What’s the real deal with 5G? My current iPhone12 is about 20 months old. I like a new iPhone every 2 years, and didn’t buy it specifically for 5G. But, at the time, there was all sorts of hoopla about 5G and downloading every document ever created in 1 second, every movie ever digitized in a minute, blah blah blah.
It’s almost 2 years later and I don’t see ANY improvement in speeds over my prior non-5G iPhone. The phone says “5G”, indicating that my AT&T service is allegedly providing 5G. Yet I read in today’s WSJ about how South Korea has all this gee-whiz-bang stuff because of true 5G everywhere.
User experience-I was in someone’s home where we were trying to complete paperwork virtually via internet on a computer. 4g hotspot was no go. wired internet (albeit very poor quality connection, no go. 3 bars on my 5g phone everything was silky smooth and quick…
I just installed a 5G wireless internet gateway from Verizon. It’s running about 4 times faster than the hardwired cable internet connection I had from Comcast.
I have a 2-year deal with no data cap @ $50/month.
5G technology, like 2G, 3G and 4G before it, was sold to the public and regulators with wild-eyed optimism about what it would accomplish. Some of it actually has been realized. Some of it eventually will be realized. And some of it ends up being what they will tout about 6G or the next generation they want to sell (ie. initial claims about 3G end up being part of 4G, etc.). Even the base bands of 5G are at higher frequency than 4G and so 5G does enjoy greater bandwidth. That translates into greater speed. But much of the 5G hype anticipates and requires millimeter wave frequency radios that, today, require very expensive hardware and so have not yet been completely implemented. And, of course, the limited availability of 5G network hardware can limit the 5G capability. As more infrastructure is built out and millimeter wave radio components become more cheaply manufacturable, 5G will get better and better compared to 4G. And it will allow different kinds of uses and applications. But it should be faster than 4G even now, as long as there is a 5G cell tower near your 5G phone.
I just installed a 5G wireless internet gateway from Verizon. It’s running about 4 times faster than the hardwired cable internet connection I had from Comcast.
I have a 2-year deal with no data cap @ $50/month.
intercst
so not being a geek…how does it work and what can you run with it?
so not being a geek…how does it work and what can you run with it?
It’s just a standard high-speed internet connection. You can download movies, play interactive video games, etc.
The difference is that no wire is coming to my home. It’s all being done wirelessly via a 5G signal. And somehow it’s 4 to 5 times faster than the hardwired cable internet service I had from Comcast.
The difference is that no wire is coming to my home. It’s all being done wirelessly via a 5G signal. And somehow it’s 4 to 5 times faster than the hardwired cable internet service I had from Comcast.
4 to 5 times faster than what? Faster than 1.5 meg? 10 meg? 100 meg? 5G really works well when you are within a 1000 feet from a tower. As you get further away it declines in speed. If you are getting at least a gig speed than I would say that is great. If you are getting less than a gig, well than the cable company can do as well. One thing about Verizon though is if you have a 5G phone and unlimited data through them you can get the 5G home plan for 25 dollars a month. That is a really great price.
4 to 5 times faster than what? Faster than 1.5 meg? 10 meg? 100 meg? 5G really works well when you are within a 1000 feet from a tower. As you get further away it declines in speed. If you are getting at least a gig speed than I would say that is great. If you are getting less than a gig, well than the cable company can do as well. One thing about Verizon though is if you have a 5G phone and unlimited data through them you can get the 5G home plan for 25 dollars a month. That is a really great price.
I had 100 Mbps cable internet service, but the fastest I could download a file was 6 or 7Mbps. Verizon 5G is running 30 to 35 Mbps when I download a file from the same source.
I’m at least 1,500 ft “as the crow flies” from the closest cellphone tower I know of.
Ok Intercst that actually is 4G speeds although they are using 5G technology. That really is the problem with 5G, it degrades fast as you get away from the 1000 foot radius. But the great thing is you are getting it for 50 dollars and who knows, they may put a tower closer to you and you will get really great speeds. I get 150 meg from the cable company for 85 dollars and am thinking of going to Verizon also. Really all that I need is 10 meg to stream quality movies.
I had 100 Mbps cable internet service, but the fastest I could download a file was 6 or 7Mbps. Verizon 5G is running 30 to 35 Mbps when I download a file from the same source.
Did you type the correct download speeds? When I had 100Mbps cable internet service in Southern California, my typical download speeds were 60-70Mbps.
I’ve moved to Northern California and have 50Mbps FIOS internet service. Download speed is a little over 50Mbps.
Since 5G is in the very early stages of deployment, you only get faster access to the 4G infrastructure.
Did you type the correct download speeds? When I had 100Mbps cable internet service in Southern California, my typical download speeds were 60-70Mbps.
The “speed test” is the theoretical maximum. Your actual download speed depends on the time of day. I only get about 2Mbps at 4-5 PM after the kids in the neighborhood have returned from school and powered up their gaming rigs. If I download something after midnight, I get 6-7Mbps. I’ve seen flashes of 30 Mbps, but it only lasts for 10 or 15 seconds.
Maybe 5G will be just as bad once more people sign up.
The difference is that no wire is coming to my home. It’s all being done wirelessly via a 5G signal. And somehow it’s 4 to 5 times faster than the hardwired cable internet service I had from Comcast.
Poor me. I am jealous.
We have 0G at our house, with 0 MB/s speed. Wired internet is DSL at 25MB/s, fastest available. AT&T doesn’t officially do DSL anymore, but there is no fiber or cable here.
When we built the house (2006), I was here when the AT&T installers came to install the run from the street. They had a big powered ground thencher/slitter thing. The driveway was no poured yet, so they asked me if it would be okay to run the trough down the middle of the driveway. I said “Sure” and went back to the house. 15 minutes later they came to the house and said “We can’t do it, so far we can’t do more that just make a scratch on the ground—it’s all rock. We have to go thought the woods.”
I pay $55/mo for 25MB DSL when 300MB fiber is only $45/mo. If you can get it. Which we can’t.
We have 0G at our house, with 0 MB/s speed. Wired internet is DSL at 25MB/s, fastest available. AT&T doesn’t officially do DSL anymore, but there is no fiber or cable here.
Yes, it very much depends on the service(s) you have available.
5G is blazingly fast. But so is Google Fiber. This article says 5G -in principle- could reach 4Gb/s, though 1Gb/s is mentioned as the top of the range.
I have DSL now. I just ran a speed test (without my VPN), and my u/l speed is 13Mb/s while my d/l speed is 73 Mb/s. In my neighborhood I do not have the option of cable or fiber. DSL is the best we have here.
Mom has had satellite internet for the last 10-12 years due to no other means of internet access in her rural location. She got a postcard from T-Mobile a few months back advertising their 5G home internet service. My immediate reaction was, “Yeah, right - everywhere but here.” To my surprise, her place showed up as having the highest speed coverage (the darkest pink areas on the map). I ordered the install kit which showed up in just a couple of days. It took maybe 30 minutes to install and set up. Satellite internet was cancelled the next day. The 5G service has been flawless so far.
Mom has had satellite internet for the last 10-12 years due to no other means of internet access in her rural location. She got a postcard from T-Mobile a few months back advertising their 5G home internet service. My immediate reaction was, “Yeah, right - everywhere but here.”
draggon
Living way out in the country, deep in a forest, I get crappy internet service via cellular modem. How bad? On a good day I can get 80kbps or so of download speed. Some days maybe 100 or 110 but also some days 20 to 40. So naturally I am interested in what you posted.
So I clicked the link and watched the icon spin for two minutes, gave up, tried again, spun another two minutes before giving up. Apparently you need fast internet to see of you can get fast internet.
<those who know, know>