Just walked into AT&T and said service is spotty and updates on towers or anything, and he said we're giving anyone that comes into AT&T a free MicroCell. So I got one for me at my house and 1 for my brothers house. Just telling everyone so you to go get one for free and no monthly fee on these things either!!!
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Free AT&T MicroCell
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Seriously?
I have been with them for over 10 years. I called, told them my signal sucks (in nicer words), and they basically said "too bad".
I have been trying to document drops and failed data connections since talking to them.
Maybe I need to visit a store directly.
I have been with them for over 10 years. I called, told them my signal sucks (in nicer words), and they basically said "too bad".
I have been trying to document drops and failed data connections since talking to them.
Maybe I need to visit a store directly.
I was in the same boat. I had been a customer since before they were even Cingular. Always had two phones until 2007 when I dropped one. I asked and they told me to piss off. I went to Verizon.
Has anyone else tried this? My friend lives in the worst area. No carrier has good reception and she can't receive or send texts, calls etc.
i called the store and customer service. they both said we offer it for people with bad reception. i said why should i have to pay extra for better service. they said this was the way it was.
then uverse was offering a deal so my dad and i went to an att store to look into it. we told them throw us in a free microcell and we will switch. they did so thats how i got mine. im trying to see if i can get another for college as we are on a mountain and i get 1 bar.
EDIT: the microcell is great when the phone is within 25 feet. beyond that it only gets about 2-3 bars and starts to drop calls again. there is a little antenna which they (not by att) sell on ebay for ~20 which extends the range an extra 15 ft i believe. it plugs into the antenna port on the back on of the microcell. i might buy it because the microcell is located more on one side of my house than in the middle. it is very hard to get above 2 bars in our living room and drops calls all the time.
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The microcell is CRAP. I got it for free last week and it couldn't connect at all. I called the 1800 number for support; the At&t rep told me that their Microcell network is down indefinitely for activating new microcell connection.
I returned it.
Screw At&t. I am switching to Verizon.
I returned it.
Screw At&t. I am switching to Verizon.
It looks like AT&T has become a bit more customer centered since Verizon started offering the iPhone 4......in some areas at least..
It's working great for me, maybe you just got a bad one it happens. I was considering switching to Verizon with the iPhone 5 comes out but now that AT&T is "acquiring" T-Mobile we will get more coverage and in my area they are almost done upgrading to 4G LTE which is why my towers are always down and they're handing MicroCell's out like candy.
I also called the store and talked to the Manager for everyone else to know: He said go to an AT&T store directly and request one and you will receive one. If there is any issues tell them you spoke with an AT&T rep via the phone and they told you to come in. No matter what no one should be paying for a MicroCell at this point. That's what the rep told me. Hope this helps everyone.
Antenna port on microcell
The antenna port on back is for a GPS antenna. It will help your microcell find its location but will do nothing for your reception
The antenna port on back is for a GPS antenna. It will help your microcell find its location but will do nothing for your reception
That's arguable. There is no guarantee tmobile will give it better coverage especially since they have bad coverage outside of metro areas. It should help in metro areas with congestion. And what 4 g lte? AT&T has no 4g lte. 4G HSPA+ is just 3g.
How much are you allowed to charge AT&T for using YOUR internet connection for their equipment?
I'm wondering, because if you were to use their internet they charge you. I'd only expect you're able to do the same.
I'm wondering, because if you were to use their internet they charge you. I'd only expect you're able to do the same.
My parents just got a free MicroCell because service in this area BLOWS. they live about 4 miles away from me and call quality was awful pretty much every call and nearly all calls were dropped (either from me or from them). I had no issues activating it for them (this past Tuesday night) and am planning on heading into a store to get one for myself as well.
FWIW, they still drop at least a few calls a day, but it's better than it was. Ugh.
FWIW, they still drop at least a few calls a day, but it's better than it was. Ugh.
service in Palm Springs is very poor with ATT - went into store to get microcell and they would not give me one- so, I bought one and hooked it up and its a total waste of money- very unreliable and has terrible range. I had a micro cell from sprint and it worked perfectly even when I was four houses down the street... come on ATT get one that works....
oh lol. i misunderstood the description. i went back and looked again. i must have been so excited that i could possibly get better reception from the thing
Apple and AT&T (Yes, Verizon too) really need to build in UMA support like T-Mobile and Cincinnati Bell support. Blackberry and Motorolla both support it, and I believe the most recent Android release preps for it. For those that don't know, UMA allows your cell to use your Wifi basically as a built in Microcell, and uses it for tower communication.
I have had my micro cell for a month now and I have been very pleased. I saw my iPhone hook up to the micro cell while I was at my mail box, =/- 100 feet from the house. Everyone on my list gets at least four bars anywhere in the house and most of the yard. The set up was easy and I have no complaints. If I can get ADT to use a VOIP connection instead of a land line, I would lose the land line. I set up a micro cell at my friend's house and it was just as easy as mine to set up. I suppose micro cells are like everything else, you get good ones and occasionally you get a bad one.
Went in to the store today to ask, no dice. Told me to call in about it. Called, and nothing.
All about luck and talking to the right person at the right time.
All about luck and talking to the right person at the right time.
I get 2 bars of signal with AT&T in my room, but I can't complain about the 3G speed that Verizon can't match when I do get full bars
but I can't complain about the 3G speed that Verizon can't match when I do get full bars Yup, the right place & time is everything.
The protocols that employees are instructed to follow probably changes every time they have a meeting, which can be every three days, weekly, or monthly. Also every region slightly differs.
Exact same thing happened to me. The store was very helpful, and said to call customer care, and if they OK it, to come back to the store and they'll give me one.
The lady I spoke to said that there's a $100 rebate, which brings the price down to $49, but it's still $19.99/month, which is ridiculous.
If anyone else has any luck getting one for free, including the monthly charge, please let us know.
This.
Yeah it definitely comes down to right place/right time. I just got the one AT&T shipped me yesterday (still haven't setup to try it). I was troubleshooting with ATT business care (family runs a business so our personal lines are all work phones) on an iPhone apn/data/mms issue and after I had my issue fixed I asked about the microcell and mentioned that I'd seen on MR and other sites letters documenting free mcells being offered to customers and he put me on hold for 2 mins and came back to tell me: his department can't give them away free but but he could charge me full price and immediately credit the same amount (incl tax)to our account bill so net cost = 0. keep trying would be my suggestion if you get a rep who denies that they are given out for free.
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Its probably on 1900Mhz which doesn't penetrate objects as well as 850Mhz...that and the microcell is tuned to broadcast much lower power than something like wifi because the signal would propagate to far...I know thats the case with the 850 band but maybe not the 1900 band. Go to wireless advisor.com and type in your zip. If AT&T only has a 1900Mhz licence that might be the issue.
With omni-directional antennas its best to put the broadcaster/antenna up as high as possible (within reason) or else you won't optimize the signal.