tiny but necessary rant

[Streaks]

Hi,

I really don't like to rant about things but I just feel like I need to right now. It's more about 4G than the Evo. I live in NJ, right outside NYC. As most have read by now, 4G is live there unofficially so I get a bit of service in my home. I'm pretty sure the towers that hit my home have to be in NJ somewhere and I'm not picking up some miraculous signal across the Hudson. Onto the matter at hand, wimax isnt what expected at all.
I'm typing this as we speak from a 4G connection on my deck. I knew penetration of wimax via walls was bad but wow. From where I'm right now, I get about 2mbps down and 1 up. The funny part is that if I hold up my phone about a foot and a half over my head, it goes up to 6mbps with 1 up. I understand the upload cap so that isn't a big deal. If I do the legendary iPhone death grip, I can easily lose a 4G bar and 2mbps down. All these speeds vary from a single location. With a death grip, my upload goes to .5. If I go into my home, its a totally different ball game. I can get up to 8mbps down from bedroom A but if I move to bedroom B, I barely get a singnal at all. It blips on for about 3 secs before being lost. Mind you, the bedrooms are about 15 feet apart. If this is the limitation of WiMax, I hope Sprint makes that change to LTE sooner than later.
End rant.

 

[edlex]

Keep in mind, 4G is very much in it's infancy. With the addition of more towers and transmitters on existing towers the penetration should dramatically improve. This process will take a while unfortunately. Just be happy that your getting it at all. I don't expect Miami to get any decent coverage until next year.

 

[Drew5150]

it must suck to get 4g

good thing i don't get it at all

 

[Streaks]

it must suck to get 4g

good thing i don't get it at all

It's probably more frustrating having it but not having it work properly half the time than not having it at all.

 

[Slick1020]

First, the antenna for the HTC EVO is located on the top of the phone. So using a death grip will not cause you to lose any type of signal. You need to cup your hand over the top of the phone in order to lose any bars and it takes awhile. I don't believe your death grip story.

 

[sikclown]

So you are bitching about a service that you don't officially have in your area yet and that has just been switched on? I have been to a few 4g areas that have been on for awhile and they are pretty darn fast but the further you get away from the antennas the more the speed drops. You are probably just at the edge of coverage.

 

[Streaks]

First, the antenna for the HTC EVO is located on the top of the phone. So using a death grip will not cause you to lose any type of signal. You need to cup your hand over the top of the phone in order to lose any bars and it takes awhile. I don't believe your death grip story.

I don't know if the 4G antenna is located in a different spot on the phone but I can do it 100% of the time with plenty of ease. And my grip is a normal right handed grip on the lower half of the device.

So you are bitching about a service that you don't officially have in your area yet and that has just been switched on? I have been to a few 4g areas that have been on for awhile and they are pretty darn fast but the further you get away from the antennas the more the speed drops. You are probably just at the edge of coverage.

Settle down buddy, it's a tiny rant. I wouldn't call it bitching as much as it is sharing my disappointment. I still love my Evo and pick fights with the iphone fanboys at work. I just won't use the death grip in my arsenal anymore. Regardless if it's officially provided in the area or not, it's the technology right now. I can have a perfectly good signal in one part of my house and 15 ft farther down there is no signal at all.

 

[MackNY]

Like you said it's unofficial so if that's the case when it goes live then rant and complain, you have a right but as of now you are overreacting a bit.

 

[JohnJSal]

I don't know if the 4G antenna is located in a different spot on the phone but I can do it 100% of the time with plenty of ease. And my grip is a normal right handed grip on the lower half of the device.

YouTube - HTC EVO signal loss still doesn't occur..

 

[Thefoodman52]

This would be like.... the people at google I/O who got the Evo early to work with it, and they start complaining about how there's no official updates before launch. WTF?

 

[sikclown]

I don't know if the 4G antenna is located in a different spot on the phone but I can do it 100% of the time with plenty of ease. And my grip is a normal right handed grip on the lower half of the device.



Settle down buddy, it's a tiny rant. I wouldn't call it bitching as much as it is sharing my disappointment. I still love my Evo and pick fights with the iphone fanboys at work. I just won't use the death grip in my arsenal anymore. Regardless if it's officially provided in the area or not, it's the technology right now. I can have a perfectly good signal in one part of my house and 15 ft farther down there is no signal at all.

I am settled.. as the person above me pointed out...when it is officially in your area rant away. If those are the speeds you get then, you will be completely justified in your rant. Right now it is bitching about something that isn't even in your area... that you just happen to get the edge of service from.

 

[JohnJSal]

I live in NJ, right outside NYC. As most have read by now, 4G is live there unofficially so I get a bit of service in my home. I'm pretty sure the towers that hit my home have to be in NJ somewhere and I'm not picking up some miraculous signal across the Hudson.

Sprint's 4G coverage map does not list New Jersey. As for New York, it only mentions Rochester and Syracuse. If it is "unofficially" somewhere else in NY, or indeed in its infancy in NJ, I just don't see where you have any grounds to complain at all.

I'm all for ranting when things don't work right (just look at some of my posts!), but in this case it's a little ridiculous. It's like complaining that Sprint has terrible GMS coverage or something...it just doesn't make sense. You just don't really have 4G yet.

 

[Slick1020]

Funny thing is I would cup my hand over the top of my EVO so the phone would lose bars just to show my friend that HTC knows how to build a phone you can grip wherever you want. However, he won't let me death grip his iphone 4.

 

[Streaks]

Oh, I understand where everyone is coming from but how many honestly think it'll change when it's official. The coverage in my home, fine...I won't complain about that until it's "official". The death grip, I can replicate that easily but I will correct something I said earlier. It's my left hand that causes the issues, holding it about how you would an iPhone 4G. I have no issue losing 3G, it actually seems it happens with 4G and WiFi only.

 

[JohnJSal]

Oh, I understand where everyone is coming from but how many honestly think it'll change when it's official. The coverage in my home, fine...I won't complain about that until it's "official". The death grip, I can replicate that easily but I will correct something I said earlier. It's my left hand that causes the issues, holding it about how you would an iPhone 4G. I have no issue losing 3G, it actually seems it happens with 4G and WiFi only.

You think if 4G comes to your city it won't be any better than what you are getting now from across a river?

 

[Streaks]

You think if 4G comes to your city it won't be any better than what you are getting now from across a river?

I don't think my signal is coming from across the river. I know others from NJ have pointed out that there are towers in NJ and many many are active. I just know when NYC if officially live, my part of NJ will be too. I'm blanked in Clear's "future city" area when you zoom into NYC. As far as I understand, Clear=Sprint as far as 4G.

 

[dan330]

this is all speculation till it is official.

they do tests and play around... you are just picking up some random signals, because you might be on the edge of a test tower.

I live in a city with official 4G from the beginning, but the house is in a dead hole of 4G service. I get 1 bar..2 next to the window. I hope the put another tower in my neighborhood.

 

[JohnJSal]

I live in a city with official 4G from the beginning, but the house is in a dead hole of 4G service. I get 1 bar..2 next to the window. I hope the put another tower in my neighborhood.

I'm worse. I live in Houston, not far from downtown, but my house gets NO 4G signal.

 

[WaSTeLaNd]

Wtf is this death grip

 

[JohnJSal]

Wtf is this death grip

A way to hold the phone that blocks the antenna and drops your signal.

 

[dan330]

Wtf is this death grip

wow.. really??? it is a huge thing since the iphone4 came out.
do a quick search on it with iphone4..

 

[Traceamount]

Wtf is this death grip

Victorious troll is victorious!

 

[cmanbrazil]

I am in Columbus ohio. 4g is still unofficial, and unavailable in most of the city. Where it does work, it is way faster than I expected, but like sprint in general, being inside decreases signal strength.

While I think your rant is premature, rant away.

 

[wiltok]

I know I prob shouldn't complain - but 4G can be very frustrating. I live in Chicago - which is considered an 'anchor' city. I don't get any signal at home (western suburbs) - whatsoever. I get a signal on the train ride to the city - but it literally goes in and out 10-15 times during the ride (during a 24 min ride). I do get a great signal in my office (tethering over 4G as I write this) - so if you are stationary with a good signal it's awesome. But it's not a solid signal all over. Even in the densely populated city - there are times I get nothin.

 

[RiverOfIce]

If this is the limitation of WiMax, I hope Sprint makes that change to LTE sooner than later.
End rant.

LOL, you know what the current penetration percentage is between wimax and lte?

3%.

LTE at 700mhz and wimax at 2.4 have a 3% penetration difference.

So go with either one, they both can not help you.