Do you have 4G? - Need some data please

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Tttait

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 21, 2017
Messages
79
I recently had my onstar/4G unit replaced under the extended warranty, even though it works its still painfully slow.

To check my connection speed I have downloaded the SpeedTest app from ookla (Apple and Android available) and I log into my wifi with the car running but parked. I run the program and it gives me an upload and download speed via the 4G modem in the car. Then I turn the wifi off and let my phone talk directly to she cell towers and run it again.

Bacause my cell phone is ATT, both devices are accessing the same network, in theory even the same cell tower. My readings should be similar, or the 4G in the car should be faster because of better signal strength (external antenna).

In every case the cell phone directly to ATT is at least 10 times faster than using my 4G. Often its 50 - 70 times faster. Before you ask, yes I've tested that the wifi in my phone is not a problem. On all other networks I get great performance via wifi on my phone, often 300mbps.

Typical for Glendale California I get download speeds of 2mbps from the cars 4G, and 100-150mbps using my phone directly to the tower, with wifi off.

Chevy and Onstar are vague about what kind of speeds I should be getting, but 2mbps is terrible by any measure. I'm wondering if there is a problem with the antenna feed from the onstar unit, cutting my signal and therefor my throughput.

It would be great if anyone here who subscribes to 4G LTE in any of their GM products could to a test for me and gather some additional data.

If you could, please post:
Date and time
General Location
Download speed via wifi and GM 4G
Download speed direct to your cellphone network with wifi off
Who your cell phone carrier is
Any other relevant observation

for Example:
5/28/19 13:00hrs
Glendale CA
2.2mpps via onstar 4G
147mpps via ATT 4G
(the signal provider for Onstar 4G is reported as Zaya, not ATT)


From the time it takes to download and install the app till getting final results only takes 2 or 3 minutes, and Ookla is the same comp[any that runs Speedtest.net - very reputable. If we can get some benchmarks as to how the GM 4G compares to a basic cell phone, it would help me get action from GM in fixing the problem.

Please help.

Tom
 
I have thought my Onstar WiFi was malfunctioning, especially now that I have returned to driving Uber again, and had Chevy repair look at it last week.

They claimed it tested out perfectly and would not swap out the board, as another poster on this forum reported had done for him.

I then downloaded your suggested app and obtained the following results:

Valley Village, CA; Inside my garage
June 3, 2019 12:30pm PDT
Download Speed: Onstar (Zayo) - 6.41
Upload Speed: Onstar (Zayo) - 2.64
Download: T-Mobile - 2.30
Upload: T-Mobile 2.96

For comparison, when my iPhone is connected to my home Spectrum WiFi, using the same app:

Download - 41.1
Upload: 9.69
 
Appreciate you testing it - that's as fast as my onstar ever gets, Ususally when its above 3 or 4 mbps, my apps (usually Waze and NPR or Pandora) have enough bandwidth.

That t-mobile speed is pretty awful - hope its usually better than that.

Anybody else willing to check?
 
Maybe T-Mobile is degraded in my garage. Here are the results from my living room for T-Mobile:

Download - 17.6

Upload: 7.57
 
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