For those who missed the torrent of
3G MicroCell news yesterday, here's the long and short of it: the Cisco-built device is now on sale, but
only in Charlotte, North Carolina. One fortunate Charlottean managed to scoop one up, but rather than keeping the experience to himself, he decided to bang out a full review for the rest of the world to see. By and large, Jason's experience with the femtocell mirrored our own with Sprint's
AIRAVE. Installation and setup was a breeze, and once it was booted up and operational, it worked like a charm. Before picking this up, he was seeing one bar of EDGE (if he was lucky); afterwards, his entire house was blanketed with five bars of 3G. Not surprisingly, he noted that the before and after difference when fielding calls was "night and day," but he
did take the opportunity to bark at the lofty $150 price tag. But hey, those desperate enough will cough up anything to actually use their phone, right?
posted Sep 22nd 2009 12:08PM
So... repeating my last comment about this thing... I have to pay THEM to make up for their lack of signal strength in the area around my home?
No thanks...
No. You pay extra so you can live in a shit city in a shit state that has shit reception.
/ducks for cover
Dr. Spaceman,
Your attempt at humor (I'm assuming that's what it was at least) is *FAIL*
Not only that, but there's also the slightly bigger electricity bill.
How DARE you talk about San Francisco like that!
Yes, yes you do and you will. We live in a world where if its a cost to an operator, you're going to pay it. Of course if its a profit to an operator, that will be OURS, thank you. They already charge you for paper bills, detailed billing, 911 fees, taxes, SMS, minutes. Why not an extra charge to actually receive the signal? Of course, don't forget, you are actually already paying for the broadband that lets them use this device in the first place.
I couldn't agree more. The MicroCell is entirely an excuse for poor coverage; coverage which you're ostensibly paying a provider to... well... provide.
This whole situation is ass-backwards, and it's pathetic. I'll never buy one of these.
As someone who lives just outside of Charlotte, I feel qualified to say, if you want good service, move away from AT&T. Sprint has a fantastic network here, TMobile just got their 3G up and I hear coverage is pretty good. Pretty much anything but AT&T. Honestly, in this area there is no better deal than Sprint. They have the best coverage with data practically everywhere voice is, and a solid network that doesn't seem to get easily overwhelmed. Why anyone in this area would choose AT&T is almost beyond me(some people just have to have the shiny iPhone).
@ronzo: humor? no, i'm dead serious. dont live in hick town and your reception will be fine.
@General MIDI: i live in san francisco, the reception is fine here.
2nd largest banking hub in the USA. Yeah, that just SCREAMS "Hick town".
Why would you buy a cellphone and service plan from a provider that does not offer decent cellphone service in your area?
This device is purely for people with large houses with dense walls, or for people like myself, who work 20 feet underground in a basement and can get no cellphone penetration.
This is not an excuse for poor coverage, it's a convenient way to be able to lose your landline at home which can cost over $30 a month for just routine usage.
This OBVIOUSLY does not replace cellular service or reception? Who is going to use AT&T if they get no signal at all in their neighbourhood, but can get signal inside their house because of this silly box? That's ludicrous! The point of a cellphone is for ambulatory communication. If a service provide doesn't provide that, you simply don't buy their service. If you want the convenience of using your cellphone in the basement of your house where no cellphone tower will ever be able to penetrate, you buy this box.
What's the big deal? You all are going nuts over nothing. Try being rational.
James, good luck with getting a GPS fix underground, since you're gonna need one to use this. Fail.
@nerdtalker:
GPS signals are strong enough to penetrate ground up to 20 feet, whether or not the box will pick them up is unlikely, though, because it's a consumer grade equipment.
It is my understanding, having never used the box nor knowing anyone with one, that the GPS lock is only required upon initiation. If the box remains powered on after initiation, it can be moved anywhere. This is something I will of course find out before committing to the device.
i have shitty reception at home, but inside my home (where this will be used), i have this OTHER high-tech device called a telephone. So, if i receive a call on my cell i can just call whomever back.
Now, i understand that defeats the purpose of a cell phone, but with the shitty service already in place, i'll be DAMNED if i'm going to pay to do ATT's job for them.
This should be free (or better yet....AT&T should pay YOU to install these)!
Think about....even if you have a decent signal they are pulling you off their 3G tours and moving you to the net which saves them serious money. Plus, since you are improving your signal there is no need to update their tour infrastructure in your immediate area.
I would totally use one if they would reduce my bill by $x per month.
Good luck dude, if you honestly think you're going to get GPS signal where you can't get terrestrial (and more powerful, lower frequency) cellular signal, you're in for a treat. Let me know how that goes.
Here's an interesting idea: What is to keep you from using this in your hotel room while you are on vacation in Asia or Europe so you can still send and receive calls without a international roaming data plan?
YAY. I get to pay them to offer me service that should be working in my house anyway. .
I feel obligated to say this, as any news about this device seems to be an AT&T bashing marathon.
AT&T has no excuse for poor coverage, but they are not charging a monthly fee for this device. Sure it would be nice if it was free, and who knows maybe in the future they will include it with plans in areas of low coverage. They do offer an unlimited plan which they are charging for, but lets not get that confused with the fact that to use your current plan all you have to do is buy the device. Sure they are piggy backing off of your internet connection to provide you phone service that their infrastructure should be able to support, but they can't have perfect coverage everywhere in the country. I may be a little biased, as they have almost perfect coverage. Here in my area (Santa Barbara California) I get 3G and 3-5 bars everywhere I go, and have never had a dropped call (I know we are quiet, but there are actually people who have a good experience with AT&T). Sprint and T-Mobile are the ones who have all the issues in this area. This device seems like a good idea, though I have no use for one, I could see this being very useful on vacations to winter cabin's or summer beach houses where a connection may not be as good as it is at home.
Basically what I am saying, is at least they are offering something.
I work from home and cancelled my landline in favor of all-mobile service. Dropped calls and quality are sometime frustrating, however, so this gadget would work great for me! Here's hoping it comes to Denver soon.
I am up in Boulder was am also eagerly awaiting this product.
If you are paying over $100/month for service why would ATT make you pay a extra 150 bucks just to actually use the phone you already pay monthly for. They should offer this free at request of the consumer.
yes, like paying to extend the greedy overexpensive wireless carrier network....
I never understood this situation. They are charging us for improving their coverage? Shouldnt it be the other way around? I dont want to pick on AT&T alone and the other firms are in a similar situation. Do I get free calls or minutes etc for using this?
Yes, free calls.....with the $19.99 service plan. Then all calls placed on the Microcell do NOT use your minutes. I have to agree with the above posters on the coverage..I live in Boulder CO right next to the mountains. ATT is probably not going to beef up their coverage out here, so I dont mind the added expense too much. And with no land line, so this will be a nice addition.
I'm an AT&T subscriber with an unlimited minutes plan, but I don't own a cellphone. I complained to AT&T about my inability to make calls and they said I had to "buy" a phone! I can't believe they're making me pay extra for service I'm already subscribed to. WTF?
@Jeff A,
You don't have a landline?
I just do not understand people who do not have a landline
No Land Line. I travel for a living and am usually home 3 weekends a month. The rest of the time, I am living in a hotel and out of a suitcase. Plus, no wife or kids. I even move around every few years so my cell phone number is the same as freshman college (9years ago). Since everyone knows it, no need to change it.
Why would a majority of single people have a land line?? I understand families with kids and such, but otherwise not sure why.
Makes sense lol.
You're doing it wrong!
It's **CHARLOTTEAN**
and anyone who claims that this works outside of Charlotte is simply a charlatan.
The only thing more confusing that having to pay extra to get service that you already pay for... is Engadget's coverage of this device. It's not a new idea, nor is it revolutionary.
If it's only because it's for AT&T, then really Engadget? Really?
Could be that it went on sale (albeit only in one location) recently?
Did you also notice they mention Sprint's AIRAVE in the same article?
Really, moffitt? Really?
By no means am I saying that microcell coverage shouldn't be on engadget, but I am saying that 6 articles spanning 3 days is excessive. For example, this article says that yes, it does exactly what we told you it would do yesterday.
And yes, I did notice how they confirmed that this is absolutely nothing new at all by saying that the experience mirrored their own with the Airave which came out over a year ago.
So yes. Really.
AT&T should be giving these away for FREE along with an apology letter for the subpar service. The fact that you are using YOUR Internet connection so to make THEIR network usable is inexcusable - they should be paying you to use this device.
I'm appalled that Engadget is covering this thing like it's the greatest thing since slice bread and not hammering AT&T for, essentially, not coming through on their contractual obligations to their customers and instead sticking it to them AGAIN.
Pffft...whatever.
In my case it's not really AT&Ts fault, it's the local hilly terrain. I get 5 bars on the street in front of my house and 0-1 inside my house. there are 2 tower within a half mile.
For me this is going to be a major improvement, and I'll gladly pay a one time $150 for it.
The other thing you have to remember is building materials of your house. If you have stucco or metal siding you will have reduced reception indoors.
LOL it looks kinda cool but should be uneccessary if they were willing to spend the money. I think this is a test bed for the rest of the country. CUT back on actually creating better reception and charge people extra for the improved signal.
Ya know just because we live in a capitalist world does not mean every thing you do in your life has to be a grab for higher profits. Greed should never be acceptable even in a capitalist world. There is a distinct difference between accumulating wealth and being greedy. a person accumulating wealth won't necessarily go out of his or her way to completely gouge a person of their pocket book.
I'm currently on my second Microcell and 16 hours into it... As I type this, I'm on hold with AT&T engineering now with the promise of a callback later to see why both microcells would not activate... The AT&T reps have been extremely personable so no problem there, just wish I could get my microcell up and going. The activation process is rather easy but isn't the quickest though, each time I've we've tried its a 90+ minute wait.
Er, lemme correct that (sorry, typing and talking is challenging heh) -- What I was trying to say was, "The activation process is rather easy but isn't the quickest though, each time I've tried it's been a 90+ minute wait." :)
Okay... so now I'm off the phone with AT&T now and was told to expect a callback with 24 hours. Now, instead of "just not activating" the microcell keeps rebooting... So it appears that I will sit in my bedroom by my window all day waiting for that phone call, anywhere else in my house and I'll probably either miss or drop the call. :P What's even better is everything it reboots it takes all of bars away from all of the phones in the house. Now it… er… well while typing this… just activated… All phones are now reporting microcell as a go! My God! I can hear people on the phone now!!
ARG!!! I give up, it's back down, again. On phone reports microcell coverage, the other one keeps flopping from edge, to 3G, to "No Service" with the edge icon, the AT&T site reports there was an activation error.
So what's the range of these things? If I have a 5-acre lot, will it blanket the whole thing? If my school is a quarter-mile away, will it be covered? A mile away?
Coverage is about 5000 square feet, depending on the construction or building materials used in your house.
That's insanely tiny!
That's an inside radius of 35 feet, and an outside radius of 50 feet. Depending on building materials of course
It's not a tower - and "micro" is in the name of the device. What would lead you to believe it would be anything but small?
A mile away?! WTF?
Don't you get the same effect by just having a wifi compatible phone in a home wifi area?
Or am I not understanding that technology right?
If your phone is wi-fi compatible, it's the same effect for browsing the web, but not for the actual phone functions (like calling or texting).
It's the same market-speak as TMobile's UMA technology, except that this MicroCell box from AT&T emits a cellular signal and does all of the cellular -> TCP conversion so any phone is capable of connecting to it within 5k sq ft, whereas UMA requires a chip in the phone to do that and a WiFi signal, which is usually much more limited in range. So it's a totally different technology. Don't let market-speak invade your mind, it's bad for you.
Kind of like how you let 5k sq. feet invade your mind? That's not nearly as big as it sounds.
James, UMA that's the one. I couldn't remember the acronym.
This, UMA, technology seems to make much more sense. If you already have wifi surely it makes much more sense to just upgrade the phone. If you don't have wifi... spend the $150 on that and have the convenience of wifi internet too.
T-mobile should encourage subscribers to open their wifi networks as hotspots. Perhaps offering a discount on their plans so long as the hotspot are used x times per month or at least once by another user??
Never mind that his thing shouldn't even be necessary. There's no excuse for spotty coverage, from any carrier, if you live in a metropolitan area. Cell phone carriers in the U.S. = FAIL
Ahh, so it improves your reception that was not originally there, not only for you but everyone in your house that has the service (and others?)
But, you have to pay that much for the box, and you can't do unlimited calling (If not on your current plan).
I can see the need and want for this, but the price is crazy high for the box, and the no unlimited calling for free or cheaper price is enough for me to say "No thanks".
I'm not in the market for one of these (my reception is fine, and I'm not on AT&T anyway - not even in the same country as AT&T) - but I'm curious. Is there any sort of access restriction on these? If I set one up in an apartment, would my neighbour's cell phone see this unit instead of the tower and start using my internet connection? I would NOT be impressed if that were the case, especially when they make you pay for the damn thing in the first place!
You program the device with a list of allowed phone numbers. Unless you put your neighbors phone number on that list, they can't get on your device.
That is kind of what I am wondering. Does it actually broadcast a 3G signal on the 1900/2100 frequencies that people can find then connect calls to? So essentially it's just a small version of their tower? Plus why would data be important on these things don't most people have wifi anyways what's the point of running a 3G speedtest like he did in the review don't most iphone owners, me included, just have the phone to auto switch over to their home network when in range?
I've been waiting for the microcell to drop because like a lot of people today, my cell phone is my only phone. Since I've moved, I have great coverage almost where I go, except for when I walk inside. The data part I could care less about because I have wi-fi; it's the actual voice/phone call part I need the most.
You program the device with a list of allowed phone numbers. Unless you put your neighbors phone number on that list, they can't get on your device.
Unauthorized phones CAN see the 3G signal, but will not attach or use the 3G signal from the femto unless their phone number is authorized.
I'm sure this guy's neighbors appreciate his purchase.
Why? His neighbors will see the signal, but unless he programs their phone numbers in the device they can't use it.
Seems to me these devices should be 50$, like a wireless router, and be carrier agnostic so anyone can just buy one, plug it into their router and then anyone in the house can use their cell phones.
But that would make too much sense, so, no I guess they won't do that.
Actually that would be T Mobile's @Home HiPort Wireless Router. It has two SIM card slots that basically turn your cell line into a land line. It's made by Cisco/Linksys and could be used by any carrier (they have to support it on the back end). I use a third line for 9.99 mo. to give me a dedicated land line. not as cheap as Magic Jack but I don't need to tie it to my PC either. Of course it doesn't do data on your cell but I'm sure Cisco has one designed to just in case a carrier would like to have it.
http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/Cell-Phone-Detail.aspx?cell-phone=T-Mobile-@Home-HiPort-Wireless-Router
How far does this thing reach?
Is the range about the same as a wifi router?
Stay tuned in 5 years or so for one of these from Rogers, still the full $150 or more, so that I can finally get GSM service in the worthless little Nova Scotian town I live in (which, it's a safe bet, will not ever get an actual tower, even though there's CDMA service here).
So I can pay $150 to AT&T to fix the lack of signal in my house and still have no signal anywhere in my neighborhood or I can pay $175 to get out of my damn contract and move to VZN who have 5 bars coverage everywhere in the area. AT&T FAIL.
I love how AT&T claims this device can hand off calls to cellular network - if I had network coverage I wouldn't need the damn device in the first place!!!!!
I understand charging for the hardware but only making it available for people with unlimited plans, and not giving a discount for using their own internet, is Bullsh*t.
I pay at&t for cell service because I use their network and their cell towers. On top of the monthly plan I have to pay an a**raping of fees for crap I've never even heard of.
now they make a device that I have to pay for, and it piggy backs on my internet, and i need a certain plan for this? they should either charge for this and make all calls through it minute free, like t-mobile does, or don't charge and let anyone use it regardless of their plan.
I work in midtown nyc and get in and out of 1 bar Edge and i sit by a window. at home I get 5 3G bars but constantly get call faded errors and no ring to voicemail.
This is a poor decision on at&t's part. last time i checked they paid cell tower owners for using them, now they're charging!
also, any note on the bandwidth per call or if 3G data is true 3G speed when plugged into a high speed isp?
Let me know when they make one that covers a 20 mile radius around my house. No GSM reception here.
CDMA reception here is actually getting worse. I used to only get dropped calls in valleys and tunnels, now it drops whenever. I'm using a Nokia through Tracfone, and it seems to utilize U.S. Cellular's network. It was about $20, no camera, no custom ringtones, text messaging barely works, but $20 every 3 months is a lot better than $60 a month.
Does it help the reception of those living next door?
no
It is completely up to the owner of the device. Each phone that uses the signal has to be programmed into the device as an accepting source.
It can. You sign-on on AT&T Wireless's MicroCell website and add the phone numbers you want to be able to use your MicroCell. So you can theoretically sublet your MicroCell.
Education is needed for some of us on UMTS. In the UMTS standards there is a macro-cell, micro-cell and pico-cell. Macro-cells are what we use and see along the road sides. These provide mobility, we can drive down the road and use the phone most of the time. It is shared access for everyone driving down the same road using the same towers for same carrier. The microcell isn't fixing coverage problems you have. Macro-cells are by definition not suppose to provide the utopia coverage. This is why we have micro-cells and pico-cells. I doubt that we will actually ever see a pico-cell because the micro-cell will handle for our needs. Most city governments and home owners associations have put limits on cell towers in housing areas. The micro-cell and femtocell provided by sprint is one of the best ways to provide home owners and most likely down the road business owners with better coverage. If you have bad coverage with one carrier, change. Don't trash the AT&T micro-cell offering because you don't understand the limits that carrier have to work with. And by the way, it's a business and they should make some money down the road on their investment.
They can see the signal, but unless their phone number is programmed as authorized, their phone will not use it.
If I buy a unit, can i use it anywhere in the states (need one in Illinois?) or will the GPS trigger it to not work anywhere else but in the trial area?
The GPS will be used to ensure the device is only used in market areas where the product has launched.
Gawd have you people ever heard of voice over IP? get skype for gawd sakes $2 a month..
This is zero dollars a month and allows you to use one device with one phone number and still send SMS,MMS, and check email. It's totally different. If VoIP would work for my purposes, I'd be using it, but it doesn't, hence I need this kind of device.
Hmmm my bad I thought there was a monthly fee involved.
2 words... BRAIN CANCER!!
Reminds me of my girlfriends house I get 1 bar sometimes in or around her house, but if i walk like 500 feet away from her house I get 3-4 Bars, WTF? AT&T cant fix like a 500 ft radius around my Gf's house?
Sorry, dude, but AT&T doesn't care about your girlfriend. They only care about market density. Maybe if about a thousand other people all moved in with your girlfriend, they'd start to care, but aside from that...
You don't have a girl friend.... Troll
I see the purpose for this. Where I spend a large part of my day, there is little-to-no cell coverage, thanks to the several large metal rooms and the building being built into the side of a hill. This would be incredibly useful.
Can we get a rollout calendar - need this in Chicago - yesterday
I will gladly pay $150 for the device. Service on all providers around my house is patchy at best. I will finally be able to play games and watch football in my basement on my projector!
Maybe AT&T should put some of these on telephone poles, and increase the coverage.
There was a torrent of the news?!
If the problem is poor signal, the solution may not be to force people to buy micro-towers. The soultion might be, a) more cell towers b) more UMA capable cell phones.
I can say right now that when it comes to Chicago, I will be buying one. It has nothing to do with a lack of reception in my area. It has to deal with the fact that I live in a brick apartment building, and the living room is in the center. I get no reception. The second I step out the door it's perfect though. I don't blame AT&T for that.
Considering I don't want to or need to pay for a land line, I'm willing to fork over $150 one time to have flawless reception in my own home.
If 10 of my neighbours get these is it going to interfere with my already CRAPPY coverage in my house?
Has anyone from Canada been notified yet?
Well good, I'm glad that we're putting even more CANCER RAYS directly into our home.
I'm not joking either, there's already pretty hefty evidence connecting cell connections and cancer. This is seriously a bad idea. Too bad ATT probably bribes the news outlets to keep that as low as they have.
I can't waitto getone of these and block out my neighbors phones with it. Gonna be great!
I have one of this units. I did marketing research for AT&T and got one for free. If anyone wants one hit me up and we can work out a deal. From my experience it worked great but I have full coverage in my house and have no use for it. We actually use a different model for the testing then after they got all the bugs worked out they shipped us the one pictured here. I've never even plugged it in.
masonriddoch, I'd be interested in maybe buying that from you.
I just "spoke" with a tech from AT&T this evening who told me about this device. Unfortunately I am in Greensboro, NC so I do not have the option yet for it. I have had very few problems with AT&T in the six years that I have had their service but I recently moved to a townhome where I have to go a quarter of a mile from my house to not drop a call. It is increasingly irritating but it is what it is. While I agree that I should have the privilege of service in my home, that is not always the reality. The only provider who has good service at this location is Verizon. So I could either pay a $175 termination fee to AT&T and sign up with Verizon ($35 activation fee) and potentially lose my phone number that everyone on the planet that I love has OR I could pay for the MicroCell device ($150), not have to switch service and still get ample coverage everywhere else I go. Yeah, I would rather shell out $150 and let that be the only hassle. The customer service I have received up to and including this issue has been good enough to keep me around.