Crazily inconsistent 3G/4G speeds

[MarkS]

My speeds are driving me cracked - today alone I got speed tests varying from 50mb + to 0.1mb

While this might be an extreme example the effect is the same - sometimes I’ve say 5-20mb and then for no obvious reason it’ll drop below 1mb - then back and forth for the day.

Lower speeds are more common than higher.

I’m using an iPhone XR or 7 if that makes any difference

[Three_Laur]

@MarkS Hi there and welcome to 3Community. It's not ideal when your speeds are varying a lot. Tell me, does this happen in all areas or just one? Have you noticed this just recently or has it been ongoing for a while? The more info I have the better 👍 Also, if you haven't already, be sure to check out the tips and tricks over on All about: Phone Coverage 

[MarkS]

Hi

I really only check at home, because it doesn't bother me much elsewhere
and to be honest I can't really go anywhere else anyway.

This has been ongoing all over lockdown - before lockdown I could only get
3G at home.

The levels pretty much vary EVERY day = there is a no day that I will
consistently have the same speed. And quite often I can be reading 4G on
my phone and get less than 1mb.

Yesterday it tipped up to a record of nearly 90mb and then below 1mb a
short while later.

I have used my SIM in different phones, so that is not the problem.

Mark

[Three_Laur]

@MarkS Thanks for getting back to me. Let me know your general area and I'll check for alarms on the masts in your vicinity. Also, how old is your SIM card? It may need updating and that can be done free of charge by popping over here 👉 click here 

[MeathB]

I am having the exact same issue, using a three router, my laptop, a cat 5 cable directly into the router and a perfect clear view of your cell tower out of my window. From 40mbps to 0.1mb on both my router and phone. 

[MarkS]

HI

I am close to this Garage E45 V228

I have no idea how old my SIM card is - how do I find that out?

My son also have another Pay as Go SIM at the same Address, with the same
issues and that is maybe a year old.

[Three_Laur]

@MarkS I've taken a look and there is an alarm on a mast near you that may be affecting your speeds, I'm linking in with our tech team about this and will let you know as soon as I have news. In the meantime, have you tried changing to '3G only' in your settings? Does that make any difference? Regarding your SIM, there's no harm in updating it if you can't remember how old it is, use the link above to order a new one 👍

@MeathB Hi there, tell me, are you in the same area as @MarkS based on the Eircode above? Let me know and we'll go from there 👌

[MeathB]

I'm not in the same area, I'll send a pm with my eircode, thanks

[MarkS]

Thanks, but unless that alarm has been going off unnoticed for the last 10
months it is unlikely to be the problem.

[Three_Laur]

@MeathB Thanks, I see your PM and have popped back to you requesting your account details.

@MarkS Can you do the same? Pop me a PM with your phone number, full name, address and date of birth. Once I have these details I can access your account and your connections 👍