) and that actually improved the download speed to 14-16Mbps down, so LTE is unable to even match an older technology's speeds! After switching back to LTE, there is a mild improvement... 11-12Mbps down, up is 2-6Mbps.

The Mini managed 12.75 this morning, which I suppose is within Telus's range, but it should still be better than 4G speeds.

[delerium · Accepted solution]

One more thing I forgot to mention: yesterday, I did a test while outside a few blocks away from home: 21 down, 17 up, so the phone is capable, but not in my home location, even though Fido service here is fine, and so is Telus's older technology.

[ET · Accepted solution]

Have you called in at TELUS and spoke to the technical assistance department? I might be something with the towers.

[delerium · Accepted solution]

Yes, I did speak with them - they said there were no issues in my area, told me about the Telus's NetXP app and that was it. A few hours later they sent an email stating they were marking the issue as resolved and closing the ticket. I haven't responded to that yet, but I'll be telling them to re-open the ticket, as the issue is obviously not resolved.

[Dark_Knight · Accepted solution]

Yeah, that's a tough sitatution. Because the issue is happening inside a building, they can't do anything. Hopefully the speeds improve when they rollout the 700mHz spectrum later this year. It allows for better network penetration.

[delerium · Accepted solution]

That shouldn't make any difference. If that was the case, then why is Fido (Rogers) able to provide their advertised speeds? Remember, I mentioned we have another device on Fido, and it has no speed issues, running at 25-35 down consistently inside the building. I'm not in some remote location of the city, I'm in the downtown core. Also, whether I'm inside or outside at this location, the result is the same.

Also, why am I able to get the proper speeds at WCDMA/GSM (4G), with downloads speeds coming in faster than LTE? That really does not make any sense – LTE can’t provide the speed but WCDMA/GSM can? Why did I even bother with this phone then? That’s a step backwards – the Galaxy S2x had better speeds than the Note 3 – something is wrong when a newer device, by 2 years, cannot outperform an older device!

[ET · Accepted solution]

Well they might have a good service in your building and have a worst in other building as towers aren't located all at the same spot from one carrier to another. However, as @Dark_Knight mentioned. The 700mHz spectrum rollout scheduled for later this year might change things.

[Dark_Knight · Accepted solution]

Cellular networks are not all the same @delerium Rogers/Fido may have towers that are closer to you, they may also be tilted in a way that allows you to get better reception. The frequency of the cellular network also plays a huge factor in network performance. Typically, the higher the frequency (1900mHz, 2100mHz, etc) the shorter the distance the signal can travel and the worse the building penetration. TELUS might be using a 1900mHz band in your area and Fido might be using 850mHz as well. 

The recent 700mHz auction was incredibly important to the carriers because it is, for lack of a better phrase, the beachfront property of all wireless spectrum. *shivers because I sounded like James Moore*. The 700mHz frequency can be used to cover larger areas and is able to penetrate buildings, trees, etc better than most other frequencies. 

If having LTE reception in your home for data is that important to you, I might suggest purchasing a wireless booster from a company like Wilson Electronics.  

[delerium · Accepted solution]

OK, another update: this morning's tests yielded better results: 17-18 down, 10-15 up, so there must be a congestion issue around here or their consistency needs some work.

[ET · Accepted solution]

This is also another factor that wasn't mentioned earlier.