AT&T Re-adds Slingbox Ban on 3G Network
- Thread starter Scott Greczkowski
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 55
- Views 7K
Mikew- The way this ahole from AT&T describbed it they were singling out a specific use that would be filtered on the iphone and any at&T internet usage. That service was stated specifically as to any internet usage that retransmits television thru their network except the service sold by AT&T. Clark Howard mentioned Sling and the ahole from AT&T said yes it was to exclude "slinging"
Not all wireless data services are limited to rapid population increases the way the service over GSM is. CDMA is unaffected by this. CDMA is working in most locations now at an average speed of 2.3 Mbps on their EVDO REV A. When I was in PA in March, I had tethered my XV6700 to my desktop computer connected to a 22" monitor and it would sling my dish Network 622 from Jacksonville FL to full screen with a very acceptable SD wide screen image for hours. I had no trouble watching movies from HBO and such every night. In January, I was able to do the same in Las Vegas but I used my laptop card instead of tethering.
I had also heard that Verizon was limiting their internet to 5Gb a month but when I exceeded that by 2.5 times they said nothing and didn't bill me any additional. I think it is because these 5Gb terms are new on new contracts. My contract is good for another year.
Not all wireless data services are limited to rapid population increases the way the service over GSM is. CDMA is unaffected by this. CDMA is working in most locations now at an average speed of 2.3 Mbps on their EVDO REV A. When I was in PA in March, I had tethered my XV6700 to my desktop computer connected to a 22" monitor and it would sling my dish Network 622 from Jacksonville FL to full screen with a very acceptable SD wide screen image for hours. I had no trouble watching movies from HBO and such every night. In January, I was able to do the same in Las Vegas but I used my laptop card instead of tethering.
I had also heard that Verizon was limiting their internet to 5Gb a month but when I exceeded that by 2.5 times they said nothing and didn't bill me any additional. I think it is because these 5Gb terms are new on new contracts. My contract is good for another year.
Most plans I have seen say that they can bill you for overages at their discretion. I bet if you kept your usage like that you would see a larger bill over the next few months.
I was talking with a Sprint rep at a conference last week and hear that 4G will be launching in Las Vegas soon. Speeds are reported to be great and there doesn't appear to be a cap. I think the combo of my netbook with a sprint 4g card may be the solution in the future.
Don...any input on the downside of 4g? Will it have the same ill effects when sitting in a large crowd?
Don...any input on the downside of 4g? Will it have the same ill effects when sitting in a large crowd?
mikew-
Found this somewhat dated article to give a primer on the different technologies. One basic explanation on the GSM that wasn't explained is that it uses a process that slices up segments of the spectrum of a channel the more connections made, the more slices are required so that as the call density increases, the call quality deteriorates. With CDMA the call quality remains the same but then will eventually reach a collapse point and it dies without warning.
Another explanation that was left out is that CDMA is more expensive due to special licensing rights needed to be paid while GSM is open and costs nothing to license. This is the reason why GSM is more popular and lower cost than services with CDMA.
With EVDO Rev A I typically get 2.0-2.3 Mbps down most places in the country and have seen 2.8 Mbps down when I was in NYC. It handles Video Skype about 80% full quality. Meaning that in a 100 minute connection, I can expect to have quality issues for about 20 of those minutes. Video skype is a two way video and audio duplex connection.
Will 4G have the problems you asked with population density increases?
The simple answer is No. But you have to understand that 4G is not a technology, but a set of goals that a given technology must meet. Therefore I can answer your question as I did.
Confusing the issue is that companies like Sprint, as you pointed out are coming up with their own definition for 4G. It will hardly meet all the IEEE requirements, I suspect. If it does then it will set a paradigm shift in the way we communicate.
4G: ( pulled from a wiki reference)
* A spectrally efficient system (in bits/s/Hz and bits/s/Hz/site),[2]
* High network capacity: more simultaneous users per cell,[3]
* A nominal data rate of 100 Mbit/s while the client physically moves at high speeds relative to the station, and 1 Gbit/s while client and station are in relatively fixed positions as defined by the ITU-R,[1]
* A data rate of at least 100 Mbit/s between any two points in the world,[1]
* Smooth handoff across heterogeneous networks,[4]
* Seamless connectivity and global roaming across multiple networks,[5]
* High quality of service for next generation multimedia support (real time audio, high speed data, HDTV video content, mobile TV, etc)[5]
* Interoperability with existing wireless standards,[6] and
* An all IP, packet switched network.[5]
More likely, Sprint will institute a service they call 4G but it really will be less robust than above.
Found this somewhat dated article to give a primer on the different technologies. One basic explanation on the GSM that wasn't explained is that it uses a process that slices up segments of the spectrum of a channel the more connections made, the more slices are required so that as the call density increases, the call quality deteriorates. With CDMA the call quality remains the same but then will eventually reach a collapse point and it dies without warning.
Another explanation that was left out is that CDMA is more expensive due to special licensing rights needed to be paid while GSM is open and costs nothing to license. This is the reason why GSM is more popular and lower cost than services with CDMA.
With EVDO Rev A I typically get 2.0-2.3 Mbps down most places in the country and have seen 2.8 Mbps down when I was in NYC. It handles Video Skype about 80% full quality. Meaning that in a 100 minute connection, I can expect to have quality issues for about 20 of those minutes. Video skype is a two way video and audio duplex connection.
Will 4G have the problems you asked with population density increases?
The simple answer is No. But you have to understand that 4G is not a technology, but a set of goals that a given technology must meet. Therefore I can answer your question as I did.
Confusing the issue is that companies like Sprint, as you pointed out are coming up with their own definition for 4G. It will hardly meet all the IEEE requirements, I suspect. If it does then it will set a paradigm shift in the way we communicate.
4G: ( pulled from a wiki reference)
* A spectrally efficient system (in bits/s/Hz and bits/s/Hz/site),[2]
* High network capacity: more simultaneous users per cell,[3]
* A nominal data rate of 100 Mbit/s while the client physically moves at high speeds relative to the station, and 1 Gbit/s while client and station are in relatively fixed positions as defined by the ITU-R,[1]
* A data rate of at least 100 Mbit/s between any two points in the world,[1]
* Smooth handoff across heterogeneous networks,[4]
* Seamless connectivity and global roaming across multiple networks,[5]
* High quality of service for next generation multimedia support (real time audio, high speed data, HDTV video content, mobile TV, etc)[5]
* Interoperability with existing wireless standards,[6] and
* An all IP, packet switched network.[5]
More likely, Sprint will institute a service they call 4G but it really will be less robust than above.
mikew-
Found this somewhat dated article to give a primer on the different technologies. One basic explanation on the GSM that wasn't explained is that it uses a process that slices up segments of the spectrum of a channel the more connections made, the more slices are required so that as the call density increases, the call quality deteriorates. With CDMA the call quality remains the same but then will eventually reach a collapse point and it dies without warning.
Another explanation that was left out is that CDMA is more expensive due to special licensing rights needed to be paid while GSM is open and costs nothing to license. This is the reason why GSM is more popular and lower cost than services with CDMA.
With EVDO Rev A I typically get 2.0-2.3 Mbps down most places in the country and have seen 2.8 Mbps down when I was in NYC. It handles Video Skype about 80% full quality. Meaning that in a 100 minute connection, I can expect to have quality issues for about 20 of those minutes. Video skype is a two way video and audio duplex connection.
Will 4G have the problems you asked with population density increases?
The simple answer is No. But you have to understand that 4G is not a technology, but a set of goals that a given technology must meet. Therefore I can answer your question as I did.
Confusing the issue is that companies like Sprint, as you pointed out are coming up with their own definition for 4G. It will hardly meet all the IEEE requirements, I suspect. If it does then it will set a paradigm shift in the way we communicate.
4G: ( pulled from a wiki reference)
* A spectrally efficient system (in bits/s/Hz and bits/s/Hz/site),[2]
* High network capacity: more simultaneous users per cell,[3]
* A nominal data rate of 100 Mbit/s while the client physically moves at high speeds relative to the station, and 1 Gbit/s while client and station are in relatively fixed positions as defined by the ITU-R,[1]
* A data rate of at least 100 Mbit/s between any two points in the world,[1]
* Smooth handoff across heterogeneous networks,[4]
* Seamless connectivity and global roaming across multiple networks,[5]
* High quality of service for next generation multimedia support (real time audio, high speed data, HDTV video content, mobile TV, etc)[5]
* Interoperability with existing wireless standards,[6] and
* An all IP, packet switched network.[5]
More likely, Sprint will institute a service they call 4G but it really will be less robust than above.
Xohm is already available to certain places. Sprint dumped(sort of) Wimax to Clearwire. Now sprint has said they plan on doing LTE as well.
We've had clearwire in Jacksonville for several years now. The service is very spotty and suffers lots of dead spots. I see by the footprint map for Xohm (old name) that even in Baltimore the footprint is spotty and this is their oldest location. No doubt, Clear or Sprint wimax like service will be in development for some time but it is not the best service for general coverage. Here in town it is great if you just happen to be located in a good spot because it is the lowest cost for the quality of service. A friend of mine who lives almost under the tower on his sail boat at the city dock, has it and it works great for him, but not when he sets sail out on the river, it fades out. He then switches to his verizon laptop EVDO dongle.
Yes, I find it odd that there are claims of X having 4G now, and Y will have it Real Soon Now. And none of it compatible. I wonder what Europe is doing?
Got to say it, but the SLing software is running GREAT over 3G on my iPhone. (Thanks to a program called VOIPover3G from CYDIA.
(Thanks to a program called VOIPover3G from CYDIA. 
Read the rest of your contract.... Look for the parts about users doing this that degrade network performance and affecting other users and so on. Every T&C or usage agreement from ISPs say the same basic thing.
I think once my contract with AT&T expires I'll migrate to Verizon. I can't remember the last time someone praised AT&T's service, while the running line for Verizon seems to be "It's the most expensive, but it's worth it."
Only thing I hear about them is they have good coverage. But then what's good coverage worth if you can't use it. I always hear people complain about dropped calls and failed outgoing calls. In a busy area at 5pm? Put your AT&T phone down. At a LSU football tailgating and need to use your AT&T phone to call? Here...you can use mine.
Verizon negatives, besides price.
1. They are real slow to adopt new technologies. Scott recalls when the XV6800 came out it was out on the Sprint service about 7 months before it was approved for Verizon. Everytime there is a software upgrade such as the latest Windows mobile, it was out on Sprint before Verizon.
2. Verizon has a track record of shutting off phone features in the verizon version of the ROM then charging to have that feature enabled. However, just like Scott reported his ability to hack and pirate a shut down service with the iphone, people are doing this all the time with Verizon ROM versions. for example- Verizon sells a tethering service, I think it is $5 a month. But you can buy a software called PDANet that gets around the ROM restriction and the need to buy the tethering service from Verizon.
I don't begrudge AT&T for their stance on this sling problem. They know their network is just too slow and thin skinned in most places to handle it so they simply shut sling down as a policy. Once they get their network working up to speed necessary, they will offer it just like the rest of the services. AT&T is resting comfortably on their iphone exclusivity right now. Once that is gone, they will get competitive. By then they may be up to speed anyway.
1. They are real slow to adopt new technologies. Scott recalls when the XV6800 came out it was out on the Sprint service about 7 months before it was approved for Verizon. Everytime there is a software upgrade such as the latest Windows mobile, it was out on Sprint before Verizon.
2. Verizon has a track record of shutting off phone features in the verizon version of the ROM then charging to have that feature enabled. However, just like Scott reported his ability to hack and pirate a shut down service with the iphone, people are doing this all the time with Verizon ROM versions. for example- Verizon sells a tethering service, I think it is $5 a month. But you can buy a software called PDANet that gets around the ROM restriction and the need to buy the tethering service from Verizon.
I don't begrudge AT&T for their stance on this sling problem. They know their network is just too slow and thin skinned in most places to handle it so they simply shut sling down as a policy. Once they get their network working up to speed necessary, they will offer it just like the rest of the services. AT&T is resting comfortably on their iphone exclusivity right now. Once that is gone, they will get competitive. By then they may be up to speed anyway.
Got to say it, but the SLing software is running GREAT over 3G on my iPhone.
I used tricker ThreeG wich does the same thing.. Hey att come get my iphone
. As soon as another provider has the iphone I'm jetting from att.
Gosh on the IPHONE if you jailbreak you can also use PDANET to tether the IPHONE. I use it and it works great
tom, when I was in PA, I had a desktop and just connected the USB cable to my phone and in a few seconds I was surfing the web at 2.3 Mbps. The one issue I had with it was when a phone call came in the PDANET lost internet while I was on the phone. At times this became annoying. Does the iphone lose internet connection when a phone call comes in?
Yeah, take a look at the TouchPro that Verizon has. They gimped the keyboard, memory, internal GPS(later unlocked), etc. No need to buy PDANet either. Most of the ROMs have internet sharing enabled, just plug in the phone, the phone will ask if you want ActiveSync, FlashDrive(cool feature), or Internet Sharing.
You can also do the WMWifiRouter thing if you want and turn your phone into a wireless router.
The reason this happens is the EvDO connections in the US are setup where data stays on EvDO and voice stays on 1X, so it drops the data connection when the voice is in use. EvDO allows voice but it seems the cell companies here are keeping it clear for data use only.
I do not know as I connect to the internet with PDANet through bluetooth and when a phone call comes in it does not drop the connection. I have not tried the USB connection
I think this is the combination of a crap phone being on a crap network. Take away the App store and the iPhone is just an overpriced phone with bad battery life, and horrible propietary software attached to an unreliable, overbloated network.
