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LTE and Microcell
- Thread starter Stayfly2407
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I actually have a problem when I arrive at my place, or reboot my phone. There is a one to two bar LTE signal that usually delays my phone from connecting to the microcell. If I disable LTE, I connect to microcell right away. Turn the LTE back on, and I disconnect from the microcell until the LTE signal drops to some unknown level. AT&T really needs to tweak the algorithms for connecting to the microcell.
When you buy a microcell, it is setup so that only your phone can access it. But you can add a total of 15 authorized phone numbers for family and friends. So he is saying that you could let friends have access to your microcell if you did not want to give them access to your wifi network for wifi calling.
But he's also talking about a "LTE microcell" and no such thing exists.
I usually don't pay much attention after I get home but within a few minutes I'm always on microcell. I like the fact that once I'm connected it stays on until it's out of range again, I wish the WIFI calling would do that but it doesn't, the iPhone dances between 2 and 3 bars and it will connect and disconnect in my house, basically it's useless which is too bad because the quality on it is excellent. I know I can put it into airplane mode and enable WIFI but changing those settings all the time is a hassle.
That is what I was afraid of. Guess I will just stick with the microcell and forget wifi calling for now. I don't make very many calls anyway so getting better quality audio isn't a big deal. I don't want the phone bouncing between a weak LTE signal and wifi, that sounds like a battery killer. And the weak LTE signal really doesn't work inside, the call would probably drop if it was used.
I have used the AT&T Wi-Fi since it was first offered with the 9.0 public beta. My experience has been that once it switches to Wi-Fi it stays on it until you are out of range of the wi-fi itself. I do not need to turn on airplane mode. It has worked well for me, not only at home (South Florida) but in many other places where the LTE signal is low. Right now I am sitting in a room at a hotel in Rutland, VT and my phone is happily on AT&T Wi-Fi.
That's exactly why we went to microcell way back when, our phones would get hot at 2 or 3 bars and the batteries weren't even getting a half day. Microcell solved that entirely.
You can assign up to 15 numbers to your AT&T Microcell.
They'd be using the 3G/4G (non-LTE) data via the Microcell, and they would not have any kind of access to your Time Capsule server.
It sounds like for your particular case, you've made the logical choice.
But I'm surprised that moving between two and three balls of service changes your AT&T WiFi Calling switch.
At my home in the country, I also will vary from two to three balls, but once it hooks AT&T WiFi Calling, it stays there.
I'm only switching Airplane Mode because it saves battery, supposedly. With a 6S Plus I'm probably wasting time because battery life isn't much of an issue.
Do you connect with HD Voice when calling with two balls of LTE service?
Well, it's sketchy and jumps in and out so I stopped trying. With microcell it stays on permanently once connected so that's all I ever use now. However, I just noticed over the last few days that it wants to connect to Edge when not on microcell (during power outages with no internet), it may be worth a shot now to see if that's enough to prompt it to stay on WIFI, I'll give it another shot.
I understand why you would want to use the microcell at home. For me, though, Wi-Fi calling turns on whenever I am in a low cellular signal and good wi-fi signal situation. It can happen at home, at work, at a friend's house, at a hotel, etc.
I used the field test mod to see the actual signal strength, so instead of balls I see numbers. Wi-Fi calling usually turns on when the signal drops to about -110 to -114 dB and it stays on even when the signal increases to -99 dB. -99 is equivalent to 3 balls and -114 is equivalent to 1 ball. Because it is not hunting for the cellular signal, I do not lose battery strength quickly.
It's funny that microcell has the ability to turn itself on and stay on, yet WIFI does not, slipping in and out constantly in my house. Both are products of AT&T.
I never had a microcell in my house, but last summer, before the AT&T Wi-Fi was available, my wife and I stayed at an Airbnb rental in an area where the AT&T cell signal was literally non-existent. The owner of the house had a microcell, and he supposedly added my number to the microcell. It never did work.
The phone's ability to use AT&T Wi-Fi doesn't not depend on the wi-if coming from an AT&T router. I have had it turn on when the wi-fi signal came from an Xfinity router and a Verizon router. Both of these situations were in areas where the AT&T cellular signal was very low. It is that flexibility that I like.
He was probably doing something wrong. Have added numbers for friends and family to mine and it works perfectly. My son in law has AT&T and can make and receive calls inside with no problem. My daughter has Verizon and has to go out in the yard.
FWIW, the AT&T microcell only works with AT&T phones.
Right, I use my own modem and router however the radio (LTE) signal is what determines whether or not WIFI kicks on, if I'm not mistaken. So I wouldn't expect this to matter one way or the other.
When I say both products are AT&T I mean WIFI routing and the mcell. Both essentially perform the same service, just that the mcell will lock on and never let go of the signal until you leave as to where WIFI jumps in and out.
I know that. I am sure that the microcell works well when it is configured properly. The point IHe was probably doing something wrong. Have added numbers for friends and family to mine and it works perfectly. My son in law has AT&T and can make and receive calls inside with no problem. My daughter has Verizon and has to go out in the yard.
FWIW, the AT&T microcell only works with AT&T phones.
I agree entirely. If the LTE signal is strong enough, the phone will use it. If the LTE signal is poor and the phone is connected to an adequate wi-if signal, it will switch to that. My phone tends to stay on the wi-fi calling when it switches to it, but others may have different experiences. As I mentioned before, wi-fi calling has switched on in quite a number of places for me including some that were unexpected. That flexibility and the good call quality are both pluses for me. YMMV.
Interesting, I didn't know that about kicking on anywhere. I'm assuming that it doesn't count against the WIFI owners bandwidth if it accepts connections without being able to define who can use it by a number, as the mcell does.