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JH4DC5

macrumors member
Sep 10, 2010
76
1
just got my microcell up and running today. took about an hour to activate then all 4 iphones connected without a problem.:D
 

AbSoluTc

Suspended
Sep 21, 2008
5,104
4,001
Here's my ongoing issue with the Micro Cell that happened with my 4, 4S and 5.

My phones will connect just fine. However, after either 5 minutes or 25 minutes of being on a call, the phone switches to the tower which barley gets any single but enough to connect - 1 bar, the call will drop or become really bad to the point of having to hang up. As soon as you hang up or the call drops, it immediately switches back to the Micro Cell with full bars. AT&T has no clue. I have none either other than the phone will connect to the Macro network over any other even if the Micro Cell has the best signal.

The Micro Cell was switched out so it's not that. It's not the phones as I have had 3 phone that did it and one that currently is doing it. I have turned off automatic hand off. Nada.

I'm at a loss. It's pretty frustrating. I am also within 10 feet of it. :)
 

milan03

macrumors 6502
Jul 16, 2002
440
13
New York City
just wondering, when you guys connect to 3.6mbps capable AT&T MicroCell, does the iPhone still show "4G" ? If so how in the world is that not missleading?!
 

AbSoluTc

Suspended
Sep 21, 2008
5,104
4,001
just wondering, when you guys connect to 3.6mbps capable AT&T MicroCell, does the iPhone still show "4G" ? If so how in the world is that not missleading?!

That's for cellular data. You shouldn't be using the Micro Cell for data. Only voice.
 

milan03

macrumors 6502
Jul 16, 2002
440
13
New York City
That's for cellular data. You shouldn't be using the Micro Cell for data. Only voice.
That's not the point. The point is that Apple+AT&T is misleading with 4G sign when connected to the bridge device like M-Cell that's only capable of negotiating at a 3G level.
This doesn't happen on any other network in the world when using Apple's iPhone.
 

AbSoluTc

Suspended
Sep 21, 2008
5,104
4,001
That's not the point. The point is that Apple+AT&T is misleading with 4G sign when connected to the bridge device like M-Cell that's only capable of negotiating at a 3G level.
This doesn't happen on any other network in the world when using Apple's iPhone.

It's not misleading. The iPhone does not show a "4G" sign. It shows M-Cell. :cool:

Any other questions?
 

milan03

macrumors 6502
Jul 16, 2002
440
13
New York City
It's not misleading. The iPhone does not show a "4G" sign. It shows M-Cell. :cool:

Any other questions?
Turn that WiFi off and look again.
bAJXW.jpg
 

AbSoluTc

Suspended
Sep 21, 2008
5,104
4,001
Turn that WiFi off and look again.
Image

Call AT&T and find out. Good luck! :)

I have no issues here and could care less if it says 4G or 3G when I am connected to a Micro Cell. I don't use it for data. Nobody should. Most are connected to WIFI because they are at home. Lol.
 

milan03

macrumors 6502
Jul 16, 2002
440
13
New York City
Call AT&T and find out. Good luck! :)

I have no issues here and could care less if it says 4G or 3G when I am connected to a Micro Cell. I don't use it for data. Nobody should. Most are connected to WIFI because they are at home. Lol.
So you were lying about it. Ok we got that out of the way.
On a side note, this proves my point that AT&T+Apple call a 3.6mbps MicroCell a "4G" connection. NICE! :cool:
 

SAMtheGAM

macrumors 6502
Mar 18, 2011
349
201
Here's my ongoing issue with the Micro Cell that happened with my 4, 4S and 5.

My phones will connect just fine. However, after either 5 minutes or 25 minutes of being on a call, the phone switches to the tower which barley gets any single but enough to connect - 1 bar, the call will drop or become really bad to the point of having to hang up. As soon as you hang up or the call drops, it immediately switches back to the Micro Cell with full bars. AT&T has no clue. I have none either other than the phone will connect to the Macro network over any other even if the Micro Cell has the best signal.

The Micro Cell was switched out so it's not that. It's not the phones as I have had 3 phone that did it and one that currently is doing it. I have turned off automatic hand off. Nada.

I'm at a loss. It's pretty frustrating. I am also within 10 feet of it. :)

my iPhone 5 kept on handing calls off and iPhone 4s insisted to standby on macro network after a few minutes on micro cell. i had disabled automatic handout on my end but when i spoke to data support automatic handout was still enabled on their end. the rep disabled it for me and all has been well.
 

AbSoluTc

Suspended
Sep 21, 2008
5,104
4,001
So you were lying about it. Ok we got that out of the way.
On a side note, this proves my point that AT&T+Apple call a 3.6mbps MicroCell a "4G" connection. NICE! :cool:

I wasn't lying. I've never seen the 4G notification because I have always had WIFI with it. Only saw it when you said turn it off. I still don't see the point. Lastly, Apple has nothing to do with what the CARRIER settings - say. The carrier controls that. Same with the M-Cell.

Why are you using an M-Cell for data anyways?

----------

my iPhone 5 kept on handing calls off and iPhone 4s insisted to standby on macro network after a few minutes on micro cell. i had disabled automatic handout on my end but when i spoke to data support automatic handout was still enabled on their end. the rep disabled it for me and all has been well.

Thanks, I will talk to them and see if it's disabled on their end.
 

darrenoia

macrumors member
Oct 5, 2012
33
36
A crazy, baseless theory: WiFi + Cellular

I'm having a similar problem connecting my iPhone 4 now that it's upgraded to iOS6. Unlike many posters here, I can connect -- but the connection is sporadic and often drops out in the middle of a call.

My crazy theory is this: it seems that just before the release of iOS6, Apple dropped a feature called WiFI + Cellular that was supposed to alternate seamlessly between WiFi and cellular data when WiFi wasn't working well. Given that the feature was basically meant to hand off from WiFi to cellular and vice versa, and that the Microcell is using WiFi to spoof cellular, I'm wondering if maybe there's some vestigial code from that feature left that might be messing things up (and might, as an aside, possibly explain why some people who think they're on WiFi are chewing through tons of their cellular data).

Does anyone with a more sophisticated understanding of how these things work think there might be something to this theory?
 

SAMtheGAM

macrumors 6502
Mar 18, 2011
349
201
I'm having a similar problem connecting my iPhone 4 now that it's upgraded to iOS6. Unlike many posters here, I can connect -- but the connection is sporadic and often drops out in the middle of a call.

My crazy theory is this: it seems that just before the release of iOS6, Apple dropped a feature called WiFI + Cellular that was supposed to alternate seamlessly between WiFi and cellular data when WiFi wasn't working well. Given that the feature was basically meant to hand off from WiFi to cellular and vice versa, and that the Microcell is using WiFi to spoof cellular, I'm wondering if maybe there's some vestigial code from that feature left that might be messing things up (and might, as an aside, possibly explain why some people who think they're on WiFi are chewing through tons of their cellular data).

Does anyone with a more sophisticated understanding of how these things work think there might be something to this theory?

I would make sure you have disabled auto handout. That way your calls stay on the micro cell and don't hand off to weak tower.

The micro cell actually is transmitting a 850/1900 Mhz cellular signal depending on spectrum in your area.
 

AbSoluTc

Suspended
Sep 21, 2008
5,104
4,001
My iPhone 5 the past 2 days will not connect to the MicroCell anymore. I have to restart the MicroCell or the iPhone 5 for it to work. It's really starting to piss me off.
 

SAMtheGAM

macrumors 6502
Mar 18, 2011
349
201
My iPhone 5 the past 2 days will not connect to the MicroCell anymore. I have to restart the MicroCell or the iPhone 5 for it to work. It's really starting to piss me off.

I would unplug your microcell for at least a minute then plug it in to get the latest software. My microcell rebooted on it's own Wednesday morning and got a software update. Connection with iPhone 5 seem to be more stable.

However, I can pick up 3 bars of LTE in my house so the iPhone 5 prefers to standby on LTE. But giving it a few minutes will switch to microcell.
 

TheNorthWaves

macrumors 6502
Oct 13, 2007
329
18
USA
I had my 3GS already set up with my microcell. Just brought home the new 5 and it automatically connected to it with no prompting or setup.
 

ZipZap

macrumors 603
Dec 14, 2007
6,076
1,448
My MCell worked fine with my 4S and automatically switched to the IP5 when I upgraded.

Aside from the occasional first call does not work issue, I have had zero problems.

Was on a 4 hour call over my MCell last well...No Drop!
 

HowardSmith

macrumors 6502a
Sep 13, 2012
863
0
My microcell would not work with my iPhone 5 either. I went to the AT&T microcell site and logged on. There was a update required and when I clicked ok it updated my microcell and it worked without flaw ever since.
 

SAMtheGAM

macrumors 6502
Mar 18, 2011
349
201
My microcell would not work with my iPhone 5 either. I went to the AT&T microcell site and logged on. There was a update required and when I clicked ok it updated my microcell and it worked without flaw ever since.

When I logged in I was not given the option to perform software update.

I do recommend unplugging the microcell for at least 5 minutes and plug back in to force firmware download. My microcell rebooted on it's own last week and has been more reliable ever since. It rebooted to receive software update.
 

kbade

macrumors newbie
Apr 13, 2010
28
0
battery

My battery seems to go down extra fast on the iPhone 5 when I'm at home (MicroCell+wifi), but not so much at work (cell+wifi)... does anyone else lose battery faster at home?

I'm wondering if it is a MicroCell issue, or simply a limited connectivity issue. My guess is that its either searching for 4G or Location Based Services in the background and getting neither of these connections so it keeps searching, thus killing the battery...

Seems like I get about 6-8 hours with little to no usage, while I'm at home. But much much longer if I'm at work...
 

martiansoldier

macrumors 6502
Nov 12, 2010
363
82
Are people still getting free Microcell tower's from AT&T by any chance?
Signal where I live has been getting from bad to worse day after day and when asked about it in the past, they've always wanted me to pay for it.
 

Stayfly2407

macrumors 6502
Apr 1, 2011
422
52
VA
Are people still getting free Microcell tower's from AT&T by any chance?
Signal where I live has been getting from bad to worse day after day and when asked about it in the past, they've always wanted me to pay for it.


What i did was called retention and complained about my service and told them its much easier to go to verizon but i didnt want to if i didnt have to. I brought up the microcell and they didnt give it to me for free but i did get it for HALF OFF! paid $99 and they shipped it overnight for free. Hooked up with no problems with my iPhone 5
 

kbade

macrumors newbie
Apr 13, 2010
28
0
What i did was called retention and complained about my service and told them its much easier to go to verizon but i didnt want to if i didnt have to. I brought up the microcell and they didnt give it to me for free but i did get it for HALF OFF! paid $99 and they shipped it overnight for free. Hooked up with no problems with my iPhone 5

I did the same thing, no need to threaten Verizon, just tell them that you pay a lot for ATT wireless and you need/deserve adequate service (that you're paying for!). Be nice. The guy asked me what I thought a fair price would be, I said $50 and he said ok. Shipped for free. I did this in March. Do not go to the store, all they want is a sale, call and talk to customer service.
 

bdizzle

macrumors member
Feb 28, 2008
69
2
Question about the microcell. Since it adds more bars...does that mean texts will go through?
Currently in a spot in Glendale, AZ with 2 bars and an iphone 5. Txts are spotty and calls sometimes don't ring, but just come through as voicemails.
Sorry for thread high jacking.
 
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