Ron Jorgensen

Is it possible to connect to SL using a 4G data network?

I'm thinking of getting one of these USB 4G internet data devices:

AT&T USBConnect Force 4G AT&T USBConnect Force 4G* - Cell Phone Accessories - from AT&T

Virgin Mobile 3G/4G USB Device
U600 3G/4G USB Stick Mobile Broadband Device | Virgin Mobile

... for use with my MacBook Pro. They are attractive to me as they would give me the flexibility to connect when a wireless hotspot is not convenient. But I'm not sure what kind of performance hit I should expect from them.

I know LL recommends against it, but I currently I connect to SL using my MacBook Pro on Wireless internet connections. My usual connections speeds are:

Download 2.86 Mb/s Upload 0.95 Mb/s Ping 36 - 60 ms

I'm not certain but from what little I can glean from reading about 4G networks, I might be able to get half or better of those speeds on a 4GT network.

Years ago I used a tether from my Verizon Motorola cell phone to connect to SL with my notebook. It was lousy for exploring, as things rezzed too slow. But it was fine for teleporting to one location and staying there while dancing or talking with friends. That was before 3G or 4G existed, so I'm thinking they should be even better.

Does anyone have any experience with this. Is it feasible? Also does anyone recommend Virgin Mobile over AT&T or another carrier?

Adeon Writer

Nothing will stop it from working assuming you don't have a monthly bandwidth cap, but it will be grey/sculptyball most of the time and you'll be walking in molasses/getting extreme rubberbanding...

If you're just looking for a connection, you'll be fine. There are things you can do to minimize the unneeded traffic like disabling textures, voice, music streams, attachments, and keeping cache size very large (to avoid resenting data)

But if you're looking for a normal SL experience I'd recommend against it, and if you have a monthly bandwidth cap, it's a no-go, you'll use up your month in a less than an hour even without textures.

Drew Faintree

I have unlimited data plan & have had 4G since last year. Most of the time I can have a normal SL experience with that arrangement. I use Sprint. I have no experience with any other service.

It isn't the best, just normal. It is sometimes hard to tell if issues are caused by SL messing up, or caused by using 4G.

I do have a lot more trouble in crowds than I did before. Mostly crowds of 25+

Then again, sometimes I have no trouble in a packed sim, dancing, changing clothes, etc. Next day I go to an empty of people sim to explore and can't move from the lag.

Ramen Jedburgh

I would be more concerned with anyata caps. If it caps at like 3 GB, I think SL would blow right through that.

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Ron Jorgensen

Thanks, its great to hear from someone who is actually using a 4G connection. Since I have used a slower tethered connection on occasion I do understand the limitations, and I'm aware of how quickly SL can use up a 5GB data limit. So I'm looking at the plan limitations very closely.

I have had sailboats for years, and the tethered phone data connection allowed me to saill all over the large lake my boat was on and still connect with my SL partner for dates, even while anchored out in a cove or camping in a romantic spot. I'm looking to regain some of that freedom again, in spite of the limitations.

Inhandra

I've also tethered my phone to a laptop for the sole purpose of SL on a trip. I, too, have Sprint (unlimited) and 4G. It is not as fast as the home FiOS, but it serves the purpose quite well.

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Eunoli Rain

What they said about Sprint. There's also a few free tethering apps that are great.

Ron Jorgensen

Thank you both, I will look into what Sprint offers in this area.

Ron Jorgensen

Wow!!! I'm impressed with 4G speeds. I finally settled on Virgin Mobile as having the best deal in my city, with great coverage here and unlimited 4G usage, so I bought one.

Using Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test I tested my home wireless connection as well as the Virgin Mobile connection speeds and these are the results.

Home wireless via AT&T
Download 2.86 Mb/s Upload 0.86-0.95 Mb/s Ping 33-36 ms

Virgin Mobil 3G:
Download 1.16 Mb/s, Upload, 0.31 Mb/s Ping, 281 ms

Virgin Mobil 4G:
Download 10.02 Mb/s, Upload, 1.28 Mb/s Ping, 270 ms

I had never imagined that the 4G data speeds would be better then my home wireless connection. Downloading it is 3.5 times faster!!! Amazing. I could give up my AT&T Wireless service at home and have a faster connection for less money.

I went with Virgin Mobile because I got a better deal than AT&T or Sprint offered and they use the Sprint network which has great coverage in Austin. No data plan is required, its prepaid. I costs me only $35/month for 2 GB of 3G service and Unlimited 4G service, with no contract and no commitment, I can change the plan anytime I want. Buy what I need any particular month or nothing if I am not using it.

I never expected 4G to be so impressive. It runs Second Life better then my AT&T wireless home network.

bladyblue

I was thinking I was getting ripped off bundling. I have Cablevision for Internet, phone and TV. That's $220 a month. I looked at http://m.clear.com for Internet (Unlimited* service for home. No Preset Speed Cap; upload up to 1.0 Mbps. No Activation fee) for $50 a month.

Then Basic Broadcast Cable for $16.00 a month.

Then use magicJack for the phone. That's a one-time $40 fee and then FREE phone calls within the United States.

And then $7.99 a month for Netflix.

That would be a total of $74.00 a month instead of $220 a month. I'm glad to hear that 4G is a workable solution.

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Ron Jorgensen

I will be traveling to an area which does not have 4G available, and I was wondering how badly SL would run on a 3G network. So I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised to find that it ran just fine. Objects, avatars and textures rezzed fine in sim with only a couple of avatars around. Keyboard response time was a little laggy, which was only a problem if I tried to move around quickly. If I took my time it was fine.

Using up your band width could be a problem. I used about 100 MB for 72 minutes in SL. So my 2 GB of of bandwidth is good for about 20 similar sessions or 1440 minutes, or 24 hours of SL use. That is pretty good I think. I do have the option of paying more to get 5 GB of bandwidth for the month. But I probably won't need it. Fortunatly Virgin Mobile plan is pay as you go so if I accidentally go over my limit, it shuts me off rather then running up a big bill.

Cincia Singh

Those ping times on the Virgin 3&4G are going to be most of your lag in SL. High ping times sucketh royally.

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Ron Jorgensen

Yes, I'm not recommending it for regular use, but as a means of connecting occasionally when traveling or away from home its a surprisingly viable option.

Ron Jorgensen

FWIW: My AT&T plan for cable TV, Phone and Internet is only $164/month. No cap on internet usage yet.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1661329396.png
Download 2.86 Mb/s Upload 0.86-0.95 Mb/s Ping 33-36 ms

Ramen Jedburgh

I think there are data caps on AT&T Uverse internet but unlike cellular data, its not a rediculously low amount. I am talking something on the order of 150gb a month.

Bartholomew Gallacher

The problem with 4G is actually as with all wireless networks this: if you are the only one using the bandwidth of the cell at the same time, then you are lucky.

If you are one of one hundred or maybe more at the same time with only a few people trying to watch Youtube, then you are not.

So enjoy it as long as it lasts in your home like this...