Well I got over 3Mbps tethering earlier (was over 15Mbps). So I don't see any evidence of any cap.
It'd be nice if 3 had some kind of clear document dictating exactly how TrafficSense works, when/what/why/how/blah. It's not particularly easy to work out whether low throughput is congestion or deliberate shaping.
Having said that, I'm getting this while tethering right now in Reading, nothing to write home about though but probably a better result than I would have got on 3G.
TrafficSense isn't always active anyway. It may well kick in for SOME users in SOME locations at SOME times, but don't believe those who imply it's some sort of hard cap (at least not unless you're file sharing 24/7). One user in particular who seems to take pride in always talking about TrafficSense in great detail, but presumably only to scare people off.
BTW, I've read that Sony was/is pushing out a tiny patch for some of its phones today (definitely the Z1, not sure about the others) which some have concluded is to enable the LTE menu on some handsets (i.e. for Three). So, it might be worth doing a check for update in System before anything else.
This cap is interesting actually. Maybe it is determined by how many people are connected to a mast at one time. But it's strange that they would cap it to only 3Mbps.
This cap is interesting actually. Maybe it is determined by how many people are connected to a mast at one time. But it's strange that they would cap it to only 3Mbps.
There isn't a 3Mbps cap...
Based on the Three website, traffic sense is a flexible system, not a hard capping system.
The point of the SIM update was to set a flag on the SIM so certain handsets that hide the 4G option would then show it. I know that the SIM-free Xperia SP that my wife had didn't show the 4G option when her SIM card was in it, although I've subsequently changed the ROM to update the OS and it came back - but now she has an Xperia Z, which was also generic but didn't hide the option with her SIM. Go figure.
I guess the Three-branded models probably do/did hide it. Just as they won't let you select 2G only. Presumably some SIM-free models will also read that flag and hide the option too? I know my Orange SIM used to hide the ability to select 3G-only, which was annoying, but that was fixed ages ago with a SIM Update (and one that displayed text to show it had been received and to reboot).
That's why flashing a generic ROM usually solves the problem, as it changes a settings file (if you root your phone, you can just edit that file and not change the ROM at all) to tell it to look at the SIM, or just show certain options regardless.
Thus, I am starting to think that Three hasn't sent any SIM updates at all. It's merely been adding IMSI numbers to a white list to register on 4G.
Or it has only sent SIM updates to certain users, namely those with an IMEI registered to their account that is a Three-issued device that was set to check for a flag on the SIM. Those with SIM-free devices that may or may not check are still to get the update (hence my advice to perhaps change the ROM yourself and save time).
It's all a bit confusing, but I am going to stick with the theory that Three hasn't sent updates to everyone - but it HAS added every SIM to the appropriate list to use 4G.
Interesting theory. My unbranded HTC One doesn't have the option to select LTE and I thought I would need a Three sim update to see the option. Maybe I should be looking at firmware instead. I currently don't have access to Three 4G
I'd argue that it's still vague - just says "we might slow down p2p and tethering", but I'd prefer to have more detail on that. Is it based on cell congestion? What you're doing? Time of day? How much you've used today/this week/this month? etc.
It'd be even better if there was some sort of page that you could visit which would tell you if you are specifically being throttled for some reason (tethering/heavy user/whatever).
At least Virgin (cable) tell you exactly what you need to do in order to be throttled.
I've noticed that performance seems to drop when I use certain VPNs (nothing sinister, either to home or to work) and it doesn't recover when I disconnect. Is this because 3 know I was using a VPN? Is it just a bout of congestion? Who knows, because they don't tell you.
Picked up 4G in Derby tonight for first time. I don't live in the signal area, but diverted to to see if worked. It might have been working before but tonight was first time I tried.
Did a quick Speedtest and got 36.98 Mbps down and 20.01 Mbps up.
Is it possible that Three have started using 800Mhz yet?
I've been in Liverpool the past two days, in L9 2BR, which supposedly has 4G coverage. I've already been activated as I've had 4G elsewhere, and using my iPhone 5 at the above postcode for the past two days (inside and outside) I haven't seen 4G once.
Is it possible that Three have started using 800Mhz yet?
I've been in Liverpool the past two days, in L9 2BR, which supposedly has 4G coverage. I've already been activated as I've had 4G elsewhere, and using my iPhone 5 at the above postcode for the past two days (inside and outside) I haven't seen 4G once.
So is it possible they may be using 800Mhz?
That's strange, wait so the iPhone 5 doesn't support 800Mhz?
That's strange, wait so the iPhone 5 doesn't support 800Mhz?
Correct. iPhone 5 doesn't support 800Mhz.
And I'm sure Three will announce when they start rolling out 800Mhz later. Most likely at the same time/just after EE. EE are currently trialing it along with VoLTE.
That's strange, wait so the iPhone 5 doesn't support 800Mhz?
The 5S does, but not the 5. They aren't using 800Mhz but the OP may not have been activated yet or if you're actively using the data connection it may not switch to 4G.
There are a number of reasons, I drove around Bristol and didn't get 4G for a while in areas where 4G was active then it kicked in after a bit.
Remember as well, the launch cities were London, Birmingham and Manchester, outside of those launch cities there may only be 1 or 2 cells active, which may have the maximum number of devices connected? and therefore may take a while to connect to. As they add more cells and your area is officially launched then 4G should be readily available.
Interesting theory. My unbranded HTC One doesn't have the option to select LTE and I thought I would need a Three sim update to see the option. Maybe I should be looking at firmware instead. I currently don't have access to Three 4G
Essentially there's a text file somewhere on an Android device that tells the phone what to do for some things. On an Xperia phone, that might be whether to show the national/international roaming option or just a normal roaming option, to show the NFC icon or not, and of course to show settings to fix the phone to certain bands etc.
Changing the ROM just means changing that file if you aren't rooted and can't edit it yourself. I've got a EU generic ROM on my Z1 (because UK updates are so slow) and so have all the options shown, but no national/international roaming option that someone with an EE ROM would have (from when you needed to roam from Orange to T-Mobile but didn't necessarily want to roam abroad).
Seems Sony might be doing Over-The-Air updates right now anyway, but these can take a few days to filter through.. just like the 4G activation I guess. There's no way to force an update either, unless you get the .FTF file and use Flashtools (available for Mac and PC BTW).
I have to assume it's virtually the same for other makes of phone. Not sure about Windows Phone and BlackBerry. No point mentioning feature phones, as I doubt there are any 4G feature phones?
The 5S does, but not the 5. They aren't using 800Mhz but the OP may not have been activated yet or if you're actively using the data connection it may not switch to 4G.
There are a number of reasons, I drove around Bristol and didn't get 4G for a while in areas where 4G was active then it kicked in after a bit.
Remember as well, the launch cities were London, Birmingham and Manchester, outside of those launch cities there may only be 1 or 2 cells active, which may have the maximum number of devices connected and therefore may take a while to connect to. As they add more cells and your area is officially launched then 4G should be readily available.
Sorry I'm new to all of this, does their coverage checker update instantaneously or is it periodically?
The 5S does, but not the 5. They aren't using 800Mhz but the OP may not have been activated yet or if you're actively using the data connection it may not switch to 4G.
There are a number of reasons, I drove around Bristol and didn't get 4G for a while in areas where 4G was active then it kicked in after a bit.
Remember as well, the launch cities were London, Birmingham and Manchester, outside of those launch cities there may only be 1 or 2 cells active, which may have the maximum number of devices connected and therefore may take a while to connect to. As they add more cells and your area is officially launched then 4G should be readily available.
Yeah well, according to Jabbamk1, the coverage checker is showing live areas, so, give or take the odd mistake on the coverage checker, you should have 4G in the areas shown on the map.
I was in the same place inside for 5 hours of the day, and didn't get 4G once, and then moved around half a mile down the road, to do some work outside (still within the 4G area) and never got 4G there either.
Like I say, I'd already been activated for 4G, because I'd had it in a different area of Liverpool (L20 postcode) and I made sure that 4G was enabled on my phone.
No idea why I didn't get it, as I say, I was in both places, on two days on the run, for around the same amount of time.
If it's on the map, you should have it.. but there could presumably be local problems that wouldn't see a cell removed if down for some reason?
As we saw in January, a lot of new places appeared that weren't mentioned. Now there are people all over the UK noticing 4G where it's not shown, so the next update should be quite interesting!
If it's on the map, you should have it.. but there could presumably be local problems that wouldn't see a cell removed if down for some reason?
As we saw in January, a lot of new places appeared that weren't mentioned. Now there are people all over the UK noticing 4G where it's not shown, so the next update should be quite interesting!
Yeah maybe, was hoping that somebody had maybe in the same sort of area, as there are a couple of guys in Liverpool on here.
Comments
Well I got over 3Mbps tethering earlier (was over 15Mbps). So I don't see any evidence of any cap.
I actually spoke to an advisor over live chat who confirmed they don't cap 4G tethering.
Can you confirm you achieved 15Mbps whilst connected to 4G?
Yes. I got 15Mbps when tethering my phone on 4G to a laptop.
It'd be nice if 3 had some kind of clear document dictating exactly how TrafficSense works, when/what/why/how/blah. It's not particularly easy to work out whether low throughput is congestion or deliberate shaping.
Having said that, I'm getting this while tethering right now in Reading, nothing to write home about though but probably a better result than I would have got on 3G.
Like this?
http://support.three.co.uk/mobiledocs/Support/Signal_and_coverage/our_network/TrafficSense_facts_document.pdf
BTW, I've read that Sony was/is pushing out a tiny patch for some of its phones today (definitely the Z1, not sure about the others) which some have concluded is to enable the LTE menu on some handsets (i.e. for Three). So, it might be worth doing a check for update in System before anything else.
This cap is interesting actually. Maybe it is determined by how many people are connected to a mast at one time. But it's strange that they would cap it to only 3Mbps.
There isn't a 3Mbps cap...
Based on the Three website, traffic sense is a flexible system, not a hard capping system.
But how far do you go, what stops us from using 4G tethering as a permanent broadband solution.
I believe you can get wifi extenders. If this isn't impacting other users then I presume Three won't have an issue with it.
The whole idea does seem a little bit good to be true. Even I was thinking of doing this.
Interesting theory. My unbranded HTC One doesn't have the option to select LTE and I thought I would need a Three sim update to see the option. Maybe I should be looking at firmware instead. I currently don't have access to Three 4G
I'd argue that it's still vague - just says "we might slow down p2p and tethering", but I'd prefer to have more detail on that. Is it based on cell congestion? What you're doing? Time of day? How much you've used today/this week/this month? etc.
It'd be even better if there was some sort of page that you could visit which would tell you if you are specifically being throttled for some reason (tethering/heavy user/whatever).
At least Virgin (cable) tell you exactly what you need to do in order to be throttled.
I've noticed that performance seems to drop when I use certain VPNs (nothing sinister, either to home or to work) and it doesn't recover when I disconnect. Is this because 3 know I was using a VPN? Is it just a bout of congestion? Who knows, because they don't tell you.
Did a quick Speedtest and got 36.98 Mbps down and 20.01 Mbps up.
I've been in Liverpool the past two days, in L9 2BR, which supposedly has 4G coverage. I've already been activated as I've had 4G elsewhere, and using my iPhone 5 at the above postcode for the past two days (inside and outside) I haven't seen 4G once.
So is it possible they may be using 800Mhz?
That's strange, wait so the iPhone 5 doesn't support 800Mhz?
Correct. iPhone 5 doesn't support 800Mhz.
And I'm sure Three will announce when they start rolling out 800Mhz later. Most likely at the same time/just after EE. EE are currently trialing it along with VoLTE.
The 5S does, but not the 5. They aren't using 800Mhz but the OP may not have been activated yet or if you're actively using the data connection it may not switch to 4G.
There are a number of reasons, I drove around Bristol and didn't get 4G for a while in areas where 4G was active then it kicked in after a bit.
Remember as well, the launch cities were London, Birmingham and Manchester, outside of those launch cities there may only be 1 or 2 cells active, which may have the maximum number of devices connected? and therefore may take a while to connect to. As they add more cells and your area is officially launched then 4G should be readily available.
Essentially there's a text file somewhere on an Android device that tells the phone what to do for some things. On an Xperia phone, that might be whether to show the national/international roaming option or just a normal roaming option, to show the NFC icon or not, and of course to show settings to fix the phone to certain bands etc.
Changing the ROM just means changing that file if you aren't rooted and can't edit it yourself. I've got a EU generic ROM on my Z1 (because UK updates are so slow) and so have all the options shown, but no national/international roaming option that someone with an EE ROM would have (from when you needed to roam from Orange to T-Mobile but didn't necessarily want to roam abroad).
Seems Sony might be doing Over-The-Air updates right now anyway, but these can take a few days to filter through.. just like the 4G activation I guess. There's no way to force an update either, unless you get the .FTF file and use Flashtools (available for Mac and PC BTW).
I have to assume it's virtually the same for other makes of phone. Not sure about Windows Phone and BlackBerry. No point mentioning feature phones, as I doubt there are any 4G feature phones?
Sorry I'm new to all of this, does their coverage checker update instantaneously or is it periodically?
Doubtful, although they could feasibly be testing it somewhere I suppose.
No network has a live coverage checker. All networks usually update periodically.
(apart from status checker updates)
Yeah well, according to Jabbamk1, the coverage checker is showing live areas, so, give or take the odd mistake on the coverage checker, you should have 4G in the areas shown on the map.
I was in the same place inside for 5 hours of the day, and didn't get 4G once, and then moved around half a mile down the road, to do some work outside (still within the 4G area) and never got 4G there either.
Like I say, I'd already been activated for 4G, because I'd had it in a different area of Liverpool (L20 postcode) and I made sure that 4G was enabled on my phone.
No idea why I didn't get it, as I say, I was in both places, on two days on the run, for around the same amount of time.
As we saw in January, a lot of new places appeared that weren't mentioned. Now there are people all over the UK noticing 4G where it's not shown, so the next update should be quite interesting!
Yeah maybe, was hoping that somebody had maybe in the same sort of area, as there are a couple of guys in Liverpool on here.
Anyone been in the Aintree area?
It would help give me a better understanding on how long this whole process will take.
That's a huge variable. Some sites can take months where as others can be very quick. Just ask EE!
What Three have said is the following.
So that's a very fast roll out.