What is happening with 3G?
themcks's profile

Contributor

 • 

3 Messages

Tuesday, January 21st, 2014 12:04 AM

3g Microcell and Charter Cable

Hi

 

I have had a 3g microcell for over a year.  Suddenly this week the 3g light starts flashing and phones no longer connect.  I have:

 

deavtivate and reactivated too many times to count

factory reset my modem, router, microcell

replaced microcell with new one

opened all ports listed in various posts and att support site

turned cellular data and 3g data off on iphone

used priority set up (modem then 3gMC then router, this is how I am configured now)

 

What ever I try, there is still no connection back to att network.  ATT support says it must be charter cable and charter cable says it is att.  The only port I can not touch is 123 NTP.  I don't know what is hooked up to it, but it is not accessible to me.  However, using the priority config should bypass any port issues...right?

 

Please help.

Professor

 • 

2.2K Messages

10 years ago

I thought you did.  Perhaps old age is clouding your memory?  I'm in Newport, Oregon which is on the central Oregon coast.

ACE - Expert

 • 

23.9K Messages

10 years ago

What were we talking about?.....Smiley Sad

Professor

 • 

2.2K Messages

10 years ago

Me answering to your wife about something.......I forget.

ACE - Expert

 • 

23.9K Messages

10 years ago

Smiley Tongue

Contributor

 • 

1 Message

10 years ago

Steve,

 

Did you get any resolution on this? I am in Fort Worth and having the exact same problem with the microcell/charter.

 

J

Professor

 • 

2.2K Messages

10 years ago

I wonder if the OP is from that area?

 

ACE - Expert

 • 

23.9K Messages

10 years ago

Don't know. He did say that a number of his neighbors are having the same issue so my thinking is that it's a local MicroCell Service Area issue (maintenance, macrocell upgrade), that's why I suggested his neighbors start PM'ing CustomerCare which is a more direct way to support.

 

Correction - I don't think he's referring to the OP like I was. Steve is another poster who has a similar issue. Either way we don't know where those two are from.

ACE - Expert

 • 

23.9K Messages

10 years ago


@jarrtx wrote:

Steve,

 

Did you get any resolution on this? I am in Fort Worth and having the exact same problem with the microcell/charter.

 

J


 

Has Charter done any recent upgrades or have you upgraded any hardware that would coincide with your issue? What exactly is your setup and how do you have it setup?

Teacher

 • 

13 Messages

10 years ago

J,

 

    Below are the step that I tried to resolve this on the ATT end.

 

1. Tried bypasssing my Netgear router all together to make sure it wasnt a setting or port issue on that.

2. I got a whole new microcell shipped to me by ATT.

3. Changed ethernet cable and power supply going from microcell to cable modem.

4. Logged into my Charter modem and found there are no settings within the modem regarding port blocking.

5. Tried all the typical rebooting and unplugging of all devices.

6. Had ATT remove my Microcell from their network and attempted to reconnect it.

7. Spent countless hours on the phone with ATT trying everything under the sun

 

My setup is a motorola cable modem provided by Charter and a Netgear wireless router. I live in Benbrook which is just west of Fort Worth. I am confident it is not an ATT issue as my father lives close to me and he has ATT as an ISP and his is working fine. My problems started about 2-3 weeks ago. The 3G light just flashes and flashes and never goes solid. ATT is saying that they are showing port 4500 block on their end which is the port that data has to travel from the microcell to and from them for it to work. My sister also lives near me and started having problems the same time I did and they also have Charter an their internet ISP. My sister had a Charter tech out to their house today and was no help at all. He tested everything and told them it was nothing on their end, but he didn't have a clue on what a Microcell was. I am sure it is a setting issue on Charters end wherever their equipment is located. After numerous calls with Charter including their supervisors I dont think they are blocking anything on purpose I think it is something that changed during a hardware upgrade or software upgrade on their end and they dont know about it and aren't interested in making the calls to help us Microcell users resolve it. I am going to make one last effort to call a Charter supervisor today and then I am switching ISP's cause I am tired of dealing with this. Anyone having this problem needs to call Charter and ask for a supervisor and express the problem to them. Each time I call they act like I am the only one calling. I respect Otto Pylot's knowledge, but I think reaching out to ATT is a waste of time as they have called Charter for me as well and they get told the same thing. I think the better move it to call Charter over and over until they get tired of hearing about it.  

 

.

ACE - Expert

 • 

23.9K Messages

10 years ago

Do keep in mind that I am not an AT&T employee or sub-con so I have no real affiliation, one way or another with AT&T other than I have my cellular service with them. I'm just a regular user who got frustrated years ago when the MicroCell was first introduced and have sort of morphed into this ACE position (which was given to me by the Forum Admins for my contributions). Help from support was abysmal way back then so I just decided to share my accumulated knowledge with others to hopefully get their MicroCells up and running trouble-free.

 

I think you are correct in your assumptions on what Charter is, or is not doing, to resolve your issue. It is possible that there could be a problem in your MicroCell Service Area on the AT&T side (maintenance, macrocell upgrade, etc) but that would affect everybody who has a MicroCell regardless of ISP. If AT&T determined that port 4500 is being blocked (which is the most common issue when it's and ISP problem) then that's all they can do because they can't force the ISP to fix what they don't want to acknowledge is a problem.

 

A similar problem happend a month or so ago with TWC in KY. They upgraded their system and almost immediately the MicroCell's stopped connecting. Their position was that it was AT&T's problem (port 4500 being blocked) and that was it. Lots of finger pointing on both sides. AT&T did try to intervene but TWC wouldn't listen. Only when TWC started getting bombed from their users with threats of cancellation etc did TWC finally look into it and "discovered" that one of the vendors they used for the upgrade configured something wrong. Once the "vendor" corrected the error, the MicroCell's starting working again.

 

I don't want to start any conspiracy theories here, but now that Net Neutrality is dead (at least so far), I think we are going to see more and more of this as cable operators, etc. start blocking access to another providers services thru their network. They would much rather have you keep all of your eggs in their basket. Verizon has already started doing this anti-competitive behaviour to a certain degree by hiding it under a "faux-technicality" issue or under the guise of "innovative" pricing.

Not finding what you're looking for?
New to AT&T Community?
New to the AT&T Community? Start by visiting the Community How-To.
New to the AT&T Community?
Visit the Community How-To.