3G, Next G, HSDPA - Please explain

[Calaber]

I am a noob at mobile communications and would appreciate some help from a member who is switched on to this topic.

I reside in a regional area between Sydney and Newcastle. My internet is currently ADSL 2+ with AAPT, but the contract expires soon and as I don't want a land-line, I'm looking at Wi-Fi.

This area is not a good one for mobile phone reception without constantly switching between 3G and HSDPA. The phone indicates the signal strenght at up to five bars, but the system constantly changes according to my location within my house, with the screen showing 3G, H or G, according to where I am. I'm not really sure where "H" fits in - I assume it's HSDPA and I guess "G" is GPRS. The house is multi-storeyed, and the 3G signal comes and goes in various locations, but doesn't seem to occur where the computer is located. At this location, the signal is usually "H".

Any advice or assistance in understanding this issue better would be greatly appreciated.

I've been led to believe that mobile internet will operate best where a strong 3G signal is received. Given the fluctuations within my home, will mobile internet work effectively at this location? I know some will suggest Telstra but because of past bad experience with Telstra billing and poor customer service, I would rather abstain from dealing with them again.

[edals]

HSDPA, short for High-Speed Downlink Packet Access, is a new protocol for mobile telephone data transmission.
I Think really if you get any 3G signal you should be fine with any provider, Most offer 96% coverage australia wide.
Stay away from Telstra, i pull my hair out each day trying to set there stupid sticks up cause i swear they make 1 per style cause every stick i get is different.
Look around and should be pretty good deals around.
Internode :: Residential :: Wireless Broadband :: NodeMobile Data

Also check the coverage checker - https://secure.internode.on.net/webt...verage-checker


This is My result in a real no where zone for mobile, at most 1 bar 2G and drops calls most times lol
3G in Building: Available
3G on Street: Available
2G Coverage: Available
Available Frequency: 2100 MHz
Network Status: Serviceable
Details: 3G broadband coverage is available at this location, at street level and within buildings.

[keza87]

HSDPA is part of the 3G specification (Your phone switches to HSDPA when it is sending and receiving data to save battery life) and Next-G is more 3.5G. GPRS is the older 2.5G and can be painful to use (SLOW).
Due to the frequencies that mobiles use, the reception you can obtain on your mobile may not be the same as a Mobile Broadband dongle. This is coming from previous experience.
Unfortunately Telstra do have the best speed and coverage but I know are not prefered.
Others that use the Optus network should be fairly reliable.
After hearing the horror with Vodafone I would personally steer clear but the end decision is up to you.
See if you can get a Mobile Broadband dongle on a trial period to see how reception is or if you have a friend with one ask to test it at your house.

[Calaber]

Thanks Edals, that info was extremely useful and Internode looks like a good thing for what I want - reasonably priced plans with adequate download limits. I achieved the same result as you and the site recommended an external aerial which was something I have been thinking about. I'm only a couple of months off completing my AAPT contract so I'll e-mail Internode for some additional info.

[wraith]

Don't go wireless. At the moment the current technology is just horrible. I have had so many customers seem convinced it was the bees knees and most have come back complaining and it's not due to our network it's due to the technology. Wireless is a shared medium so put it this way by your self great 1 person hops on suddenly it's that little bit slower some one else slower again and so on and so forth.. Not to mention signal quality. Wireless is a dark art. Your friend 2 ft away could have decent signal you could have horrible signal. If I was you I would look at naked ADSL2. Don't need a house phone connected all. Just throwing out that option for you. Oh and lastly the price and quality of service for wireless is subpar at best.

[Calaber]

HSDPA is part of the 3G specification (Your phone switches to HSDPA when it is sending and receiving data to save battery life) and Next-G is more 3.5G. GPRS is the older 2.5G and can be painful to use (SLOW).
Due to the frequencies that mobiles use, the reception you can obtain on your mobile may not be the same as a Mobile Broadband dongle. This is coming from previous experience.
Unfortunately Telstra do have the best speed and coverage but I know are not prefered.
Others that use the Optus network should be fairly reliable.
After hearing the horror with Vodafone I would personally steer clear but the end decision is up to you.
See if you can get a Mobile Broadband dongle on a trial period to see how reception is or if you have a friend with one ask to test it at your house.

Hi Keza

Thanks for your help too. I didn't realise that mobile phone performance doesn't necessarily equate to similar broadband performance. I was advised that it did, so I appreciate your comments. I'm at present with Virgin mobile for my phone, which uses the Optus network, but I have heard and read so much negative feedback about the Virgin mobile broadband that I'm really reluctant to go to them, even though I can bundle it with my phone and get a decent discount. It's a shame because their phone network has never let me down around here. Edals suggested site seems to answer a few doubts, particularly in relation to service availability (Virgin's site said it wasn't available at this address) and the suggestion of an external antenna. All good stuff and thanks for all your assistance.

[Calaber]

Don't go wireless. At the moment the current technology is just horrible. I have had so many customers seem convinced it was the bees knees and most have come back complaining and it's not due to our network it's due to the technology. Wireless is a shared medium so put it this way by your self great 1 person hops on suddenly it's that little bit slower some one else slower again and so on and so forth.. Not to mention signal quality. Wireless is a dark art. Your friend 2 ft away could have decent signal you could have horrible signal. If I was you I would look at naked ADSL2. Don't need a house phone connected all. Just throwing out that option for you. Oh and lastly the price and quality of service for wireless is subpar at best.

Wow, it's getting confusing. Your comments are similar to what I have read elsewhere. Naked DSL could be an option too, I hadn't considered it. How does it operate if it doesn't require a phone? Do you just have the land-line connected without having to pay for the phone rental? I should have added that I don't want any contract that involves a land line at present because our house is on the market and we will be moving to a completely new area once it's sold. Not much point going for a contract involving a land line at this stage, whereas the mobile broadband could have travelled with me, (hopefully).

I have a couple of other reasons for wanting to get rid of the land line. The first is the cost of maintaining it, just to have broadband, because we seldom use the home phone and its $40 a month up in smoke, plus the only calls I ever receive are from charities.

Incidentally, which company are you with (or do you prefer not to say?)

[SweetWagon]

I work for a mobile broadband internet company... First up ill just point out that WiFi and Mobile broadband are two different things. You pretty much need WCDMA (3G) or HSDPA (3.5G) for a mobile broadband connection to work at its best. GPRS is next to useless for a data connection. Unfortunately Telstra do have the best coverage, Next G is exclusive to them beleive.

You have to bear in mind mobile broadband cost higher $/per GB than ADSL connections, and your also quite correct about signal strength, Its very important to have a strong signal for mobile broadband. It can also very affected by congestion at peak hours (5pm -8pm) which can cause slow speeds and/or no connectivity (depending on location) Most companies also have a 7 day coverage gaurentee, so any dramas you can get a full refund.

[edals]

Wow, it's getting confusing. Your comments are similar to what I have read elsewhere. Naked DSL could be an option too, I hadn't considered it. How does it operate if it doesn't require a phone? Do you just have the land-line connected without having to pay for the phone rental and is there a line rental still?

I have a couple of reasons for wanting to get rid of the land line. The first is the cost of maintaining it, just to have broadband, because we seldom use the home phone and its $40 a month up in smoke, plus the only calls I ever receive are from charities.

Incidentally, which company are you with (or do you prefer not to say?)

Naked ADSL does not require line rental or home phone, you just use it purely for internet, But its not always available in a lot of regional areas, if it was here i would get rid of the home phone cause $30 a month line rental is a lot over 1 year.
If Naked is available thats the best option.
Still wireless in my area is still pretty decent, its not ADSL2+ but most web pages and videos load just fine.
If you know someone with a stick, grab it and try it out, best way to be 100% sure of its performance.

[albert5268]

I work for a mobile broadband internet company... First up ill just point out that WiFi and Mobile broadband are two different things. You pretty much need WCDMA (3G) or HSDPA (3.5G) for a mobile broadband connection to work at its best. GPRS is next to useless for a data connection. Unfortunately Telstra do have the best coverage, Next G is exclusive to them beleive.

You have to bear in mind mobile broadband cost higher $/per GB than ADSL connections, and your also quite correct about signal strength, Its very important to have a strong signal for mobile broadband. It can also very affected by congestion at peak hours (5pm -8pm) which can cause slow speeds and/or no connectivity (depending on location) Most companies also have a 7 day coverage gaurentee, so any dramas you can get a full refund.

There are currently two main HSDPA networks in Australia.

NextG is just a brand name for Telstra's HSDPA network which runs off their 850MHz network.

Optus has a HSDPA network running on their 2100MHz network in metro areas and 900MHz in regional areas.

Vodafone/3 are in the process of upgrading their entire network to HSDPA using 850Mhz.

Don't be fooled; the underlying technologies that all three major networks are/will be using are the same. NextG is faster than Optus with slightly more coverage in most areas.

Maximum theoretical speed (claimed on their website)
Optus - 7.2 Mbps
Telstra - 20 Mbps
Vodafone - 3 Mbps (metro only)

Another issue with mobile broadband is corrupt data. You will find downloading large files using HTTP or FTP protocols will be troublesome. I have found in my experience many large files don't pass the CRC check due to corrupt data transmission usually meaning you need to re-download the entire file again. This is less common using some download managers or bittorrent clients.

I have used both the Telstra HSDPA network and Optus HSDPA network and have found Telstra to be slightly more reliable but Optus has better coverage in my area (5085). If you are downloading files stick with ADSL (you can get unlimited plans from dodo or TPG etc. for around $30 to $40 a month excluding line rental)