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billcrup's profile

Tutor

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8 Messages

Thursday, October 29th, 2015 3:23 PM

Is the MicroCell still being sold

I really have two questions. 

 

1) Is the MicroCell still being sold? 

2) Is the MicroCell any more reliable than WIFI calling? 

 

WIFI calling has obviously been a bust. I have been told that there are a few known issues, but I can't seem to get any consistency out of it. I am curious if the MicroCell would be a better option for me so that I don't have to worry about my work calls being dropped anymore. I was very close to purchasing one but I was talked out of it because WIFI calling was being released. Do you think I should pursue that as an option again? 

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

8 years ago

The MicroCell is still being sold and as far as it being more reliable than WiFi calling (WiFi-C) it all depends. Vague, I know but that's being honest. Some have found it to be very reliable at home and have stopped using their MicroCell. Others, are having issues for various reasons.

 

Currently WiFi-C is only being offered for iPhone 6 and above. The Android devices will be rolled out at a later date once they get some issues worked out. No ETA on those.

 

The phones will always prefer a cellular signal so there is a preference for the phone to try and connect to the MicroCell over WiFi if in range of a MicroCell that the phone is registered to. The only workaround at present is to put the phone in Airplane Mode, which disables the cellular radio.

 

The MicroCell is not without its problems as well, but most of those are how it is setup and/or the ISP. If you purchase a new MicroCell from AT&T you do have, I think, a 10-day return window but you might want to check on that for sure.

Professor

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2.2K Messages

8 years ago

That's a pretty encompassing statement to say that WiFi-C is a bust.  If you think the Mcell is without issues, you may be disappointed if you buy one.  What electronic device doesn't have issues?  I've had countless dropped calls with my Mcell but so far, none with WiFi-C. Connection quality depends on numerous variables, some of which you have no control over.

 

Don't know what you mean by "I can't seem to get any consistency out of it".  Perhaps you might elaborate instead of talking in vague generalizations.  Anything using the internet (WiFi-C and the Mcell) is subject to the quality of the internet connection you have.  If you are having issues with WiFi-C, you may also have issues with the Mcell if your WiFi-C problem is ISP/line quality related.

 

Who is your ISP?  Are they cable or DSL? What are your subscribed speeds?  What kind of smartphones do you have?  Do you have a post-paid account with AT&T?  We can't speculate as to whether you should get a Mcell if we don't know more about your internet connection.

Tutor

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9 Messages

8 years ago

We are ATT wireless customers and have Cox Internet at about 50gb speed. Constantly lose our cell calls and it doesn't seem to be any better with wi-if calling set up. Does going to airplane mode help?  I don't have a micro cell yet but have been told by friends to check into it. Why should I have to pay for another device?  Have iPhone 6 phones with wi-fi turned on currently. My wife is not happy with a call from inside the house was dropped 5 times in just a few minutes 

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

8 years ago

WiFi-C (WiFi calling) is totally different from the MicroCell. Most prefer to use WiFi-C over the MicroCell but that all depends on how robust your WiFi connection is.

 

The only time you need to put your phone in Airplane Mode is if you also have a MicroCell because the iPhone will preferentially use the cellular connection over WiFi. Enabling Airplane Mode disables the cellular radio so the phone will connect to WiFi. Enabling WiFi on your phone doesn't automatically turn on WiFi calling. You have to enable that feature specificially.

 

WiFi-C, like the MicroCell, is meant to fill in coverage gaps, it is not meant as a total replacement for cellular calling so it is not perfect.

 

If you do not have a MicroCell, WiFi is turned on on your phones, and you've enabled WiFi Calling on your phone, you should be able to make/receive calls with minimal issues. WiFi-C does need to have ports 500 and 4500 open, which they should be but you might want to check with Cox just to make sure. These are two of four ports that are also required by the MicroCell. Ports 500 and 4500 are an Apple requirement, not AT&T.

Tutor

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8 Messages

8 years ago

This is the same experience I have had. WIFI calling has been spotty although I have a Gigabit fiber connection. I personally haven't tried using airplane mode but I will try that and see if it helps me. 

 

My issue is that WIFI calling randomly disables mid call which then drops the call. Not particularly great for business calls. Unfortunately the responses about the MicroCell don't appear to be very confident so I am not inclined to spend the money on the device just to test it out.

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

8 years ago

Speed is basically irrelevant if you can maintain at least a 3.0Mbps download and a 512kbps upload. The main factor with the MicroCell is the quality of the connection. Your internet can be fine but if the line is not clean enough for VoIP, you're going to have call quality issues. Line quality is something that only you ISP can correct. See the Tech Guide (link in my sig) for a primer on VoIP. There are also specific router and setup requirements that need to be taken into consideration when using a MicroCell.

 

Again, Airplane Mode is only really necessary if you already have a MicroCell (for non-WiFi capable phones) and you want to use WiFi-C instead. The iPhone is designed to preferentially look for and connect to a cellular signal so you want to disable the phones' cellular radio by enabling Airplane Mode. There is no way to configure the MicroCell or the iPhone to choose the connection of your choice. Any problems that you may have with WiFi will also affect WiFi-C.

 

Most areas that offer WiFi-C should already be provisioned for VoLTE, which is a network requirement for WiFi-C.

 

To answer one of your original questions, is the MicroCell more reliable than WiFi calling, I'd say no. Those who have gone from the MicroCell to WiFi-C are generally indicating that WiFi-C is much better than the MicroCell in terms of reliability and call quality. There are exceptions for various reasons so you just need to see how either one will work with your equipment and environment.

Professor

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2.2K Messages

8 years ago

As I stated previously, there are many factors that can influence WiFi-C.  Having a Gigabit connection is meaningless as far as guaranteeing a good WiFi-C experience.  I have had zero problems with WiFi-C without a Gigabit connection.  Other factors that could be causing your problem are poor WiFi coverage in your home, improper settings on your router, interference from other electronic devices that are using the same frequency as your WiFi or your ISP's line quality is inadequate.

 

Repeating myself, if you're having problems with WiFi-C, your Mcell experience may not be good either.

Tutor

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8 Messages

8 years ago

Is there any way to test my wifi coverage to see if that is an issue? I would assume that improper settings on a router would prevent this entirely, but is there something specific I should check?

 

I guess  my biggest frustration is that I don't have any way to determine what would/could be causing the issues. OttoPylot mentioned line quality issues that my ISP could investigate, but is there anything else I can actually test or review? 

Professor

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2.2K Messages

8 years ago

Go to:  http://voiptest.8x8.com/  and set it to one line and 60 second test length.  Run the test and post the results under the "Advanced" tab here.  You should run multiple tests throughout the day to see how consistent your line quality is.

 

Pinpointing what is causing your drop calls is difficult when the problem is sporadic.  First thing to do is look at your line quality.  

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

8 years ago

I agree with @Avedis53. I don't believe we've tested VoIP on a WiFi only connection. That should be interesting. Avedis, have you tested your WiFi-C using the 8x8 site?

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