I get good service in my house so that isnt an issue, but i do like the idea of the $20 for unlimited minutes on our family plan. I could cancel the Comcast digital voice that is close to $30 and save myself $10/ month or so.
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AT&T 3G MicroCell Site Goes Live, Monthly Fees to Be Up to $19.99?
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I do not think the Microcell will do you much good for your problem. The Microcells can only handle 10 cells and 4 active calls at 1 time. That is not very much. You might need another solution that is a bit more powerful. You could always get a good signal repeater that can handle a much larger number of cells.
no one does wifi calling because of the expense required on the backend and it's very insecure. not sure about N, but the G standard is very easy to crack the encryption
yea it is due to building materials, and I won't go into frequency/wavelength discussions as to why edge is better there (and is the reason I leave mine on edge) but I will address the 2nd half
for someone that runs really close to plan minutes (and I have 4000 plus the nights/weekends (enhanced) and mob-to-mob, yea if i decided to use the device more than I already do, it would cost me money.
Now, the last part of your response. I think you need to do a bit of looking here at what packages are out there (as far as broadband) and see there is a up/down split. 1MB up is actually above average (**especially on AT&T**, having biz class in the past, I was limited to 768) now when you saturate the down, you do not have much up and vice-versa. Think about that for a minute, your internet speed is being degraded while you are on the phone, and if you have a family and have 1-4 cell connections active, it becomes pretty much constant use (just do the math). Now I realize that no one is on 24/7 but my point is it affects your speed (broadband isp), and if you don't select the unlim plan, it deducts from your plan minutes, so double loss unless you pony up the $20 extra.
Lol wow, and I'm amazed that yet again money has to be put out to help the iPhone do what it would be perfectly capable of doing at only $50 a month with other carriers, yet again because it already has the capability in terms of internal hardware and software, but is again crippled by greed. And for those of you who STILL say that people just like to whine about At&ts service/prices for no reason, what do you call this? This can't possibly make one iota of sense, even to you.
Just spent 2 1/2 hours in a Medical Clinic waiting room while my wife had a minor proceedure. I could only get 1 bar and E service while setting next to a window. I was trying to do data (no voice) on my iPhone 3GS (email, text) and it was extremely slow when it worked.
In my city (Torrance, California) I have 3G Service pretty much every where. I think the option for these devices in busiinesses where they can open the service to customers would be very helpful.
For those that say AT&T should just put up more towers, I don't think it is financially feasible for them to cover every square foot of the US. This is a great option to extend coverage at a reasonable price.
In my city (Torrance, California) I have 3G Service pretty much every where. I think the option for these devices in busiinesses where they can open the service to customers would be very helpful.
For those that say AT&T should just put up more towers, I don't think it is financially feasible for them to cover every square foot of the US. This is a great option to extend coverage at a reasonable price.
Can you please explain where the greed is?
AT&T has committed to spending $18B this year for service improvements (on top of the $38B they spend over the last two years).
$18B equates to literally every penny that they will earn this year from 15M iPhone customers (assuming that they actually have 15M iPhone customers, each paying $100/month average bill).
AT&T's made a lot of of poor decisions (IMO) that are now coming back to bite them, but I don't see where they're being greedy.
For something like an office building, other carriers have something called a picocell, which basically works like a super-MicroCell (but you don't have to authorize specific phones). Wonder if AT&T has that?
Just got one!
Just got one. So for the first time in two years, I can use my iPhone in my home office which is in my basement. Before, I would get a call but when i answered, it would drop. I would then have to call back on a land line. Total PITA! now i have 5 bars! It was totally worth the $150 no monthly charge since i didn't go for the unlimited plan. Added bonus now i can get rid of my pager since i can now reliably receive calls, texts, and emails. I tried A cell phone booster before which cost more than the micro cell and did not work. So yes it sucks having to buy this, but it is not all ATT's fault. My wife's freebie Nokia gets 10 times better reception than my iPhone. That has been the reason she did not switch. So, while I hated to dish out the bucks, it is totally worth it
Just got one. So for the first time in two years, I can use my iPhone in my home office which is in my basement. Before, I would get a call but when i answered, it would drop. I would then have to call back on a land line. Total PITA! now i have 5 bars! It was totally worth the $150 no monthly charge since i didn't go for the unlimited plan. Added bonus now i can get rid of my pager since i can now reliably receive calls, texts, and emails. I tried A cell phone booster before which cost more than the micro cell and did not work. So yes it sucks having to buy this, but it is not all ATT's fault. My wife's freebie Nokia gets 10 times better reception than my iPhone. That has been the reason she did not switch. So, while I hated to dish out the bucks, it is totally worth it
I just checked on-line and it looks like my wife has racked up about 29 minutes in Microcell calls today already. It breaks it out separately on the summary page on the AT&T website in a "Unlimited AT&T 3G MicroCell Voice Usage" section. On the detailed billing section they are listed as "FEMTO" where as mobile-to-mobile show up as "M2MCNG". It even showed up on the iPhone myWireless app.
Maybe getting her the unlimited plan to offset the Microcell cost was not such a bad idea after all.
-Benster
For something like an office building, other carriers have something called a picocell, which basically works like a super-MicroCell (but you don't have to authorize specific phones). Wonder if AT&T has that?
Yep they sure do have that we have 4 of them. I do not know however the $ associated but I know that it is setup through a corporate rep, and ours tied into the switches direct. (or at least they did last I knew how we had it done...it may be voip now for all I know). sidenote, any phone can use it and you see it as a normal cell site (no special name in the carrier).
That's cool. I wish we had enough clout with AT&T (where I work) to get a few. No carrier has great in-building coverage here, but the 1900mhz carriers (AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile) are the worst.
Wonder if it's similar to a wireless access point everyone uses for Internet? Range is about the same. Frequency is lower, I think.With all of these stories recently about radiation from different smartphones ... how much radiation does this thing kick off around your house.
That's cool. I wish we had enough clout with AT&T (where I work) to get a few. No carrier has great in-building coverage here, but the 1900mhz carriers (AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile) are the worst.
Wonder if it's similar to a wireless access point everyone uses for Internet? Range is about the same. Frequency is lower, I think.
It's either using the 850 MHz or 1900 MHz frequency or a combination of the two. WiFi uses 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz. Lower frequencies travel further than higher ones, so the MicroCell must use less power output to restrict it to about the same range as a wireless network, otherwise, if a MicroCell and a WiFi router had the same power output, the MicroCell signal would probably extend far beyond the WiFi network and what the FCC allows.
Due to the difference in frequencies, it won't interfere with your WiFi network or any other wireless devices you may have around the house (landline cordless phones, bluetooth, etc).
Hence my suggestion for a new feature.
Four simultaneous calls would not be a problem, most people are not making calls during these events. A limit to registered phones is the problem that my suggestion was trying to solve.
/carmi
In my house, I get a crap-tastic 2G signal [3g not in my area yet] and I have cable internet. People call me 5 times in a row and it only rings on the last call sometimes. My phone fluctuates between no service and 1/2 bars. Because there is no added cost to use my own minutes , I would definitely get one of these so I can enjoy my iPhone to the fullest.
$150 -- could be worse
$150 -- could be worse
You keep mentioning these "other carriers", would you be more specific. Who provides unlimited service with perfect coverage every where in the U.S. for $50 a month?
I'm totallly going to buy a bunch of these, set them up here in roanoke (no 3g service!) and charge people to use them.
If you have a contact at AT&T, I'd be interested in talking further with them. I can provide them some chunk 100Mb/s commercial fiber for backhaul.
Nokia phones almost always capture the best signal. I've been using Nokia phones for years and my phone will have a signal when others around me with other brands of phones have no service.
I like the hotspot calling T-Mobile offers much better than having to purchase additional equipment that you can only use at a single location. I can make calls over any open wifi connection, at T-Mobile HotSpot locations, and routers I personally have access to. Hotspot calls use regular minutes, or you can get a $9.99 add-on for unlimited hotspot calling.
Because Nokia gets the best signal, and AT&T doesn't offer hotspot calling, I refuse to get an iPhone. My rate plan is much cheaper with T-Mobile anyways.
I like the hotspot calling T-Mobile offers much better than having to purchase additional equipment that you can only use at a single location. I can make calls over any open wifi connection, at T-Mobile HotSpot locations, and routers I personally have access to. Hotspot calls use regular minutes, or you can get a $9.99 add-on for unlimited hotspot calling.
Because Nokia gets the best signal, and AT&T doesn't offer hotspot calling, I refuse to get an iPhone. My rate plan is much cheaper with T-Mobile anyways.
You were quoted on MSNBC.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32959787/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/
No, they do not. I moved to Nokia with my 6160 and did not leave until my iPhone, having gone through 6620, 6682, N70, N80, and the N80 US (among others). When comparing to others on my network, sometimes my reception exceeded all others and sometimes it was noticeably worse.
Too bad Nokia is not really developing new UMA phones.
Instead of needing special equipment, one needs a special phone. Given how few deployments there are for this technology, the market is quite small and the selection is quite limited. Nokia (your phone manufacturer of choice) has a single phone, that is over two years old and does not support 3G. They do not have any smart phones. that work with the technology, and do not have any quad band phones (limiting your choice of roaming options internationally).
With a Femto Cell, one does need a special piece of hardware, but one can use any world phone giving one a much larger range of options, including many smartphones and many phones from Nokia.
Too bad your chances of getting a new UMA Nokia phone are small. Yes, T-mobile is cheaper. It is their way of competing with the much larger networks of AT&T and Verizon. I am glad they do that as it helps keep pricing down for the rest of us.
Are you in an area that is geographically challenging for providing wireless service like the Hollywood Hills? Do you have an older house with lath and plaster walls which make signal propagation more difficult?
If you answered yes to either of these questions, than something like a Femto Cell is likely the only solution that will ever solve your problem and best of all, it does not require AT&T to do a business case to decide how many customers fixing coverage at your house would benefit. If you answered no to both of those questions and have already reported your service problems to AT&T, your service problems will be addressed based on AT&T's cost benefit analysis (how much it costs to fix vs. how many customers it effects).
Being the 4th of 4 carriers to offer a solution like this is cocky? AT&T offers a choice of service plans with their Femto Cells, including one that has no monthly recurring fee. Verizon charges $250 for their Femto Cell and does not offer an unlimited plan for it. Sprint charges less for their Femto Cell ($100), but all plans require one to pay a minimum of $5 a month and as much as $20 for adding a family plan with unlimited usage. An AT&T customer with home phone, internet, and/or TV service can add a family plan for $10 or $0 (if one has both). T-mobile charges $10 for unlimited calling (albeit with many more locations since it works at every WiFi hotspot of T-mobile's), but require a special phone (limiting substantially ones choices there).
I fail to see how AT&T's program is cocky? While I personally think they would get better uptake with a $10 a month service price (dropping to $5 or $0 if one has one or more services with them), I think their offering is more interesting than any of the other three options.
Other carriers have their dead spots and the other major 3 carriers also offer Femtocells (or UMA WiFi calling on T-Mobile). No carrier has perfect coverage in every nook and cranny of the country, and no carrier has ever stated they do. So please tell me which carrier gives me 5 bars of 3G coverage no matter where in the country I am, even a building built like a faraday cage, for 50 bucks a month because I'm dying to know.