Ever since I got my Maxis MiFi device and 2 months of free trial for Maxis Wireless Broadband, I had this urge to do a speed test at various locations. There is a reason for that. While I was collecting my device and registering for a data plan at Menara Maxis, I was told that Maxis has upgraded their infrastructure.

Well, I believe it is true. Last year I had a chat with one of my friend who is working in DiGi. That time, DiGi has newly launched their 3G services and my friend told me that DiGi’s 3G services will be better than its competitors (at that point of time). The reason being is, Maxis and Celcom has launched their 3G services much earlier and during that time, the hardwares used will not be as “high-tech” as the hardwares today.

However, my friend also mentioned that Maxis and Celcom are upgrading their network and will soon catch up.

Well, that could also be the reason for me to get a MiFi device and trial internet NOW although Maxis has launched their internet/3G services long time ago.

Ok, that was all about my reason to get the speed test done. My initial plan was to do a speed test in the whole Klang Valley which covers Rawang, Ampang, KL, PJ, Subang, Shah Alam and Klang. Unfortunately, I could only do it around KL area due to time constraints. These are the places that I’ve done a speed test :

1) National Library, Jalan Tun Razak

2) Jalan Pasar, Pudu

3) Berjaya Times Square

4) KLCC

5) Wangsa Walk, Wangsa Maju

6) Carrefour Wangsa Maju

7) Giant Batu Caves

8 ) The Mall, near PWTC

9) KL Sentral

10) Mid Valley Megamall

Overall, I would say that the speed is decent. Well, it is not the best speed but I am very happy with it. Most of the time, the download speed was more than 1Mbps. There were times where the speed was just 200Kbps ++ but that was because I was not able to get a 3G coverage.

Basically my tests were all done using mobile devices. I used an Apple iPad as well as a mobile phone to check on the speed (those gadgets were more easier to carry around compared to a laptop).

Below are the speed test readings that I’ve got. Two servers were chosen, 1 was the local server (left) and the other one was the server from Singapore (right).

 

3:17pm : This was the 1st test that I did, at Perpustakaan Negara, Jalan Tun Razak. Both reading were taken using my iPad because my phone was having some issues with the speed test app.

 

3:42pm : Reading taken from Jalan Pasar, Pudu. At this location, I was not able to get a 3G signal at all. So the tests was done using the EDGE speed, using my iPad as well as my mobile phone.

 

4:02pm : This test was done at another spot along Jalan Pasar, Pudu. The 3G signal was off and on here. The readings above were taken when the signal was quite bad (but still under 3G coverage).

 

4:15pm : This was the speed test result from Berjaya Times Square. Speed is very decent.

 

4:26pm : Speed test result from KLCC. Good speed too.

 

4:48pm : This was around Wangsa Walk area (behind, near the bank). I had a network issue here where it was keep on changing from EDGE – 3G – EDGE. Due to that, I was not able to do a proper speed test.

 

4:54pm : I was not very happy with the previous speed test result at Wangsa Walk. So I decided to redo the speed test at another location. I choose Carrefour Wangsa Maju and that was the speed test result. Good result this time, so I believe that the previous spot was a wrong choice.

 

5:26pm : Speed test result from Giant Batu Caves.

 

5:48pm : Speed test result from The Mall, near PWTC. Decent speed there.

 

6:02pm : Speed test result from KL Sentral.

 

6:13pm : Final speed test at Mid Valley Megamall. Decent speed achieved.

 

Based on the speed tests done, what can I conclude?

1) Most of the time, the speed achieved is very decent. You can happily surf internet, check your emails, download some documents and probably even listen to music e.g. internet radio with that speed.

2) Each time I get a poor speed test result, it will be due to 2 reasons which are :

- poor signal (e.g. 1 bar to 2 bars)

- no proper 3G coverage. The connection always switch from 3G – EDGE – 3G

I see that when the signal is good and the 3G is stable, the speed will usually be higher than 1.5Mbps (download).

 

3) The speed also depends on the device.  I personally feel that the speed from the iPad is quite slow compared to my mobile phone. I even tried switching the server at some locations and it is quite obvious from there. I also did a speed test from my home via my PC and the result is always much better compared to the speed test result from my iPad.

 

4) External factors plays a part too. Sometimes, it depends on which server are you choosing to run a speed test. There was a few rounds where the server from different locations and the results were not good ONLY for tests done using that particular server.

 

Rodger’s opinion regarding Maxis Wireless Broadband – I am very happy with the speed. Well, there is something more than the speed that I am concerned about, which is the consistency and reliability. So far the speed is very consistent in my usual hangout places. I also never had a reliability issue YET. What do I mean by reliable? Previously, I was using another wireless broadband service too. The speed was fantastic but every time I have something urgent to do e.g. office related work or in the midst of preparing a blog post, that is when it will be as slow as turtle. Sometimes it can be quite frustrating when you can’t use the internet when you really need it. So each time I use that other broadband service, I will always have a doubt and fear. So that is all about reliability.

Maxis Wireless Broadband is very reliable SO FAR. I wouldn’t know how will it be in few months time once more people start to use Maxis in my area. Well, hopefully Maxis can maintain their broadband quality.

 

NOTE (important) : Before you sign up for Maxis Wireless Broadband, please ensure that your area has a very good 3G coverage from Maxis. To check Maxis 3G coverage locations, you can check it out from HERE. Hang on, that is not enough. If you already using a Maxis/Hotlink sim and a 3G (HSDPA capable) phone, you can try surfing internet and see if the page loads fast enough. Better still if you connect your phone to the computer (as modem) if possible and try surfing internet via your PC. I know that it may cost you a few bucks but that is much better than subscribing to the monthly plan and end up losing more.

 

Now, if you have already decided to take up Maxis Wireless Broadband plan, what do you need to do? Keep a look for my next blog post. I will be explaining about that. . Meanwhile you can take a look at the links below.

LINK 1 – Maxis Wireless Broadband

LINK 2 – Maxis Data Plan for iPad