G3 vs Wifi

[Nate5176]

I just got my phone last night.... pretty bummed it didn't come with a user manual, however they do offer them free on the support site. I've been reading up on everyone's reviews, threads, youtube vids etc... and they've all been helpful... MY question is, and you'll immediately see how naive I am, is.. what the hell is G3? IS IT Wifi?
And from what I understand, you don't need to be running off WIFI to surf the market, or browser etc.. so, someone tell me why is having WiFi on the Droid... beneficial..?

 

[LifeIsABeach]

G3 is Verizon's network. You can use it to browse, facebook, etc. WiFi is your home network, WiFi hotspot, etc. In general WiFi is much faster than G3. WiFi will also allow you to make a call and surf the web at the same time while G3 does not. The one downside to WiFi is it sucks up the battery.

You can download the Droid user manual here:

http://www.motorola.com/staticfiles/...000202474a.pdf

 

[Nate5176]

Ahhh.. that clears it up. GREATLY appreciated, so I'm assuming if I were to use wifi on the Droid.. unless I new a password for a secured network... it would have to be unsecured (whether in my neighborhood.. or at a Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, etc etc)?
I noticed where you could download that manual, I elected to get a hard copy, since it was completely free.
Concerning the battery life, you mentioned the wifi really pulls a number on the battery life... does it zap the battery life quickly?

 

[briankeith513]

LOL, ok, let me clear this up for both of you guys. It's 3G...not G3, and it stands for 3rd Generation. CDMA carriers such as Verizon, Sprint, Alltel, US Cellular, Metro PCS use EVDO for their 3G networks. GSM carriers like Tmobile and ATT use HSDPA. On Verizon phones, when you are accessing the 3G network, you will either see EVDO, or 3G which is the same thing for Verizon.

Wifi, on the other hand, has the ability, and is usually faster than any carrier's 3G network. So when you use wifi, you are not currently using Verizon's data. The downside of wifi, is that it is not even close to being as widespread as Verizon's 3G network, plus it drains more battery life.

An example would be if you had Comcast, or Roadrunner, or any dsl for your home internet. You can use wifi on your Droid to access your home internet and get faster speeds. Hope this helps.

 

[jasonb]

I really don't believe wifi drains the battery any quicker than using 3G. Some people even think it uses less battery then 3G. Unless somebody can prove that wifi kills the battery faster I don't believe it.

 

[vinnard]

I really don't believe wifi drains the battery any quicker than using 3G. Some people even think it uses less battery then 3G. Unless somebody can prove that wifi kills the battery faster I don't believe it.

Ya, that's what I though. I always read that using wifi uses far less battery than 3g.

 

[aaf709]

As I understand, the Droid has 4 radios...Cell, Wifi, BT and GPS. It seems to me that running the Wifi radio would consume power. Take a look at Wi-Fi Power - How Does Wi-Fi Use Affect Computer Battery Life and Power Needs? with some information.

When I was at Borders using their free wifi, it seemed to be crippled, compared to the secure one we have at work. At work I can run speed test, but at Borders it couldn't even find any servers. Of course Shop Savy couldn't connect either. All worked when I turned Wifi off and went to 3G.

 

[vinnard]

You're comparing running wifi to not running wifi. Not running wifi to running 3g.

 

[Tillers_Rule]

I just tested out the WiFi capabilties of the phone at my house. Pretty slick indeed!

 

[Nate5176]

Thanks for the discussion peoples.. I haven't tried using wifi on my phone yet.. but I will tomorrow.. If you connect to a WiFi network, does your 3G automatically cut off? I suppose, the only advantage of connect to WIFI would be it's faster....?

 

[vinnard]

Faster and I'm almost certain it uses less battery.

 

[jasonb]

Faster and I'm almost certain it uses less battery.

Yes. Wifi definitely has the capability to be waaaaaay faster than 3G. The fastest you'll ever see on 3G is around 2Mbps or so. If you have high speed internet you could easily get speeds over 5 times faster than 3G on a good day. I use wifi on my droid whenever I am home and will also search for wifi occasionaly when I am out. You may be surprised how many local businesses have unsecured wifi that you can connect too.

 

[aaf709]

Thanks for the discussion peoples.. I haven't tried using wifi on my phone yet.. but I will tomorrow.. If you connect to a WiFi network, does your 3G automatically cut off? I suppose, the only advantage of connect to WIFI would be it's faster....?

Yes, it cuts off, but generally you'll have an announcement first that wifi is available. It then remembers that place and the change will be automatic.

 

[TimChgo9]

I just love the flexibility of being able to do WiFi or 3G. When I am at home, since I have set the Droid up on my home network, it automatically connects to my wireless home network. As soon as I walk out the door, and get beyond my driveway, it switches back to 3G. I have my mom's and my sister's wireless ID's set up in the phone as well. It's pretty seamless. Walk in to mom's and it picks up her network, and connects, leave, and it's back to 3G, get home, and it reconnects to my home network. It doesn't however, automatically connect to the WiFi at McDonalds, or Borders.... which is strange.

 

[dylanthecat]

I just tested, and got 2020 kbps download on 3G, and 6550 on WIFI. Sitting on my couch. I have not noticed a difference in battery with WIFI on or off. I have had it on for the last 2 weeks. Connects at my office during the day and then at home at night.