Sprint Overdrive 4G mobile hotspot unboxing and hands-on
By Nilay Patel 
posted January 7th 2010 10:08PM
posted January 7th 2010 10:08PM
posted January 7th 2010 10:08PM
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I guess left over iphone home buttons end up Sprint Overdrive.
@mikerfx
yea cause we all know the iphone is the only device ever to have a black shiny concave button *gasp
@mikerfx
try again it looks like a normal/standard power button to me. Ohhh wait did they patent the power button too?
@mikerfx
You're right! And Nature stole the fruit from Steve Jobs too.
On the subject of WiMax I got here in Raleigh, NC and it was extremely lagerific for gaming as well as just general day to day use. The download and upload speeds were great but the latency was HORRIBLE.
With Time Warner Cable I usually got around 20 ms but with clear I was getting over 70 milliseconds consistently and several times it was 102 and higher.
I might try it later on down the road (maybe May or June) but right now I'm not feeling WiMax and I think it's gonna fail bigtime unless they improve the overall experience. Cuz right now I get the impression that it's not fast at all for cruising the internet...
Still praying for FiOS around here....
@TheRogueFFAngel That's odd. They keep saying that latency is supposed to be much better on WiMax than 3G Ev-Do or HSPA.
In general, the air link just does add a lot of latency.
@TheRogueFFAngel
Wireless cellular internet has a larger latency than wired cable broadband? Who would have thought?!?!
@Nerdtalker
It is much better than EVDO/HSPA- typically latency on those is around 250-300ms.
70ms isn't ideal for gaming, but it is workable depending on the game. I definitely gamed on Quake III back in the day with 150ms. But you're never going to get lower than 50ms with a wireless technology, it's just not possible from a fundamental physics perspective.
@TheRogueFFAngel
I think you are missing the point or rather the niche of this technology. It is not really meant for home use, though you could. It is meant for mobile use.
Current EVDO latency is often around 300ms so 100ms is a huge improvement.
w00... I can't wait to see how the extended testing goes. I would consider changing up my regular internet for one of these.
I want.
Please Clear, bring 4G to Lancaster, PA! You're already close in Philly!
Really??? Why are people excited about these speeds? I hate ATT and they have 7.2 mpbs on their 3g.
Why would anyone choose this when LTE is right around the corner. 1 more mbps over 3g and hardly any coverage from sprint. No thank you.
@cobjones
Probably cuz it's here right now...
I completely agree with you but the problem is that as human beings we hate to wait. I know I have almost no patience when it comes to tech. I HAVE to have it NOW.
So I signed up for WiMax as soon as it was available here. Yet to my disappointment it wasn't even all that great. In fact it was worst than the DSL I got from Road Runner thru TWC...
So I'm gonna wait for LTE or FiOS (whichever ends up out here quickest)....
But the main point is that people want to get faster speeds asap and Sprint is hoping to catch those people right away of course...good strategy but in the long run I don't think it's worth it.
@cobjones - No sir, AT&T does not have 7.2Mb 3G almost anywhere. Sure, the software "switch" has been "flipped", but the actual badwidth isn't there.
And I bet you won't get much, if at all, faster speeds on AT&T then Clear after the bandwidth upgrades are complete.
@cobjones thats theoretical speed, you really think everyone in an area with 7.2 coverage is getting that? wimax devices get 4 mbps in real life (as per this post) but have a theoretical speed of 10mpbs
@solarmoo900 agreed, but the theoretical max throughput on wimax is more like 44Mbps...10 to 12Mbps is the maximum you'll see in a burst. 4 - 6Mbps is the expected actual performance.
@cobjones LTE is right around the corner, and just a software update away for all the existing WiMAX hardware.
No joke. When LTE starts lighting up all around the country, all the Clearwire/WiMAX towers can literally transition over if need be with just a software update. It's been done and proven.
So Sprint and Clearwire still have a pretty sound investment. What's worrisome is that the client hardware likely isn't as robust.
@TheRogueFFAngel
If you want I speed i-net in your house you need to get cableor dsl from any one. I work all the time from a car I go all over the USA and the best thing about 3g or 4g is it works at 70mph. so I what I am saying is do not get a 3g/4g card from att or sprint for your home i-net. But if you need it to work when you are not at the house or office i would get sprint 4g and hope for the best.
Another divice to carry? No thanks.
@cdf74dc9 it is small enough to fit in your shirt pocket.
Where is my wimax PHONE?????
@cracksbacks No such thing as a WiMax phone. WiMax is a data technology so the only phone service you will get is with VoIP. There will be a 3G/4G phone coming soon, I saw it at CES today with the Sprint 3G EVDO Rev A service and Clear's 4G service for data in 4G cities. The phone will also have WiFi and with the 3G/4G service, you will be able to do VoIP on it (I would suppose). The phone is from LG and it looks pretty cool. Can't wait to see it in the real world for sale today to see how it performs.
I wouldn't mind gaming with a 70-100ms ping on wimax. I can play MW2 just fine with a 200-300ms ping as long as it isn't jittery. It has awesome lag compensation.
As for 7.2mbps HSPA, that's the theoretical max, you won't actually get that speed...expect to see 3-5mbps.
Any news for Clear going to San Diego and whether you can get it without a contract?
@wemblers From what I have heard, Clear is coming to San Diego in 2010 and yes, you can get it without a contract if you pay for the modem and a $35 activation fee (waived for 2 year contracts). No credit check for non-contract accounts, either.
there is a typo at the beginning of the second sentence. "If you're used a MiFi..."
Isn't it, "If you've used a MiFi.."?
or
"If you're used to a MiFi.."
Just trying to help out the editors out...
Dear Sprint
WHERE THE HELL are the new phones?
Any word on whether this one allows you to share Wi-Fi to other devices when the Overdrive is connected to your computer via USB? I believe that was always one of the knocks against the Mi-Fi.
I live in Downtown Raleigh and the 4G service is terrible!!! I get much better speeds with AT&T 3G. I have the U300 and cannot get a signal indoors. Occasionally I will get 2 bars which gets about a 1.5mbps download and .3 upload. I work and live right downtown where there is solid coverage so I should have no problem. Everybody else who has gotten them here at the City are reporting the same problem. When I spoke to our Sprint Rep she said that the signal does not travel through walls well. So you have to use outdoors?? Even outside I usually get 3 bars and have never seen speeds over 3mbps. My AT&T card gets about 2mbps download and 500k upload and I usually use that instead.