AT&T is basically making their customers pay for their bad service. I live in a rural area and like a lot of other folks, the 'coverage 'map says there is 3G service in my area. I don't live in a hole or valley, I'm on a hill with clean line of site to a more urban area, but on a good day get 1 1/2 bars standing in one place in my yard. My Verizon phone has 5 bars in the middle of my house. Funny since Verizon rents tower space from AT&T in my area ( I'm a former Sprint employee) I bought a zBoost YX-510 signal amplifier for about $200 and now get 4-5 bars and 3G inside my home within 50 feet of the unit. It only amplifies signal if you have some. It can't boost no signal. Better solution for me then $149.00, $19/month and crippling my cable bandwidth. Can't wait till Verizon offers service for the iPhone. The sales will be out the roof.
Why do you people seemingly have to be hit over the head in order to grasp something new or a little different?
The microcell provides CELLULAR PHONE SERVICE to those phones to which you grant access to your microcell, and it uses the WiFi connection to link to the main AT&T cellular network. It's in advance of or in lieu of normal access to regular cellular towers.
In the majority of cases, WiFi doesn't replace the need for cellular service, at least for other people within the microcell's range who simply would like to make calls from their respective cell phones, which may very well not be iPhones, or from iPhones which don't have VoIP accounts.
Actually, this is nothing new really. AT&T loves to rip us off in increments of 10-20 bucks a month.
Yes, that's right, AT&T is not only going to charge you $150 bucks for this goodie, but to have unlimited use of it (using the WiFI YOU ALREADY PAY FOR) you must additionally pay $20 a month. (but I will admit that you do get a $100 rebate if you sign up for this scheme). The first year is $290 bucks all told with a new payment due next month.
Why does this seem like such a good deal to people? AT&T's network is so pathetic everywhere, and now they try to get us to pay EVEN MORE for the privilege to lighten the network load by routing our phone's signal through our own WiFi?
Am I the only one outraged by this audacity? I bought one and I feel like an idiot (I'm in the Charlotte test market). Don't be an idiot like me, and don't let AT&T get away with this scheme to make you pay to help lighten their network congestion problems.
Also, so you know: it uses GPS to locate itself so you can't move it from place to place (u have to use it at your registered address).
To really step it up, just get a GSM signal booster and continue slamming their network with your data and voice requests. Maybe someday they will make the correct response; improving the capacity of their sad network.
So you're going to stop using a carrier because they offer a femtocell solution for those in need?
Well, when you put it that way, AT&T seems so sweet for such a kind and generous offer!
And at only an ADDITIONAL $290 for the first year too! What an absolute steal! Add that to the $949* a year we are are already paying for "service" and we have a new grand total of $1238 a year for "service" that only sometimes works...
Could you remind me again why AT&T users are "in need" again?
Oh yeah, right....
*$949 cost based on a modest plan of $79.00/month (mine's higher)
So you're going to stop using a carrier because they offer a femtocell solution for those in need?
So which company are you going to choose instead? Based on your objections...
it can't be Verizon with their $250 Wireless Network Extender which only connects 4 devices and doesn't offer any data, just voice.
it can't be Sprint with their $99 AIRAVE which requires a monthly fee to use the unit and some wonky costs for each line that seem quite confusing and costly.
that leaves T-Mobile.
No, I'm going to stop using a carrier that has poor coverage where I live and work. I'll just go back to a verizon plain phone with an iPod classic and live without the Internet in my pocket.
What else can I do, I need a phone that makes phone calls. I would have replied sooner but I had no signal earlier.
So you're going to stop using a carrier because they offer a femtocell solution for those in need?
So which company are you going to choose instead? Based on your objections...
it can't be Verizon with their $250 Wireless Network Extender which only connects 4 devices and doesn't offer any data, just voice.
it can't be Sprint with their $99 AIRAVE which requires a monthly fee to use the unit and some wonky costs for each line that seem quite confusing and costly.
that leaves T-Mobile.
What a clever marketing ploy to make you pay them (in addition to their already overpriced service plans) so they can use your home Internet connection to improve their network coverage. Anybody want to buy a bridge in London?
Yes, that's right, AT&T is not only going to charge you $150 bucks for this goodie, but to have unlimited use of it (using the WiFI YOU ALREADY PAY FOR) you must additionally pay $20 a month. (but I will admit that you do get a $100 rebate if you sign up for this scheme). The first year is $290 bucks all told with a new payment due next month.
Enough with your FUD ruckus...
1) It has nothing to do with your WiFi, it uses your broadband cable or DSL internet connection and should be connected as close to the modem as possible.
No, I'm going to stop using a carrier that has poor coverage where I live and work. I'll just go back to a verizon plain phone with an iPod classic and live without the Internet in my pocket.
What else can I do, I need a phone that makes phone calls. I would have replied sooner but I had no signal earlier.
You came to a forum regarding the AT&T Microcell and stated your comment with "the absolute nerve of this company". That clearly implies your issue is with this offering that other carriers have offered already, not with AT&T service in the areas you use.
Quote:
Originally Posted by toes
What a clever marketing ploy to make you pay them (in addition to their already overpriced service plans) so they can use your home Internet connection to improve their network coverage. Anybody want to buy a bridge in London?
A clever marketing plot that AT&T is the last to catch up on, yet somehow it's now AT&T's fault?
BTW, speaking of London, these femtocells have exist in many other countries, too. You know, all the advanced countries with advanced cellular networks. How 'bout them Apples?
So you're going to stop using a carrier because they offer a femtocell solution for those in need?
So which company are you going to choose instead? Based on your objections...
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism
Enough with your FUD ruckus...
1) It has nothing to do with your WiFi, it uses your broadband cable or DSL internet connection and should be connected as close to the modem as possible.
2) There is no monthly fee for the AT&T option.
UM, do I have to scan my bills and post them for you? If you are content on allowing AT&T billing you for EVERY SINGLE VOICE MINUTE overyour own internet connection then by all means, don't pay the twenty bucks.
I remind you that I live in Charlotte and had this thing.
And sorry for not using the correct terminology. Correct it needs to be BOTH next to your modem and still have a view of the sky (every power-up) for the GPS restriction.
So besides your WikiPedia reference, do you actually have any hands-on with this thing? Sounds like not.
So besides your WikiPedia reference, do you actually have any hands-on with this thing? Sounds like not.
You're right for voice there is a charge. Your previous comment about WiFi got me focused on data. Mea culpa.
I do have experience with the Verizon option which is even more money and less function. the fact remains that this is an option for those that can't otherwise get service in their homes. By saying this is the carriers trying to screw their customers over is shortsighted. If you don't like then go with a carrier than can offer you service in your home. Sometimes that's an option, often it isn't.
You're right for voice there is a charge. Your previous comment about WiFi got me focused on data. Mea culpa.
I do have experience with the Verizon option which is even more money and less function. the fact remains that this is an option for those that can't otherwise get service in their homes. By saying this is the carriers trying to screw their customers over is shortsighted. If you don't like then go with a carrier than can offer you service in your home. Sometimes that's an option, often it isn't.
Actually, in Charlotte the service is pretty good without a femtocel. I got it because i thought it a strategic move to lower my minute usage during the work day. I didn't get that it was $20 for EACH PHONE to use it unlimited. So my wife and I made the total $40/month + the purchase. Needless to say, an upgrade of minutes in my plan turned out to be the much cheaper solution.
Before here I lived in Richmond, VA where the AT&T network is just awful. I also experienced awfulness in NY (but not from signal, but network congestion), and San Fransisco.
Seems to me AT&T could have relieved their network of a ton of traffic and made a positive impression on their customers (for a change) by just making this femtocell an irresistible deal. Like including unlimited use over your own internet. They had an opportunity to make up for allot with this thing, but yet they chose their typical path of greed.
That's the reason people are pissed about this. Sad, AT&T missed a great opportunity to be a hero with this thing.
Actually, in Charlotte the service is pretty good without a femtocel. I got it because i thought it a strategic move to lower my minute usage during the work day. I didn't get that it was $20 for EACH PHONE to use it unlimited.
No argument from me that $20 per phones is expensive.
I'm missing something about this micro cell. Please correct me if i'm wrong. The range is forty feet max. So what is this going to do for me in my house unless I'm sitting in a basement or perhaps ..........
If I DO NOT have an adequate TOWER signal to begin with in my house the MICRO CELL isn't going to do anything
I'm missing something about this micro cell. Please correct me if i'm wrong. The range is forty feet max. So what is this going to do for me in my house unless I'm sitting in a basement or perhaps ..........
If I DO NOT have an adequate TOWER signal to begin with in my house the MICRO CELL isn't going to do anything
1) AT&T's FAQs state 40 feet in all directions or 5000 sq ft, which doesn't make sense since 70 ft x 70 ft = 5000 sq ft. That may be a best scenario without blockage from other objects in the home, but I've seen good results from a competitor's offering, so maybe AT&T is being cautious with their range.
2) This service doesn't require an AT&T tower nearby as it bypasses it by using your broadband to go directly to their wired trunk. However, AT&T may only offer it where AT&T service is officially available so that may exclude those in areas where AT&T isn't allowed to operate.
Has anyone tried powering it up where there is a good GPS signal and then keeping it running (perhaps with a battery) to move it to where it's needed -- away from a GPS signal? Once running, is it stable or does it need to be rebooted from time to time?
Has anyone tried powering it up where there is a good GPS signal and then keeping it running (perhaps with a battery) to move it to where it's needed -- away from a GPS signal? Once running, is it stable or does it need to be rebooted from time to time?
Every power up it must gps lock. Once locked, it's fine. Once I had it take three hours to lock though. Seriously.
Just a few examples. You can't have it both ways. If you want coverage, you have to allow for infrastructure.
it comes down to having realistic expectations - yours that a "hill" can cripple an "advanced network" is a false dichotomy and a perfect example of unrealistic expectations.
Quote:
Did it piss me off that I had to actually buy and pay for AT&T to get coverage I was already paying for?
This I do agree with. $150 plus having to still pay for "airtime" is ridiculous. If not free, the darn things should be a heck of a lot cheaper and you should get unlimited minutes when you are on it. I imagine the minute thing is a technology problem with the billing, similar to what TMobile faced when they rolled out their microcell's with free minutes - they often wouldn't start charging when you roamed off of the microcell. Sometimes this stuff is pretty darn complicated on the back end - but I do think AT&T is handling this very poorly from a customer relations stand point.
Hi frequency radio waves go in stright lines of sight directions mostly unless defelcted by an object, This is why there are dead spots especially in cities where buildings get in the way. Did you ever remember Long Wave radio. The longer the radio waves the eaiser it is for them to bend around objects. Before you spout of more ignorance do a little learning . Educate yourself, oh yes you are a product of the American "Education" system right that explains a lot.
"Ignorance"? I lived in Switzerland for years. The towers are always up in the mountains and any decent size cities in the valleys. The cell phone reception is phenomenal. They even have cell phone reception in 34 km long tunnels. Its not education, its common sense and how to install a network. I suggest you comment to ATT, not the users who have the sense of knowing what their pitiful reception is like.
Comments
Why do you people seemingly have to be hit over the head in order to grasp something new or a little different?
The microcell provides CELLULAR PHONE SERVICE to those phones to which you grant access to your microcell, and it uses the WiFi connection to link to the main AT&T cellular network. It's in advance of or in lieu of normal access to regular cellular towers.
In the majority of cases, WiFi doesn't replace the need for cellular service, at least for other people within the microcell's range who simply would like to make calls from their respective cell phones, which may very well not be iPhones, or from iPhones which don't have VoIP accounts.
Actually, this is nothing new really. AT&T loves to rip us off in increments of 10-20 bucks a month.
Yes, that's right, AT&T is not only going to charge you $150 bucks for this goodie, but to have unlimited use of it (using the WiFI YOU ALREADY PAY FOR) you must additionally pay $20 a month. (but I will admit that you do get a $100 rebate if you sign up for this scheme). The first year is $290 bucks all told with a new payment due next month.
Why does this seem like such a good deal to people? AT&T's network is so pathetic everywhere, and now they try to get us to pay EVEN MORE for the privilege to lighten the network load by routing our phone's signal through our own WiFi?
Am I the only one outraged by this audacity? I bought one and I feel like an idiot (I'm in the Charlotte test market). Don't be an idiot like me, and don't let AT&T get away with this scheme to make you pay to help lighten their network congestion problems.
Also, so you know: it uses GPS to locate itself so you can't move it from place to place (u have to use it at your registered address).
To really step it up, just get a GSM signal booster and continue slamming their network with your data and voice requests. Maybe someday they will make the correct response; improving the capacity of their sad network.
And you will save money in the long run.
The absolute nerve of this company. My contract is up this summer. When that happens, not another dime, not another penny.
So you're going to stop using a carrier because they offer a femtocell solution for those in need?
So which company are you going to choose instead? Based on your objections...
So you're going to stop using a carrier because they offer a femtocell solution for those in need?
Well, when you put it that way, AT&T seems so sweet for such a kind and generous offer!
And at only an ADDITIONAL $290 for the first year too! What an absolute steal! Add that to the $949* a year we are are already paying for "service" and we have a new grand total of $1238 a year for "service" that only sometimes works...
Could you remind me again why AT&T users are "in need" again?
Oh yeah, right....
*$949 cost based on a modest plan of $79.00/month (mine's higher)
So you're going to stop using a carrier because they offer a femtocell solution for those in need?
So which company are you going to choose instead? Based on your objections...
No, I'm going to stop using a carrier that has poor coverage where I live and work. I'll just go back to a verizon plain phone with an iPod classic and live without the Internet in my pocket.
What else can I do, I need a phone that makes phone calls. I would have replied sooner but I had no signal earlier.
So you're going to stop using a carrier because they offer a femtocell solution for those in need?
So which company are you going to choose instead? Based on your objections...
What a clever marketing ploy to make you pay them (in addition to their already overpriced service plans) so they can use your home Internet connection to improve their network coverage. Anybody want to buy a bridge in London?
Yes, that's right, AT&T is not only going to charge you $150 bucks for this goodie, but to have unlimited use of it (using the WiFI YOU ALREADY PAY FOR) you must additionally pay $20 a month. (but I will admit that you do get a $100 rebate if you sign up for this scheme). The first year is $290 bucks all told with a new payment due next month.
Enough with your FUD ruckus...
No, I'm going to stop using a carrier that has poor coverage where I live and work. I'll just go back to a verizon plain phone with an iPod classic and live without the Internet in my pocket.
What else can I do, I need a phone that makes phone calls. I would have replied sooner but I had no signal earlier.
You came to a forum regarding the AT&T Microcell and stated your comment with "the absolute nerve of this company". That clearly implies your issue is with this offering that other carriers have offered already, not with AT&T service in the areas you use.
What a clever marketing ploy to make you pay them (in addition to their already overpriced service plans) so they can use your home Internet connection to improve their network coverage. Anybody want to buy a bridge in London?
A clever marketing plot that AT&T is the last to catch up on, yet somehow it's now AT&T's fault?
BTW, speaking of London, these femtocells have exist in many other countries, too. You know, all the advanced countries with advanced cellular networks. How 'bout them Apples?
So you're going to stop using a carrier because they offer a femtocell solution for those in need?
So which company are you going to choose instead? Based on your objections...
Enough with your FUD ruckus...
UM, do I have to scan my bills and post them for you? If you are content on allowing AT&T billing you for EVERY SINGLE VOICE MINUTE over your own internet connection then by all means, don't pay the twenty bucks.
I remind you that I live in Charlotte and had this thing.
And sorry for not using the correct terminology. Correct it needs to be BOTH next to your modem and still have a view of the sky (every power-up) for the GPS restriction.
So besides your WikiPedia reference, do you actually have any hands-on with this thing? Sounds like not.
So besides your WikiPedia reference, do you actually have any hands-on with this thing? Sounds like not.
You're right for voice there is a charge. Your previous comment about WiFi got me focused on data. Mea culpa.
I do have experience with the Verizon option which is even more money and less function. the fact remains that this is an option for those that can't otherwise get service in their homes. By saying this is the carriers trying to screw their customers over is shortsighted. If you don't like then go with a carrier than can offer you service in your home. Sometimes that's an option, often it isn't.
You're right for voice there is a charge. Your previous comment about WiFi got me focused on data. Mea culpa.
I do have experience with the Verizon option which is even more money and less function. the fact remains that this is an option for those that can't otherwise get service in their homes. By saying this is the carriers trying to screw their customers over is shortsighted. If you don't like then go with a carrier than can offer you service in your home. Sometimes that's an option, often it isn't.
Actually, in Charlotte the service is pretty good without a femtocel. I got it because i thought it a strategic move to lower my minute usage during the work day. I didn't get that it was $20 for EACH PHONE to use it unlimited. So my wife and I made the total $40/month + the purchase. Needless to say, an upgrade of minutes in my plan turned out to be the much cheaper solution.
Before here I lived in Richmond, VA where the AT&T network is just awful. I also experienced awfulness in NY (but not from signal, but network congestion), and San Fransisco.
Seems to me AT&T could have relieved their network of a ton of traffic and made a positive impression on their customers (for a change) by just making this femtocell an irresistible deal. Like including unlimited use over your own internet. They had an opportunity to make up for allot with this thing, but yet they chose their typical path of greed.
That's the reason people are pissed about this. Sad, AT&T missed a great opportunity to be a hero with this thing.
Actually, in Charlotte the service is pretty good without a femtocel. I got it because i thought it a strategic move to lower my minute usage during the work day. I didn't get that it was $20 for EACH PHONE to use it unlimited.
No argument from me that $20 per phones is expensive.
If I DO NOT have an adequate TOWER signal to begin with in my house the MICRO CELL isn't going to do anything
I'm missing something about this micro cell. Please correct me if i'm wrong. The range is forty feet max. So what is this going to do for me in my house unless I'm sitting in a basement or perhaps ..........
If I DO NOT have an adequate TOWER signal to begin with in my house the MICRO CELL isn't going to do anything
1) AT&T's FAQs state 40 feet in all directions or 5000 sq ft, which doesn't make sense since 70 ft x 70 ft = 5000 sq ft. That may be a best scenario without blockage from other objects in the home, but I've seen good results from a competitor's offering, so maybe AT&T is being cautious with their range.
2) This service doesn't require an AT&T tower nearby as it bypasses it by using your broadband to go directly to their wired trunk. However, AT&T may only offer it where AT&T service is officially available so that may exclude those in areas where AT&T isn't allowed to operate.
Has anyone tried powering it up where there is a good GPS signal and then keeping it running (perhaps with a battery) to move it to where it's needed -- away from a GPS signal? Once running, is it stable or does it need to be rebooted from time to time?
Every power up it must gps lock. Once locked, it's fine. Once I had it take three hours to lock though. Seriously.
Isn't it great that AT&T's network is so advanced that a hill can cripple it?
Wireless technology isn't magic, it still follows the laws of physics and one of them is line of sight between you and the tower.
Everyone wants flawless cellular coverage, but no one wants cellular towers:
http://articles.sfgate.com/2008-09-1...less-companies
http://georgiazoningblog.wordpress.c...ain?t-pretty/
Just a few examples. You can't have it both ways. If you want coverage, you have to allow for infrastructure.
it comes down to having realistic expectations - yours that a "hill" can cripple an "advanced network" is a false dichotomy and a perfect example of unrealistic expectations.
Did it piss me off that I had to actually buy and pay for AT&T to get coverage I was already paying for?
This I do agree with. $150 plus having to still pay for "airtime" is ridiculous. If not free, the darn things should be a heck of a lot cheaper and you should get unlimited minutes when you are on it. I imagine the minute thing is a technology problem with the billing, similar to what TMobile faced when they rolled out their microcell's with free minutes - they often wouldn't start charging when you roamed off of the microcell. Sometimes this stuff is pretty darn complicated on the back end - but I do think AT&T is handling this very poorly from a customer relations stand point.
Hi frequency radio waves go in stright lines of sight directions mostly unless defelcted by an object, This is why there are dead spots especially in cities where buildings get in the way. Did you ever remember Long Wave radio. The longer the radio waves the eaiser it is for them to bend around objects. Before you spout of more ignorance do a little learning . Educate yourself, oh yes you are a product of the American "Education" system right that explains a lot.
"Ignorance"? I lived in Switzerland for years. The towers are always up in the mountains and any decent size cities in the valleys. The cell phone reception is phenomenal. They even have cell phone reception in 34 km long tunnels. Its not education, its common sense and how to install a network. I suggest you comment to ATT, not the users who have the sense of knowing what their pitiful reception is like.