T-Mobile gives away free 4G LTE CellSpot to Simple Choice subscribers
T-Mobile USA on Monday announced a new peripheral for its subscribers, the 4G LTE CellSpot, which can provide a cellular signal in spaces with otherwise difficult access to the carrier's network.
The CellSpot hooks into a landline Internet connection, and should enable strong LTE connections in an area up to about 3,000 square feet, T-Mobile said. As many as 16 callers can be active at any one time, and the product also supports connections via 3G. The only fundamental restriction is that connecting devices must be compatible with T-Mobile's network.
People subscribed to one of the carrier's Simple Choice plans can notably get a CellSpot for free, following a $25 refundable deposit. The limit is one unit per home or business.
The product is scheduled to become availble Nov. 4 at T-Mobile outlets, as well as through T-Mobile Customer Care.
T-Mobile is scheduled to host another "Un-carrier" event on Nov. 10. Rumors have suggested that the company will remove data caps for some streaming video services, much like it did for streaming music with Music Freedom. As before, customers will likely have to be subscribed to a Simple Choice plan.
The CellSpot hooks into a landline Internet connection, and should enable strong LTE connections in an area up to about 3,000 square feet, T-Mobile said. As many as 16 callers can be active at any one time, and the product also supports connections via 3G. The only fundamental restriction is that connecting devices must be compatible with T-Mobile's network.
People subscribed to one of the carrier's Simple Choice plans can notably get a CellSpot for free, following a $25 refundable deposit. The limit is one unit per home or business.
The product is scheduled to become availble Nov. 4 at T-Mobile outlets, as well as through T-Mobile Customer Care.
T-Mobile is scheduled to host another "Un-carrier" event on Nov. 10. Rumors have suggested that the company will remove data caps for some streaming video services, much like it did for streaming music with Music Freedom. As before, customers will likely have to be subscribed to a Simple Choice plan.
Comments
But if you already have Wi-Fi calling, there's no point, right?
Only if your WiFi router can hold a signal for "up to about 3,000 square feet"
Only if your WiFi router can hold a signal for "up to about 3,000 square feet"
3000 square feet = 31 foot radius. Can your WiFi go 31 feet?
3000 square feet = 31 foot radius. Can your WiFi go 31 feet?
True... mine holds a bit more than that
This cell is for people with devices without WiFi calling
But if you already have Wi-Fi calling, there's no point, right?
It's for all T-Mobile phones. Those that have the iPhone 5 and older cannot use WiFi calling.
I turned off Wifi calling on my 5s - way too much of a drain on battery.
I think i will try the cell spot, as TMobile is still spotty in my house.
3000 square feet = 31 foot radius. Can your WiFi go 31 feet?
I thought the point of the 3000ft^2 was the distance it could stretch to the phone, not the WiFi back-end. Maybe it's both?
I turned off Wifi calling on my 5s - way too much of a drain on battery.
I think i will try the cell spot, as TMobile is still spotty in my house.
I haven't noticed a difference in battery drain when it was turned on but not being used. I'll keep an eye on that.
I have an AT&T micro cell which works great in my house. Not LTE data, but I don't need LTE data at home, what I need is really clear calls, which this does for me.
Only if your WiFi router can hold a signal for "up to about 3,000 square feet"
The microcell have their own network signal, your wifi could stretch 300,000 sq/ft and you would not get the cell reception from the microcell out of its 3,00sq/ft coverage area. I hope that the T-Mobile version works better then AT&T's, I have issue with mine all of the time.
I thought the point of the 3000ft^2 was the distance it could stretch to the phone, not the WiFi back-end. Maybe it's both?
I have their last version of personal cell spot. That one has to get a connection to a T-Mobile tower. Since it's not a mobile device, it has a better antenna, and gets a solid connection. Then it communicates to another box (probably in the middle of the house for most) that will share that mobile connection. I went from dropping voice calls in some parts of my house to a legitimate 3-bar LTE connection.
The idea is that it covers a 3000 sqft home.
This new model offers the same service to your phone, but connects to your home Internet connection.
The Wifi device is Node 0. It's at (0,0) The Phone is at Node 1 (Radius = 31 feet). What's the confusion?
The 31' radius is not the intended takeaway from the 3000 sqft coverage area. Indoor signal attenuation through walls, ceilings, and floors is way to complicated to assume a circular shape.
If you use data when connected to this as LTE
does it take away from your data cap?
and do the minutes used when connected to what is effectively your own wifi signal count against your allowed minutes?
If you use data when connected to this as LTE
does it take away from your data cap?
and do the minutes used when connected to what is effectively your own wifi signal count against your allowed minutes?
This is T-Mobile Simple Choice. There is no data cap. <EDIT> not all plans are unlimited data -- I was thinking of our plan: $100 two phones, unlimited everything with no throttling </EDIT>
The intention is to use this for voice and SMS though. Data would presumably be wifi if you're at home.
But if you already have Wi-Fi calling, there's no point, right?
Sure, but IIRC, wifi calling behaves differently, so I've disabled it. Sometimes it's great, but there were enough hiccups for me that I've turned it off on my iPhone.
Example of an issue: I often dial into online conferences using a call pattern like (877) ###-####,xxxxxx - where the comma is a "pause" in dialing code.
When I dialed in using wifi calling, the pause was ignored, and I had to scramble to a) find the code from my calendar entry and b) type it in again, all before the online meeting disconnected me.
Sure I could add pauses, but when I need to quickly join (with meetings before and after) I'd rather not have to worry about it.
I love the idea, but these kinds of small issues (there are other issues I've heard of including call drops and bad quality) tend to have some of us looking for a better all-around solution.
This is T-Mobile Simple Choice. There is no data cap. <EDIT> not all plans are unlimited data -- I was thinking of our plan: $100 two phones, unlimited everything with no throttling </EDIT>
The intention is to use this for voice and SMS though. Data would presumably be wifi if you're at home.
This is T-Mobile Simple Choice. There is no data cap. <EDIT> not all plans are unlimited data -- I was thinking of our plan: $100 two phones, unlimited everything with no throttling </EDIT>
The intention is to use this for voice and SMS though. Data would presumably be wifi if you're at home.
i guess you are right
if you were home, your phone would pick up the wifi signal anyway
so would not be sending data over LTE anyway
i wonder if this just works for your phones, or if your next door neighbor has t-mobile, would he connect as well?
i guess you are right
if you were home, your phone would pick up the wifi signal anyway
so would not be sending data over LTE anyway
i wonder if this just works for your phones, or if your next door neighbor has t-mobile, would he connect as well?
The Cell Spot is a cell tower, just like any other (well, less power, but same interface). They associate it with your account, but not just with your device. Any phone capable of using that network will choose the strongest signal source, and connect.
Regarding neighbors: when I'm at my next-door neighbor's house, my phone can't connect to the Cell Spot at our house, so I get crappy coverage over there.
That said, it wouldn't bother me anyway, since I've got a 250Mb/s Internet connection at the house with no data limit. There's no way a couple phones would noticeably impact my home bandwidth, even if they were streaming Netflix.