3G-Sutra

Ever since I've gotten my hands on the iPhone, it has allowed me to access the web in many locations that I wouldn't normally be able to. And I mean it. I do not have to be stuck at a desk but I can take advantage of the gadget's size and bring it with me during my morning routine on the throne.

However the more I use it, the more I realize that the internet speeds differ at different locations of the house. Naturally, since this uses the phone provider's 3G services, it is akin to getting better phone reception at certain places. Surfing on Safari is a joy because of its almost instantaneous loading times... but if the 3G services are not living up to their billing it can be equally as frustrating as using dial-up.

This led me to do a test to find out the best spot for internet surfing. I had a stopwatch and used Safari to load 3 pages one after another at different locations - Facebook, Soccernet and my blog.

The first most obvious location was the couch on the living room. It took just under 2 minutes to fully load those 3 pages. Not too bad actually. I then moved a few steps away to the dining area and got half that time.

The toilet got a similar time to the living room but the bedroom was the worst with 3min and 20s. There is one thing I observed when I did this test - that in all those areas, 3G services were very intermittent. If it kicked in, the page loaded very fast - and if it didn't then tough luck. When I did the toilet times again I found that it varies quite substantially.

There is one place in the house which excels at this test and posts consistent times of under 1 minute every single time. It is also a place in which there is uninterrupted 3G coverage. I must say I discovered it by accident...

The best spot! - On the railing at the top of the staircase

I don't really know how it started, but it must have been a time when I was waiting for the page to load while I was shuttling between rooms or the toilet and just left it on the railing. Whatever it was, I definitely struck gold!

Well, I've stopped looking for better locations now because it seems that even if the results can beat the 50+ seconds benchmark it would mean having to sacrifice my comfort. What if I get a 30+ second result for this test under the fridge? Or beside the water tank in the roof? Nah... I don't want to find out and then go through settling for second best.