Review of the AT&T 3G MicroCell « Jason Nash’s Blog

Review of the AT&T 3G MicroCell

September 22, 2009 by nashwj

As reported here and here AT&T released their new 3G MicroCell yesterday in the Charlotte test market. Hey! That’s where I live! I’ve been waiting on this device for a while. Ask anyone I work with how my cell coverage is at home and you’ll find out it’s abysmal. Calls are short, frustrating, and futile. For once I won’t blame AT&T for this. I live in a low area in my neighborhood and both GSM and CDMA coverage is very bad. I tried a repeater when the iPhone first shipped with very limited success. The 3GS iPhone appears better but many times I’ll get a “You have a new voicemail!” notice when my phone never rang. Frustrating.

Enter the new MicroCell from AT&T. This is not a repeater, it’s more like a Cell-to-VoIP seamless gateway. You plug it in to your broadband connection and it acts as a small cell tower in your house. Your 3G AT&T devices connect to that box directly and all calls and are routed out over your Internet connection. So even if you have zero coverage you can use this box, unlike a repeater that needs a signal to amplify. If you originate a call on the MicroCell it will also be handed off to a normal AT&T tower if you leave your house.

Again, I bought this on the day of release in a test market. When I bought it there was extra paperwork to fill out. I gave them my contact information so an AT&T rep could call me in a few days to get my purchase, install, and usage experience opinion. They made sure I lived in the supported area which included Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) as well as a few surrounding counties. I actually bought my unit from the AT&T store in Salisbury on the way back from a customer. My sales rep, Nathan, was very helpful and mentioned they had sold 5 or so already that day. Salisbury isn’t a big town so it shows the anticipation for the device.

Information on the AT&T site for the device is here. Excuse the fact they have audio with no warning. Bad AT&T! Bad!

Cost

There has been some discrepancy on the cost of the device and how it works. The unit itself is $149. If you just want to use your cell plan minutes there is no additional monthly fee. You buy the box and you’re good to go. That’s what I did. If you don’t want to use your plan minutes you can get an unlimited plan. This is useful for people who want to go cell only and I might make that move again now that our iPhones work in the house. If you don’t have any other AT&T services the unlimited plan is $20/month and you get a $100 mail-in rebate on the device taking it down to $49. If you have your Internet or voice through AT&T the price goes down to $10/month. If you have both Internet and voice through AT&T the plan is free. I need to see if they require VoIP with U-Verse for that plan or a plain AT&T POTS line meets the requirements. We use U-Verse for Internet and an AT&T POTS for voice so I may get the plan for free anyway. Do the math for your minute usage and see what works for you.

What You Get for $150

The picture below shows you everything you get when you buy the device.

The basics:

The 3G MicroCell Unit
Yellow Ethernet Cable
A/C Power Supply
Quickstart Guide
User Manual
License Agreement

Your not going to easily hide this device or have it blend in. It’s white, gray, and AT&T orange. Here is a picture to give you an idea of scale with my iPhone next to it. It’s like my AT&T U-Verse router, a good bit larger than I think it needs to be.

Installation

The installation is very easy. The quickstart guide walks you through everything. The key is that you have to activate it on the AT&T website first before you can use it. I imagine some stores will do this for you at time of purchase but I did mine myself at home. When you get home you’ll unbox the device, go to the AT&T wireless site, and activate the MicroCell. You’ll need the serial number of your MicroCell and the phone numbers you want to activate on the device. It’s all done through a wizard-like process. Picture below shows the management screen.

You’ll notice a list of authorized devices. AT&T allows you to put up to 10 devices on the authorized list. At any one time the MicroCell can have 4 active voice/data sessions. So four people can be talking, or two talking and two checking email.

Once you activate the device on your account the only thing left is to plug it in. Here is a shot of the back of the MicroCell. Oh yes, one more thing. This device has a GPS in it. What? That’s right. AT&T does this so you can’t buy one here in the US and take it to Europe and use it with your phone there. So, it needs to get a GPS signal. Mine is on my second floor about 8 feet from a window and has no issue. If you put yours in a basement it might be a concern. There is a GPS light on the front to let you know if it can’t get a lock. Annoying for some, I’m sure.

Connecting the device is very simple. There are two Ethernet ports on the back. One marked Ethernet and one marked Computer. If you aren’t using a router or firewall (and you should be!) you can plug your cable modem in to the Ethernet-marked port and your computer in to the Computer port. If you have a router or switch just connect the unit from the switch to the Ethernet-marked jack. AT&T does let you put the device in-line between your cablemodem (or DSL modem) and your router/firewall. This is “Option C” as named in the User Manual. The idea here is that the MicroCell can prioritize your cell traffic over data. I haven’t tested this yet…I don’t know how it affects NAT translation yet. My network, being the geek I am, is more complex than most so I’m not worrying about it yet. With my U-Verse 18Mb/1.5Mb connection I haven’t had any issues even when doing large downloads.

So once you’ve plugged in the data cables and the power cable the device will boot. It takes a few minutes and the first time it might reboot as it is configured to go find the latest firmware and update itself. There is no management of the device itself. I checked my DHCP logs and saw the IP it was assigned. There is no web interface. You can telnet to the device but I have no way of knowing the login credentials. It’s pretty hands-off. Below is a picture of the device once it is booted and operational.

Does It Work?

Yes. It appears to work pretty well. Here is a shot of my iPhone before the MicroCell.

Here is one with the new MicroCell.

I’ve had several calls on my phone since switching and the difference is night and day. Before my phone wouldn’t even ring half the time and I’d just get a voicemail notification. That hasn’t happened at all. Clarity seems to be the same as a normal call. No problems either switching to and from the MicroCell.

Conclusion

AT&T has caught a bit of flack for this device and the price, especially before people understood the unlimited voice plan. The #1 problem with the iPhone for most people is AT&T and in many cases I agree with that. But in my case at home AT&T really isn’t the problem. I can drive two blocks in any direction and get 4 bars no problem, it’s just where my house physically sits that causes the signal drop. To me this device is perfect. It’s not a repeater. It doesn’t require installation of an antenna. It sits on my desk in my office and provides 5 bars of 3G everywhere in the house. I don’t even know it’s there. Would I be happier with a $99 price point? Sure, but $150 is a good investment in the productivity I’ll get back when coworkers or customers call me on my cell phone. You’ll have to do your own math to decide if the unlimited plans are worth it for you. Unless I can get it free I won’t bother as we don’t go over our minutes anyway and have plenty in the rollover bank.

Update 1:

Had some questions. Below is a screenshot from the speedtest.net app with the MicroCell:

Range seems adequate. I can go to the end of my driveway and have 2 bars. You won’t be able to cover a large backyard or pool with the device in the house, but it should cover you on a deck or patio next to the house. Basically, once I got outside I lost a bar about every 20 or 30 feet. That’s with the unit in my office with 3 walls and the outside brick between us.

There is a GPS antenna jack on the back of the unit so if you can’t get a signal you can run a small antenna.

Posted in Apple | Tagged 3g, at&t, iphone, microcell | 87 Comments

87 Responses

on September 22, 2009 at 4:12 pm | Reply AT&T’s 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottian: yes, it works | RSS For Gadgets

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on September 22, 2009 at 4:19 pm | Reply AT&T’s 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottian: yes, it works | Webtrendzone

[...] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments September 22nd, 2009 | Tags: 3g News, Airave, Amp, Cellphones, Charlotte North Carolina, Cisco, Engadget, Femtocell, Five Bars, Nbsp, Opportunity, Price Tag, Rest Of The World, Scoop, Sprint, Torrent | Category: Uncategorized [...]
- on September 22, 2009 at 11:58 pm | Reply rondell perrault
  
  This looks like a brilliant marketing strategy for AT&T. Instead of investing to populate dead signal zones with picocells, they promote a widget called 3G MicroCell and let the customers PAY for it. For those of you who have been to Japan where 3G is now the norm, even subways and underground walks are covered and you always get great signal reception. Use your VOIP in through your laptop or PC and turn your cell off when you’re at home if you get poor or no reception at all. Let AT&T invest on better infrastructure rather than bilking its customers with more charges for useless widgets.
on September 22, 2009 at 4:22 pm | Reply AT&T’s 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottian: yes, it works | Netbook Gizmo

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on September 22, 2009 at 4:28 pm | Reply duke

I have been watching this release with anticipation. I have a similar situation to yours and was looking at this as a decent solution. Thanks for the review! Now, if AT&T will just roll out to locations about 5 hours west of you!
on September 22, 2009 at 4:30 pm | Reply NCN

Thanks for the review. I live in a similar area, where range is fine JUST outside my house, but drops off quite a bit inside the house. I wonder if they’ll soon combine this product w/ a standard router / modem.
on September 22, 2009 at 4:30 pm | Reply Erik

This might be a stupid question but…how can you have no 3G or EDGE connection but live in an adequate place to have a broadband connection for the Microcell to work? Thanks!
- on September 22, 2009 at 7:22 pm | Reply nashwj
  
  I live in a low part of my neighborhood. I bet I can walk up the hill of my road 200 yards and get a signal fine. I’m not way out..just geography.
- on September 22, 2009 at 8:01 pm | Reply Eddie
  
  Erik @ 4.40pm … I live in Silicon Valley where broadband abounds aplenty however, as an example, in Mountain View, around Shoreline & Central intersections including some apts where several friends live, outside there is 1 bar of signal on any ATT device and inside an apt you basically have to give up. Even outside you can often make a call and it will just drop. For the locale, that is abjectly absurd. Silicon Valley should be saturated by every carrier, like a well-slathered piece of toast, by every carrier yet there are numerous poor & dead zones, and others where ATT towers are overloaded or your device will keep trying to get 3G, drop to EDGE, rinse, repeat etc and just wipe out your battery.
- on September 27, 2009 at 3:37 pm | Reply DY
  
  Yes, very silly question.
  
  Every house I’ve been in the past decade has had plenty of broadband options. And every one has been “in a hole” as far as cell service goes. One bar at best in the house, literally go a few hundred yards up the street and then the signal is fine. Seems to be my fate.
  
  So broadband availability and in-house cell signal strength do not correlate at all.
on September 22, 2009 at 4:32 pm | Reply William Hook

Not bad. Interesting to see that it has GPS too, and not just IP geolocation to find out your location. I suppose GPS is a bit better, as you could always route through a proxy otherwise.

I’d like to see O2 do this in the UK too. Where I am, I can get a pretty decent EDGE signal (3-4 bars usually), but the 3G signal is quite shocking – it varies between 1 and 2 bars depending on the wind direction and the mood of the Queen.
on September 22, 2009 at 4:46 pm | Reply Review:AT&T’s 3G MicroCell | The Latest Mobile News

[...] Get the rest of the review here [...]
on September 22, 2009 at 4:46 pm | Reply Jace

Nice review. The timeliness makes it all the more valuable since you’re in a test area. However, AT&T website explains the GPS feature used for E911 not for oversees use. Thankfully, I’ve got great reception at home in the NYC metro area but interesting nonetheless. This could be a plus in office buildings (metal/concrete) too.
- on September 22, 2009 at 7:23 pm | Reply nashwj
  
  I’ve heard conflicting information on the GPS. They make sure you know to update your address in your account if you move as that is supposedly where E911 gets your information. Either way, the system won’t finish booting without a full GPS signal.
on September 22, 2009 at 4:48 pm | Reply pd-

I don’t know about all this, but that’s a sweet pic of your Jeep.
- on September 22, 2009 at 7:23 pm | Reply nashwj
  
  Thanks. Was taken at Windrock, TN.
on September 22, 2009 at 4:49 pm | Reply AT&T’s 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottean: yes, it works | Webtrendzone

[...] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments September 22nd, 2009 | Tags: 3g News, Airave, Amp, Cellphones, Charlotte North Carolina, Cisco, Engadget, Femtocell, Five Bars, Nbsp, Opportunity, Price Tag, Rest Of The World, Scoop, Sprint, Torrent | Category: Uncategorized [...]
on September 22, 2009 at 4:54 pm | Reply AT&T’s 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottean: yes, it works | Netbook Gizmo

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on September 22, 2009 at 5:02 pm | Reply Murphy Mac

Thanks for the review. Setting this up for a friend on Thursday and hoping I don’t have to put it RIGHT next to the window.
- on September 22, 2009 at 7:24 pm | Reply nashwj
  
  I’m 8′ or so from a window and have no issues at all. My iPhone gets a signal all day.
on September 22, 2009 at 5:04 pm | Reply RSS News Portal » AT&T’s 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottean: yes, it works

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on September 22, 2009 at 5:08 pm | Reply AT&T’s 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottian: yes, it works | gadgetzip.com

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on September 22, 2009 at 5:09 pm | Reply Kev.W » AT&T’s 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottean: yes, it works

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on September 22, 2009 at 5:14 pm | Reply TechTrance.net – Where Technology is a Passion » Blog Archive » AT&T’s 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottian: yes, it works

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on September 22, 2009 at 5:15 pm | Reply Its All About A Digital Technology » Blog Archive » AT&T’s 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottian: yes, it works

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on September 22, 2009 at 5:20 pm | Reply Nate

I knew it….as soon as I saw “Jason” mentioned in the Engadget summary, I figured it was you!

Good run-down.

Take care,

Nathan Dent
on September 22, 2009 at 5:21 pm | Reply James Sonne

Thanks for the great review, I’m eager for the device to be released in my area. I work in a basement about 20 ft underground and can get no cellphone signal with any provider. Do you think the device will be able to get a IP location to satisfy the initiation process, or is GPS necessary? If GPS is necessary, do you have any idea if it is only required for initiation or if it periodically polls its GPS coordinate while its on? If the former, I imagine I could easily initation the device outside via a battery back-up UPS device and move it down into my office. If you have any experience with that kind of routine, please let us know! Thanks again!
on September 22, 2009 at 5:23 pm | Reply AT&T’s 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottian: yes, it works | Cell Phone Magazine | Your daily online mobile guide

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on September 22, 2009 at 5:42 pm | Reply Its All About A Digital Technology » Blog Archive » AT&T’s 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottean: yes, it works

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on September 22, 2009 at 5:43 pm | Reply HD Boy

Is this device firmware upgradeable?

Will it be compatible with 7.2 service or better?

Will it be upgradable — for compatibility with LTE?

Or is it destined to be rendered obsolete in two years?
- on September 22, 2009 at 7:27 pm | Reply nashwj
  
  It autoupdates firmware itself. No idea on LTE or 7.2. 7.2 would be nice but voice is my primary concern in the house. In the house I do WiFi for data anyway.
on September 22, 2009 at 5:43 pm | Reply AT&T’s 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottean: yes, it works

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on September 22, 2009 at 5:45 pm | Reply Ryan

Hello fellow Charlottean!

I’m curious how non-authorized devices react. Do they just ignore the Microcell altogether? Or do they connect but get denied?
- on September 22, 2009 at 7:27 pm | Reply nashwj
  
  Correct. They just stay on the AT&T service (if there is a signal).
on September 22, 2009 at 5:49 pm | Reply Blackfeather

I’m pretty sure that the real reason for the GPS is so that the authorities can trace the geolocation of cellphone calls.
on September 22, 2009 at 6:01 pm | Reply Francisco Geraci

For those of you who may not be able to place the device near a window, you may be able to plug the MicroCell to a UPS, sync with AT&T and get a GPS lock while near a window, and when the MicroCell is working properly, unplug the UPS and move both to a different location. I think that once the MicroCell has a GPS lock, it will maintain the connection until the next power-down and you will have to re-sync.

By using a UPS to keep the device powered, you may be able to maintain your AT&T MicroCell connection as you move the device to a more convenient location. Of course, if your MicroCell ever loses power in the future, you will have to repeat the process of moving everything and re-establishing your GPS lock and connection to the AT&T network. And you will have to leave the MicroCell connected to the UPS to keep your connection alive.
on September 22, 2009 at 6:19 pm | Reply Elliot

I dont understand this product. I thought the Iphone can connect through a wifi connection (if available) when normal reception is bad?
- on September 22, 2009 at 6:40 pm | Reply William Hook
  
  It can, but this is mainly for voice calls. Yes, it does 3G data, but mainly, it’s there for voice.
- on September 22, 2009 at 7:28 pm | Reply nashwj
  
  Like he said. I use WiFi for my data at home anyway. This, for me, is all about voice.
on September 22, 2009 at 6:23 pm | Reply AT&T’s 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottean: yes, it works | Games, it's what we all about

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on September 22, 2009 at 6:56 pm | Reply badtx

So I am a bit of a novice to this device or concept. Why does it need your internet connection? Is it using VOIP for to move the voice traffic from your Cell Phone?
- on September 22, 2009 at 7:29 pm | Reply nashwj
  
  They have minimum requirements on the site for bandwidth. From your cell to the gateway is just normal cell communication..no VoIP or anything special. I assume it’s VoIP from that box to the AT&T service. I need to put a sniffer on it when I get a chance.
  - on September 22, 2009 at 8:43 pm a friend
    
    It’s not VoIP.
on September 22, 2009 at 7:38 pm | Reply J.A...

LTE migration and compatibility will more than likely be a firmware upgrade or “hot swap” of the device for some nominal cost.
- on September 25, 2009 at 12:39 pm | Reply Wikih
  
  I don’t think so, because there is totally different physical layer, WCDMA uses CDMA and LTE uses OFDMA. You need different front-end hardware to run LTE.
on September 22, 2009 at 7:54 pm | Reply AT&T’s 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottean: yes, it works | Cell Phone Magazine | Your daily online mobile guide

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on September 22, 2009 at 8:02 pm | Reply Jeff

Nice Review. Thank you. So what do you think of buying and activating this in the approved test area, then moving it to another AT&T service area – say several states away from the test area?? I am assuming any GPS checking would be done during the activation process. While I know it needs a lock upon powering up, I just keep thinking that it will be a go – post activation. I know that E-911 would not function as designed, but that is not a concern I have.
- on September 24, 2009 at 2:46 am | Reply nashwj
  
  I don’t know..but I have some friends that want to find out. So we might.
  - on September 24, 2009 at 5:50 pm a friend
    
    you can’t
on September 22, 2009 at 8:30 pm | Reply RK-NY

Thanks for the review.

I wish they would drop the GPS and the price correspondingly! It is silly to have to pay money to get ones mobile phone to work in ones own home. Nevertheless, I’m waiting to get one of these in NJ. It will pay for itself within 6 months if I drop my land line.
on September 22, 2009 at 9:46 pm | Reply AT&T 3G Microcell reviewed, liked

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on September 22, 2009 at 11:35 pm | Reply John

Jason,

Great review – thanks – quick question: When you are connected to both the MicroCell and your normal wifi router simultaneously, does the iPhone still default to wifi for data (just like it would if you had wifi at home and a good signal)? Or does it use the MicroCell for data as long as it is connected to it? I don’t suppose it would matter either way if the data speeds were the same… If it stays on MicroCell, does that slow down data at all vs. wifi?

Thanks again -
- on September 23, 2009 at 3:02 am | Reply nashwj
  
  My phone still uses WiFi for data. I disabled it for the screenshots just to make it cleaner. So, for me, I use the MicroCell for voice and my normal WiFi for all data.
- on September 24, 2009 at 12:59 am | Reply DavidT
  
  John,
  
  I’ve heard from folks at Apple that WiFi uses more power, so it would appear to be preferable to have the 3G connection take precedence. However, this is opposite the normal protocol. Very interesting question! Will be very interested to hear Jason’s answer.
  
  David
on September 23, 2009 at 12:14 am | Reply Top Posts « WordPress.com

[...] Review of the AT&T 3G MicroCell As reported here and here AT&T released their new 3G MicroCell yesterday in the Charlotte test market. Hey! [...] [...]
on September 23, 2009 at 6:10 am | Reply WirelessGuru

Is the $100 rebate only if you are subscribed to a PAID “AT&T Unlimited MicroCell Calling” plan? I already have AT&T home phone and internet service, and subscribe to a Unity plan.

Thanks for the review.
- on September 24, 2009 at 2:45 am | Reply nashwj
  
  That’s my understanding.
on September 23, 2009 at 8:18 pm | Reply Mike

Can you set it up so that any device can connect? It would be nice if friends that swing by could use it without having to go through extra steps to approve them. I have a 25/15mbps FiOS connection so bandwidth is no problem.
- on September 24, 2009 at 2:45 am | Reply nashwj
  
  No. All devices have to be authorized.
on September 23, 2009 at 10:21 pm | Reply Shaun

So, do they make you pay for data-usage when connected to the miniCell? (although you’re using your own broadband??)
- on September 24, 2009 at 2:44 am | Reply nashwj
  
  Not sure. I use WiFi at home..and I have unlimited data anyway.
on September 24, 2009 at 12:02 am | Reply Data_Sub

They sell you cell service and provide bad coverage over your home. They then charge you $20/month and a device charge to take traffic off of their pricey spectrum and expensive sites just to route the traffic over YOUR broadband connection. You are financing the provider and giving them a business case not to build better coverage. It all stems from them providing poor service. The result is you paying more money to get a service that should have been provided inherently when you bought the cell phone. We live in the dark ages.
- on September 24, 2009 at 2:44 am | Reply nashwj
  
  You only pay $20/month if you want unlimited minutes…or you do like I am and just use your plan minutes. A lot of people, like me, have great service near them but due to hills and trees and whatever they can’t get a signal at the specific spot they want. Unless AT&T puts a tower in my back yard they won’t help me. GSM and CDMA coverage at my place is the same. It’s well worth a one time fee of $150.
on September 24, 2009 at 9:37 pm | Reply CRT

Anyone know if this will work with Satellite broadband?Cable does not serve my rural area so this would be perfect if that will work. Thanks for the review.
- on September 25, 2009 at 12:14 am | Reply DavidT
  
  I’ve used the Verizon/Samsung microcell over 1.5Mbit/s Hughesnet satellite. Data and texting work great. You can set up a call, and the caller can usually hear you. But the return path is usually not of sufficient quality to have a conversation.
on September 25, 2009 at 5:25 pm | Reply Kim

On the subject of WiFi vs 3G Can you run the speedtest with wifi – “3G turned off”.. It would be interesting to see the difference. Ideal would be using a typical network outside your geeky network configuration

Quote “My network, being the geek I am, is more complex than most so I’m not worrying about it yet. “
on September 25, 2009 at 5:36 pm | Reply Kim

On the subject of WiFi vs 3G Can you run the speedtest with wifi – “3G turned off”.. It would be interesting to see the difference. Ideal would be run both speed tests using a typical network outside your geeky network configuration

Quote “My network, being the geek I am, is more complex than most so I’m not worrying about it yet. “
- on September 25, 2009 at 6:42 pm | Reply nashwj
  
  I ran the same speedtest on my WiFi and got 1965Kb/s upload and 1472Kb/s download. The WiFi part of my network isn’t complicated. That’s connected to my 18Mb/1.5Mb AT&T U-Verse Internet.
on September 25, 2009 at 6:53 pm | Reply Techpedition » Blog Archive » Episode 036 – VDD

[...] ATT Testing 3G Microcell [...]
on September 26, 2009 at 4:56 pm | Reply AT&T launches 3G femtocell in Charlotte N.C. « 3G In The Home

[...] Users can verify that they are using the femtocell (and therefore getting free calls) by looking for the “AT&T M-Cell” alpha tag on their phone idle screen (there’s a picture here). [...]
on September 27, 2009 at 3:03 pm | Reply Murphy Mac

Hey Jason -

I installed a MicroCell for my friend the other day. She hasn’t used it much and it’s already dropped one of the few calls she made. When she looked it had gone to zero bars.

How has it been working out for you? I’m worried that her AT&T DSL is somewhat unreliable and will be a continued problem.

Do you have Time Warner for Internet?

Have you had any dropped calls while using the MicroCell?

Thanks for any info…
- on September 27, 2009 at 11:42 pm | Reply Murphy Mac
  
  Just re-read and saw you have U-Verse. They have that on my street, very tempting…
on October 1, 2009 at 8:58 pm | Reply Roger Williams

I wonder why Charlotte would be first to get this device.
Because ATT really sucks here.
Also, the MicroCell is not working so good for me.
If you are currently losing calls when the iPhone suddenly loses 3G connectivity (for no reason whatsoever) then the MicroCell isn’t going to help that.
The MicroCell works great as long as I’m connected to it.
But I lose 3G connectivity and lose connectivity the MicroCell and I’m standing 1 foot from it.
This thing is going back to the ATT store.
Please god let Verizon have the iPhone then ATT can properly DIE.
on October 7, 2009 at 6:19 am | Reply Carl’s Blog » Blog Archive » 1st Review published on 3G Microcell in Charlotte

[...] http://jasonnash.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/review-of-the-att-3g-microcell/ [...]
on October 7, 2009 at 4:14 pm | Reply Amy Huffman

Alsome review of this product, I was wondering how, and if it worked. Great job. I will be getting one of these today thanks to your great product review!
on October 29, 2009 at 9:06 pm | Reply jnoel

Hey there – thanks for the info –

Quick question – can you seamlessly roam on and off the Microcell? Meaning, if you initiate a call in the house and then get in the car and drive away, will it switch over to the ATT network without dropping the call? Or, if you are on a call driving home and you get in range of the microcell does it then flip the call to the microcell without dropping the call?

Thanks-

Jason