Nokia 5.4 2021 – good camera but old hardware

8

Time was that the Nokia 5-series was four steps up from its 1-series three steps down from its 8-series – a cut above average! The Nokia 5.4 2021 is a mix of specs that are outclassed by others in this price bracket. Its a good phone with serious competition.

At $329, the Nokia 5.4 2021 has landed smack in the middle of the latest red-ocean. Motorola is fighting it out with the excellent g9 Play (late 2020, $299 review here 9.6/10), OPPO is on the offensive with its A53/s (2021, $299/329 review here 10/10), vivo is punching above weight with its ‘workers phone – the 5000mAh 128GB Y20s (review here 8.8/10) and Samsung has the new A12 ($299) and A21s ($329/349).

It is not a great place for Nokia to win sales.

To put the Nokia 5.4 2021 in perspective

• Qualcomm SD662
• 4G modem dual sim
• 4/128GB (99 free)/dedicated microSD card to 256GB
• 6.39” 1560×720 LCD
• Wi-Fi N, BT 4.2, NFC
• 48+5+2+2MP camera and 16MP selfie
• 4000mAh and 10W charging
• Android (2 years OS upgrades and three years security patches)
• 2-year warranty
• Website here
• $329 for Polar Night or Dusk Purple from Nokia online, JB Hi-Fi and other reputable bricks and mortar stores
•  Country of manufacture: China by Foxconn
• Nokia is a smartphone brand owned by HMD Global in Espoo, Finland. Many ex-Nokia executives run it. Microsoft previously owned the brand from 2014 to make Windows Mobile handsets. The .4 series are the fifth generation under HMD.

I have the greatest respect for Nokia and my unabashed admiration for what they are trying to do. But the Nokia 5.4 2021 is like it sat in stasis for the past 12 months! This is the 5^th generation 5-series, and it does not class-lead in any aspect. Don’t get me wrong – it is still a good phone but outclassed.

Australian review: Nokia 5.4 Model TA-1337 DS 4/128

It is a nice phone – Dusk Purple (kind of lilac with a faux ribbed painted pattern on the back) – it is a fingerprint magnet. A fingerprint reader (where it should be) and a camera ‘circle’. It is an all-plastic body and frame.

But it seems, at least externally to be little different to the Nokia 5.3 reviewed July 2020 8.6/10.

Screen – 6.39” 1560×720, 269ppi, 19.5:9 LCD

#1 regret is a 720p screen, not particularly bright at 400 nits (claim).

So much so that we tested it. All tests are on battery. It is more like 300 nits with its automatic exposure pushing 375 nits in direct sunlight. Contrast maximum is 1050:1. Colour gamut (claim) is 70% NTSC, but we could only get 84% sRGB (should be well over 90%). Delta E (colour accuracy) is 6.4 (Below 4 is good).

It is scratch resistant (claim) and comes with a plastic fitted screen protector. It does not specify Gorilla or any other toughened glass.

The screen will Netflix stream 1280x720p

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Overall, it’s a serviceable screen because you don’t expect more for the price.

Processor – Qualcomm SD662 11nm

GeekBench 5 single/multi-core gives it 314/1393 which puts it on a par with the SD665 found in the Nokia 5.3. To put that in perspective it is about 10% slower than a Samsung Galaxy S8 circa April 2017.

RAM is LPDRR4X, but the storage is the cheaper eMMC flash memory. It does tend to stutter on multitasking.

It is for casual games use only.

CPU Throttle is minimal. Max 157,010 GIPS, Average 150,415 and 10% loss of performance over a 15-minute test. However, the CPU reached 92°, which is quite hot for an 11nm SoC and external temperature hits 40°. That is an improvement over the Nokia 5.3 that reaches 97°.

Comms

• #2 regret.  Wi-Fi 4 N is single 2.4Ghz band. At two metres from the reference Netgear Nighthawk AX router it gets -4dBM (strong) but only 96Mbps data transfer. It does not have the 5Ghz band.
• #3 regret – BT 4.2 so no multi-point connections and fairly limited range
• NFC – Yes
• GPS – single band
• #4 regret Sensors – the combo Accelerometer and gyroscope means screen rotation is very touchy – turn it off unless you love landscape mode! It has ambient light and rear fingerprint sensor.

The Nokia 5.3 has Wi-Fi AC!

4G – city/suburban use only

It has bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41 – fine for Australia. It has a dual-sim and separate ring tones. The separate microSD is great. VoLTE or Wi-Fi calling depends on your carrier.

The reception is poor at -106dBm/20.8fW (almost unusable in the 3-bar test area). Nor did it find other nearby towers.

It was also unusual that it locked firmly to Band 3 instead of Band 28 that every other review phone uses so far. A complete factory reset fixed the issue. It was -102/63.1fW on band 28 – still very average.

Data transfer on Band 28 DL/UL was 18.8/9.7Mbps/54ms. This is not a fast internet phone.

#5 regret – We also noticed that the signal strength reduces when you hold it closer to the phone’s top. We suspect it is the Qualcomm shared Wi-Fi/LTE antenna that the cause. 

Battery – 4000mAh and 5V/2A USB-C charger

First, the charger may use a USB-A to USB-C cable but neither it nor the device, are USB-C PD standard. In simple terms, USB-C 2.0 looks better than micro-USB. The charger delivers 5V/1.753mA (Power Z-Meter) and takes about four hours for a full charge. Using a higher amperage PD makes no difference.

Tests

• Netflix (screen 50% and Wi-Fi) – 13 hrs
• Typical office use – 12 hrs
• 100% load – 3.4 hours
• GFX Bench Manhattan (3.1) 350 minutes and 1644 frames
• GFX Bench T-Rex 359 minutes and 2847 frames
• Battery discharge idle screen on 400mA

Nokia claims it is a two-day device, but that is with light use. The 11nm SOC should be better at battery use than the Nokia 5.3.

Sound

It has a mono top earpiece and a bottom down-firing speaker. Twin mics assist in hands-free use and offer limited noise cancellation. And the 3.5mm combo jack is nice.

Volume was 75dB Media, 50dB earpiece, 80dB ring, and 75 Alarm – all within spec. Being mono, it does not have a recognisable sound signature (bass-heavy), and there is no sound stage.

We tested with BT 4.2 (no multi-point), supporting SBC, AAC, aptX/adaptive and LDAC. These must be selected from Developer options; otherwise, the phone defaults to SBC.

Build

It is all plastic – back, frame and the protective front screen overlay. While that is typical of phones in this bracket, we began to see signs of wear on the rear camera ring.  That is typical of resting it on a harder surface – in my case, an etched glass desk.

There are wear marks on the camera protection ring – bottom. And the painted plastic is a fingerprint magnet.

In the box

• TPU protective case
• 5V/2A charger and USB-A to USB-C cable
• Standard 3.5mm buds

Android

Nokia is one of the few ‘pure’ Android users offering two years of OS upgrades (it is currently Android 10 and security update 1 January 2021) and three years of security upgrades.

This is perhaps the strongest reason to buy Nokia.

Camera

The rear has a quad-camera – 48MP main, 5MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro and 2MP depth. The front camera is 16MP.

The key difference to the 5.3 is that it was a 13MP – and the 48MP bins down to 12MP in use. It has an f/1.7 aperture and .8um pixels (bins to 1.6um) and a 68° FOV (quite narrow). Video is 1080p@30fps with EIS.

The 5.3 front camera was 4MP, but this is a 16MP that also bins to 4MP in use. It too has a narrow FOV at 65.4°, f/2.0 and 1um (bins to 2).

So, let’s not get carried away with MP. As Nokia will not allow diagnostic software to discover the sensor brand/model, we cannot assess sensor quality.

1x and excellent colour and detail

The Utra-wide lens has a peculiar colour cast

5X zoom – adequate

Good macro but fixed focus means you need to get to 4cm from the object

Great shot with just the slightest colour cast

Good bokeh and great foreground detail

Not bad for <40 lumen darkness

Excellent Night mode courtesy of the Qualcomm SoC and binning

Video

OZO audio improves the audio capturing immensely. 1080p@60fps and 1080@30fps EIS is al you can expect.

Selfie

16MP (binned to 4MP) selfie camera is a big improvement in image quality over the 5.3.

GadgetGuy’s take

The Nokia 5.4 is a capable phone, and the camera upgrade from the 5.3 makes it worthwhile.

Those regrets

Reading the Nokia 5.3 review, I now see that it has some higher specs than the 5.4 – hence you will note my regrets. As stated it’s a good phone, but somehow – let’s blame COVID – Nokia was left behind in the tech race.

For Nokia enthusiasts (and I am one) buy it for pure Android and don’t try to compare it to others in this price bracket.

Where I expect some unique Nokia style and even Finnish quirkiness I got none – it’s a purple glass slab. In my not so humble opinion, this is where Nokia has gone wrong recently.

Rating – Nokia 5.4 2021

The 5.3 scored 8.6/10, and with the regrets, we have to mark the 5.4 down from there. It still passes all our tests.

A good camera but otherwise average specs in a very crowded market.

Features

8.5

Value for money

7.5

Performance

7.5

Ease of use

8.7

Design

8

Positives

Nokia is a brand that deserves to succeed

Good camera with decent low light ability

Negatives

Outclassed by others in this price bracket

8

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Facebook and Apple showdown – advertisements or privacy

Facebook and Apple showdown – who will win? Faced with the tsunami of highly targeted advertisements from Facebook or Apple’s privacy, which would you choose?

And that is what the spat is about. Apple wants to stop apps in general, tracking your every internet move – especially the big scary Facebook that makes squillions from monetising your data whether you like it or not.

And so the Facebook and Apple showdown begins

First, let’s be clear that Facebook will not be the only casualty from Apple’s privacy move. Almost every free and paid app harvests your data in some manner. Many monetise it by selling to Facebook and other data brokers who mix it into your web-profile.

As the hardware and software designer, Apple simply wants to switch-off (default) data harvesting in iOS.

And it is not just Apple. The whole world is starting to take privacy seriously. If the product is free, the product is you.

Although 90% of Google’s revenue is from advertisements, it also wants to tighten privacy from third-party cookies and more nefarious web privacy stealers. It started in Android 10 with every app requiring permission (never, only while using the app, always) and will be tightened in Android 11 onwards to stop the exfiltration of that data. And Chrome Browser is about to block third party cookies by default.

But Google does not have the hardware/software walled-garden that enables Apple to do this with relative speed and ease.

Facebook says Apple is self-serving – it wants your data for its use and advertising revenue

True. Apple still tracks your every physical and internet move via its Apple ID. Apple can directly target you, but it does not sell your data. It boils down to two things.

First, who do you trust more –Apple or Facebook? That is a rhetorical question, but some are stupid enough to overshare on social media without realising the consequences.

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Self-serving? You decide

Second, privacy is the single greatest issue facing humanity. Facebook et al., operate outside the law because it is slow to catch up with the digital age. Facebook could not exist today as a free service if the law made it reveal how it made money!

10-points Apple for a bold move

While Facebook tries to ‘advertise’ that users should trust it – its efforts are futile as it is the least trusted brand on the planet. It rationalises that giving it your data allows it to deliver highly targeted ads to you and support small business. That assertion is absolute garbage as small businesses cannot afford to buy the ‘ad-words’ even to mention against the giants like Amazon.

Apple, however, has a big stick. If the app has reduced functionality because you don’t allow tracking, it is tossed out of the App Store. There must be no penalty for same – and that may see the revival of paid apps that preserve privacy.

If you are an Apple iPhone user have a read of Apples’s response to privacy – A day in the life of your data (care it’s a PDF so check  downloads)

And if the cat had a phone it would be tracked too – Whiska – mmm.

Where is this heading?

To court probably! It is the only way a Facebook and Apple showdown can end. Let’s hope it does and justice sets new benchmarks for app privacy and personal data protection.

Facebook knows all. Shoe size, likes, dislikes, friends, personal secrets etc. It will take a very long time to affect its business by which time it will have found other ways to invade our privacy. Hopefully, legislation may hasten its demise and replace it with other paid and private platforms.

There are thousands of ways to advertise to us. It could be context-based (think Minority Report), location-based, or good old search-based where when you search for a nearby breakfast café it does not show the nearest Maccas.

What to do to tighten privacy now

Apple’s iOS 14.5 and later will have the privacy option. Please use it!

Android users from 10 onwards can always allow, disallow or track during the apps use only. That is not quite enough. By blocking tracking, the app may not work. And when you use the app, it can track you! But Google’s work on stopping third-party cookies is also very brave and will help you.

Here are GadgetGuy’s tips for tighter privacy

• Read the privacy and terms and conditions of use. Know how an app will use your data before you download it.
• Select ‘Ask app not to track’ when asked about Ad Tracking when first installing an app
• Go back into your apps and look at the permissions granted to each. Turn them off and see if the app still works.
• Use an adblocker or enable adblocking in your browser
• Browse in ‘Incognito’ or ‘private’ mode 
• Don’t sign in with Google, Facebook, Apple or Amazon accounts. Always use an email; and password
• Disable location tracking on your phone to stop apps and websites from tracking your location in the background
• Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to hide your true identity from website and app trackers
• Don’t overshare on social media
• Start a conversation with policymakers about privacy

Or just let Facebook get away with selling your data at no benefit to you!

# Delete Facebook

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Beware romance scams on V-day – love bait

The ACC as released stats on romance scams – especially relevant on V-day, Sunday 14 February.

In essence, in 2020 some 3,708 people lost $38,916,120. The 2021 year is off to a shocking start with 264 cases and $5,903,327 in losses.

Romance scams affect all age groups. The amount lost is more prevalent in the 45-54 age group where desperate and dateless seem to be easy prey. Women are more at risk accounting for 72.2% of losses.

And location plays a big part, although we are not sure why (apart from population numbers). NSW is way ahead on the scam scale.

How people are fall for romance scams (ACCC website here)

The vast majority of scams now come via social networking (Facebook). Here over sharing of private information leaves you vulnerable. It could be as innocent as a photo of poor Aunt Annie being lonely to someone’s spouse dying. Automated bots scrape social media for these terms. Then AI analyses what they know about you and produce hit lists for scam operators.

Next most risky are dating apps where you think you have met Mr/Mrs/Other ‘Right’ and conduct a long-distance relationship. It is not long before the scammer asks for money to visit you to take the next step.

Internet is the third major cause and visits to porn and dating sites can lead to entrapment.

Fourth is email, and its importance is declining as people learn not to trust unsolicited approaches. However, many scams use email, SMS and phone as the medium.

However, in January 2021, there was a disturbing trend aimed at the over 65s. Scammers are going in person to nursing homes, retirement villages and seniors’ clubs to prey on those looking for love. It seems that the in-person approach works fastest.

You can read all about this and other scams at the ACCC website.

You can read more GadgetGuy reports about recent scams here

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Telstra will abolish post-paid mobile plans

Tough luck if you don’t like direct debit. Telstra will abolish post-paid mobile plans in a move to eventually make all its consumer-facing services pre-paid via direct debit.

It is a move by stealth. Normally you get a bill that you had 14 days to pay. Now it has been paid via direct debit to your credit card or bank account.

The announcement was without warning. it has left those who like to get an invoice and check it is correct, without recourse. And as it is impossible to contact a human at Telstra disputing the bill will be even harder.

Then there are those with genuine hardship that juggle bills. Sorry that option no longer exists, and you can’t easily contact anyone willing to listen. That right – even 13 22 00 goes automatically to useless and utterly time-consuming Telstra online chat (that you cannot record and save).

Telstra says it is for your own good

‘You will continue to get access to the Telstra Mobile Network, with unlimited standard national talk and text in Australia. You also won’t incur any excess data charges in Australia. Instead, your speeds will slow to a maximum of 1.5Mbps if you exceed your data allowance.’

‘You’ll share your data allowance with up to 10 services on your account. As long as they are also on an upfront mobile plan.’

And it infers that all new transactions – internet, Foxtel etc. will become pre-pay too.

What do you lose?

• Voice to Text 
• Caller Tones
• Mobile Protect
• Telstra Air
• International Roaming (coming)
• One number (share the phone and watch)
• eSim

Not happy Andy

If you don’t want to entrust bank pre-payment details to Telstra, you can move to one of the many MVNOs (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone network resellers) if you first pay off any device or outstanding charges.

That means you won’t be able to transfer your phone number until you are all square with Telstra. Even if you dispute the amount owing.

And if you exist pay-to-pay or your credit card expires before the next bill then services are cut. No questions allowed.

Andy Penn CEO Telstra

GadgetGuy’s take

Telstra will abolish post-paid mobile plans. I won’t comment on the move’s senselessness nor its abandonment of the universal services obligation. It is only good for Tel$tra in that it creates a massive shift forward in cash flow. And a reduction in chasing overdue accounts. It is another sign that Telstra does not want to deal with consumer and small business anymore.

We have long said that Telstra is only interested in high-value enterprise, government and education markets. Its T22 pricing may have reduced 1800 plans to 20. Now its a handful where the cheapest 5G monthly pre-paid is $65 for 80GB. Most users will never consume that.

We find MVNOs and CSPs have a closer relationship with users and offer better value.

So ditch Telstra and find a decent NBN and mobile provider – you may even get your plan for free.

I did and could not be happier.

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MacBook Pro 2016/17 – Apple’s battery replacement program

Some Apple MacBook Pro 2016/17 model owners have battery charging problems. Apple has announced a global battery replacement program.

The Australian announcement here states some MacBook Pro 2016/17 customers have experienced the battery not charging past 1%. The battery health status on these devices also indicates ‘Service Recommended’.

Identify your MacBook Pro 2016/17 model

Choose Apple menu>About This Mac.

Affected 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro 13” models

• 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports
• 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports
• 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports
• 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports

The MacBook Pro 15” may also be subject to a recall program – details here.

• 2016
• 2017

This can happen to some 15″ MacBook Pro models

What to do

Back up your data and go to the notice to enter your serial number.

Replacement is at Apple Authorized Service Provider or an Apple Retail Store.

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OPPO A15 2021 – the 5-minute review and its all good

8.8

Good honest phone for the price

The OPPO A15 2021 is a $239 value 4G phone. It meets or exceeds all expectation for the price.

The OPPO A15 2021 joins the OPPO A53 ($299) and A53s ($349 reviews here 10/10) as the beginning of the new 2021 line-up. And believe me, there are lots of models coming – new A-series (including a 5G), Reno5 (4G and 5G), Find X3 5G and more.

OPPO also has lower-cost phones like the run-out 2020 AX5s ($189), A52s ($229 review here 9.6/10) and models like it’s amazing Find X22 Pro up to $1599.

Australian 5-minute review – OPPO A15 2021 Model CPH2185 (Website here)

As it is a lower-cost phone, this is a brief review. We still test everything but only report if it fails or exceeds our test expectations.

Screen – 6.52” 1620×720, 60Hz, A-Si LCD

Great maximum brightness (480nit) and contrast (1500:1). If anything, it is sRGB colour accurate but a little overbright. You may want to select a darker background or wallpaper to make white text stand out.

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CPU/RAM/STORAGE

MediaTek Helio P35, eight-core, 12nm, 3/32GB (15GB free) and dedicated microSD slot to 256GB. It is often compared to a Qualcomm SD439 mass-market SoC although it compares pretty favourably to an SD625.

Geekbench 5 single/multi-core was 157/991. It is good for normal phone use but not for multitasking or gaming. It is not a gamer’s phone but will play any lower-level games well.

MicroSD is a nice addition.

Throttling was average – Max 102,727GIPS, Average 89,988GIPS and a 17% loss over 15 minutes. It did not go over 39°.

Battery – two days

4230mAh hours and a 5V/2A/10W micro-USB charger. It will give two days use, but the charging is a little slow at over two hours. It has micro-USB because it does not need sophisticated USB-C PD circuitry.

• Netflix streaming (50% screen, Wi-Fi) gave a massive 18 hours (OPPO Claim 16 hours)
• Manhattan 3.1 558.6 minutes and 827.3 frame
• T-Rex 510.8 minutes and 1589 frames
• Battery discharge idle screen-on approx. 250mA
• Battery discharge standby screen-off – 5% a day or 20+ days

It will give up to two days of typical use.

Comms

• Wi-Fi 5 AC dual-band. 5GHz was -36dBm/433Mbps (excellent) at 2m from the Netgear Nighthawk AX router.
• BT 5.0 supports SBC, AAC, and LDAC. It is supposed to support Qualcomm aptX but being a MediaTek Soc we doubt that. We could not enable LDAC either.
• GPS is a single band, but at speeds, over 60kph the accuracy jumps to well over 10-metres, so it is not for turn-by-turn navigation.
• NFC – sadly no
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer (eCompass), light /proximity, fingerprint
• Micro-USB 2.0 with OTG (no video out)

4G – excellent reception

Dual sim, single ring tone. LTE bands 1/3/5/7/8/20/28/38/40/41 – fine for Australia.

VoLTE or Wi-Fi calling depends on your carrier.

Our test is in a three-bar zone (not good Telstra!). It managed -100dBm/100fw and DL/UL of 19.2/12.2Mbps. It found the second tower at -99dBm/79.4fW.

In fact, it found several mini-towers about 2km away at from -55-60dBm but as in other tests seems to prefer the closest tower on the other side of a mountain (not good Telstra!).

It’s a good city and regional towns phone.

Sound

A top-firing earpiece and bottom-firing mono speaker. We don’t measure sound signature on mono devices.

Volume is 75dB (media), and 80dB (ringtone and alarm). It is fine for hands-free, but the single bottom mic needs protection from any wind.

Build

Gorilla Glass 3 front, plastic frame and metallic looking back (NCVM vacuum coating) with OPPOs high-level finish. It is 164 x 75.4 x7.9mm x 175g.

Colours: Dynamic Black, Mystery Blue

In the box

• TPU protective case
• 5VC/2A charger and USB-A to micro-USB cable
• Standard 3.5mm buds

Android

Android 10 and ColorOS 7.2 – a great overlay on Android makes it easier to use and enhance the hardware. It is unlikely to get an OS upgrade but should get quarterly security updates.

OPPO A15 Camera

Outback it is a pretty basic with one sensor/lens doing 90% of the work.

• 13MP, f/2.2, 1.12um PDAF, 81.3°, 5x digital zoom Samsung S5K3L6
• 2MP f/2.4 Macro FF, GC02K0
• 2MP f/2.4 depth camera GC02M1B
• with a single LED flash.

Out front

• 5MP, f/2.4, FF, 77.9° GC5035
• With screen fill flash

Still, it comes with a truckload of OPPO camera enhancements, basic AI, HDR and OPPOs age-defying beautification.

Good daylight shot on an overcast day

5X digital zoom is pushing the limits – still its not too bad

Good indoor office light shot with accurate colours and details

Bokeh is fine

Macro has good details but the colours are not saturated enough

Low light <40 lumens – don’t bother

Night mode picks up the brightness at the expense of colour

Overall its a better than social media standard and very good in daylight and office light.

Video is strictly 1080p@30fps with no stabilisation.

GadgetGuy’s take

It is refreshing to see a good, honest, well-made, locally supported and ‘unpretentious’ phone. The camera is just above social media standard, and the screen is the stand-out.

Yes, it has micro-USB, but that is to save money. Offset that with a headphone jack, buds, charger, and great value.

Given our new ratings out of 10, we have a little more room to be granular with scores. 8/10 is a pass, but every EXCEED gets a point, and every FAIL vice versa. The score reflects value, screen and 4G signal strength.

Features

8

Value for money

10

Performance

8

Ease of use

10

Design

8

Positives

Android 10 (probably not upgraded)

Large, bright and colourful screen

Good battery life up to two days

Outstanding 4G reception

Dual sim plus dedicated micro-SD

Negatives

No NFC (not expected at this price)

Micro-USB (no deal breaker)

8.8

Good honest phone for the price

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Why you don’t need 5G – 3G works just fine for most

There is major hype about 5G coverage and 5G phones from <$500, but what are the average consumer’s benefits? Let me explain why you don’t need 5G today.

First, a little credibility. I am Angus Jones, Editor of GadgetGuy’s sister publication Small Business Answers. This article is how I discovered ‘Why you don’t need 5G’. Well, at least not today and probably not for many years to come.

In the late 90’s I was the Mobile Data product manager at Optus. My job was to monetise the newly available mobile data. This was way before smartphones. At the time, we were trying to get Joe Average just to use SMS.  Fast forward to about 2.5 years ago when I was in a senior marketing role at LG. It launched one of the first 5G phones available in Australia. I have been using a 5G capable phone ever since.

Now, jump forward to today (or at least three months ago). My phone started to have problems using LTE (Long Term Evolution), a fancy technology that carries a voice call over a data connection (VoLTE).  That data connection can be mobile or Wi-Fi.  Mobile carriers love it as it is a more efficient means of using their available spectrum or carrying more traffic on their network.

My problem was that whenever I received a call, the phone rang once and then dropped out.  Most annoying to my callers and me.  This occurred either because of issues on my phone or at the carrier. Indeed GadgetGuy wrote last December that if you have LTE issues just switch back to 3G, so let’s blame the carrier.

Now who or what was at fault is irrelevant – the key is what I did next.

I went into settings, connections, mobile networks (Android) and selected 3G (the settings shown below may vary)

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Select 3G/2G auto connect on the right

G stands for Generation, and phone makers want us to buy 5^th Generation (5G) capable phones vs 4G (Australian launch 2011). By switching to 3G (launch 2003), my phone started to work as intended. 

I am now using 17-year-old mobile phone technology. What has my experience been like?  I have not noticed any difference.

I proved that at least for Joe Average at least why you don’t need 5G.

GadgetGuy came to the same conclusion in its opinion recent piece ‘Desperately seeking 5G.

Faster internet download data speeds are the most significant difference from 3G to 4G to 5G. Voice still largely uses 3G and VoLTE equipped 4G and 5G when convenient.

I use my phone with data switched on all the time.  I send/receive email, use Google maps, trawl social media, do online banking, etc. The Xmas holiday house had no Wi-Fi, so I just streamed video over 3G mobile data. I did not see any difference over those three months.

I am a techie, so I have not forgotten them! In suburban Sydney, a speed test gives me a 3G average download/upload speed of 24/2.5Mbp.  Anyone who still has not moved to the NBN would be delighted with that.  No, I am not getting real-life 4G or 5G speeds of 50MBs to 100MBs plus but then I do not need it.

4G speeds will hit 150Mbps

But wait there is more.  3G phone coverage is better – 100% of Australians as against  9.2% for 5G, and being lower frequency travels through obstacles and buildings better. Best of all, it uses less power, so I am getting better battery life.

If it’s a carrier issue, then they need to fix it. If it’s a phone issue (I doubt that), I am not sure of the need to go back to 4G if not 5G.

GadgetGuy’s take

Angus is talking about Joe Average, not the power users who chew up 50 Gigabytes or more data a month.

Let me be clear – Telco’s and smartphone makers are hyping the hell out of 5G to make more money from you. New phone sales in a stagnant market, new expensive data plans and feeding the data addiction where, by design, 5G users consume 1.7 times more data than 4G users.

One of GadgetGuys most popular articles ‘Save money on mobile data – you could get it for free‘ shows the folly of blindly accepting the 5G marketing hype.

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Has your email been hacked? Online checker here for pwned addresses

Hackers released more than three billion emails and passwords last week. Called COMB (Compilation of Many Breaches) its time to check – Has your email been hacked?

From the moment COMB was released with and sorting and extraction tools, the internet has been flooded with hack attempts. My personal email was on the list. Has your email been hacked?

Such is the volume of attacks that mail servers world-wide have slowed to a crawl.

I had thousands of automated attempts last week to get at my email coming from all places in Ecuador and China, North Korea, and Russia. And spam went through the roof – 1009 spear-phishing emails last week.

Automated hacker bots roam the internet looking for successful logins. Saldy, the success rate is very high due to unchanged passwords

Has your email been hacked?

There is a pretty good chance that it has – after all, it is numerically nearly half the world’s population.

Cynernews has an online checker here with details over 15 billion breached accounts and 2.5 billion unique email addresses. It is busy adding including the new data.

Hopefully, you have changed passwords this year – it is good New Year’s resolution idea to change every password at least annually. Fed up with trying to remember passwords, I use the free Lastpass password manager.  Yes, if the product is free, the product is you, but the free version is enough for what I need. Yes, I would gladly pay if asked to.

GadgetGuy’s take – your digital ID opens more doors

When the internet was new (circa the mid-90s) everyone rushed to get an email address and create online presences. Ergo, the longer you have had the email address, the more likely it is on the list.

The sad fact is that somewhere between 30-40% of people have never changed all their passwords (based on a US study). The good news is that now around 30% change yearly, 10% monthly and 10% weekly. The latter categories have suffered cyber-attacks.

But here is the kicker – password reuse. 60% (average across all age groups) used the same password on multiple accounts, especially if they thought they were low risk.

Has your email been hacked? This is what can you do?

1. Use the online checker for every email account you have
2. If one has been hacked either close it down or make sure you change passwords regularly
3. Never reuse the same password even if you think it a safe account. For example, insecure IoT like security cameras can give home Wi-Fi network access.
4. Use a password manager like LastPass
5. Make sure it is a strong password with a mix of UPPER case, lower case, symbols and numbers.
6. Start using 2FA (two-factor authentication) on important accounts. It calls, emails or SMS’s you if your account is accessed
7. Use a VPN (not a free one as they are largely insecure)
8. Be ultra-careful of using names, places, pet, family or children’s names as automated bot scrape this from social media and use it for brute force passwords attacks.
9. Use paid security software
10. Use Wi-Fi protection and intrusion devices

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Kill Wi-Fi black spots in 5 simple steps (one page guide)

Despite GadgetGuy writing copiously (perhaps that is the problem), we still get many questions on how to kill Wi-Fi black spots.

Wi-Fi is designed for in-home use. Its effective indoor range is between 10-30 metres (5/2.4GHz). It is limited so as not to interfere with the neighbour’s Wi-Fi. There are simple steps to kill Wi-Fi black spots.

Here are the five simple steps to kill Wi-Fi black spots

#1 Place your Router in the centre of all the Wi-Fi action

Router relocation solves most black spots, so try that first.

Wi-Fi transmits in a circle about 10/30 metres around the Router. Any further you won’t get a usable signal.

The best place to put the Router is right in the centre of the home or where most Wi-Fi devices are.

This Wi-Fi heat map shows how moving it from the garage to the stairwell in the centre of the house is the best way to kill Wi-Fi black spots

The worst place to put it is in the garage, a cupboard, one end of the house or against an outside wall (effectively halving its transmission distance).

This is bad (green) as its transmission ‘circle’ is half wasted.

If your Router is a cheap ISP supplied one, leave it where it is and run an Ethernet cable to a better-quality AC or AX router – preferably faster than AC2600Mbps. We recommend the D-Link EXO AC3000 ($399.95) or AX5400 ($499.95) as these are DAP-1820 ($249.95) extender compatible. You can find the D-Link router review here.

This is the last place to put a router yet that is the instruction from most ISPs as it is closest to the footpath

Of course, you can also look at Netgear Orbi tri-band Wi-Fi AC or AX, but the D-Link option is often better value for most homes.

#2 Connect data guzzlers to the Router by Ethernet cable

TVs (streaming), Security camera hubs, smart speakers, PlayStation/Xbox, PCs, set-top boxes (Fletch/Foxtel) guzzle data and destroy available bandwidth for other users. Most routers only have four Ethernet ports so you may want to get a 5 or 8 port Ethernet Switch.

A Gigabit switch takes a single Ethernet cable and splits it into 5 or 8 ports with minimal loss of speed.

This removes them from the already congested Wi-Fi and gives these devices priority to the internet.

#3 If your home is dual-level or longer than 30m, you need Wi-Fi extenders.

First a rule – there is no such thing as a Wi-Fi booster. Don’t believe any claims that these can regenerate and transmit a stronger signal – just as Superboost claims – it is an outright scam.

Wi-Fi extenders (and Mesh) take the available signal and simply retransmit that another 10/30 metres using a single SSID (sign-on and password). If the router signal is weak then a repeater wont work.

Most cheap routers won’t transmit strong enough signals through floors, cupboards, windows and walls. So see #1 and upgrade and move your Router. For dual-level homes run Ethernet cable to somewhere near the centre of the top floor (or where you need good signal strength) and connect an extender. If the black spot is on the same level as the Router, you can place the extender up to 10m line-of-sight away from it to extend the signal another 10/30 metres.

You can see what we mean by circular transmission

#4 The trick is Ethernet backhaul – not Mesh Wi-Fi

Most sparkies can lay Ethernet cables inside walls and ceilings finishing in a discreet wall plate. Laying an Ethernet cable usually costs between $150 and $300 depending on length and difficulty. We recently had three cables installed the bill was about $600.

A 5/8 port switch costs $59.95/79.95, and Ethernet Cat 6 cables start from $5.

Now there is one other Ethernet Solution called Ethernet-Over-Power or PowerLine. These are a pair of devices that plug into two different power points and transmit Ethernet over the power cables. PowerLine 1000 cost $199.95 and 2000 cost $269.95 (preferred). And you can add a few more Powerline adaptors to get Ethernet to the garage or elsewhere. In most homes these work excellently, but some homes have older wiring and too much interference. So buy from a store that allows refunds if they don’t work for you.

#5 Don’t put it off

Slow Wi-Fi and black spots can are curable even if you only have 25 or 50Mbps NBN. Do not suffer inadequate Wi-Fi – do it now and enjoy the speed you need.

But also, don’t believe the pimply-faced salesperson that will try to sell you MESH – that is only a cure in the right home and then Ethernet back haul is best. Even worse if it is ‘dual-band’ Mesh (unless it supports Ethernet back haul).

We repeat, try #1 first.

GadgetGuy references

If you want to get techy, you can read our guides

Mesh Wi-Fi routers– what you need to know

D-Link EXO DAP-1820 Smart mesh extender is a great black spot choice

NETGEAR Nighthawk AX8 Wi-Fi mesh extender EAX80 can cure Wi-Fi black spots

NETGEAR Nighthawk MESH Wi-Fi 6 – an interesting low-cost compromise

Telstra Smart Wi-Fi Booster Gen 2 – is not a booster – its a an extender!

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5G is here. Where?

Opensignal has just released its user benchmark studies for 5G. It shows 5G is here (Australia). The who, what, when, where and why is more important.

First, let’s look at the Global experience. The top ten 5G counties have a woeful 11.2% availability (Brazil) to 29.8% in Kuwait. The rest of the time they are on 4G. But even though 5G is here, we don’t even rate (Its 9.2% of Australian users can get it).

More telling its Opensignal’s users ‘reach’ where 5G availability (from the phone telemetry) ranged from 3 (Switzerland) to 5.6 (South Korea) on a 10-point scale.

5G is here – how fast?

Australia does indeed rate in the top ten for the three people that can get 5G . Well to be fair in December 2020 Opensignal found that only 9.2% of Australians could get a 5G signal sometime. That compares to 94.1% of its users that can get a 4G signal and the 100% that can get a 3G signal.

As for real speeds, the typical 5G download speed is 250.5Mbps – 9^th globally. Some lucky users (the top 2%) experienced up to 585.3Mbps DL. Upload speeds are no more than 4G as we have sub-6Ghz Non-Standalone meaning it uses 4G infrastructure.

And the quality?

Opensignal uses a 100-point scale over covering video, games and voice. Australia scored 82, 85.5 and 83.9. A score of >85 is excellent, and we ranked 7^th overall.

GadgetGuy’s take – 5G is here

The biggest takeaway is that you can’t believe Telco’s speed, availability or experience claims. Opensignal has real user data.

For example, Optus has crowed that it got 362Mbps DL in Sydney and Melbourne with a top speed of 1431Mbps. Optus don’t lie, but tests are optimised – the right location, right tower, dedicated backhaul, right phone, and probably sitting within a few metres of a dedicated transmitter dish with no other traffic.

This is akin to the hype we saw at 5G launch in May 2019 at Telstra George Street Sydney where we were told 5G would be up to 100X 4G  and 20X NBN speeds. Sorry, that did not happen.

LG, Samsung and OPPO used the Telstra ‘test rig’ to show speeds. The OPPO Reno 5G topped 1944Mbps DL and 65.5Mbps UL. The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G was 1254Mbps and 63.5 upload. That rig was dedicated to 5G and journalists had to turn their phones off during testing.

And we have been chasing reliable and fast 5G ever since.

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