How to maximize 3G speeds?

[Heasarc]

Hey guys,

I just signed up for PM and I read something on reddit about how there are techniques to optimize our 3G speeds. One that was mentioned is that if you turn off LTE on your phone and switch it to 3G, it will actually improve speeds. Does this work?

If there are also any other ways to optimize, please let me know.

FYI not complaining about 3G at all, very aware that I signed up for it (haven't even gotten to test it out yet), just want to make sure I'm making the best use of PM as I can. 

Thanks!

[smiley3]

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@Heasarc wrote:

Hey guys,

I just signed up for PM and I read something on reddit about how there are techniques to optimize our 3G speeds. One that was mentioned is that if you turn off LTE on your phone and switch it to 3G, it will actually improve speeds. Does this work?

If there are also any other ways to optimize, please let me know.

FYI not complaining about 3G at all, very aware that I signed up for it (haven't even gotten to test it out yet), just want to make sure I'm making the best use of PM as I can. 

Thanks!

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I saw something about it being faster if you switch off LTE and stay on 3G, so I tried it.  I actually found it to be a slower and kinda laggier, so I switched back to having LTE on.  Perhaps just for downloading stuff you can get a bit faster speed, but for typical internet surfing etc. I found it to not be a good idea to keep it on the 3G.

[superhamster]

Just a note that if you live in a neighborhood that is more "isolated" due to terrain (I'm in Coquitlam, Metro Vancouver area), you may get a better signal on 3G vs LTE. 

On my iPhone, if I force it to use 3G I get a consistent 3 bars of reception in my house. If I use LTE I only get 2 bars at best. Anyone else have the same experience? 🤷🏻‍♀️

[XionBunny]

I’ve had 0 issues just leaving it on LTE when I’m browsing or grabbing apps on the go.

[AE_Collector]

If phone is set to LTE the speed is throttled to 3Mb. If the phone is set to 3G there is no throttling of the data speed. 3G is technically capable of something like 12 or 16 Mb I think but you would rarely see those speeds. But maybe in a good location you might see higher speed than the throttled LTE. Just pulling the numbers out of thin air but the premise is correct I believe.

AE_Collector

[LovesToPM]

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@Heasarc wrote:

Hey guys,

I just signed up for PM and I read something on reddit about how there are techniques to optimize our 3G speeds. One that was mentioned is that if you turn off LTE on your phone and switch it to 3G, it will actually improve speeds. Does this work?

If there are also any other ways to optimize, please let me know.

FYI not complaining about 3G at all, very aware that I signed up for it (haven't even gotten to test it out yet), just want to make sure I'm making the best use of PM as I can. 

Thanks!

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Yes the theory is if you connect to 3G network, you will get higher speeds.

Please do not perform speed tests for the first couple of days as it takes 2 days after activation for the throttled 4G speed (3 Mbps) to kick in.

[kselmak]

@DinoFlint 

Each plan has the same speed. It's pretty much as good as telus (modulo volte)

[kselmak]

@Heasarc 

If you need to download something larger I guess you could disable LTE to have it done faster.

But I wouldn't disable LTE, it's nice and smooth, 3g feels sometimes like it has hand crank starter

[DinoFlint]

Is a $40/mo plan good on PM enough to have some constant speeds in a city?

[will13am]

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@sheytoon wrote:

I also prefer constant 3 Mbps on LTE vs inconsistent speeds on 3G.

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+1.  I did pilot testing on the 3G/LTE lite service when it was launched.  While I can get faster raw speeds on 3G, it was all over the map.  In heavily congested areas, the data performance was like being on the Freedom Mobile network.  On LTE, the data performance was consistent everywhere.  One must be mindful of the fact that the plans we are on have very limited usage over a 30 day period.  Having ultra fast speed is meaningless.  

[Staliger]

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@Heasarc wrote:

Hey guys,

I just signed up for PM and I read something on reddit about how there are techniques to optimize our 3G speeds. One that was mentioned is that if you turn off LTE on your phone and switch it to 3G, it will actually improve speeds. Does this work?

If there are also any other ways to optimize, please let me know.

FYI not complaining about 3G at all, very aware that I signed up for it (haven't even gotten to test it out yet), just want to make sure I'm making the best use of PM as I can. 

Thanks!

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@HeasarcSomeone on this forum did the same experiment, and it showed that forcing 3G in your phone increases your internet speed. You can test yourself as well if you want.

[AE_Collector]

Yes since there are Pros and Cons to each network, checking the performance on each network in areas that you are located much of the time may help you decide which setting to go with.

AE_Collector

[computergeek541]

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@Heasarc wrote:

Interesting, so in theory could I just check a 3G coverage map and see how my speeds would be for where I am using data most frequently? Or in general is it less reliable coverage regardless of where I am compared to LTE?

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LTE does provide some bands that have slightly lower frequency than the HSPA bands offered by Public Mobile. So, in theory, you could get slightly better coverage for text messaging and data if you leave LTE enabled.

There are some places in Canada that do not have HSPA network coverage. In those locations, disabling LTE will mean that you will not be covered at all.

At Public Mobile, use of the HSPA+ network is required for voice calls. Those will not work when connected to the LTE network, and the phone will automatically switch from LTE to HSPA when a phone call is started (or one is coming in).

[Heasarc]

Interesting, so in theory could I just check a 3G coverage map and see how my speeds would be for where I am using data most frequently? Or in general is it less reliable coverage regardless of where I am compared to LTE?

[sheytoon]

I also prefer constant 3 Mbps on LTE vs inconsistent speeds on 3G.

[NDesai · Accepted solution]

@Heasarc It all depends on what you use it for. For basic browsing, checking emails/twitter, or using Google Maps, you might want to stay on LTE as you will have better signal coverage. If you download a lot of stuff, you might want to switch to the actual 3G network so you get the higher download speed. Higher speed will depend on how strong the 3G signal is so it's not always ideal. I personally prefer to use LTE all the time because the speed is good enough for what i use it for.

[Jb456]

It's throttled to 3mb.