Most of people using BSNL EVDO Data cards complain of poor speeds, greater fluctuations and lack of connectivity.
While BSNL is definitely best in providing the cheapest wireless internet services, same cannot be said about the quality of BSNL. At times you may get speeds of 2 Mbps while at others you may even struggle to get 50 kbps.
The average speeds achieved through EVDO however remain in the region of about 120- 200 kbps with average download speeds ranging from 8- 25 KBps. Let’s try to understand the reason behind it.
What does BSNL Offer?
BSNL now offers two types of EVDO Data Card, both of them at the same prices.
REV 0: With ZTE EVDO Modem AC8700 and peak speeds upto 2.4Mbps.
REV A: With ZTE EVDO Modem AC8710 and peak speeds upto 3.1 Mbps.
But as a customer you must understand, that these are just peak speeds and not the actual speed that you will be able to achieve. There are three factors that go into determining the speed of a Wireless Internet connection
- Distance from the nearest BSNL BTS (Base Transceiver Station )
- Number of active connections on a Server
- Quality of signals from the BTS
Distance from the nearest BSNL BTS
The speed you get depends on the signal strength which relates inversely with the distance between BTS tower and your modem. In simpler terms as the distance between your house and BTS increases, the signal strength decreases and so does the speed that you are going to get with your EVDO connection.
Speeds are expected to be greater for people using EVDO card within range of 1- 2 km from the BTS. Any increase in distance will decrease the internet usage speed. Further it is not advised to go for a wireless internet option where the distance between the server and modem is more than 4 Km.
Number of Active Connections on a Server
More the number of active connections on a server, the lower will be the usage and download speeds. In simpler terms, if the number of people using EVDO connections in your area is more, the download speed will be lower. This is due to the fact that the available bandwidth on a BTS gets shared among the people connected with that BTS.
Since the number of active connections on a server is more in day time, the speeds delivered during the daytime tend to be on the lower side while the download speed in the night tends to be on higher side.
Quality of Signals from BST
You may be using EVDO connection sitting under a BTS but still receiving very low speeds. The reason behind this is the poor quality of signals transmitted by the server. If this seems to be the case , you can either complain to officials about this matter or wait a few days before this automatically gets sorted out.
Our Advice:
Since buying an EVDO card is not a cheap option , we suggest the following to ensure that you derive maximum satisfaction out of your investment.
1. Avoid wireless internet services if distance between nearest BTS and your usage point is more than 4 kms .
2. Get an EVDO card from relatives or friends for a few days and test all possible aspects . You can also ask BSNL for a demo EVDO card.