Real download speed of Kindle "3G"?

travfar · 01-06-2011, 01:24 AM

I've been browsing with my K2 over 3G tonight. There is absolutely no way it's going at 3G speeds. I'm not talking about the actual time to render a page, just the download time for a page. It's about the speed of my EDGE first gen iPhone. I get full bars on my K2 so I don't think it's a signal problem. I do notice that the 3G symbol only shows in the top bar when I hit the menu button. Even turning off images, it's painfully slow compared to my first gen iPhone.

Does anyone know what the real speed is? It maybe over the 3G network, but it must be throttled to a lower speed.

WalkingDistance · 01-06-2011, 10:53 AM

Well there are other factors besides internet speed that go into how fast a page loads.
Things like the processor and memory come to mind. I don't know exactly how powerful the K2 processor is but my guess is that it's not nearly as powerful as an iphone.

The way i think of it is that the iPhone was built to handle apps, phone, browsing (multiple windows), and more apps. The K2 was built to read simple text files. It doesn't need such a strong processor. Also, stronger processors drain more battery. So it doesn't make sense to put an A4 processor in an e-reader.

All in all, sorry to not answer your question but, I think your concern has more to do with other pieces of hardware as opposed to the 3g connection.

travfar · 01-06-2011, 11:21 AM

Like I said, I'm looking at the download speed. Not the page rendering speed. I'm also comparing this to my first gen iphone, it doesn't have an A4. The CPU is on par if not a little slower than the Kindle. It's even slower than my old HTC Apache using 1xRTT. That has a slower CPU than the Kindle. From a hardware prospective. There's no reason why the Kindle is so slow.

HarryT · 01-06-2011, 11:26 AM

I agree; the download speed is extremely slow. I suspect that the network are doing some form of "traffic shaping" to deprioritise (is that a word?) the Kindle traffic.

phil75070 · 01-06-2011, 11:41 AM

Well, considering one is not paying for use of the cellular network when using the Kindle should one really be complaining about the download speed?

Other than the fact that Amazon states that the Kindle uses the 3G network (except WiFi only models), subject to coverage, I don't think they make any claims as to any download speeds above and beyond books in typically a minute.

Tiersten · 01-06-2011, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travfar

I've been browsing with my K2 over 3G tonight. There is absolutely no way it's going at 3G speeds.

What exactly would you define as "3G speeds"? The exact definition of "3G" is pretty vague considering it just means 3rd generation wireless and that covers many different standards and levels.

If you've got a CDMA K2 then "3G" would be a minimum of 1xRTT which gave you a maximum of 153Kbps which isn't real world performance.

If you've got a GSM K2i then "3G" can be the absolute minimum of R99 UMTS which gave you a maximum of 384Kbps which again isn't real world performance.

EDGE gave you a maximum of 236Kbps under perfect conditions.

It is perfectly possible that your 3G Kindle only manages ~200Kbps which is what EDGE would give you even if it is working correctly in 3G mode and without any throttling. I know that the Kindle doesn't use HSDPA which gives you a significant increase in downlink speed which your 3G phone probably does use.

I don't believe Amazon make any claims about 3G performance for the Kindle especially the precise speeds you get.

curstpriest · 01-08-2011, 12:09 AM

They probably throttle it so that you don't rape them, but the thing doesn't render pages that fast anyways.

Try a speed test?
http://testmy.net/mobile
for some reason the links don't show up right, the first image on the left is download test, the center is upload test, the one on the right is regular version/mobile version toggle.
I suggest using a small file size like 1-3 mb

Signal strength isn't ideal in my house, it bounces between 1n ad 4 bars:
Going to use kiloBYTES (not bits)

Small files <1mb I get ~ 200kB/s
Large files >3mb I get ~ 120kB/s

seems pretty reasonable to me for free internet, certainly more than enough for downloading books which are almost always 300-500kb in size, and only takes a few seconds to retrieve. Don't see the problem here.

matt314159 · 01-08-2011, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiersten

If you've got a CDMA K2 then "3G" would be a minimum of 1xRTT which gave you a maximum of 153Kbps which isn't real world performance.

I understand the point you're getting at, but as I understood things, 1xRtt and EDGE were considered 2.5G by most people, whereas EVDO and HSPA were considered the 3g, and now the wimax and LTE are being considered "4G"

Tiersten · 01-08-2011, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt314159

I understand the point you're getting at, but as I understood things, 1xRtt and EDGE were considered 2.5G by most people, whereas EVDO and HSPA were considered the 3g, and now the wimax and LTE are being considered "4G"

The *G naming is just a mess as each generation of wireless standards encompasses a wide range of technologies and standards. Its become a marketing term but a very confusing one because 3G can be so many different standards with differing levels of speed.

1xRTT is officially a 3G standard as its part of the CDMA2000 standard which is listed as a 3rd generation standard in the ITU IMT-2000 standard. EDGE is also listed as a 3rd generation standard in IMT-2000.

Manufacturers and individual standards started to differentiate their specific standards by adding fractional G branding labels like 3.5G which aren't part of the official ITU standards. So far we've got 1G, 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 3.5G, 3.75G, 3.9G and now 4G...

The ITU is International Telecommunication Union which is a international standards organisation which handles all of these communications standards such as cell phone technology.

enkov · 01-08-2011, 02:03 AM

I think it is a kind of a traffic shaping via Amazon's proxies. Don't forget - this is a 'free' unlimited 3G traffic, not guaranteed speed and even it is not guaranteed ever and is still in beta and is somewhat unsupported for web browsing and downloading files other than ebooks from the Kindle store. Add for this unoptimised code for web browser in K2i. Yes, my old old Siemens M65 with GPRS renders web pages faster but I'd paid the traffic. "3G" is very common abbreviature - it just means 3G modem, not 3G speed, also K2i doesn't have HSDPA as far as I know. But main thing is the Amazon proxies.

screwballl · 01-10-2011, 01:09 PM

Sites even load a bit slow on my wifi even though I have a full speed "G" wireless router with DD-WRT and a 20Mb dedicated connection... The Kindle only has so much memory and processing speed, that is why I only use mobile based sites... like m.facebook.com, m.nfl.com, m.weather.com, m.google.com...

01-06-2011, 01:24 AM	#1
travfar Groupie Posts: 186 Karma: 22910 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: laptop	Real download speed of Kindle "3G"? I've been browsing with my K2 over 3G tonight. There is absolutely no way it's going at 3G speeds. I'm not talking about the actual time to render a page, just the download time for a page. It's about the speed of my EDGE first gen iPhone. I get full bars on my K2 so I don't think it's a signal problem. I do notice that the 3G symbol only shows in the top bar when I hit the menu button. Even turning off images, it's painfully slow compared to my first gen iPhone. Does anyone know what the real speed is? It maybe over the 3G network, but it must be throttled to a lower speed.

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01-06-2011, 10:53 AM	#2
WalkingDistance Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 50018 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kindle 3	Well there are other factors besides internet speed that go into how fast a page loads. Things like the processor and memory come to mind. I don't know exactly how powerful the K2 processor is but my guess is that it's not nearly as powerful as an iphone. The way i think of it is that the iPhone was built to handle apps, phone, browsing (multiple windows), and more apps. The K2 was built to read simple text files. It doesn't need such a strong processor. Also, stronger processors drain more battery. So it doesn't make sense to put an A4 processor in an e-reader. All in all, sorry to not answer your question but, I think your concern has more to do with other pieces of hardware as opposed to the 3g connection.

01-06-2011, 11:21 AM	#3
travfar Groupie Posts: 186 Karma: 22910 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: laptop	Like I said, I'm looking at the download speed. Not the page rendering speed. I'm also comparing this to my first gen iphone, it doesn't have an A4. The CPU is on par if not a little slower than the Kindle. It's even slower than my old HTC Apache using 1xRTT. That has a slower CPU than the Kindle. From a hardware prospective. There's no reason why the Kindle is so slow.

01-06-2011, 11:26 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I agree; the download speed is extremely slow. I suspect that the network are doing some form of "traffic shaping" to deprioritise (is that a word?) the Kindle traffic.

01-06-2011, 11:41 AM	#5
phil75070 Enthusiast Posts: 37 Karma: 658 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Kindle 2	Well, considering one is not paying for use of the cellular network when using the Kindle should one really be complaining about the download speed? Other than the fact that Amazon states that the Kindle uses the 3G network (except WiFi only models), subject to coverage, I don't think they make any claims as to any download speeds above and beyond books in typically a minute.

01-08-2011, 12:09 AM	#7
curstpriest Confused Posts: 402 Karma: 5538 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Bay Area Device: Kindle DXG	They probably throttle it so that you don't rape them, but the thing doesn't render pages that fast anyways. Try a speed test? http://testmy.net/mobile for some reason the links don't show up right, the first image on the left is download test, the center is upload test, the one on the right is regular version/mobile version toggle. I suggest using a small file size like 1-3 mb Signal strength isn't ideal in my house, it bounces between 1n ad 4 bars: Going to use kiloBYTES (not bits) Small files <1mb I get ~ 200kB/s Large files >3mb I get ~ 120kB/s seems pretty reasonable to me for free internet, certainly more than enough for downloading books which are almost always 300-500kb in size, and only takes a few seconds to retrieve. Don't see the problem here.

01-08-2011, 02:03 AM	#10
enkov Advanced Dunno Posts: 80 Karma: 27094 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Plovdiv, Bulgaria Device: Kindle Fire HDX 7 + Paperwhite 2013	I think it is a kind of a traffic shaping via Amazon's proxies. Don't forget - this is a 'free' unlimited 3G traffic, not guaranteed speed and even it is not guaranteed ever and is still in beta and is somewhat unsupported for web browsing and downloading files other than ebooks from the Kindle store. Add for this unoptimised code for web browser in K2i. Yes, my old old Siemens M65 with GPRS renders web pages faster but I'd paid the traffic. "3G" is very common abbreviature - it just means 3G modem, not 3G speed, also K2i doesn't have HSDPA as far as I know. But main thing is the Amazon proxies.

01-10-2011, 01:09 PM	#11
screwballl NewKindler Posts: 504 Karma: 1865773 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: NWFL Device: Kindle3 Wifi	Sites even load a bit slow on my wifi even though I have a full speed "G" wireless router with DD-WRT and a 20Mb dedicated connection... The Kindle only has so much memory and processing speed, that is why I only use mobile based sites... like m.facebook.com, m.nfl.com, m.weather.com, m.google.com...

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