Trees!

[Tulbagh]

I have recently upgraded to the Three 5G ZTE offering. In the first month I was getting speeds of between 150mb and 270mb, which I was pleased with. However, in the last couple of weeks the speeds have really decreased (15 - 40mb) and the latency rate is really poor. Signal strength is now showing as -115dmb (I think thats how it is expressed, but I am not very technically minded!) I am at a loss at what could have caused the decrease - the only thing I can think of is that the treess in our garden and on the road are in leaf! Woudl this make a difference? Thanks

 

[Meatball]

Very likely. But there are many other reasons. Best to do a survey using a phone and compare signal strength with the ZTE.

At -115 you are likely to have fallen below a threshold and the network/UE have compensated. You need to get the signal above -100 and see if there is a difference.

A higher position or external antenna.

 

[Tulbagh]

Thanks, Meatball. I will try putting the ZTE in the loft. Unfortunately, my phone is only 4G (good excuse to replace it!) I could cut down the trees in the garden, but not sure the wife would appreciate it!

 

[Lucian]

Thanks, Meatball. I will try putting the ZTE in the loft. Unfortunately, my phone is only 4G (good excuse to replace it!) I could cut down the trees in the garden, but not sure the wife would appreciate it!

Try to gain a bit of height, see if it improves things, even if it's temporarily, just to rule things out.

 

[Tulbagh]

Thanks, Lucian. Will do. On another matter (maybe I should start a new thread), but is latency as important as downoad speeds? Or does it only matter when playing games?

 

[Lucian]

Latency eventually affects everything, not only games, but it depends.
Up to 80-100ms you can get away with it while doing usual stuff like browsing or maybe even video calls, but you will notice it, things will not be "snappy".
Packet loss is another very important factor which goes hand in hand with that.

 

[Tulbagh]

Thanks again, Lucian. Need to try and improve that too!

 

[Norfolk&Signal]

Trees with heavy foliage can cause issues with mobile network signall and Satellite TV reception. This is especially the case in the summer months after rain. Many (competent) Sky TV installers won't install a dish where the dish requires aligning in the direction of trees close by.
This is especially a problem in bungalows and caravans etc where you might not have the height to clear the trees with the antenna