[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] MK17:
Hello everyone. Fortunately I was able have both a BC0KAS and C3 Transformer Prime at the same time. I decided to keep one and receive a refund on the other. Naturally, I wanted to keep the better one and I was also sure that the C3 would be better considering all the stories I had heard. To be sure I proceeded to test the devices to see if there were any glaring differences. During the testing I decided to use my Galaxy Nexus as a sort of baseline between the 2 devices.

Background:

BC0KAS - Bought from B&H around January. It was unable to recognize its Serial Number and also had a white dot on screen as well as bad GPS (only tested in Google Maps). Sent in to RMA and received back after a long time. According to the RMA sheet it seems the screen was fixed and the SN problem corrected. There was no reference to a change in the GPS. Currently, it is on the .21 firmware and not rooted

C3 - Bought from Amazon in March. Currently, it is on the .21 firmware and is rooted. The only files that has been changed are GPS config files

Galaxy Nexus (Toro) - Purchased on release day at Verizon. The signal and performance of the device has been nothing short of stellar. Device is rooted with AOKP Build 29 (based on Android 4.0.4) installed,

Linksys WRT310N V1 – This is the router used. One set of tests was performed on the stock firmware and one set using dd-wrt firmware.

The internet connection is through Suddenlink. We are provided the fastest internet connection available for residential.

Test Setup and Methodology:

Both Transformer Primes were setup on balanced mode. The Galaxy Nexus was put into airplane mode and then the Wifi was turned on.

To test Wifi reception I have used a combination of Wifi Analyzer for a visual reference and the Speedtest app for a numerical reference. I used both of these applications and tested at various locations within my home to test the strength and performance of the Wifi.

When performing Wifi testing I was careful to test multiple times and to also vary the order in which the devices were tested in order to obtain quantifiable results that are not skewed by transients in the network speed. In addition, I would also alternate the location of the Transformer Primes (ie. test one prime lying to the left of another, switch locations and test the other Prime.) This may seem a bit redundant considering the nominal change in distance from the router is negligible, but we will see later that this actually made a substantial difference in the performance at one location.

In addition, I tested on one day using the stock firmware on my Linksys router. On another day I tested using dd-wrt firmware.

Results

Well the results are very surprising to say the least. Here are a few graphs.

The Primes actually posted better results that the Nexus.

NOTE: The first tests of the BC0KAS Prime were left out because they were performed on a different server.

We see a lot of degradation of the speed, but the Nexus holds strong. Notice also the the C3 is consistently the lowest

Now the speeds are getting very low. I want to note that this signal must pass through many walls in addition to the distance. Also, when initially testing at this position the C3 lost the network. I had to walk closer to find it then proceed again.

Okay, so I decided to test after I installed the new firmware on my Linksys (NRF = New router Firmware).

Since some have asked, I will give a little more information on this. The firmware I am using is provided by dd-wrt. This is an open source firmware that allows you to do more with your router then I will ever understand. If you are curious if your router is compatible just google search "Manufacturer" "Model Number" dd-wrt. Generally you will find the dd-wrt wiki page for your router if it is supported.

NOTE: Changing your router firmware is just like rooting/ROMing. There are a lot of risks you have to accept when doing this and you should proceed with caution! Before attempting please read and re-read your instructions.

As far as settings I didn't change them too far from the original settings came on my dd-wrt. I did use Wifi Analyzer to select the channel with the least interference in my area. Also, I noticed that my TX power is set to 71mW where as I recall reading that the older Linksys WRT54G may be set to 25mW originally. I can say that both my primes now show FULL bars while close to the router. Used to they may still only show 3 bars when separated by 4ft and 1 wall.

I want to stress again to perform this with EXTREME caution. The developer community for router support is not large anymore. Most information I read was dated pre-2010. This means that if something goes wrong, you may not have many people who are available to help.

Now for the results:

In this instance the BC0KAS was having a little difficulty keeping up with the C3. The more important point here is that the wifi speed is much greater for both devices!

Notice the BC0KAS dropped below the C3 at the beginning of this test as wll. This was caused by the slight position change I noted earlier. I repeated the test several times and continually found that the tablet positioned to the left saw decreased throughput after those tests I picked up and help each tablet while performing the test.

And one more of all the test together to give you an idea of the total picture.

Here is another graph I found interesting. This graph doesn't perfectly overlay each test with each device but it gets the point across. In most of the tests the upload speed held at a near steady 2200kbps. This happened before and after the router firmware change. Even when the upload speed did drop it was normally not near the rate that the download speed dropped. Actually, at times the upload speeds were faster than the download speeds. I will update the graph tomorrow to better convey it.

Conclusions

There a few definitive things I feel I can note from this experiment.

1. My C3 Prime experiences more signal degradation than my BC0KAS Prime

2. Not all C3's are perfect and on the contrary, not all BC0KAS are bad

3. The new router firmware increased throughput drastically

Really, I feel that is all that you can realistically say. I am excited that my wifi is so drastically improved with the router change. I am also happy with my BC0KAS and of course I plan to keep it now.

Let me know if you have anything else you would like for me to test, or anything I should change about the test.

-MK