The feature I most looked forward to with IOS 4.x was the personal hotspot. Great, I could ditch the T-Stick and finally get to use a chunk of the 3Gb per month Vodafone gives me on my iPhone plan. The hotspot works a treat but, and it is a mighty big but, the data speed when tethering is painfully slow. Dialup slow. Even slower some days. Unusabley slow. For a while I thought it was my phone, or the latest point release of IOS or my PC or my Mac, or the way I was holding my phone so I kept using the T-Stick hoping the tethering would come right sometime soon.
Six months on it is no better, in fact I think it’s worse.
(iPhone tethering on Vodfone)
Why so poor?
The data speeds on the phone itself are fine – not brilliant but good enough.
(native iPhone on Vodafone / Pocket Wifi on Vodafone is similar)
If take the sim out and put it into a Pocket Wifi (AUD $79 from dicksmith.com.au sometimes on special at AUD $39 and unlocked courtesy of www.zibri.org for approx NZD $25) then connect to its wifi network I get the about the same speed as the phone gets. Entirely adequate for working on the road.
If I put the T-Stick’s XT sim in the phone (set the data and tethering apn to internet.telecom.co.nz) and tether to the personal hotspot then I get T-Stick speeds out of it. Not flash but good enough.
(iPhone tethering on XT)
So what can we deduce from that lot?
The problem is with the Vodafone network. The official carrier for the iPhone in NZ can’t or won’t provide useable tethering for the iPhone, the unofficial carrier can and does. Actually this shouldn’t be a surprise, it was only with the quad band iPhone 4 that iPhone users could get any sort of 3G coverage outside of a handful of main centres with Vodafone. The iPhone 3s do get excellent coverage on the XT network but thats another story.
Can’t or won’t?
The conspiracy theorist in me says won’t but from the Vodafone forums it looks like can’t is the reason.
Just an old network with old software that is in the process of being upgraded. The latest update on the forum (as at 7 August 2011) is that it will be fixed for the Rugby World Cup. Don’t count on it.
Me – well my plan with Vodafone is up in December. If the problem is fixed and I can keep my 3Gb of data per month without signing up for another two years then I may stay with Vodafone. If not then it is XT4ME.
I’m glad to have come across this because I thought it was just me until I tried disabling personal hotspot and my phone started working again. I’m very upset dealing with vodafone especially their prima donna it’s not me it’s just you attitude staff.
I’m terminating my contract when the data cap plan is over. Quite frankly is pointless having 3GB when users are getting dialup speeds anyway
Is it a coincidence that Vodafone intend to axe the 3Gb plans about the same time they say they will fix the slow tethering?
This feature requires multi RAB to be activated on the network side, The issue is not with the iPhone, Its called Multi RAB
Yes that’s my understanding too. NZ’s official iPhone carrier has a network that doesn’t actually support the iPhone all that well. Other phones tether ok on Vodafone as they don’t use Multi RAB.
Well RWC has been and halfway gone and while there is some progress in the Jafa area but still no word on other regions. Certain responses from individuals over the phone and official forums have been the ‘prima donna’ attitude towards the situation ranging from ‘live with it’ to ‘it’s not us, its you’ and ‘tell it to someone who cares’. But hang on, I bought the phone directly from Vodafone. We don’t want to be treated just like a transaction. It appears they can’t be bothered resolving the situation anytime soon.
Have vodem and had problem with vodafone tower 1 sector 3g (asume extended 900Mhz) maxed out in Marton since aug-dec2011, prior to this workled ok and still works ok in the other 2/3 sectors. Will work on GPRS 2g but painfully slow. The vodafone tower upgrade will be some time so have now got XT prepaid stick and works ok in Marton, but marginal in another area where vodem works. Problem: vodafone lite and telecom connect software don’t seem to be compatible if loaded on same computer so have to use one only and uninstall and reinstall other to use opther stick, painfull!
Question: With your vodafone hotspot R201 will the XT data sim work? I looked at telecom myzone wifi but appears dosn’t have vodafone 3g extended 900Mhz. Another option to use both telecom and vodafone carriers was to tether but this also looks bad with vodafone as above.
No I’m pretty sure it won’t work with the XT SIM, I tried a coule of times with no success. Telecom do sell something similar I think it is a Netcomm device. Or you could get a cheap Android phone with wifi and use the Android personal hotspot, It seems to work well.