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Apple Issues Update Signaling iPhone Compatibility With AT&T's MicroCell
- Thread starter arn
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No, these femtocells (at least ones for other carriers) have GPS receivers built in and make sure you're in the US before working.
Thats for VoIP like Skype. If someone dials your regular cell phone number, it will never come to your phone via wifi
Agreed. I don't really see an application for this device in the home that would justify its cost.
UNLESS... perhaps Apple has some bigger plans for this technology down the road, such as phone calls via iChat (?). I'm just throwing this out there.
Yea exactly...AT&T is using MY bandwidth that I already pay for every month and they want us to pay a monthly fee on top of that? HA whoever falls for this one is an idiot...unless you live in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no service then it might be worth it, but your still paying for something you have already paid for.
This isn't about data so much as being able to receive calls on your cell number in areas without coverage. Glad to see I'm not the only one put off by paying monthly to bridge an AT&T phone to AT&T DSL over an AT&T landline because AT&T cellular coverage is spotty.
Worse yet, radio propagates in a sphere. 5000 sq ft is the surface area of a sphere with a radius of 20ft.
I am definitely keeping my eye on this. We just moved and I have coverage until I walk in my door. I have to leave my cell by the window and if it is in my pocket and pull it out it will be searching. I don't know if it is the hardy plank siding or what blocking the signal.
- James
- James
I suppose Apple has to support this with the iPhone, whether they want it or not. And some people will probably find it useful.
I am interested in this, but only if it is cheap. I like that Sprint's is only $100, but I don't like the $5/month. I like that Verizon's has no monthly fee, but $250 for the device is crazy.
If AT&T offers their's for $100 and no monthly fee, I'll buy one in a second. My 3G iPhone works in my house, but only well on the north end. If I start wondering around the house, I get dropped calls. I would love one of these MicroCells to gaurantee coverage throughout my house.
If AT&T offers their's for $100 and no monthly fee, I'll buy one in a second. My 3G iPhone works in my house, but only well on the north end. If I start wondering around the house, I get dropped calls. I would love one of these MicroCells to gaurantee coverage throughout my house.
it is meant in a circle because if it was going to be in the sphere it would be 5000 cb ft not 5000 square feet
seriously, if it was only 20 foot it wouldn't be worth at&t's time to produce, there wouldn't be a high enough demand for it.
Hold on a minute....
A special Microcell that I PAY FOR to make up for poor coverage in a major metropolitan area? Really? Ya know, I have been bitching about ATT coverage in north San Diego for months now. And the FIX...the FIX is that I buy a new device so my phone will work in my home? Really?
I believe in addressing the root cause: a lack of major cell coverage in my area that the CARRIER PAYS FOR. This is pure, bovine scat...the steamy, smelly kind that you try to avoid walking through....and as a consumer I object to it.
A special Microcell that I PAY FOR to make up for poor coverage in a major metropolitan area? Really? Ya know, I have been bitching about ATT coverage in north San Diego for months now. And the FIX...the FIX is that I buy a new device so my phone will work in my home? Really?
I believe in addressing the root cause: a lack of major cell coverage in my area that the CARRIER PAYS FOR. This is pure, bovine scat...the steamy, smelly kind that you try to avoid walking through....and as a consumer I object to it.
in my opinion this technology should be free or next to nothing for someone like me, where the coverage map states i get one click below perfect service, yet my service is a crapshoot at best, ranging from 3 bars to no service at all with the phone sitting on the desk never moving. This is all edge and i guarantee ill never see 3g in my town. This thing should be a consolation prize for failed service promises. I was all set to buy one but if im gonna get hit with a monthly fee on top of my broadband bill and cellular bill then screw that
I don't quite understand all the negativity surrounding this. If you live somewhere AT&T only has a couple bars (or less) this is a godsend. Instead of waiting however many years for AT&T to fill all their blind spots, you can do it yourself. Unless the cost is exorbitant, I don't see why essentially running my own private AT&T cell site shouldn't be worth paying a few bucks for.
people get mad because in many cases service is lacking in areas that it's promised. another reason is because att may charge a monthly fee for the microcell to run off of your already existing and paid for broadband internet connection, which is ridiculous! i'm pretty sure the concept of the microcell is widely encouraged by consumers but some of the details and overall business philosophy angers many people. att is essentially unloading hardware costs onto the consumer and on top of that charging a monthly fee!
Living in the UK, there's no way any carrier would offer this here.
It seems like such a poor deal though, paying to fix a hole in their coverage?
It seems like such a poor deal though, paying to fix a hole in their coverage?
It is a poor deal but carriers in the UK will start to offer this service.
See
This is not an amazing deal but has got obvious benefit over calling over wi-fi, the most significant being the handoff when you leave the area of coverage that the femtocell provides. However, if you live in the middle of no-where and the femotcell is your only coverage, you're screwed when you leave the coveraged (yes I made that up) area.
This is home hardware. Subways, airports and business will more than likely use picocells if they require a signal boost
I'd buy one for my parents house - it has no appreciable coverage on any network, on O2 or any of the other networks.
But there's no way in hell I'd pay a monthly fee for fixing a hole in their network coverage!
Phazer
old horse, new name...
....can anyone tell me the difference between this and the long-existing UMA (unauthorized mobile access)? i've been using t-mobile's UMA system, initially called hotspot@home for over two years, making free calls at home or at any open wi-fi spot (or spots where i have the passcode) and abroad. READ: with the femtocell/ UMA system if you're making wi-fi calls the system, at least T-mobile's system, does not care where you're in the world and treats you as if you're in the US.
this is a very well known "secret":
1. free calls, in the country or abroad,
2. seamless transition during the call from wi-fi to GSM, all calls initiated in the wi-fi network, even if they continue on the GSM network are free (this does not work overseas-- the phone, in the US, sends a ping to the GSM tower while you're fading from the wi-fi network and negotiates the transfer of your call from wi-fi to GSM without you noticing it. overseas the phone still sends the request, but because there are roaming issues it cannot complete it quickly so your call drops if you leave the wi-fi network or lose connection. which is a great thing because this way you assure you don't pay international roaming charges.
3. no deadspots at home, etc...
at the initial launch this was a $9.95 a month a add-on, $19.95 for family plans. that is when i signed up. now it is $10 higher for each i believe.
simple wi-fi capability is not enough to work on this system. the phone must have the required hardware. that is the ONLY reason i did not buy an iPhone and moved to AT&T. i pay for a 600 minutes (used to be 1500 before UMA) per month plan plus $9.95 a month and get unlimited free calls at any wi-fi spot, here or abroad. you can't beat that with a stick...
t-mobile was the leader of this technology in the US. when it was launched the reaction from other companies was very hostile. but, for some reason, t-mobile did not really advertise this much (probably the realized, even though this is where technology is headed, does not make good business sense initially and will decrease revenues if widespread). sprint and verizon has knock-offs of the UMA system but they are not GSM operators, so it does not make much sense with their system. plus, with none-GSM operators, it doesn't make sense internationally.
now AT&T is finally offering, it seems to me, what has been available to us for over two years. or, if this is not UMA, i would appreciate if someone can tell me what the difference is...
i think what made t-mobile's UMA different (and hated by other carriers first and itself eventually) is the pricing: an add-on of $9.95 (for new signers $19.95) for unlimited calling in or outside of the country, as long as you're connected at a wi-fi hotspot.
for the person who said this would not be available in the UK-- actually orange has been offering UMA for a while in the UK.
finally, i am not a tech person. i just like the efficiency of UMA (and the cheapness). if you guys think what AT&T is offering is not UMA, i would like to know. the industry information on UMA is at:
http://umatoday.com/index.php
sorry for the rant but i wanted an iPhone ever since it came out but didn't get one only because i wanted to keep my T-mobile UMA system. now AT&T is finally about to offer its UMA system, if i am correct-- so perhaps we can even use the iPhone, if it is updated for the AT&T system, with the T-mobile system..
....can anyone tell me the difference between this and the long-existing UMA (unauthorized mobile access)? i've been using t-mobile's UMA system, initially called hotspot@home for over two years, making free calls at home or at any open wi-fi spot (or spots where i have the passcode) and abroad. READ: with the femtocell/ UMA system if you're making wi-fi calls the system, at least T-mobile's system, does not care where you're in the world and treats you as if you're in the US.
this is a very well known "secret":
1. free calls, in the country or abroad,
2. seamless transition during the call from wi-fi to GSM, all calls initiated in the wi-fi network, even if they continue on the GSM network are free (this does not work overseas-- the phone, in the US, sends a ping to the GSM tower while you're fading from the wi-fi network and negotiates the transfer of your call from wi-fi to GSM without you noticing it. overseas the phone still sends the request, but because there are roaming issues it cannot complete it quickly so your call drops if you leave the wi-fi network or lose connection. which is a great thing because this way you assure you don't pay international roaming charges.
3. no deadspots at home, etc...
at the initial launch this was a $9.95 a month a add-on, $19.95 for family plans. that is when i signed up. now it is $10 higher for each i believe.
simple wi-fi capability is not enough to work on this system. the phone must have the required hardware. that is the ONLY reason i did not buy an iPhone and moved to AT&T. i pay for a 600 minutes (used to be 1500 before UMA) per month plan plus $9.95 a month and get unlimited free calls at any wi-fi spot, here or abroad. you can't beat that with a stick...
t-mobile was the leader of this technology in the US. when it was launched the reaction from other companies was very hostile. but, for some reason, t-mobile did not really advertise this much (probably the realized, even though this is where technology is headed, does not make good business sense initially and will decrease revenues if widespread). sprint and verizon has knock-offs of the UMA system but they are not GSM operators, so it does not make much sense with their system. plus, with none-GSM operators, it doesn't make sense internationally.
now AT&T is finally offering, it seems to me, what has been available to us for over two years. or, if this is not UMA, i would appreciate if someone can tell me what the difference is...
i think what made t-mobile's UMA different (and hated by other carriers first and itself eventually) is the pricing: an add-on of $9.95 (for new signers $19.95) for unlimited calling in or outside of the country, as long as you're connected at a wi-fi hotspot.
for the person who said this would not be available in the UK-- actually orange has been offering UMA for a while in the UK.
finally, i am not a tech person. i just like the efficiency of UMA (and the cheapness). if you guys think what AT&T is offering is not UMA, i would like to know. the industry information on UMA is at:
http://umatoday.com/index.php
sorry for the rant but i wanted an iPhone ever since it came out but didn't get one only because i wanted to keep my T-mobile UMA system. now AT&T is finally about to offer its UMA system, if i am correct-- so perhaps we can even use the iPhone, if it is updated for the AT&T system, with the T-mobile system..
I don't understand the consternation over "paying to utilize bandwidth I already pay for". How is this technology any different in that regard than any VoIP service like Vonage, which also collects money and uses "our" bandwidth? It's a service that provides something we DON'T actually already have, which we want or need (they hope), so why shouldn't we pay for it? I do tend to agree that the cell providers should "rent" us the femtocell devices as part of a nominal monthly charge, and not charge for them up front at all. But this is the real world, and cell providers are going to charge us for everything they possibly can. Finally, I use the first person plural very loosely. I personally don't want or need this technology at any price. My fear is that there are enough people who do that, if it catches on, the carriers will use its availability as an excuse to stop spending money on expanding their 3G infrastructure.
What's there to prevent other people with 3G in your area from using your MicroCell like people stealing other's Wi-Fi that are not password protected? I'll be damned if I'm paying for OTHER people to eat up my broadband pipe.
Maybe it was just a coincidence but now my Apple BT earpiece doesn't work. Anyone else experiencing this?