Help Why are my connection speeds so slow

[gbswales]

I am very pleased with S2 but have a concern about WiFi download speeds
I just ran speedtest.net on four different devices within minutes of each other

PC - 5.65 Mbps download 0.57 upload
iPad - 5.29 Mbps download 0.68 upload
Galaxy 1.14 Mbps download 0.68 upload
iphone 5.14 Mbps download 0.62 upload

All tests were to the same server

The S2 consistently returns around 1Mbps at any time of day - the iPad and Galalxy should be comparable as they are sat right beside my wireless N router??

I checked and it is definitely connected to wifi with a full strength signal and I cant find any settings that would limit the download speed. Whilst it seems pretty fast most of the time it does take longer than it should to open movies particularly in hi definition.

 

[heshanj]

i dont have that many mobile devices to test with, but my SGS2 is right up there with the rest of them... my laptop, other mobile, and my SGS2 all get around the same 4.2mbp/s
not sure wats wrong

 

[ironass]

That is slow gbswales when compared to the other devices.

Judging from your user name I'm guessing you are situated in Wales, so not a million miles away from me.

I just ran the speedtest.net and got...

9.06 Mbps download / 0.33 Mbps upload


Unfortunately I cannot think of any setting that may be throttling your speed.

Edit

Just a thought... what version of firmware are you running on your SGSII/

 

[marcuk]

Hi all, ive look all around n cant seem to see a soultion for this. Im aware there are a lot of people having wifi issues, but ive not quite found ne one reportiong this one...

I got my S2 yeserday, all seems great. but i notice the wifi was going slow so i tried a speed test which gvies me about 1.3 Mbps every time i run the test (speedtest.net) it will get about the same results, it will not go over 1.3mbps. how ever if i restart the phone n run the same test it will give me the full 10mbps again (just like my iphone 3gs) this will work for a short whilie and then the same thing will happen again n it will seem to be capped to 1.3mbps again and will stay that way until i restart the phone or router. Clearing all running application and ram proccessos wont resolve it, it needs a reboot

Ive tried changing channels on my router n that doesnt seeem to help, but as soon as ive change it the phone will work ok again, not everytime i change the channel but most time, (this is even if i change it back to the same channel it was already on..) ive put my router on N only n G only etc but none make ne difference.

also i dont no if this is more coisidence but lets say for a example i restart the phone upstairs, i might be able to keep running the test at 10mbps for a while but as soon as go down stairs it will be capped again, this works both ways , same if i restart it downstairs n go upstairs.

sorry about my spelling n grammer...

Thanks for the help.

 

[gbswales]

Pda:kf3 / phone:ke7 / csg:kg2(o2u)

I just downloaded a programme called network info which shows my link speed as 54Mbps which is on the slow side for a wireless N router but should still give faster d/l speeds than I am getting

 

[ironass]

Pda:kf3 / phone:ke7 / csg:kg2(o2u)

I just downloaded a programme called network info which shows my link speed as 54Mbps which is on the slow side for a wireless N router but should still give faster d/l speeds than I am getting

Unfortunately your issue may lie with the older firmware (KE7 (late May)) as this was not very good with WiFi. This was fixed in later versions.

It looks as though you are on O2's version of it as well which means that you are at their mercy for updates unless you decide to go down the root and ROM road.

 

[gbswales]

I was in the process of changing from 02 pay and go to a vodaphone contract anyway. When I activated the vodaphone card today my speeds shot up from 1.1 to 5.00 Mbps - looks like O2 were somehow controlling the wifi speed!!! Possibly to make their over the air speeds look better than they really are!!

 

[gbswales]

These results are pretty conclusive - the pink shaded ones are with the O2 pay and go sim card and the green shaded ones are with Vodaphone sim only contract sim. In the green period the iphone results more or less matched but int he pink period the iphone results were much higer around 4-6 Mbps

It is my guess that O2 have somehow crippled wifi - cynically I might conclude that it would make their over the air internet seem faster than it really is. I cant think of any other logical explanation.

O2 know that I need to use both cards (they unlocked the phone for me) and I intend tackling them about this

Thanks for all your comments - I am a happy bunny now

(Though not with Samsung phone support who tried to convince me that it was simply design differences and that 1 Mbps was a "very good speed" their operators most classic comment was however " well it is not really an internet device!!"

Speedtest.net DOWNLD UPLOAD PING
01/09/2011 00:15 Wifi 3574 691 308 Birmingham vodaphone
01/09/2011 00:14 Wifi 3016 679 55 Birmingham vodaphone
31/08/2011 20:03 Wifi 5015 682 57 Birmingham vodaphone
31/08/2011 15:37 Wifi 4735 693 54 Birmingham vodaphone
31/08/2011 15:36 Wifi 4466 692 55 Birmingham vodaphone
31/08/2011 00:42 Wifi 1188 684 55 Birmingham o2
31/08/2011 00:31 Wifi 1146 684 53 Birmingham o2
29/08/2011 02:08 Wifi 1187 687 54 Birmingham o2
27/08/2011 16:47 Wifi 1187 671 54 Birmingham o2
27/08/2011 16:45 Wifi 1108 664 61 Birmingham o2
22/08/2011 01:38 Wifi 1210 677 60 Birmingham o2
21/08/2011 23:28 Wifi 1190 688 52 Birmingham o2

 

[ironass]

Strange... I cannot think of any way that your sim card could control your WiFi speed.

 

[gbswales]

Strange... I cannot think of any way that your sim card could control your WiFi speed.

It looks to me as if the original O2 settings pass it through some random proxy address - when I put the vodaphone card I received a text change of settings, since this only my IP address appears in the IP address column of the speedtest result (have partially hidden for obvious reasons)

192.16N.NN.3
192.16N.NN.3
192.16N.NN.3
192.16N.NN.3
192.16N.NN.3
10.74.15N.175,192.16N.NN.3

10.69.17N.67, 192.16N.NN.3

10.77.5N.43, 192.16N.NN.15

10.72.5N.164,192.16N.NN.15

10.65.6N.198,192.16N.NN.15

10.64.22N.170,192.16N.NN.15

10.74.5N.156, 192.16N.NN.15
I checked all of the first ip addresses in the O2 settings and they are all "private" and cannot be looked up to see who owns them!

 

[ironass]

Blow me down!

That might be the answer to other posters who are complaining of low WiFi connection speeds.

 

[evohicks]

Just done a speed test, I am on o2 contract........
Upload is 358kbps
Download 6816 kbps.....
Will keep testing.
By wifi you mean home wifi? whats your ISP?
Or you mean the o2 cloud wifi thingy?

 

[Slug]

It looks to me as if the original O2 settings pass it through some random proxy address

There's something wrong somewhere, that's for sure. There's no way that APN settings (for mobile internet) should influence wireless connections through a broadband router. O2 must be futzing around with ARP tables or something similar at the IP layer..... bad O2!

I checked all of the first ip addresses in the O2 settings and they are all "private" and cannot be looked up to see who owns them!

That suggests that it's a routing issue introduced by O2, as that Class A subnet is only routable from within their network. I don't suppose your device is rooted, is it? If so busybox has diagnostic tools that would reveal more....

 

[ooberandy]

Could/ would rooting solve these problems?

 

[ironass]

Could/ would rooting solve these problems?

Not as such. See your other thread here:-

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s2/409697-3g-not-working.html

 

[gbswales]

Just done a speed test, I am on o2 contract........
Upload is 358kbps
Download 6816 kbps.....
Will keep testing.
By wifi you mean home wifi? whats your ISP?
Or you mean the o2 cloud wifi thingy?

Yes this was on my wifi and at the same time as other devices adjacent to it consistently posted faster speeeds - I am on a business level contract with a smaller ISP but limited by not having any LLU suppliers locally - however I consistently get between 4-6 Mbs depending on time of day

 

[gbswales]

There's something wrong somewhere, that's for sure. There's no way that APN settings (for mobile internet) should influence wireless connections through a broadband router. O2 must be futzing around with ARP tables or something similar at the IP layer..... bad O2!
That suggests that it's a routing issue introduced by O2, as that Class A subnet is only routable from within their network. I don't suppose your device is rooted, is it? If so busybox has diagnostic tools that would reveal more....

Pretty much what I had deduced still as I am now with Vodaphone and getting faster speeds its not my problem now but thought others with the problem on 02 might like to take it up. Was a time when 02 were my isp as well but the company seem to have gone down the pan through mass signups like others before them

 

[frizkid]

I've noticed the same problem with my Galaxy S2. I tried running a speed test with Sim Card removed, and the results shot up. While my sim card was in it seemed to be capped at around 1Mb/sec, and without it was around 5 or 6 (which is a typical result for me). I'm with Talkmobile, just wondering if you were with the same?

 

[frizkid]

I wouldn't be so quick to point the finger just at 02, as I'm with Talkmobile, and I'm having exactly the same problem as you described. I tried my phone with a GiffGaff sim in it and the wifi was up to usual speed, but as soon as I put my own Sim in it seems to be capped at 1meg a second.... No sim card in and it also works at full speed! Any one any ideas?

 

[Slug]

Any one any ideas?

Not yet... I've just tested my own handset (on Orange) connected to an 802.11n router and saw 6.25/0.99Mbps. I've also got a Three SIM in another handset that I'll pull tomorrow and test with. Once we have more data points we might be able to narrow the issue down.

 

[gbswales]

I wouldn't be so quick to point the finger just at 02, as I'm with Talkmobile, and I'm having exactly the same problem as you described. I tried my phone with a GiffGaff sim in it and the wifi was up to usual speed, but as soon as I put my own Sim in it seems to be capped at 1meg a second.... No sim card in and it also works at full speed! Any one any ideas?

If you run a few tests using the speedtest.net app some using your carrier and some without the sim and then view the historical data one of the columns shows you the IP addresses. I havent tried without a sim but with the vodaphone card only my IP range is shown so it's clearly connecting direct to my wifi however with 02 card in a second untrackable IP address is there which suggests to me that it is somehow forcing it through some kind of proxy server. Would be interested to know if yours does this.

I can think of a few reasons why they might want to do this

• tracking for business advertising services
• monitoring activity for legal purposes
• slowing down your wifi to make over the air seem quicker than it is

The last one may sound far fetched but for a brief time a couple of years ago I had 02 as my ISP and during the 30 day trial period they offered at that time I had the fastest speeds I have ever had with anyone an almost consistent 7Mbs on an up to 8Mbs connection. about a week later speeds dropped to an average of 1.5 Mbps - after a lot of time wasted on calls and testing router etc - I threatened to sue them if they did not let me out of the 18 month contract - which they eventually did and refunded my last months subscription.

For phones I think it may be different between their contract phones and pay and go - my partner has a monthly contract for the iphone which has good speeds (as mine did).

 

[ooberandy]

I've tested my o2 sim on both home & work wifi and dont have any issues.

Home - Down 2.18mbps Up 0.38mbps. This is on a 'up to 6mbps' service, which only gets about 2-3mbps in real terms.

Work - Down 9.07mbps Up 0.93mbps. This is on a 'up to 20mbps' service, which gets about 17-19mbps in real terms

 

[gezmond]

would the sudden loss of speed and change in Ip not suggest that the phone has lost connection to the router and is instead downloading via H or 3g?

 

[Slug]

Tested with 3UK PAYG: 6.20/0.99Mbps, almost identical to results with the Orange SIM in place.

@gezmond: the Speedtest app indicates the connection in use.

@gbswales: take a look at the APN settings with your O2 SIM in place. Is there a proxy entry anywhere?

 

[frizkid]

My problem is definitely sim card related as I've just put my phone in flight mode and switched the wifi on and the speed is around 7 Mb/s, as soon as I go back to normal wifi drops to 1.... Just to note that at home I only get 2g. Worst thing with this problem is knowing who's to blame Samsung or networks.