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T-Mobile Launches New 4G LTE CellSpot, Free for Simple Choice Customers
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While this sounds nice, you are essentially allowing anyone with T-Mobile service to mooch off your broadband connection, so you might want to think twice before getting one of these. Where as the WiFi calling, you had to be authenticated to use it. No doubt that this will be useful for businesses though (if they don't mind that idea), and that it benefits their customers on T-Mobile.
I think people are missing that it says FULL bars at 3000sq ft.. Meaning that it has a greater range than just the 3000
Except that every T-Mobile-sold device (except for the iPhone) inflates bars. For example, if an iPhone is showing 2 bars of LTE, a T-Mobile LG G4 will probably be showing 4 or 5.
Can't the same be said for most Apple fans regarding NFC? Almost everyone thought NFC was a waste, but now that Apple has Apple Pay y'all can't get enough of it.
IMO, what's "superior" about this is the fact you have the combo of wi-fi calling AND this option, to mix and match for best results!
I do consider wi-fi calling to be superior to AT&T's MicroCell. I used to have one of those MicroCells and it basically worked, but was still additional hardware you had to set up and rely on in environments where you already had good wi-fi coverage. (Makes more sense to use the wireless signals you're already using for your computer data, vs. broadcasting an additional signal for a cellular band.)
But not all situations are the same.... What about people who can't get their cellphone to make/take calls in a garage or cellar, or up in a finished attic where they don't have a good wi-fi signal either? Maybe they don't really plan on using a laptop in those areas but they DO want a cellphone to work for calls? A wireless repeater or extender is going to cost you more than the $25 deposit down for one of these.
I do consider wi-fi calling to be superior to AT&T's MicroCell. I used to have one of those MicroCells and it basically worked, but was still additional hardware you had to set up and rely on in environments where you already had good wi-fi coverage. (Makes more sense to use the wireless signals you're already using for your computer data, vs. broadcasting an additional signal for a cellular band.)
But not all situations are the same.... What about people who can't get their cellphone to make/take calls in a garage or cellar, or up in a finished attic where they don't have a good wi-fi signal either? Maybe they don't really plan on using a laptop in those areas but they DO want a cellphone to work for calls? A wireless repeater or extender is going to cost you more than the $25 deposit down for one of these.
Voice communications over broadband doesn't generally take up much bandwidth at all. Given the relatively small range one of these units has in the first place, I wouldn't expect you'd ever see noticeable Internet usage from it - even if you had neighbors next door to you on both sides who happened to be T-Mobile customers and were connecting to it constantly. Now, if they started firing up LTE hotspots and using it as their primary Internet connection to download a lot of data, that might be another story. But I just can't see that being a problem too often. (If T-Mobile handles this like they did with their signal boosters in the past, they won't even let you use one in a multi-family apartment or condo for just this reason. In those scenarios, you have small square footage places right up against as many as 6-7 other families who just might grab onto your signal.)
I guess T-Mo finally had enough customers screaming at them who didn't have or want Wi-Fi or they have a phone that doesn't support Wi-Fi calling and they wanted to be able to actually use their phone indoors.
As an aside, I looked at T-Mobile's coverage map yesterday and even though they have expanded their LTE footprint this year, they still have a long, long way to go.
I thought maybe I'd give them a try but then I started clicking around their map and seeing statements at various addresses I tried like "Limited coverage indoors" and "Coverage in most buildings" and I decided that their network is still not mature enough for me to give them a shot. They should be giving this microcell away for free to everyone instead of just Simple Choice customers because clearly, their network still needs a "boost" in many places.
As an aside, I looked at T-Mobile's coverage map yesterday and even though they have expanded their LTE footprint this year, they still have a long, long way to go.
I thought maybe I'd give them a try but then I started clicking around their map and seeing statements at various addresses I tried like "Limited coverage indoors" and "Coverage in most buildings" and I decided that their network is still not mature enough for me to give them a shot. They should be giving this microcell away for free to everyone instead of just Simple Choice customers because clearly, their network still needs a "boost" in many places.
Apple Pay is significantly different from previously existing NFC services, that's a bad analogy.
As mentioned in the video, it's great for businesses with service issues, or people wanting better transitions when going indoors and back out.
I would love to see one of this that can stay in my car. I want be clear it's not for me when I'm driving, it's for my family especially when driving around or vacation. I would love to get one for my wife at work she works on almost dead spot, but got a good coverage less than a mile away from work. The thing is T-Mobile won't let you get extra even if you're in family plan. Once you get one that's it and I just got the Asus router from them. They said you have to pay to get one extra. I guess they just assume that we all stay together as a family. How about those with college kid? It should be at least one per customer and up to 2 per family. Hey Mr. Legere are you listening!?
But I thought the IMS core that TMobile uses is so ahead of everyone else? Aren't the transitions supposed to be flawless? VoLTE to VoWiFi and vice Versa.
TMobile is so much more advanced than every other carrier!
That's a flawless argument because pre Apple Pay, no one really took NFC payments.
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Still almost no one does. It's not Google or Apple that has brough nfc back but the time and contracts of different conglomerates that want theirs to be the one people use.
Unless they support voice over LTE, why would anyone consider this? Isnt this just enabeling T-mobile to charge for data you allready bought from your ISP?
That's valid. But about 8 out of my top 10 frequented places take Apple Pay these days. Wasn't the case when I had Google Checkout support a few years ago.
You mean wifi calls on the iPhone? That's only for the new models on iOS so the majority are still without one. Plus this is free so there should be no issue with them doing this.
We must frequent different top stores. What are your top stores that take it? Some used to for me and then they took off even the chip procedure and haven't really brought them back up like in Walmart.
Not for everyone.
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Almost as funny as the AT&T users like yourself who didn't care about wifi calling because the coverage was so amazing, until AT&T finally got wifi calling.
It is, and I had to leave T-Mo for this reason. So, this would be great for my home, but not for every other building in the city of San Francisco.