Yes, I hadn't investigated it very thoroughly, but I have been aware of
problems gradually building over the last few days.
As some may remember from a couple of years back, I'm using a BTHH5a
with OpenWRT firmware and a ZTE 4G mobile dongle plugged via an
extension lead into the USB port - the extension lead allows the
dongle to be high in a ground floor window with line of sight to the mast.
I'm currently on a Three contract - after Virgin, when my previous
contract ran out, unilaterally without so much as a 'by your leave'
'upgraded' it to one that was 25% more expensive! The Three contract
gives me unlimited at a very reasonably little over £22pm.
However, it's always been a strange feature of Three's coverage locally
that I appear to get faster speeds via 3G than 4G. Commonly, when I
first connect, it starts as 4G, and is dire, but then settles for 3G
which is better. This morning, investigating the slowness rather more
thoroughly than I've had time in the last few days, I noticed it was
back on 4G. So I went into the modem settings page and set it first to
only use 4G, then only 3G, and ran a speed test on each, and it exactly
proves what I've always suspected, that the 3G service is several times
faster:
Net Latency Down Up
ms Mbps Mbps
3G 68 10-14* 2.1
4G 142 4.6 0.8
* 2 disconnect/connect cycles tested with different resulting Down
speeds but others figures the same.
So so now I've left it on 3G only for the moment. Round here, where
ADSL speeds are around 1Mbps if you're tolerably lucky, the 3G speeds
are acceptable, however it would be nice to get back to Virgin's 20Mbps
download speeds, but without the danger of disproportionate 25% price
hikes for supplying exactly the same service as previously.
Why would it be that Three's 3G is faster than 4G? I can think of two
possible reasons, but have no idea which is the true explanation ...
1) Three are bandwidth limiting 4G connections for their cheapest
contracts, but do not think it worthwhile to do so for 3G connections.
2) A different mast further away with a weaker signal is providing the
4G connection. There are two within line of sight:
i) The Ord, also the local TV relay for Lairg, about 6.5mi.
ii) A new mobile mast overlooking the A836, about 4mi.