data speed from awesome to unusable

docthrock
Novice

There is only one cell tower about 1 mile from my home. Some days I get 30 mbps inside my house, and sometimes for days I get .3 mbps or less. I get three bars inside my house and never any problems with voice or text. When I have this issue, I take my iPhone X toward, around, and right up to the tower and the problem does not improve when my speed is bad. I've put the sim in 3 compatible devices without change. My AT&T iPad and my Tmobile iPhone X both get awesome continuous data speed, from 30 to 130 mbps. Both are on the same tower as confirmed with cellmapper, no other towers closes than 7 miles. I realize there are different systems. Is that the quality difference? I've contacted Visible several times and they keep telling me it's my location. After considerable repeated troubleshooting with technicians and engineers through the chat system, I'm very frustrated and about to dump Visible. I really like the plan and the price, but so far, I can't consistently use Visible as a reliable hotspot. Can anyone explain these wild fluctuations in speed, even when getting within visible line of sight to the tower? 

3 REPLIES 3

Airwolf
Superuser
Superuser

Sounds like you are experiencing data prioritization.  This is probably due to either the limited number of towers in your area relative to the amount of people using the capacity of the tower, or you live in a populated area.  

 

Unfortunately there is not much you can do about it if this is what you are experiencing. That is a trade off for the price, you are subject to data prioritization.  The top tier plans, you mentioned, cost more, and are higher up the priority list when it comes to data.

If a post has solved your problem, please mark it as an acceptable solution, it helps others that may have experienced a similar issue get a quick resolution.

kingkd
Novice II

I am a new customer having similar issues, only get 2 bars though inside, but sometimes i can stream netflix just fine, and other times it won't work at all to connect or is super slow to check email. I bought n expensive new iphone SE from Visible because I was told it was due to the fact that I was using an older iphone 6, but honestly I see no change with the $300 phone, and now I'm wondering if I should just cancel service altogether ... I've read that Verizon customers get better service due to prioritization, can anyone explain this more, my everyday phone is on verizon and i have no signal issues, is there a way to merge the accounts?

I have also read contradicting info about whether a cell phone booster or wifi router could help boost the signal and improve speeds ... dont want to waste another $300 just to have it not work ...