A few weeks ago a reader emailed me a screenshot of a speedtest he ran on his Ooredoo 4G+ connection. His result? A download speed of 141Mbps and an upload speed of 40Mbps. I was pretty surprised at the result, I knew 4G+ was a lot faster than regular 4G but didn’t think it would be this dramatic. So I got in touch with my contact at Ooredoo and asked them for a test unit so I could try it out myself.
As I’ve mentioned before, I live in an old building in Salmiya where the max DSL speed I can get ranges from 1Mbps to 2Mbps. Luckily I have WiMD which works much better than DSL at my place, I’ve got a 10Mbps connection which I’ve been happily abusing for the past three years.
Since I had both connections at home I figured I’d run speedtests on both and compare the results.
Kuwait Server – Ooredoo (Left) vs WiMD (Right)
American Server – Ooredoo (Left) vs WiMD (Right)
Although I didn’t get anything close to 141Mbps I was still pretty impressed I got a speed faster than my WiMD connection since I didn’t think I had a faster option where I lived. Not only that but the ping speed was considerably lower with Ooredoo which means it would be better for when I’m playing games online. The difference in the upload speed was even more dramatic with the Ooredoo connection being 13 times faster when connected to the US server.
Cost wise, a 10Mbps WiMD connection with a 200GB monthly download cap would set you back KD310 a year. A one year 4G+ Ooredoo connection with a 300GB download cap would set you back just KD132 (even cheaper if you commit).
Since the connection speed of the Ooredoo varies depending on the area, signal strength and time of day, I’m going to continue to use it for the next couple of weeks in different locations around the house and also different places around Kuwait. I’ll then share the results here in a different post. I’m also curious to know how consistent the Ooredoo connection will be. Even though my WiMD connection is slower, it’s been fairly consistent for the past 3 years and I like that.
If you have a Ooredoo 4G+ device and are getting faster speeds, let me know below what speeds you’re getting and in what area you’re in.
54 replies on “Ooredoo 4G+ vs WiMD – Part 1”
Mark, are you able to change the dns settings in such devices ? I was playing around with the Zain routers and found that the adjustment settings weren’t available. I believe you cannot change on 4g routers.
I’ll check this and let u know once I’m home
You can buy a D-Link router in Hawally that takes sim cards. I did that a couple of months ago, works fine. Only issue I have is that I live in an area Zain insists is a “dead zone”, causing me inconsistent speeds (which is why I bought the D-Link). They say I’m exactly between 2 different towers, causing the Zain router to keep hopping between them, giving me horrible pings and lower than normal speeds.
You can actually get an external directional 4G antenna, hook it up to your router and direct it towards the closest tower – this will help a lot, and I have personally done it in the past. More useful info here:
https://www.solwise.co.uk/4g-lte-antenna-considerations.html
Thanks, was there a specific Antennae you used? I’m assuming they won’t be universal and work with every router? And did you order it online, or find it locally?
This was the router I purchased: https://www.dlink.com/uk/en/home-solutions/work/personal-hotspots/dwr-921-4g-lte-router
Generally you cant change the DNS on these routers, you either change the DNS per device if possible (even on some devices you will not be able to change the DNS), or get another router and connect it to the 4G router. Then let your devices connect to the standard router in which you will be able to change the DNS.
The issue with the mobile connections I’ve seen is they’re really fast and reliable until they get popular :/
I’ve had a Zain mobile connection for more than a year and it still works as well as it did when I first got it. I’ve been impressed with its consistency.
Consider yourself lucky because thats not what happened with me, been on zain since the max cap was 300gb and it was fine until they announced the 20kd 1tb package, now I barely break 10mbps in my area.
Same here, my average speed is still about around 20 mbps (I live in Salwa)
I live in Salwa and I barely get 5mbps at night! during day time I do not face any problems though.
Guys,
I live in Abu Hassania and Zain has been slow as hell..at night i get less than 1mbps..Any tips?
Anybody using it in Jabriya? Whats the speed like?
Viva and Ooredoo are the shittiest internet connections, in that order. I think Zain is way better (Speaking from personal experience of using all three in various areas+ feedback from others)
all telco are crap here but zain is the best one of them in total service this is from personal experience they are the better one from all 3 in all aspect i still wish they improve them self
If im able to change dns then it wouls be amazing since i use dns provider for netflix and hulu
Even if u can’t change the DNS on the router u can still change it on the Apple TV or whatever other device you’re using
I tried connecting up my Apple TV to a hotspot and configuring the Apple TV internal dns – but it won’t work. Any tips on that ?
I’m desperate to get off of the shitty Qualitynet service.
No idea with my apple tv i just changed the dns and it started working
overplay dns has settings for huawei routers which is what Zain uses, and i think ooredoo and viva use it too. I set up the dans for my cousin who has a zain router at home and it worked fine. However it’s important to note his router is about 2 years old I think so I don’t know if the new ones have changed in regards to that
I have a plain Ooredoo 4G ( minus š ) router and I just measured 14.7 Mbit download and 22.4 Mbit upload speed. I am in sparsely populated area though, but based on these number it seems that 4G+ offers no benefit in Salmiya compared to 4G.
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Hi mark..take your 4g+ capable phone to avenues phase 3 or old souq.. thats where I ran the test that I sent you.. I get 100+ mbps consistently any time of day since I live near to the mall
here : https://imgur.com/HO1661B
I have a router so doesn’t make sense to take it and plug it in at avenues
thats why I said phone huehue. you can take the sim out.. also quick tip if youre at home, login to router and change connection setting to 4g only from auto which is default. They also have a 4g+ pocket routet for those who spend a lot of time outside. best of luck
I got 111Mbps down or 16MB/s in IKEA at the seats near the men’s bathroom.
thst = that
don’t approve this comment š
Rekt
Welcome back. Hope you had a great time in Amsterdam. I’m heading there in 2 days and wanted to know if the security situation is spoiling the mood or fun?
On topic: Zain LTE-A has been amazing (with the exception of a week earlier this month due to an external failure). You should also try Zain in your house, you might get considerably better speeds. In Mangaf I get anywhere between 40Mbps and 70Mbps to NewYork servers.
There is no security situation in Amsterdam. Everything was normal.
Great!
is there a limitation on no. of users connected to the device?
No.
Wifi is not secure, I had my banking information stolen when i was in starbucks one day. Since then I’ve been using arcvpn to secure all my connections.
No… If you connect using your own router and not a wifi from a public place you would be fine, but keep in mind even your own router is not secure if you don’t place a password
I am getting above 25mbps in salwa block 6
Has anyone tested the speed in the Mahboula area? My WIMD is about to expire in like two days and I would love to know how it works over here. Can anyone help me out?
The only issue I have with Ooredoo is that their network is not stable. There are constant issues with reliablity, signal strength and then consequently speed.
I have been with ooredoo since before the days they added the extra digits; and ever since they shifted from wataniya to ooredoo, the network quality has taken a nose dive.
The other issue I have with ooredoo is that you cannot get their 4G+ service on voice lines; it is restricted to their internet devices only.
So, I shifted to Viva; better, but not by much. Their online self-service is okay, ooredoo hasn’t updated theirs since the days of Wataniya, and its still the same old same old. Network quality is better than ooredoo, but not by much. I had some dropped calls and echoes on the line.
As far as I know, Zain is the only one offering LTE-A (4G+ and LTE-A are the same thing) on normal voice lines.
Zain and Viva are the only two providers approved for LTE-A on the iPhone 6S (one of the few devices supporting LTE-A in the market – the other is the Note 5/S6).
For the best possible experience (not just a simple burst of speed); get a Zain SIM and combine it with the iPhone 6S (or 6S Plus).
As Apple only lists those providers that pass their guidelines for quality on the iPhone, you are guaranteed that you will get the best possible experience if the provider is listed officially by Apple as supporting LTE-A.
The list is available here: https://www.apple.com/iphone/lte
i just picked it up today, since my building copper line degraded my 4 MBps dsl to a lousy 1 MB. im in Block 9 salmiya, near your home mark. i get bout 12 to 15 MBPS download and about 18 to 24 MBPS uplink. though its not near the 150 mbps. im ok with it , im thinking of hooking it up with some external antennas and see if it improves further.
Check this:
https://www.instagram.com/p/-o7sJnr0X0/
He’s connecting to Bayan; you’ll get the same thing if you do a ping test against a server in Kuwait.
Here is my result, to Kaifan, on Zain using their old, non LTE-A router (so, slower speed):
https://www.speedtest.net/result/4874406495.png
I have ooredoo connection, but the speed is not good. They have network congestion specially in the salmiya block 10, which was not fixed since very long time. It is always better to choose the Zain for internet better than any other providers in Kuwait. Zain is stable, faster and now its is reliable.
Can you please share your speedtest result?
IT works very well in Bneid AL Qar and Yarmouk.
It will give you speed like 100 Mbps.
Hey, I live in Bneid AlGar and just a few days ago got the 4G+ Pocket Router.
Sitting in my bedroom I ran the speed test connecting it to my Iphone 6 through Wifi & got considerably slower speeds than what I got running a speed test with my regular LTE Phone line connection.
If the 4g+ connectivity isn’t available in the area i’m checking, I understand. But the least i expect is that it gets a better speed rating than a standard LTE connection from my phone. No? It should’t be slower than an LTE just because the area i’m checking in doesn’t support the 4G+ service?
3 days in, i’m starting to feel this is a big scam. Hope it improves.
What works very well? Zain or Ooredoo?
I stay in Bneid Al Gar too. I hardly see more than 2-3 bars on LTE on both iPhone 5 and Nexus 6P on Zain. I switched to 3G/3.5G and its even worse. Dropped calls et al.
Was thinking of getting a data only SIM for using in iPad or mini router. Jury is still out on which provider to go for. Any recos?
Any updates on this comparison?
Which mobile internet provider would you guys recommend for egaila? ooredoo or zain? Anyone have the speed test results for that area? I was told to stay away from DSL as the landlines would only be able to handle 3mb.
Mark, Any updates on this post?
are you still getting constant speed?
how about reliability?
sorry haven’t run any further tests, will try to do so soon
Hi im staying in mangaf block 4. Im using ooredoo mini router. The problem is the connection unstable. One is good other day will be awful. My contract is over, and planning to shift to another provider. Really want to changw to zain but its more expensive. Do you think viva is better here atmangaf block 4? Anyone living here please be kind share his ecperience..thanks in advance
Please check my location very low signal.ooredoo you say your the fastest network???may be changed my other network. Ooredoo to much slow…I changed to..
Hey guys! Iām staying in Khaitan and I want to know which is the best network for internet in khaitan
2 years+ later….. I’ve switched to STC 5G and I’m using the Huawei 5G CPE Pro and to my surprise, the highest speed I mostly got on phone was 400 mbps down/17 up. Over LAN, I got 537 down/34 up. š