Now that we've confirmed that there is indeed XOHM available in Chicago (albeit unannounced), it's time to put it to the test!

On the official XOHM site, potential speeds are quoted at 2 - 4 Mbps download and 0.5 - 1.5 Mbps up. There have been rumblings that the actual speeds don't live up the hype, but here's what we found:

Zyxel Mac206M2 Home Modem: We tested the Zyxel directly connected via ethernet to a Mac Powerbook running Leopard. We performed three tests, about 3 hours apart, to account for fluctuations. Those internal antennas built into the modem must really do their job - the average download speed was about 4.5Mbps, faster than XOHM's promises. The upload speed averaged at about 1.2, which, while not as impressive when compared to the download, is still well within the range quoted by XOHM. So far, so good!

For the Samsung SWC-E100 ExpressCard, we switched to a Toshiba laptop running Windows Vista Home (remember: the ExpressCard does NOT work with Macs). Despite the fact that we were in the same location, the results were markedly different. Download came in at 3.1Mbps and upload at just 0.8, right in the middle of XOHM's promise but disappointing after seeing how the Home Modem did.

It is definitely very exciting to see these types of speeds. The true test, though, will be how it holds up as the service becomes more popular and the network traffic increases.

For screenshots and more, check out 4Ginfo.com