Mobile data speeds

How mobile networks work

In a 4G LTE-powered IoT solution, speed can be of the essence. You may have noticed that speeds can differ from what you can experience with your mobile phone. This is due to many factors that can impact download and upload speeds. This article will go over what impacts these speeds and what can be done to improve them.

Why mobile speed is important

Having good mobile speeds is important these days. If you have CCTV cameras, having real-time high-quality video is crucial. Slow speeds often lead to unstable connections and poor image quality. Whenever your IoT devices are dealing with high amounts of data, getting that data transferred fast and without interruptions is important as it increases the overall efficiency. In general, technology constantly evolves and requires more memory and data. To keep up with it, internet speed has to increase too.

Mobile speed factors

Multiple factors impact mobile speed, some can be managed and others are limited by the technology itself. To understand these factors, we have to talk about them individually.

Signal strength

Since mobile data travels in a form of radio waves, one of the most important factors is the signal strength your device has with the cellular tower. In cities, where the coverage is usually the best, signal strength is rarely an issue, assuming that other factors such as physical barriers do not interfere with your signal. In more rural areas, it is important to check your connection strength to understand how it could impact your speeds.

Physical barriers

In case your IoT device is in a building or is surrounded by objects, you could be getting slower speeds as these objects obscure your connection. Making sure that your device stays in an open area will increase your connection stability and overall speeds.

Band frequency

The frequency in which the radio waves operate is measured in megahertz (MHz). The higher the frequency, the better the speeds are. When MHz increases, it can carry more data. However, when MHz increases, the radio wavelength decreases, therefore, it becomes harder and harder for it to travel longer distances.

You may or may not know that 5G networks require a lot of antennas close to each other. That is because 5G uses a 3.5 GHz range or even from 28 GHz up to 39GHz. That means that at such frequency even tree leaves can block the signal, therefore, a direct sight of the antenna is needed. Such frequency allows us to transfer a lot of data fast, but at the same time, it is really hard to send such a signal far. Operators usually offer different kinds of bands for the same network technology. When it comes to 4G, it can be within the 700-2600 MHz spectrum. For example, when you are in a building, 2000 MHz frequency can have a hard time penetrating building walls, so your device switches to 700 MHz (assuming your operator offers that and your device supports that). At such a frequency your speed will be slower, but you will have a good signal. It is also the same for rural areas when the signal has a harder time reaching the cellular tower.

Network traffic

Network traffic refers to the amount of data traveling across a network at any time. When your operator or cellular tower experiences a lot of data going through the network, it might get clogged and overall speeds might slow down.

Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done, besides trying another operator in hopes that their infrastructure can withstand the increased traffic demand. If you notice data slowdowns during specific periods, that could indicate that this is the exact issue.

Network adapter

The most important factor of mobile data speeds is the network adapter (also known as Network Interface Controller). This is the hardware that allows both wired and wireless communications. Without it, there would be no ability to communicate with the internet. There are so many different network adapters and each has its specifications. However, what is important is that each adapter has its limitations. If, for example, your network adapter in an IoT device supports only 10 MB speeds, then there is no way to get higher speeds.

It is also important to know which network generation it supports, if it supports only 3G, then 2-3MB is usually the maximum you can reach as it is the 3G limitation.

Limits imposed by the provider

Providers can also limit the speeds you get. If you use up a specific amount of data per month, they can choose to throttle your speeds. Also, if they exceed a specific amount of traffic over their whole network, they can temporarily throttle speeds to prevent any major slowdowns.

Simbase does not throttle or limit your speeds in any way. If you are experiencing slow data, please consider all the factors.

LTE speed classes

4G LTE technology consists of multiple different categories and each category has its speed limits. The category the device has depends on its cellular module.

CAT NB1 (also referred to as NB-IoT) and CAT M1 (also referred to as LTE-M) are both designed for IoT uses.

Then some categories are defined by a number - LTE CAT 1-19. The higher the number, the better the speeds are and the more complex the whole cellular hardware is.

Limits imposed by the provider

Providers can also limit the speeds you get. If you use up a specific amount of data per month, they can choose to throttle your speeds. Also, if they exceed a specific amount of traffic over their whole network, they can temporarily throttle speeds to prevent any major slowdowns.

Simbase does not throttle or limit your speeds in any way. If you are experiencing slow data, please consider all the factors.

LTE speed classes

4G LTE technology consists of multiple different categories and each category has its speed limits. The category the device has depends on its cellular module.

CAT NB1 (also referred to as NB-IoT) and CAT M1 (also referred to as LTE-M) are both designed for IoT uses.

Then some categories are defined by a number - LTE CAT 1-19. The higher the number, the better the speeds are and the more complex the whole cellular hardware is.

Overview of most common speed classes:

*Speed values represent maximum speed in theory, therefore, real-use speeds might be slower.

The speeds are a clear indication for the tech savvy, but let’s clarify what can be expected from the different LTE speed classes and where to use them for.

CAT 1

The speed of CAT 1 is limited and before using a CAT 1 cellular module for your project it is required to understand if it fits. CAT 1 is a lot faster than NB-IoT or LTE-M technologies, but it doesn’t support any power-saving functionalities. The best use case for CAT 1 is continuously powered devices, like IoT gateways to transmit sensor readings. Use-case that requires high speeds to support, for example, streaming video is not well suited for CAT 1 devices.

CAT 4

The speed offered by CAT 4 works well for Machine to Machine (M2M) applications. Usually, it is the routers that offer this category as it is enough for most of the non- complex applications where multiple devices have to be connected within close range. It can be suited for one or two CCTVs and a few other sensors - basically, it is suited for smaller projects.

CAT 6

Category 6 offers industrial applications where fast connection and high data throughput are required. If it is a router, it allows having multiple IoT devices connected to it no matter what the data usage of these devices is. Routers with such a category can have multiple CCTV cameras, different sensors, and access terminals connected without any hassle, whereas CAT 4 could be starting to struggle. This is best suited for companies that have small to medium-sized projects.

LTE speed classes

With the speeds that CAT 12 offers, routers can work like portable servers in a way. Instead of connecting underground cables to each CCTV camera on the street, you can connect multiple cellular switches to one router via the cables and then connect CCTV cameras to these switches. That can create a huge network of devices connected to one point - a router, which then transfers that data wirelessly to where you need it. This is best for smart city applications and big projects.

CAT 6

Category 6 offers industrial applications where fast connection and high data throughput are required. If it is a router, it allows having multiple IoT devices connected to it no matter what the data usage of these devices is. Routers with such a category can have multiple CCTV cameras, different sensors, and access terminals connected without any hassle, whereas CAT 4 could be starting to struggle. This is best suited for companies that have small to medium-sized projects.

CAT 12

With the speeds that CAT 12 offers, routers can work like portable servers in a way. Instead of connecting underground cables to each CCTV camera on the street, you can connect multiple cellular switches to one router via the cables and then connect CCTV cameras to these switches. That can create a huge network of devices connected to one point - a router, which then transfers that data wirelessly to where you need it. This is best for smart city applications and big projects.

Mobile speeds are tricky to predict

There are many variables that impact mobile data speeds. Hardware, band frequency, physical obstacles, network load, signal strength, and many other factors can influence the speeds of your mobile data. It is important to always check your device specifications and have your device positioned in an open environment to eliminate as many of these factors as possible.

Need advice on the right hardware?

The Simbase team has help many customers select the right hardware for their project. To get advice, reach out to our advisors at sales@simbase.com