O2 Mobile Broadband Speed Test

Honda08 · 18-02-2009 12:56AM

cuculainn wrote: »

I have recently got o2 mobile internet in the Galway city region.

I have to say I was pretty impressed with it as I wasn't expecting much....
For regular internet use and occasional downloading it is very good.

I downloaded a couple of movies in 2 hours the other night.

When I tested the speed using speedtest.net I generally get about 2.5 down and 1 up.

Ping to dublin (150 miles) was 130ms.

was chatting via xbox to west coast USA and there was some delay alright but nothing major.

What I have found is that the speeds you get are totally dependent on what site you use. I get completly different results when pinging West coast USA with speedtest.net than with DSLreports.com.

Overall I would say that if you are thinking about mobile broadband then obviously you dont have much choices and in that case its not a bad option

heres my regular speed on o2

i ditched eircom and havent looked back. i get this speed regularly, and its faster than the 3mb eircom i had.

watty · 18-02-2009 09:51AM

But when more customers are added it will degrade to under 500k, maybe slower or even not connect. Your latency is useless for many applications at nearly 200ms. You are likely to change back. The fact is the Mobile is artificially cheap and the eircom line rental artificially expensive. If you end up downloading 100Gbyte over cap that can cost zero on eircom and 20,000 Eur on Mobile!

People would b every ill-advised to to take your advice as your speed is non-typical indicative of an unused mast sector.

Here in an area with a choice of eircom, Digiweb Metro, Ice in a small village, 800m from O2 mast I got typically 700kbps down. 80kbps up and 120ms latency.

positron · 18-02-2009 10:32AM

Thanks for the comments guys, opinion is very mixed and depends on the reception and number of users..!

I've been with BT for nearly 2.5 years now - its supposed to be a 2mb connection or so - I am paying nearly 60 a month!! The connection has been mostly hassle free all these years - and speed was never an issue (I didn't keep track of the speed, but for usual browsing and a torrent once in a while etc). However, the connection has been really bad this week, last night I couldn't even browse any sites (I think the wireless modem is partially to blame, but even when hooked via cable, the speed is only around 500 to 800 kbps).

May be I should give O2 a try - its nearly €40 saved per month + net access for the daily 2 hour train commute..!

PS: I think there's a new O2 mast coming up near me: http://forums.o2online.ie/forums/showthread.php?t=2916

PSS: Just checked my BT account - I have "BT Broadband Option 2", which is "up to 6mpbs" if the exchange supports it, or it should be at least "3mbps"... yeah right!!

danyosan · 23-02-2009 02:21PM

Just a little question guys.

A few posters have recommended changing the connection settings in the 3G watcher software. There are a few options in my dropdown and I was wondering which one I should pick. Here are my options
3G 2100
2G 900/1800
2G All
3G All

cheers

foggy_lad · 04-03-2009 11:46PM

danyosan wrote: »

Just a little question guys.

A few posters have recommended changing the connection settings in the 3G watcher software. There are a few options in my dropdown and I was wondering which one I should pick. Here are my options
3G 2100
2G 900/1800
2G All
3G All

cheers

Tools->options->network->network type then choose the hsdpa only option if your connection fafours the much slower edge speed. leave the band option at automatic.

very poor speeds in Carlow lately.

danyosan · 08-03-2009 09:39PM

foggy_lad wrote: »

Tools->options->network->network type then choose the hsdpa only option if your connection fafours the much slower edge speed. leave the band option at automatic.

very poor speeds in Carlow lately.

So which one is that? I have selected the 3G All selection, is that it?

foggy_lad · 09-03-2009 03:38PM

danyosan wrote: »

So which one is that? I have selected the 3G All selection, is that it?

if there is no "auto" choice then pick 3g all

o2 very poor speeds tonight

corkie · 16-03-2009 10:47AM

All three test done with the same IP and established connection!

foggy_lad · 17-03-2009 03:08PM

corkie wrote: »

All three test done with the same IP and established connection!

o2 seem to be way ahead of three in cork!

CutzEr · 17-03-2009 04:47PM

watty wrote: »

But when more customers are added it will degrade to under 500k, maybe slower or even not connect. Your latency is useless for many applications at nearly 200ms. You are likely to change back. The fact is the Mobile is artificially cheap and the eircom line rental artificially expensive. If you end up downloading 100Gbyte over cap that can cost zero on eircom and 20,000 Eur on Mobile!

People would b every ill-advised to to take your advice as your speed is non-typical indicative of an unused mast sector.

Here in an area with a choice of eircom, Digiweb Metro, Ice in a small village, 800m from O2 mast I got typically 700kbps down. 80kbps up and 120ms latency.

Sometimes, you are just full of bs.

1. 3 at least and im sure other mobile network providers do aswell, they stop your service at around €80 until you make a payment.

2. Eircom would NEVER EVER let you go over your limit by a 100GB! What are you on about? Get out of here!

watty · 17-03-2009 05:18PM

3 on NBS intend to charge over €250 per Gigabyte over cap.

People sometimes get huge bills for mobile data usage. You never do on fixed broadband. You missed the point.

2hours of TV a day via Internet could be 160Gbyte a month.

Honda08 · 17-03-2009 09:42PM

watty, you are way off the mark.

, since i got o2, broadband (so to speak

)
it has been excellent.. and much better than my 3mb eircom so called broadband!.. i live in a big town, and o2 broadband has always worked perfectly, where i was getting 600k downstream from my eircom BB during peak hours i was getting 2mb down on my 02 BB!

not to mention the flexibility of the 02.... then the cost.

as i type im downloading at over 2.5 MB

watty · 17-03-2009 09:59PM

Your line was bad and you are just lucky on your O2, or else you work for them.

ON AVERAGE Mobile
* Disconnect regular. (DSL is always on)
* High lag/ping/latency 120ms to 2000ms (DSL <50 without high Interleave, else about 70)
* 1/10th speed of typical Broadband
* much lower CAP.

I'm glad it works out for you, but it would be dishonest and misleading to take your situation as typical, your line was obviously faulty or unsuitable for Broadband.

As O2 add more customers in your area it will get worse than 600kbps.
As the mobile operator reach customer targets the price will go up, or it may be force up as they are subsidising their Mobile Data with Voice revenue to a huge extent.

It can only get more expensive and poorer. I was 600m from mast and rarely got more than 700kbps on O2.

Metro Fixed Wireless at nearly 13km, peak time. A decent DSL line or Cable is similar. Running well since Nov 2005

NatDonegal · 18-03-2009 01:49PM

I have just used the trial period on 02 broadband - i'm in letterkenny... and the average speed is 56Kbps upload, 48Kbps download... personally i think it is as useless as dialup.

Furthermore they are refusing to refund. The clerk told me i had 14 day trial period... in reality it is 7 days... so just know that if you are trying it yourself.

Honda08 · 18-03-2009 02:47PM

watty wrote: »

Your line was bad and you are just lucky on your O2, or else you work for them.

ON AVERAGE Mobile
* Disconnect regular. (DSL is always on)
* High lag/ping/latency 120ms to 2000ms (DSL <50 without high Interleave, else about 70)
* 1/10th speed of typical Broadband
* much lower CAP.

I'm glad it works out for you, but it would be dishonest and misleading to take your situation as typical, your line was obviously faulty or unsuitable for Broadband.

As O2 add more customers in your area it will get worse than 600kbps.
As the mobile operator reach customer targets the price will go up, or it may be force up as they are subsidising their Mobile Data with Voice revenue to a huge extent.

It can only get more expensive and poorer. I was 600m from mast and rarely got more than 700kbps on O2.

Metro Fixed Wireless at nearly 13km, peak time. A decent DSL line or Cable is similar. Running well since Nov 2005

i dont work for o2 , hah, im just a user of their product
all your rabble on about mobile broadband being crap, is not accurate.

latency is naturally higher, and so it may not work great with skype , and applications like that, but for a normal web user it does the job.

you dont work for eircom do you? hah:p

thebman · 18-03-2009 02:55PM

Honda08 wrote: »

i dont work for o2 ! the nerve of you to even say that.:mad:

all your rabble on about mobile broadband being crap, is not accurate.

latency is naturally higher,

There are lots of people on this forum working for Mobile providers (and other providers), when 3 first started getting complaints this place was full of them. Outed a few myself and all, only real way to tell is post history though so you have to wait for them to make themselves obvious. The type of language they use when accused also gives them away

Watty is an expert in this area so he does know what he is talking about when he talks about the performance for users in general, he is mostly saying your lucky to get that performance but if more users start using this service in your area, performance will go down.

This happened to my father with 3, was fine at the start and gradually fell to below dial up speeds and lots of disconnects. He switched to O2 because there is a mast nearby in a rural area where as were on the edge of 3's coverage area and service went back up because there are fewer people on the mast in a rural area. It has fallen in speed from 1.5MBps to 600Kbps recently though.

The point I think he is really making speeds is that they will fall faster than other types of broadband when you add more users. Other types of broadband sustain more users much better than the Mobile Systems at the moment.

corkie · 24-03-2009 11:23PM

Using the 888 sierra modem same location as my morning test earlier.

Here is the result of a test just run. More people using their midband or phones in the area.

Regards,
J.

bryaner · 06-10-2009 01:53PM

Mine used to be good but im getting this muck
the last 4 weeks during the day and it wont even
open google in the evenings

thebman · 06-10-2009 06:38PM

This is the worst it gets TBH, usually much better. I can even play TF2 online to UK servers as ping is usually around 100-150ms with the odd spike. Luckily I don't need it for that.

Firetrap · 07-10-2009 01:56AM

I think O2 must've signed up a load of new customers in my area (Kilkenny city). Speeds were never anything to write home about in the evenings but at least the interweb was usable. Not any more it would appear :mad:

el diablo · 07-10-2009 10:04AM

Firetrap wrote: »

I think O2 must've signed up a load of new customers in my area (Kilkenny city). Speeds were never anything to write home about in the evenings but at least the interweb was usable. Not any more it would appear :mad:

same problem for me in Tallaght, Dublin. Luckily I'm out of contract so I'll dump them as soon as I find a decent alternative. :mad:

cjmcork · 07-10-2009 10:48PM

my web is down more than up for the past 3 weeks - I'm currently awaiting a response on the customer service line and am in my 43rd minute of waiting, quite frankly am p1ssed now and would like to tell them where to stick their dongle.............and they'd need an x-ray to locate the effing thing........but I'm going to keep on holding, so god help the little git I get when they answer the call

Firetrap · 07-10-2009 11:03PM

I'm starting to get pretty p*ssed at them. I've complained to the customer service dept and on the Talk02 site but all that happens is that I'm told they're logging it and getting an engineer to look at it. Engineer me ****** I wonder are all those people who went into the local O2 shop to get their free trial getting better speeds than longtime customers are? It's starting to sound very much like 3 Fraudband.

cjmcork · 08-10-2009 08:54AM

I'm genuinely thinking of switching to Vodafone - any idea if it's any better?

thebman · 08-10-2009 04:31PM

cjmcork wrote: »

I'm genuinely thinking of switching to Vodafone - any idea if it's any better?

Really depends on your area and how many are signed up and no way to know that until you give it a go.

Your best bet is to insist on a trial of at least 1 week when getting it (I think most of them have trials anyway but make sure you are on trial).

The real problem is even if it is good during the trial, it could go crap at anytime during the contract if other people sign up. The most important thing is that if it is good, don't go telling the parish as that will most definitely result in a decrease in quality if your service.

Sad that if an operator is good in your area you can't spread the word but the masts don't have the capacity for a large number of users so your looking for the operator with fewest users in your area more than anything else.

Firetrap · 09-10-2009 12:01AM

That's it in a nutshell. I've been with O2 since last year and until recently it was alright in the evenings. As in usable but not wonderful. I can't help but think that that offer they're currently running in shops to try out the dongle for free has amped up the contention rates and ruined things. That is always the risk :mad:

lucernarian · 09-10-2009 11:12AM

This is hillarious, the idea of O2 attracting customers for giving people 3 days to try it out...

In may 2008, I had big problems with the internet connection I used while in college. In other words, it was simply dead and would take a couple of weeks at least to fix. This is obviously a bad time of the year for it to happen. So I decided to take advantage of O2's 30 day trial of their mobile internet thingy. Got me through the outage grand, for what I needed it to do anyway. Handed it back at no charge at the end of the trial.

The amazing thing is that O2 have reduced it to 3 days (incrementally) now and they're marketing this fact!:D only in Ireland...

big mce · 10-10-2009 09:26PM

I have to be honest I'm very happy with o2 so far. I've lived with 56k for a long time with no other option, suddenly I could get o2 last week and I'm delighted, it might not be as good as normal copper DSL but for some-one that has no other choice its good. ( I had the vodafone 3g modem and it was brutal) Imgine I can now watch video's on youtube!!!!

http://www.speedtest.net/result/588567830.png

lm7 · 13-10-2009 10:03PM

last few night been very bad it was never brilliant but gone to pot now. I dont need a speed test graph to show me how bad o2 broadband, is when it takes a minuet and a half to download a page, bit by bit. canceled my direct debit today its gone.going landline the only way.

billyhead · 02-11-2009 03:05PM

Does anyone know what the coverage would be like with O2 mobile in North Dublin (Rush is where I live)

O2 Mobile Broadband Speed Test

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