QUOTE
After watching the video and browsing some random web sites, I asked the tech to load Speedtest.net. While Speedtest.net has its limitations, it had the advantage of being easily accessible. It's also one of the tools I used to benchmark and evaluate Verizon's EV-DO service over the summer. The results were impressive. The first time we ran the test, we got 2425Kbps down and 1474Kbps up with a 99ms ping, with the S.S. Summer of George cruising down the river 30 feet below street level. We hit Speedtest again after the boat tied up, and the results were even better: 3229Kbps down and 1500Kbps up with a 70ms ping.
Both the performance and experience were far superior to Verizon's EV-DO service. The absolute best I was able to squeeze out of EV-DO was 1253Kbps/674Kbps with a 179ms latency—and that was a best-case scenario. Speeds were more typically in the 500-700Kbps range.
Speed aside, the browsing experience was much different than any other mobile broadband I've used. Unlike other wireless services, which feel "laggy" and offer a markedly different experience than a wired connection, the WiMAX demo was more akin to DSL and cable. Latency was good, and, as the Speedtest.net number indicated, speeds were comparable to a decent DSL connection.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070...cago-river.html
