Virgin Mobile - excellent speed and stability

[Edwe]

Personally, I would never consider buying a data card. They're ridiculously expensive compared to phones with similar data capabilities. I'd rather use my phone as a modem, unless I had some money to waste. Which isn't likely to happen.

 

[Prometheus]

That's because there's nothing there: Virgin posted a link that executes an invalid get method.

It's meant to be

http://www.virginmobile.co.za/virgin-portal-customer/greatDeals.do?method=retrieveFilterPhoneCatalogue

That's the one I got but then on the right hand side there's a Sierra link pointing to http://www.virginmobile.co.za/virgin-portal-customer/phoneCatalogue_sierra.do?method=retrieveFilterPhoneCatalogue which just turns up a blank page. The page is there (php/cgi or whatever) but for some reason it sends out a blank page like Vodacom's proxy with the wrong browser id.

http://www.virginmobile.co.za/virgi...sierra.do?method=retrieveFilterPhoneCatalogue
AirCard 775 Edge Data Card R 1,800.00

EDGE Class 10 (130 Kbps)
GPRS Class 10 (216 Kbps)
PCMCIA 16-Bit, Type II
Tri-Band Quad-Band (850/900/1800/1900)

Seems to work for me. What browser you using?

Opera on a VM connection if it makes any difference.
I don't know of any gprs class 10 device that can go faster than 80kbps.

"I guess no matter what you do there will always be people that find something to complain about."

lol very true

 

[baka]

Didn't work for me with Opera 9, IE 7 or Firefox. Maybe it's connection related. I'm using my VM GPRS. Could it be that you can't access VM's pages using their own connections?

Does not matter about VM/GPRS conn setting or what ever....

If your browsing on a fone then you will already have everthing set up when u downloaded for settings.
And if you using your fone or a wireless modem to connect to www then you gotta create a modem conncetion on you pc/laptop which points to ur wireless modem/fone.

The dial up string is *99# and all other settings are blank.
Then on ur pc dial up with the modem connected and it should say something like:"dialing...connecting...varyfing username...pass...identifying pc..network..blah blah..."
And once its going thru your connected!

So the basics stay the same jst that on different fones/modems you might have to change the dial string a bit like *99*1# or *99# etc...


Cheers

 

[Edwe]

Thank you Baka, but I don't think you read my previous posts - I've been surfing on my PC with my phone for years and on VM for months - don't have any problems setting it up. I just couldn't access one specific page and that single page happens to be problematic in general.

But thanks for the tips anyway - the dial string for VM is *99# and you forgot to mention the modem initialization string, for future reference.

 

[baka]

Cool! thanks for the reply

Cheers
B

 

[Edwe]

My VM GPRS connection is extremely fast since the evening of the 13th. I'm now downloading at 88kbps (more or less sustained) with my GPRS class10, which I didn't even know was possible. This is great - hope it lasts. Good work VM

 

[Prometheus]

Limit for 8 time slots is 171.2kbps, class 10 uses 4 which can go up to 85.6kbps. Their pages are still not working even through a special proxy.

 

[Wnbc]

Do the maths correct

My VM GPRS connection is extremely fast since the evening of the 13th. I'm now downloading at 88kbps (more or less sustained) with my GPRS class10, which I didn't even know was possible. This is great - hope it lasts. Good work VM

Firstly GPRS cannot connect faster than 48kbps.
Dont beleive me? Check = http://www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/gprs.htm

So on that note I have no clue where you getting 88kbps from, you most likely seeing your connection speed between your phone and pc.

Secondly 48kbps or 88kbps(like you claim) is not your download speed. That is your connection speed. Your download speed at 48kbps is about 4.8KB/S
Which is the same speed as dail up, so don't get excited.

Here is a calculator = http://www.testmy.net/tools/convert.php

If you people want real speed get 3G or HSDPA o wait I forgot Virgin does not offer that, why? because they suck.

Anyways so thats my 2 cents, so before you people make posts try getting your facts straight and stop getting excited about false speeds.

Regards,
Wnbc.

 

[baka]

My VM GPRS connection is extremely fast since the evening of the 13th. I'm now downloading at 88kbps (more or less sustained) with my GPRS class10, which I didn't even know was possible. This is great - hope it lasts. Good work VM

Limit for 8 time slots is 171.2kbps, class 10 uses 4 which can go up to 85.6kbps. Their pages are still not working even through a special proxy.

Class 10 - has 5 slots, 16 - 24 kbps upload / 32 - 48 kbps download

A connection speed of 88kbps is physically impossible. GPRS has a maximum connection speed of 48kbps. Most likely he's checking his connection speed between his phone and PC if you dont believe me go check: http://www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/gprs.htm that will show you GPRS has a max speed of 48kbps

Anyways and remember that is NOT your download speed, but your connection speed. Your download speed is 4.8KB/S which is the same as dail up. And that is definitely not flying...

Anyways heres a speed converter : http://www.testmy.net/tools/convert.php


If it was and EDGE connection then here:
EDGE increases the speed of each timeslot to 48 kbps and allows the use of up to 8 timeslots, giving a maximum data transfer rate of 384 kbps.

 

[Edwe]

Class 10 - has 5 slots, 16 - 24 kbps upload / 32 - 48 kbps download

A connection speed of 88kbps is physically impossible. GPRS has a maximum connection speed of 48kbps. Most likely he's checking his connection speed between his phone and PC if you dont believe me go check: http://www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/gprs.htm that will show you GPRS has a max speed of 48kbps

Anyways and remember that is NOT your download speed, but your connection speed. Your download speed is 4.8KB/S which is the same as dail up. And that is definitely not flying...

Anyways heres a speed converter : http://www.testmy.net/tools/convert.php


If it was and EDGE connection then here:
EDGE increases the speed of each timeslot to 48 kbps and allows the use of up to 8 timeslots, giving a maximum data transfer rate of 384 kbps.

Actually, I'm not entirely stupid I was downloading using LimeWire on my PC and it showed I was getting about 7kB/s and peaks of up to 9kB/s (no, I don't mean kbps). I didn't believe it, so I used my phone to do a bandwidth speed test (not on my PC, on my phone itself) and I got that result.

I have an i-mate JAM PDA phone on VM, using a Google Proxy. Maybe my phone has some kind of connection feature that I'm not aware of, but that was definitely the speed I got and printed in my manual it says my phone only has GPRS Class-10.

 

[baka]

if it's ur fone then maybe i believe you now

 

[baka]

Didn't work for me with Opera 9, IE 7 or Firefox. Maybe it's connection related. I'm using my VM GPRS. Could it be that you can't access VM's pages using their own connections?

maybe u can try this:
http://www.google.com/translate?langpair=en|en&u=www.problemsite.com
(www.problemsite.com stands for the URL you need to go to…)

 

[Edwe]

This may be a stupid question (see I admit it when I'm ignorant on a topic, haha), but could it be due to the fact that I'm using hardware and software compression? My old phone was GPRS-8, but with no compression whatsoever and that was slow as a crippled snail.

 

[Edwe]

maybe u can try this:
http://www.google.com/translate?langpair=en|en&u=www.problemsite.com
(www.problemsite.com stands for the URL you need to go to…)

Thanks - I got the site to work in the end. There was something wrong with the first link. After I cleared my cache and tried the second link, I could access the page.

Did you know you can access restricted sites with that en|en translating trick?

 

[Prometheus]

Class 10 - has 5 slots, 16 - 24 kbps upload / 32 - 48 kbps download

A connection speed of 88kbps is physically impossible. GPRS has a maximum connection speed of 48kbps. Most likely he's checking his connection speed between his phone and PC if you dont believe me go check: http://www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/gprs.htm that will show you GPRS has a max speed of 48kbps

Anyways and remember that is NOT your download speed, but your connection speed. Your download speed is 4.8KB/S which is the same as dail up. And that is definitely not flying...

Anyways heres a speed converter : http://www.testmy.net/tools/convert.php


If it was and EDGE connection then here:
EDGE increases the speed of each timeslot to 48 kbps and allows the use of up to 8 timeslots, giving a maximum data transfer rate of 384 kbps.

I have no idea where they got that info, but i suggest you take what you find on the web with just a pinch of salt and not trust anything you read on that site.

I refer you to something a little more accurate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gprs
Gprs Class 10 has 6 timeslots actually - 4 downlink and 2 uplink of which any 5 can be used at the same time and the maximum speed IS 85.6kbps with a realistic bit rate of 30–80 kbps. Edge has a maximum download speed of 236.8kbps for 4 timeslots and 473.6kbps for 8 timeslots. They seem to be confusing edge with 3G.

This may be a stupid question (see I admit it when I'm ignorant on a topic, haha), but could it be due to the fact that I'm using hardware and software compression? My old phone was GPRS-8, but with no compression whatsoever and that was slow as a crippled snail.

How do you get compression? I have compression enabled but windows shows there is no compression taking place. I was under the impression the operators didn't enable compression in order to increase revenues.

 

[ajax]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gprs
Gprs Class 10 has 6 timeslots actually - 4 downlink and 2 uplink of which any 5 can be used at the same time and the maximum speed IS 85.6kbps with a realistic bit rate of 30–80 kbps. Edge has a maximum download speed of 236.8kbps for 4 timeslots and 473.6kbps for 8 timeslots. They seem to be confusing edge with 3G.

As far as I can remember Vodacom3g said if a tower doesn't have EDGE capability only CS-1 and CS-2 coding schemes are supported. So with a GPRS only phone that can do 4 timeslots for download, you can't get more than 4x12kbps=48kbps.
If the tower has EDGE capability, then with a GPRS only phone you will be able to use CS-3 and CS-4, so you can get 4*20kbps=80kbps.

I have personally pushed 60kbps once with my Nokia 6310i (GPRS only, max 3 timeslots down capability) on a Vodacom EDGE tower. So I think Edwe's reported 88kbps is in fact closer to 80kbps, and he is probably using a GPRS only phone.

 

[geekchick]

I have no idea where they got that info, but i suggest you take what you find on the web with just a pinch of salt and not trust anything you read on that site.

I refer you to something a little more accurate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gprs
Gprs Class 10 has 6 timeslots actually - 4 downlink and 2 uplink of which any 5 can be used at the same time and the maximum speed IS 85.6kbps with a realistic bit rate of 30–80 kbps. Edge has a maximum download speed of 236.8kbps for 4 timeslots and 473.6kbps for 8 timeslots. They seem to be confusing edge with 3G.

QUOTE]


I have samsung edge data card- and whenever the fairies feel particularly benevolent - I have gotten up to 180/kbps with VM. Tho most of the time it is about 10- 40

 

[baka]

Thanks - I got the site to work in the end. There was something wrong with the first link. After I cleared my cache and tried the second link, I could access the page.

Did you know you can access restricted sites with that en|en translating trick?

Yip i knew that and that's why i thought you cud mybe access the problem site using the method i showed you. But obvioiusly u knew about it!

 

[MyDraadloos]

I have no idea where they got that info, but i suggest you take what you find on the web with just a pinch of salt and not trust anything you read on that site.

I refer you to something a little more accurate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gprs
Gprs Class 10 has 6 timeslots actually - 4 downlink and 2 uplink of which any 5 can be used at the same time and the maximum speed IS 85.6kbps with a realistic bit rate of 30–80 kbps. Edge has a maximum download speed of 236.8kbps for 4 timeslots and 473.6kbps for 8 timeslots. They seem to be confusing edge with 3G.

QUOTE]


I have samsung edge data card- and whenever the fairies feel particularly benevolent - I have gotten up to 180/kbps with VM. Tho most of the time it is about 10- 40

I am not sure if the word accurate can be used in the same sentence as Wikipedia, it is a great source of information though.

 

[Edwe]

How do you get compression? I have compression enabled but windows shows there is no compression taking place. I was under the impression the operators didn't enable compression in order to increase revenues.

When I enable software compression in Windows, it doesn't work (can't receive any data), but I have the option on my phone - it's running Windows Mobile (Pocket PC OS) Second Edition - it's an option under my connection settings.