LTE > Wireless N... Has the wireless industry been sleeping?

[tilhasbb]

I just got the Iphone5 and decided to go to speedtest.net to see how much faster it was from my Iphone 4 with 3G... Seeing the Speedometer going past the 25Megabit redline, to 48Mbps/Second. I figured No WAY!!! Theoretical speed is 100Mbps. I'm INSIDE my house with 3/5bars. Let's do this again, 49Mbps this time. I switch it to Kb/s = 6273kB/sec...

I have an NAS at home and I've never seen this go past 45Mbps with my wifi (Wireless N) except when I'm point blank range I get 60Mbps... (tested via ethernet and I get around 310Mbps so it's not the NAS limitiations)

Can someone explain to me how a cell phone tower that is miles away, while I'm in my house with 3/5 signal strength get's faster speeds than my wireless N at 5/5 bars with 300mbps connection?
If I didn't know better I would have thought if LTE Existed, Wireless X should be atleast 3 to 5 times faster as it is a much shorter range. Which leads me back to my original statement, what has the wireless industry been doing?

 

[thetoad30]

You're comparing apples to oranges.

Cell phones/LTE are regulated, commercial, licensed spectrums. Wireless is unlicensed spectrum.

Power, data rates, and even frequency have a huge play on data speed. Bars are also not indicative of connection rates. There is also the difference in protocols. Wireless is TCP/IP or the OSI layer. LTE is its own protocol. Different overhead, switching, etc.

Google will certainly help you out if you want to learn more about this. I've only scratched the surface, and even then I'd have to use Google to be more accurate as well since I'm not an RF engineer.

 

[thiggins]

To add to toad's points. Enjoy that speed while it lasts. Once the network gets loaded you'll see those speeds drop.

 

[tilhasbb]

Wireless-N was out in 2006? and we are 2012 and speed has not improved.
LTE theoretical speed is 150Mbps and I was about to get 50Mbps. Which is about 1/3. While my 300Mbps Wireless N and best case scenario I get 60Mbps, which is 1/5...

I would hope with in 6 years we would have improved.

You're comparing apples to oranges.

Cell phones/LTE are regulated, commercial, licensed spectrums. Wireless is unlicensed spectrum.

You are correct, 2.4Ghz and 5.8Ghz is unlicensed yes but that would only matter if the spectrum is occupied and case interference.

I've been up north in the boonies, above the 55 parallel. Where there is no cell phone towers, no radio stations, nothing within 1500km radius and I was impressed how much farther our walkie talkies would go in open space and no interference but the wireless-N..... was the same as back home.

Backhome, yes it's clean.

Power, data rates, and even frequency have a huge play on data speed. Bars are also not indicative of connection rates. There is also the difference in protocols. Wireless is TCP/IP or the OSI layer. LTE is its own protocol. Different overhead, switching, etc.

So if the TCP/IP protocol is so inefficient, why wouldn't they have made a new one?... That's not the case.


All I'm saying is wireless networking is really far behind. Even the new AC is going to be a let down from all the reviews I'm reading and how the new "256-QAM" doesn't really works. Plus the range limitation of 5.8Ghz...

When I run 5Ghz, I can barely see my SSID (forget about connecting to it) outside my house, while on 2.4Ghz I have access to my network from inside my neighbors house across the street...lol These companies should be asking the governments to open up another lower frequency. Maybe 3Ghz?

 

[stevech]

Huh???

WiFi has far higher data rates than most of us get from DSL or cable modem.

LTE (verizon) is faster than most DSL or cable modem. Until the systems become oversubscribed. Verizon's LTE has far better coverage than AT&T because Verizon started 3 years before AT&T and Verizon is a better planner. AT&T has a hodge-podge of legacy networks due to their mergers.

Moreover, Verizon's LTE is in 700MHz. AT&T, mostly not. So it costs AT&T a lot more to do LTE mostly in the higher frequencies - propagation laws of physics.

Anyway, LTE works very well now. Costs more that DSL/Cable. There have to be data volume caps on outdoor cellular (LTE, et al), due to the OUTRAGEOUS AUCTIONS of our God-given ether for wireless. Who auctions this? The US FCC. And it's international equivalents. These auctions are obscene. The $Billions the FCC gets, after all leather office furniture is bought, and lots of leased Luxury cars, goes to the Federal budget, somewhere. (Media: tell us where!).

After the God-given ether for cellular auctions... will the EPA begin auctioning the air we breathe? They're already "selling" carbon use rights. Oh dear.

 

[tilhasbb]

Moreover, Verizon's LTE is in 700MHz. AT&T, mostly not. So it costs AT&T a lot more to do LTE mostly in the higher frequencies - propagation laws of physics.

I'm in Canada and LTE uses 1700 band

All I'm saying is that even with the best setup I could find, at almost point blank range, I can't get more than 60-65mbps on a 300mbit connection. While on LTE which is theoretical at 150mpbs, I was getting 49mpbs at a lower signal strength.
What really brothers me is when I'm 25Meters away from my wifi router (which has clear signal as you see from inSSIDer I get a slower than my phone's LTE network. The tower is Kilometers away!

 

[thetoad30]

I'm in Canada and LTE uses 1700 band

All I'm saying is that even with the best setup I could find, at almost point blank range, I can't get more than 60-65mbps on a 300mbit connection. While on LTE which is theoretical at 150mpbs, I was getting 49mpbs at a lower signal strength.
What really brothers me is when I'm 25Meters away from my wifi router (which has clear signal as you see from inSSIDer I get a slower than my phone's LTE network. The tower is Kilometers away!

Again, you're comparing apples to oranges. If you're arguing just to argue, fine, but you're pretty much killing this thread.

POWER, FREQUENCY, and the laws of physics are completely different for these two technologies. You keep saying "the tower is kilometers away."

My response is "So what?" It doesn't matter because it's a different frequency, with different power, and different techniques than WiFi. It would be like trying to compare AC to DC. Two completely different technologies. Both still move electrons.

Use Google to understand the differences instead of just arguing here. We're trying to tell you, but if you don't buy it, fine. Google will help you understand that we're not trying to sell you anything.