Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Internet Tools
Wired.com needs your help testing the iPhone's network speeds
Sure, Apple claims the 3G is fast, but with all the problems with 3Gs connecting all over the world, just how fast is it really? The folks at Wired.com have decided to find out, and they need your help. They'd like you to test your iPhone at the TestmyiPhone.com network speed testing site, and then hit up their global ZeeMap to register your speed.Instructions are over on their website, and they're testing both Edge and 3G upload and download speeds, so you'll have to run three tests total. You'll also have to sign up for a ZeeMap account.
The eventual payoff will be a relatively clear look at iPhone speeds around the world. Wired says that they'll eventually average global data, but there's a lot of things that could be done with data like this -- heatmaps? Speed per carrier? Once they get a good set of figures together, there's probably all kinds of things that can be done.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
SW said 10:28AM on 8-14-2008
Looks like too many people are hitting testmyiphone.com - it keeps kicking up MySQL errors :(
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pootie_tang said 11:00AM on 8-14-2008
Has Wired tested other phones on this network. I would be curious to know if the variances are the result of iPhone or if the data rates are similar for other 3g / Edge phones at these locations. Not that this is a scientific survey, but it would be unfair to lambaste the the iPhone without a representative sample of similar technologies at the same locations.
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David B Turetsky said 11:31AM on 8-14-2008
This is a flawed test. The code used to build the test cannot handle the traffic and it might be causing faulty results.
I am not the only one who received several MySQL timeouts on each test I took.
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Josh said 11:09AM on 8-14-2008
The speed test is going to be irrelevant.
Apparently, the server is worthless... wtg wired!
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Ryan said 11:35AM on 8-14-2008
I know this test is flawed and all… but what are acceptable 3G download/upload speeds? I'm curious…
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conigs said 12:12PM on 8-14-2008
I ran a speed test yesterday (though not from these servers) that resulted in a 1034kbps connection over 3G. The same test on edge was 104kbps.
totoro said 11:37AM on 8-14-2008
Mike, maybe you guys should run the test. Doesn't AOL have better servers than Wired? ;)
I can't get past the SQL errors. Download speed tests are pretty quirky anyways-having an inadequate server trying to measure it just doesn't seem very accurate.
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ars_workerbee said 12:33PM on 8-14-2008
If they were serious about getting people to test and submit their results, they wouldn't require so much out of people. As it is, you're starting out by asking people to go out of their way for no personal gain, then you say "oh wait, you need to do it 3 times... and submit it on a different site. that you have to sign up for."
Instead of, you know, throwing together a free speed test app with geolocation and built-in submission capabilities.
I won't be participating.
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Richard hart said 12:43PM on 8-14-2008
You can also go to http://i.dslr.net/iphone_speedtest.html
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totoro said 1:35PM on 8-14-2008
873kb/s over 3G with WiFi turned off
(736 kb/s over 3G with WiFi accidentally left on, btw)
356kb/s over EDGE with WiFi turned off
totoro said 1:38PM on 8-14-2008
Just ran it again and got 584 kb/s over 3G with WiFi turned off.
My earlier tests blew away the statistics on that page to date, but I don't see my scores being added.
Alex said 1:03PM on 8-14-2008
They stopped requiring you to create an account.
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Dwayne Hamson said 1:27PM on 8-14-2008
I used the test from the link provided by TUAW and got 245 kbps. I then went to www.inetworktest.com (they have an app in the Appstore) and got 99.6-162.1 (I did the test twice). So it was lower on the website that should have less traffic...it loaded faster too. The inetworktest.com site says the app they have in the Appstore is more accurate...so...
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Ebika said 2:03PM on 8-14-2008
I was surprised to get 922 Kbps just now since I only have one signal bar. If I walk thirty feet further into the building I am in, the phone goes to no service. The AT&T coverage is definitely flakey in the Chicago 'burbs.
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SubGenius said 3:49PM on 8-14-2008
This is something that a free iPhone application should do. Conduct the speed test, get location information and post to an online mapping site.
There are so many opportunities for user error with the current approach.
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lanejasper69 said 11:36AM on 8-18-2008
Ok, insufficient servers, AND I have to sign up? No thanks!!
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MikeCP said 6:24PM on 8-14-2008
Ok, I've had my phone since launch day and I've been disappointed with 3G speeds since day 1. I didn't know anyone that had one, so I had no way to compare, but I just thought I was expecting too much from 3G. I've never tested over 500 kbps, and I've been in NYC, Baltimore, and Buffalo networks. Is there something wrong with my phone? Believe me I've tested a lot.
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Ender78 said 9:22PM on 8-14-2008
I get 2441 Kbps Down and 168 Kbps Up. Pretty damn respectable. Fido3G near Toronto.
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Steve said 7:44PM on 8-20-2008
Not to mention that when I ran the test, it reset my iPhone (not a 3G) running 2.0.2....
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