WiFi in Icon 8.1, compared to my Lumia 521 8.1

[MikeSo]

The were done at roughly the same time, sitting right next to eachother, with the same settings, etc.
My Lumia 521

My Lumia Icon


That's a HUGE difference. I really hope a firmware update comes out soon for 8.1... I did update it with the 8.0 patch, but it doesn't seem to help in 8.1. Really a shame.

 

[anon(7901790)]

Interesting. I'm getting between 29 and 33Mbps download and 4 and 6Mbps upload. I run 5.8GHz network though, so I don't have interference from microwaves or cordless phones.

 

[MikeSo]

Yes, when I'm close to the router they both have good performance. This was done in my bedroom, which is further away from it, but where the 521 still gets 3-4 bars, but the Icon gets 0-2. This is especially troubling when using public Wi-Fi spots, where the signal is often rather weak due to placement of the router.

 

[peacefulberry]

This is weird...did you have both cellular and WiFi on when you did the test? What about a case?

 

[MikeSo]

No, cellular was off on both phones. No case.

But I redid the test just this morning, and got different results (I think the etxernal Internet might have been slower when I did the first test, though that doesn't explain the atrocious performance of the Icon). The 521 is still faster, but not as much. The reason it doesn't win is frankly due to less capable hardware, in every test the 521 download freezes and resumes in the middle of it, as if it has trouble keeping up with the download. The uploads are twice as fast on the 521 compared to the Icon though, which is probably a better measure of the real difference in WiFi capability.
Screenshots (Icon on the left, Lumia 521 on the right):



I also tested both phones in the parking lot of a nearby McDonald's... the Icon could not find any network, where the 521 picked up several.



And finally, took screenshots of the WiFi settings at home, where the 521 has a stronger signal and picks up additional networks of neighbors.


Clearly, the Icon WiFi capability using the same OS (8.1) is much worse than on my Lumia 521. That's just not right...

 

[peacefulberry]

No, cellular was off on both phones. No case.

But I redid the test just this morning, and got different results (I think the etxernal Internet might have been slower when I did the first test, though that doesn't explain the atrocious performance of the Icon). The 521 is still faster, but not as much. The reason it doesn't win is frankly due to less capable hardware, in every test the 521 download freezes and resumes in the middle of it, as if it has trouble keeping up with the download. The uploads are twice as fast on the 521 compared to the Icon though, which is probably a better measure of the real difference in WiFi capability.
Screenshots (Icon on the left, Lumia 521 on the right):

View attachment 66890

I also tested both phones in the parking lot of a nearby McDonald's... the Icon could not find any network, where the 521 picked up several.

View attachment 66891

And finally, took screenshots of the WiFi settings at home, where the 521 has a stronger signal and picks up additional networks of neighbors.
View attachment 66892

Clearly, the Icon WiFi capability using the same OS (8.1) is much worse than on my Lumia 521. That's just not right...

Hmm...I wonder if the radio or chips are behind something in the icon whereas its closer to the edge in the 521?

 

[MikeSo]

Yeah, I have no idea what the issue is, but it's getting to be a real hassle. With Verizon having limited data plans, I and many others rely heavily on public WiFi spots. The Icon is certainly less than ideal for that with its limited range.

I'm going to reset back to 8.0 tonight just for the heck of it and see if that makes a difference.

 

[MikeSo]

Well, I restored my Icon to 8.0 last night and tried the same tests. No difference at all - it still had the exact WiFi strength indication as on the screenshots above from 8.1.

I'm very disappointed in this phone's WiFi range. I really hope a firmware update can fix this. I rely on public WiFi a lot, and since this phone is terrible in this regard, it's a big issue.