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Your iPhone and iPad Are Limited. T-Mobile is the Exception

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Re: Your iPhone and iPad Are Limited. T-Mobile is the Exception

#51

Post by andrewmunsell »

Sprint iPhone user here (4S, Jailbroken)-- is there a way to change the DATA_TRTL_ENABLED value and disable the throttle? I tried editing the carrier settings file with iFile, but now I am having issues getting data (it very well could be the building I'm in right now, though, so I'll have to test again when I leave).

EDIT:

Yeah, it's the building-- the connection is actually fine, so it's not like Sprint is blocking me after changing the setting. I'll have to test speeds with and without the toggle enabled to see if it works (after I get out of this dead zone of a building)

Re: Your iPhone and iPad Are Limited. T-Mobile is the Exception

#52

Post by Zak »

rayiner wrote: post #13

Newsflash: many of your cars are governor limited to 120 or 130 miles per hour, even though the car could go faster. The vast conspiracy!

Those cars do not advertise a top speed higher than the governor allows. They would likely be subject to liability for false advertising if they did.

Re: Your iPhone and iPad Are Limited. T-Mobile is the Exception

#53

Post by shurcooL »

dylangs1030 wrote: post #44

It really sucks that carriers do this, but I think it's important to realize that the issue is transparency, not that they do it. Verizon and AT&T have a problem with scaling. They should be honest and upfront about what speeds you're realistically going to attain, but I don't think they have an obligation not to throttle people. It's honestly hard to exist without it. I don't know if Verizon and AT&T could operate s…

Agree, the lack of transparency is something I have a problem with, but the speeds are _way_ more than I need. I'd rather get slower speeds and higher bandwidth caps for the same money (if I could choose).

Re: Your iPhone and iPad Are Limited. T-Mobile is the Exception

#54

Post by Zak »

dylangs1030 wrote: post #44

It really sucks that carriers do this, but I think it's important to realize that the issue is transparency, not that they do it. Verizon and AT&T have a problem with scaling. They should be honest and upfront about what speeds you're realistically going to attain, but I don't think they have an obligation not to throttle people. It's honestly hard to exist without it. I don't know if Verizon and AT&T could operate s…

It doesn't seem at all reasonable to throttle a particular device and not other comparable devices. It seems more reasonable to have the tower/router adjust the bandwidth made available to each device in real-time to ensure there's enough bandwidth for all users in the face of capacity issues.

I think it's fine to advertise peak speeds if those are regularly attainable even if sometimes they are not. It's not OK to advertise such speeds if the device is sold in a configuration that can't take advantage of them without a hack or update from the carrier or manufacturer.

Re: Your iPhone and iPad Are Limited. T-Mobile is the Exception

#55

Post by Moto7451 »

kgermino wrote: post #2

Another win for T-Mobile. I have to say, for all the negative things I've heard about them in past years, the more I hear about the company the harder I think about switching from Verizon. No contracts for service, they separated phone subsidies from phone service, and reasonably priced data plans. Does anyone use T-Mobile? How is their network?

Indeed, T-Mobile seems to be turning things around a bit between the new pricing the the LTE Network rollout. I'm considering switching from their other half (MetroPCS) after I ran a DSLReports speed test on my buddy's iPhone 5 and saw 22Mbps. I was floored.

Re: Your iPhone and iPad Are Limited. T-Mobile is the Exception

#56

Post by anigbrowl »

coldtea wrote: post #33
samolang wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I imagine cars are tested for max speeds much like ropes and carabiners are given weight ratings. The governor probably enforces these ratings because although your car could go faster, things might start breaking. Faster internet speeds aren't going to melt your CPU.

> Faster internet speeds aren't going to melt your CPU. Not, but they are going to melt the network. Isn't it obvious, especially to a technical crowd like HN? And yet, you didn't mention this issue. Why?

The issue isn't so much throttling as transparency. If you walk into a store as Joe/Jill Consumer and say 'gimme the best phone, whatever it is you like to sell' and they sell you an iPhone, you deserve to be made aware of the limitations imposed on your use of it (and I don't mine in the fine print on page 14 of the contract, or in some vague handwavey disclaimer).

Re: Your iPhone and iPad Are Limited. T-Mobile is the Exception

#57

Post by glesica »

rayiner wrote: post #28
liquidise wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed. And much like high-speed highway driving, if my iphone 4s were to use its full internet bandwidth, i would be a mortal danger to my fellow man. Oh wait.

No, but you might negatively impact the user experience of someone else in your cell sector. It's about system design. Your phone is just a way to access AT&T's wireless network. As the designer of that system, AT&T is entitled to control how your devices access it to optimize overall performance.

It's not the fact that they throttle. It's the fact that they hide the fact that they throttle.

Re: Your iPhone and iPad Are Limited. T-Mobile is the Exception

#58

Post by nivla »

fencepost wrote: post #39
nivla wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have had great experience being on T-mobile for about 5 years. Their customer service is exceptional and they also allow you to unlock your phone after 3 months. However there are a couple of things that do irritate me: [1] They sniff the header of every web-request looking for desktop browser string. If found they sent you a warning text threatening to cut off your service. It sucks especially when you move to a n…

Is the browser sniffing still an issue? What sort of plan are you on? T-Mobile changed some things last month ( http://www.tmonews.com/2013/04/t-mobile-will-begin-bundling-... ). You may be able to shift to a plan that includes (limited) tethering at no real cost. The default includes only 500MB of "high speed" tethered data, but you can add higher amounts.

I had my contract renewed back in Jan and it din't include any tethering option. So I guess I am stuck for the next 1 1/2 years. However its great to see the new bundling option being offered. It really comes in handy when you are on the move or on vacation.

Re: Your iPhone and iPad Are Limited. T-Mobile is the Exception

#59

Post by brackin »

kgermino wrote: post #2

Another win for T-Mobile. I have to say, for all the negative things I've heard about them in past years, the more I hear about the company the harder I think about switching from Verizon. No contracts for service, they separated phone subsidies from phone service, and reasonably priced data plans. Does anyone use T-Mobile? How is their network?

I just moved to the valley and I love that they offer $10/m unlimited international calls and texts. They also offer free tethering up to 2.5GB's and unlimited data (w/o tethering). They claim not to slow you down at a certain point with unlimited data.

Re: Your iPhone and iPad Are Limited. T-Mobile is the Exception

#60

Post by rjv »

pkulak wrote: post #37
kgermino wrote: post #2

Another win for T-Mobile. I have to say, for all the negative things I've heard about them in past years, the more I hear about the company the harder I think about switching from Verizon. No contracts for service, they separated phone subsidies from phone service, and reasonably priced data plans. Does anyone use T-Mobile? How is their network?

I'm on T-Mobile, but I'm not going to lie: Verizon has a superior network. All that 700mhz LTE is amazing. However, T-Mobile's network is fine for me (their DC HSPA network really does approach LTE speeds at times), and they more than make up for it with things that I also care about that you mentioned.

DC you say? I'm in Arlington/Alexandria, any info about their coverage there? I'm definitely interested in switching from Verizon soon.
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