I'm using a 3G USB stick to connect to the internet, depending on my location the signal strength varies.
So my question is, does signal strength affect throughput and why?
I'm using a 3G USB stick to connect to the internet, depending on my location the signal strength varies.
So my question is, does signal strength affect throughput and why?
Yes and no... (depending on both stick and service)
If you are talking about the difference between five and four bars, you are not very likely to see a difference, however if talking about one and two, it can make a big difference.
The only way to really tell is to use a speed checker or the utility that comes with the 3G card and tell.
Typically on the newer faster sticks (7.2MB) quality can make a big difference. On some of the slower ones (~2MB) I do not see much of a difference from 2-5 bars. Again, it depends on many other factors.
Yes. A weaker signal will result in a lower bandwidth connection, thus negatively affecting throughput.