hows the throttling?

[julianf]

Hello, I usually use my phone on WiFi but my WiFi has been cut off and will be for about a week. It has only been cut for 2 days and ive already used 1.7gb of data on my phone in 2 days (my cycle started right as the WiFi was cut). Does anyone know if they actually throttle at 2.5, and if so how are the speeds? I do not tether at all I just use my phone a lot. Also any tips on reducing data usage would be helpful too. Thank you!

 

[Rukbat]

I don't know how far VM throttles, but with most carriers, walking there is a lot faster - wherever "there" is. They make the days of 56k modems seem like "high speed internet" sometimes. True, I've gotten 300k or more while throttled, but I've also gotten connections so slow that they time out before I can see how "fast" they were.

Turn off all apps that use data. I use an app named Data ON/OFF to make sure my data is off unless I want it on. The icon is on the desktop, so it's no big deal to take a look to see if it's on (lit) or off (grayed out) and change it (tap it's on, tap it's off). Go to a Starbucks or a friend and download it on their wifi. Weather? Stick your head out of the window or watch TV. News? TV. At 1.7GB for 2 days, I wouldn't use data unless it was actually necessary, or your data will resemble a dead snail in about 2 more days.

 

[julianf]

I don't know how far VM throttles, but with most carriers, walking there is a lot faster - wherever "there" is. They make the days of 56k modems seem like "high speed internet" sometimes. True, I've gotten 300k or more while throttled, but I've also gotten connections so slow that they time out before I can see how "fast" they were.

Turn off all apps that use data. I use an app named Data ON/OFF to make sure my data is off unless I want it on. The icon is on the desktop, so it's no big deal to take a look to see if it's on (lit) or off (grayed out) and change it (tap it's on, tap it's off). Go to a Starbucks or a friend and download it on their wifi. Weather? Stick your head out of the window or watch TV. News? TV. At 1.7GB for 2 days, I wouldn't use data unless it was actually necessary, or your data will resemble a dead snail in about 2 more days.

Yeah i dont really check news or weather its more facebook/youtube videos and mostly browser web surfing. I also use oovoo/skype video calls on 3G which uses data like crazy. (283mb for a 46 minute call) I really hope the throttling isn't so bad as I'm going to need internet for the week. And Im probably going to hit 2.5 GB today :/

 

[jamstewonline]

Currently 4g lte is not being monitored. Check your usage on VM site to see what they say your data amt is. I did get a text saying that i would be monitored starting 1/31/14 so will have to be careful myself after that date. 3G is monitored of course but i never went over using 3g even using all the weather and other little data apps.

 

[julianf]

Currently 4g lte is not being monitored. Check your usage on VM site to see what they say your data amt is. I did get a text saying that i would be monitored starting 1/31/14 so will have to be careful myself after that date. 3G is monitored of course but i never went over using 3g even using all the weather and other little data apps.

Unfortuntly my phone only has 3G, all there lte phones are pricey but ibam saving for the iphone 5C on virgin which will have lte

 

[learning2]

Unfortuntly my phone only has 3G, all there lte phones are pricey but ibam saving for the iphone 5C on virgin which will have lte

For a cheaper LTE option, watch for sales on the Optimus F3. It got down to 70 at Radio Shack and 90 at Best Buy for Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Cheaper than having to restart your month if you are getting throttled every week!

 

[AnciusD]

Currently 4g lte is not being monitored. Check your usage on VM site to see what they say your data amt is. I did get a text saying that i would be monitored starting 1/31/14 so will have to be careful myself after that date. 3G is monitored of course but i never went over using 3g even using all the weather and other little data apps.

I got the notice text for 1/31/14 also. According to my Victory, I've use over 4gb in two weeks already. Videos account for the majority of it, I'm sure. Big apps updates like Chrome, Google Search, will have to be watched, too.

 

[julianf]

For a cheaper LTE option, watch for sales on the Optimus F3. It got down to 70 at Radio Shack and 90 at Best Buy for Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Cheaper than having to restart your month if you are getting throttled every week!

How is the f3 prefromace wise? I am currently on the opimus elite and I can't stand it. It is slow and very laggy and it makes simple tasks like posting on Facebook or downloading from Google play awful. I have tried the stick fw, rooted it and tried 3 ROMs with overcloking and it still constantly freezes And lags and has terrible battery life. I was told that all androids are like that and to go with the iPhone. I went to the apple store and tested the 5C and it was amazing. Very fluid and fast ui and much more responsive than my optimus. It isn't cheap, but I'm thinking of buying it. Let me know what you guys think

 

[mikeca]

Try an android running jelly bean or Kit Kat and adequate memory and storage and the iphone will seem not so impressive! LOL!

The F3 is a very decent phone with great battery life from all the reviews but it's a bit low on storage.

 

[Ranhead]

I was told that all androids are like that and to go with the iPhone. I went to the apple store and tested the 5C and it was amazing. Very fluid and fast ui and much more responsive than my optimus. It isn't cheap, but I'm thinking of buying it. Let me know what you guys think

LOL!!!

 

[learning2]

The F3 is a very decent phone with great battery life from all the reviews but it's a bit low on storage.

That's the F3 in a nutshell! I traded from a Reverb, so I can't compare with the Elite. If you play games on your phone, it doesn't have enough storage. However, I have a couple dozen basic/utility apps and still have 200+ MB left.

More reviews on this thread in the F3 forum: http://androidforums.com/lg-optimus-f3/801722-so-how-do-you-like-your-phone.html

If you look at an android in the iphone's price range, (and a higher end carrier than VM), you can do better than the F3, but for my purposes it's great.

 

[Rukbat]

I was told that all androids are like that and to go with the iPhone.

An equal Android and iPhone will probably find a bit more battery usage on the Android. A bit. But performance depends on the phone. My Note 3 is no more noticeably laggy than my Windows 7 (I refuse to run Windows Hate) laptop. Granted it's got a 2+GHz quad CPU and 3GB of RAM to run little Java apps, which means that, for a few more years, at least, it'll be as fast as my brain can follow. My Samsung Precedent? Sorry, but unless you're still in your teens you're not going to live long enough to wait for that phone to wake up. (I have one sitting right on my desk.) Same manufacturer, same operating system, TOTALLY different operation. (The Note 3 is a bigger and faster phone, of course, yet I get better battery life from it than I do from the Precedent.)

iPhone? Too "for the rest of them" for me. Half the apps I run (I run mostly utilities) aren't even written for the iPhone, and some of them probably wouldn't run on it if they were. (Is there even a Wireshark equivalent for the iPhone?) I prefer a computer I can work with, as well as on. (The first version of Linux I installed was on floppies, and had to be downloaded from bulletin boards.) iPhone is a tool you use, pretty much the way it was made, and not much else. Android is a tool bed on which you can run many tools. Why carry around a belt full of tools when one tool, with lots of icons, can do the job? (Try doing a good network analysis with an iPhone - with free, or almost free - apps.)

It's not iPhone vs. Android that will make the difference (except in your wallet - you pay a lot of money for that apple with the chunk bitten out of it). Try a top of the line iPhone, then try a top of the line Android LG G2 (if you don't care about ripping out a shorted, melting battery, or using an external SD card, which I do), or a Note 3. I don't think you'll find the iPhone snappier or faster. If you REALLY like the iPhone look, there are launchers and pretty faces for Android phones (for free) that make them look like iPhones. Yet you'll probably get a better phone for less money with Android.

 

[cg1324]

I still have not received a text about throttling next month.

 

[AnciusD]

Here is the link attached to the text message that I got from VM last week informing me of the throttling to begin 1/31/14.

Effective 1/31/14, to make sure we can keep offering our Beyond Talk plans at competitive prices, we are putting a data speed reduction in place for anyone who uses more than 2.5GB of 3G and/or 4G LTE data in a plan month...http://vm.tmce.biz/vm_throttling?key=vmdt

 

[kate]

Effective 1/31/14, to make sure we can keep offering our Beyond Talk plans at competitive prices, we are putting a data speed reduction in place for anyone who uses more than 2.5GB of 3G and/or 4G LTE data in a plan month...http://vm.tmce.biz/vm_throttling?key=vmdt

With the growing number of people streaming video, and other high data usage activities, I'm not surprised they are starting to throttle their data.

 

[dstephe9]

It's not to bad. When I had a 3g phone I was even able to watch netflix while throttled.. of course, quality was downgraded but it still worked and was watchable.. Much better than being charged for going over 2GB like Verizon or AT&T.

If you cant live with it you can always just restart your plan to.

 

[arthurbliss]

LG F3 is LTE twin of Virgin Awe; same screen size and resolution, and share exact same chips as well(different model # though as F3's chip has LTE capability)....so your experience should be very similar to virgin awe. I heard F3 has much better battery life and better cameras though.

for throttling, I went over limit and throttled when I was working in Charlotte, NC. speed was tolerable, as I had no problem doing internet surfing and playing online games. for video streaming, youtube worked but I had to stop sometimes to load, at lowest resolution. I ran speed program several times and it was mostly 200-255.

 

[AnciusD]

Just wondering if anyone's been throttled post-1/31.

 

[dstephe9]

I haven't been throttled but they are metering my 4g LTE now. I am slightly over the cap and still full speed so we will see

 

[AnciusD]

I haven't been throttled but they are metering my 4g LTE now. I am slightly over the cap and still full speed so we will see

I just checked my account and it still shows 0Mb used.

 

[dstephe9]

Unfortunately mine started being metered last weekend haha

 

[AnciusD]

Weird coincidence (?), I just got a new text from VM telling me that, effective 5/6, if I exceed 2.5Gb combined 3G/4G I'll be throttled to 2G.

Effective 5/6/14, if you reach 2.5GB of combined 3G/4G data during your monthly plan cycle, your data speeds will be reduced to 2G speeds for the rest of that monthly plan. During this time, you may experience slower page loads and file downloads, and lags in streaming media. Data speeds will return to normal as soon as your next monthly plan starts. If you'd rather not wait for your new month to start, you can restart your plan immediately through My Account.
http://vm.tmce.biz/vm_throttling2_will_affect_English

The original warning:
http://vm.tmce.biz/vm_throttling

 

[kate]

Weird coincidence (?), I just got a new text from VM telling me that, effective 5/6, if I exceed 2.5Gb combined 3G/4G I'll be throttled to 2G.

Boost Mobile is starting to do the same thing (throttle to 2G):
http://androidforums.com/boost-mobile/835043-throttling-2g-rather-3g.html

 

[AnciusD]

I say, "Boo".

 

[Kahroo]

So how bad are 2G speeds? Are they fast enough to watch a 10 min YouTube video?