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265

answers:

1

My issue is trying to upload photos while using mobile broadband. (PHP)

The situation is -

1) I'm using a laptop that is connected to the internet using mobile broadband (t-mobile)

2) I know that my web site works as I've used the php script for well over a year without issues

Other points which may help with an answer

1) uploading photos to facebook will fail when using their java uploading tool (it can work when using their simple uploader)

2) uploading files to attach to my webmail (godaddy) will 99% of the time FAIL or just take forever unless I use the mobile version when it may work 50% of the time.

3) uploading files to attach to my blueyonder/virgin webmail works fines. This is normally very quick. As a test (repeated this several times to verify) I've tried to upload files using both type of webmail and the blueyonder webmail can upload a 5 Mb file in a few minutes while the godaddy webmail will fail or take 30mins - 1 hour. I've done these one after the other, simultaneously, using same file, using different files. each time same result.

4) it doesn't matter what browser I use - FF, IE, Chrome.

5) I know t-mobile do something to the data coming in as any image is more pixilated and comes with a tooltip ("press Shift-r to improve picture quality")

6) speaking to t-mobile, they deny doing anything and blame the web sites for not working!

So, basically is there any info out there for creating an uploader that can get around mobile broadband issues. I know its possible as my blueyonder webmail can do it, but how? Bonus question - what exactly are the mobile phone company doing to the data that makes mobile broadband different to getting broadband through your phone line or using Cable.

+2  A: 

Can you establish https connections? If so, I guess that POSTing images over a https connection would work (unless they terminate connections after some amount of data uploaded). If it doesn't, you could chunk images into small enough pieces and do likewise with the pieces.

Robert Obryk
Hmmm, never thought of checking the https connection of the sites that do and don't work. I can connect using https and from what I can tell, its not so much an image issue as a file issue. (I've tried uploading various files with my webmail service)
Kenneth
Well I've just managed to check out the https question. The sites that work with the mobile broadband are using https for sending the data and the ones that use http fail. Time to give t-mobile another call...
Kenneth
So it seems they are parsing the data somehow and mess it up accidentally/on purpose.
Robert Obryk