[INFO][Speedtest]AT&T Straight Talk vs T-Mobile Straight Talk

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shev7chenko

Senior Member
Jun 4, 2012
74
20
El Paso
Just got st att today. Proxy blank and all that jazz. This has been pretty consistent. I have the 30 dollar TMobile plan still active on my n1 and the data is so much faster in it. Only problem with TMobile is it sucks everyone in doors around here... Is this common with other straight talk to get this slow at times? Well it get better after a few hours? Days?


Wow that is what I used to get on virgin mobile...definitely not at all art speeds on slow days I get over a meg and over 3 on normal days.


Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 

frigidazzi

Senior Member
Apr 21, 2011
1,533
265
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OnePlus 5
Yeah this is like what I hah with sprint lol.
Something else I noticed. With TMobile my data signal would change from H to 3g when idle. On ATT it's always showing H. Battery seems to be draining much faster add a result. Any thoughts?
 

BrianDigital

Senior Member
Just my opinion, and I mean no disrespect but Verizon 4g lte is a marketing ploy. I had it for a year. Most web pages and streaming services will perform to maximum anywhere around 10mbps. HD video can even be streamed well at a lot less. There was no reason for me to continue to over pay my cell bill by $40 per month to get 4gLTE. Its overkill, kills battery, requires special cmda/lte carrier locked phone, that will get capped in the very near future rendering these 4g lte speeds even more expensive to use. One is paying more for something that looks good on paper but which is impractical.

Sent from my Google Galaxy Nexus

Been saying the same thing for awhile, and even to use extra fast data, it has to be enabled. Give me a steady 2-5 mbps and I'm happy

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 

tramane

Senior Member
Jun 11, 2005
521
88
Austin, TX
Well, Im looking to switch over form my T-Mo Prepaid sim to a straight talk ATT sim muself
this thread gives me a lot of courage
i was worried about general speeds, but i just left sprint where i would routinely get 300kb down

I see everything is looking on the up and up for straight talk
i might not get the consistent 6mbps down i was getting on Tmo prepaid but 3mbps is respectable and the building penetration is much needed.
My phone has almost no bars at home and consistently has no service until i sit on my patio

Looks like straight talk for a savings of $15 a month will be the way to go for me
 

Cabal_

Senior Member
Aug 30, 2010
164
43
Austin, TX
Is there a definitive answer as to how Google Voice behaves with the various StraightTalk options? Here's my understanding:

1) With T-Mobile, Google Voice works fine as long as people dial your Gvoice number instead of your T-Mo ST number. However, if they dial your T-Mo ST number, they do NOT get redirected to your Gvoice, so you either miss the message or have to dial in to T-Mo VM to get the message.

Is that accurate?

If it is accurate, is there any way to force calls made to your T-Mo number go to Gvoice vmail instead of T-Mo vmail? Does the method posted by adellefrank in this thread work?: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1639804

2) With AT&T, Google Voice works exactly the same as it does with any post-paid AT&T plan. Voice mail forwarding/redirecting to Gvoice number works as normal.

Is that accurate?

Thanks.
You are correct on all counts. No T-Mobile prepaid plans (including ST) offer condition call forwarding, which is what is needed to go from T-Mobile-based phone number -> GV Voicemail. Even after disabling the T-Mobile voicemail.
 
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frigidazzi

Senior Member
Apr 21, 2011
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OnePlus 5
Looks like I might live in a congested area like sprint is here. In the middle of the night in getting much better data speeds. Sad :(.
 

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phositadc

Senior Member
May 7, 2010
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You are correct on all counts. No T-Mobile prepaid plans (including ST) offer condition call forwarding, which is what is needed to go from T-Mobile-based phone number -> GV Voicemail. Even after disabling the T-Mobile voicemail.

Thanks.

-Sent from a GSM Galaxy Nexus (RAScream/Trinity).-
 

phositadc

Senior Member
May 7, 2010
2,103
341
Looks like I might live in a congested area like sprint is here. In the middle of the night in getting much better data speeds. Sad :(.

Is that AT&T? If it makes you feel better I sometimes see less than 500kbps (ie, 50kB, .05 mb) during the day here in metro DC. Then early on a Saturday mourning I see as high as 5-6 mbps. In Chicago I saw as high as 10. So yeah I think some markets are just ridiculously saturated and get crappy speeds during peak times. Sucks... And I really wish AT&T would try to fix it!

-Sent from a GSM Galaxy Nexus (RAScream/Trinity).-
 

frigidazzi

Senior Member
Apr 21, 2011
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Is that AT&T? If it makes you feel better I sometimes see less than 500kbps (ie, 50kB, .05 mb) during the day here in metro DC. Then early on a Saturday mourning I see as high as 5-6 mbps. In Chicago I saw as high as 10. So yeah I think some markets are just ridiculously saturated and get crappy speeds during peak times. Sucks... And I really wish AT&T would try to fix it!

-Sent from a GSM Galaxy Nexus (RAScream/Trinity).-

Yeah it's att. I get soo much better coverage with att. My TMobile sim getting 4 to 7mbs constantly. That is when I have a good signal.

I'm not sure what's better. Slow speed everywhere. Or fast speed 70 percent of the time :/
 

best1923

Senior Member
Mar 11, 2010
57
17
Dallas,Texas
AT&T = Better Coverage ......... T-Mobile= Better Speed .... Find away to have both ... Have one for primary use and the other for emergency use ..Don't need much data for second one for emergency use.. Research alot of data plans and make it happen.... Unlock GSM Galaxy Nexus..
 

r3a1ist

Senior Member
Aug 8, 2011
699
89
Straight talk t mobile northern va. Disregard the wifi tests. I'm lovin it. Trying to upload this screenshot hmm... never mind screenshot only says cancel.
5 mb/s plus all day.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
 
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DOHCtor

Senior Member
Apr 10, 2009
1,109
121
Southern California
Straight talk t mobile northern va. Disregard the wifi tests. I'm lovin it. Trying to upload this screenshot hmm... never mind screenshot only says cancel.
5 mb/s plus all day.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

That's good man. And yea, T-Mobile ST has great speeds, but I had to stick with AT&T ST because of the coverage. I was at LAX the other day, dropping off a friend. Everyone that came along with us was on T-Mobile was on Edge and their internet barely even worked, while I was on H all day with decent internet speeds for browsing.
 

phositadc

Senior Member
May 7, 2010
2,103
341
Straight talk t mobile northern va. Disregard the wifi tests. I'm lovin it. Trying to upload this screenshot hmm... never mind screenshot only says cancel.
5 mb/s plus all day.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

You near DC? How's the coverage?

-Sent from a GSM Galaxy Nexus (RAScream/Trinity).-
 

noneone

Senior Member
Apr 30, 2012
115
44
Hi. This might be a little off topic ... I understand this is a ST speed thread in the galaxy nexus forum.

I have a VERIZON LTE galaxy nexus. - reguarly get 20 mbs on their 4g in boston, NJ, and Chicago.

HTC Sensation, tmo $30 plan, reguarly 2 to 3 mbs.

GALAXY S2 - same tmo sim, reguarly 8 mbs.

YEP, just switching from the HTC Sensation to the S2 netted me 2 to 3 times faster speeds.

On specs, the S2 is HSDPA, 42 Mbps
the HTC sensation is HSDPA 14.4 Mbps

AND, the unlocked Gnexus ... GSM / HSPA+ 21

SO, given the numbers in this thread, would we expect to see much faster numbers from the S2 and amaze than the Gnexus?

I'm trying to evaluate a used S2 or amaze VS a new unlocked Gnexus, with speed being a top priority.

Thanks!

ADDITIONAL NOTE - with the TMO plan, you can get HOTSPOT. I THINK with ST, you can NOT get hotspot.

Can those with ST confirm that? Can you tether your computer at all with ST?

Thanks!
 

iso1600

Senior Member
Sep 28, 2010
92
7
Montgomery, AL
Don't have screen shots, but here are some results from ST AT&T and TMO $30/5gb:

ST AT&T on Nexus One (AT&T bands):
Home (south side of Abilene, TX)
~400 ping
~1400kb/s DL
~1000kb/s UL

Work (inside thick brick/metal building, west side of Abilene)
~700 ping
~850kb/s DL
~650kb/s UL

With TMO $30/5gb in my G1, i was getting very mixed signal all over the Abilene area.
Home i barely got EDGE, at work i was pulling HSPA. So much of my daily commute and around the neighborhood i was on EDGE and even GPRS, i decided after a week that TMO in Abilene is a waste of time.
 

crazifyngers

Senior Member
Nov 15, 2007
102
13
Just moved back to the east coast. verizon was king in arizona if you wanted coverage. Where i'm at now that isn't so much the case. ATT ST sim screenshot is provided. I did not put in the proxy and don't seem to be hit with the 3mbs cap as long as i leave the proxy off. I would post a comparison with my i515 but i don't get any lte coverage here and only get 150kbs down and 80kbs up on 3g with one bar. As always the best provider could be different where you are from.
 

martonikaj

Senior Member
Nov 20, 2010
7,867
1,670
Seattle, WA
SO, given the numbers in this thread, would we expect to see much faster numbers from the S2 and amaze than the Gnexus?

The T-Mo branded SGSII (or III) and Amaze will get noticeably faster speeds than the GNex. The fastest you'll ever hit on the GNex is probably 11mbps with ideal conditions right next to a tower.

ADDITIONAL NOTE - with the TMO plan, you can get HOTSPOT. I THINK with ST, you can NOT get hotspot.

Can those with ST confirm that? Can you tether your computer at all with ST?

Its an unlocked phone. They can't block hotspot no matter the plan you use. You just enable it in settings...

If you're on T-Mobile (proper, not ST T-Mo), they detect browser UAstring and redirect you to hotspot pages when you use lots of data, but that's easily remedied with a UAstring switcher.
 
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frigidazzi

Senior Member
Apr 21, 2011
1,533
265
Nexus Player
OnePlus 5
Anyone in Salem ish Oregon that can compare att speeds with me. I think it might be the side if town I'm on with slowness. Other side gets 3mbs it seems.
 

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shev7chenko

Senior Member
Jun 4, 2012
74
20
El Paso
Loving straight talk at&t srrvice. Great reception, consistent data speeds and I am at 2.75gb so far I stream Netflix every night before falling asleep I'm surprised how little data it uses.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 

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  • 10
    I made this thread to share my speed test results so people in my area can have a better idea on which Straight Talk sim card to order if they choose to go with ST. My results are that T-Mobile ST has really fast speeds but has more dead spots and vice versa with AT&T ST. Both speedtest were tested on my Galaxy Nexus and at the same spot. I used the T-Mobile sim for 2 weeks and the speeds were very consistent, before giving it to my brother. I been on AT&T ST sim for about 4 days now, and I have yet to go above 3mbps. YouTube videos constantly buffers when viewed in HD.

    Well, here are the results in Southern California (Riverside county to be exact).

    Left = T-Mobile Right = AT&T
    Screenshot_2012-05-17-17-42-09%255B1%255D.png
    Screenshot_2012-05-27-13-35-43%255B1%255D.png
    5
    As most people have found out, the Speed Test app won't work on ST/AT&T if you go through Straight Talk's proxy. But there's a way around that: the speed test located at www.broadband.gov/qualitytest/ookla.htm works with or without the proxy.

    For the last week or so, I've been doing speed tests at various locations with and without the proxy field, and in virtually every case, the speed test is substantially faster with the proxy than without.

    At my house, the web test typically shows about 7000 kbps with proxy, 5000 kbps without. In other locations, there's almost always a similar gap of 1000 to 2000 kbps in favor of using the proxy.

    I have no idea what to make of that. Both the website and the speedtest app are supposed to be powered by Ookla, but when I use the app at home (with no proxy, obviously), it's almost always around 3000 kbps, much slower than the web test. Maybe there's some difference in the way the data is routed? Or maybe the web test is just unreliable. I don't pretend to be an expert at all on this subject.

    I've mostly kept the proxy on for the last week, and I haven't noticed much difference in the actual performance of the phone. I've been able to watch Youtube videos, stream audio, and occasionally tether, and for the most part it's been fine. Occasionally, it seems to block me from streaming, but it's not like other people have reported, where they can't stream at all.

    Bottom line, I think I'm going to remove the proxy because the connection may be more reliable for streaming and tethering, and because it may make it harder for them to track my data use. But I'd be curious if others get the same speed boost from using the proxy. It seems like it could be worth using the proxy if your connection is generally slow.
    It's faster because the ST proxy compresses it on the way to you, and the speed test data itself is all empty data (00000...), which is very compressible. As noted, you won't see much difference in real world use.
    4
    tmobile, queens ny..

    35jks5x.jpg
    3
    Here's an update. End of billing period, just over 6.5GB with no throttle or service shut off. I just renewed without any problems. Internet still fast and flawless. Straight Talk is a keeper for me now.
    3
    I did quite a lot of experimenting with ST (both operators), T-mobile and AT&T prepaid cards in San Jose, CA and around. Results are pretty consistent with what OP said.

    AT&T prepaid and ST (AT&T)
    - I didn't notice any difference between the two, the speeds are pretty similar and I hardly ever see anything over 2mbps downloads. Also ping often sucks.
    - very good coverage in general, even in remote areas and surprisingly you can get at least voice even in Yosemite Valley

    T-mobile ($30 plan) and ST (T-mobile)
    - again, these two seem to be on par, with speed being usually around 6-7mbps downstream and over 2mbps upstream
    - coverage often sucks if you go outside metropolitan areas and is worse even in them. And once you drop to the edge, AT&T is much faster. Don't even think about turning your phone on in Yosemite - it's good at most as hammer for tent poles.

    AT&T vs. T-mobile Straight Talk
    - on AT&T I believe redirects work (don't have SIM on me now) I had calls redirected to google voice mail. No such luck with T-mobile, it behaves as T-mobile prepaid, so redirect codes will just give you network error.
    - there was some talk about ST roaming on other network. I am pretty sure T-mobile ST SIM will NOT roam on AT&T network. See above Yosemite test. I kind of hoped it would, because that way I could get best of the both worlds. Good speeds in metros and voice coverage only in rural areas. Doesn't work. As it is now, I will probably go back to AT&T based SIM because for me coverage is still more important then speed. I don't know if AT&T SIM will roam on T-mobile. I don't have any good spot to test it at.