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Avedis53's profile

Professor

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2.2K Messages

Monday, February 18th, 2013 4:49 PM

Mcell requires power cycle every day to regain connection to iPhones

While I didn't encounter this problem initially when I started up my Mcell a few months ago, it has now become a daily ritual that I hope someone here can help me with.

 

My setup:

 

Motorola SB 6120 modem -> Netgear WNR3500L router -> Mcell

 

The Mcell is connected to the router with a pair of Netgear Powerline 200 Nano Adapters because my modem and router are located in the basement with no exposure to window for the Mcell to see a GPS satellite.  The connection is good.

 

My Charter ISP connection is 30 mbps down and 4 mbps and is rock solid.

 

What's happening and what I've done so far:

 

Usually once a day I will no longer see the AT&T Mcell indication at the top of my iPhone 5.  When I check my wife's iPhone 4S she has also lost the AT&T Mcell indication.

 

Turning the phones off and then on does not bring back the Mcell connection.  Switching Airplane Mode off and then on does not bring back the Mcell connection.

 

The Mcell has all solid green lights when I go to check it after seeing the lost connection.  If I power cycle the Mcell, the phones will then show an Mcell connection again until the next time they lose the connection which is usually once/day but not at any particular time.

 

I have the latest firmware on all devices.

 

When I check my router's admin page after a lost connection, the router indicates that the Mcell's IP address has not changed and it remains the same after power cycling the Mcell.

 

On the WAN page for my router, I have set the MTU size to 1492 and set the NAT Filtering to "Open" instead of "Secured".  No improvement after doing so.

 

Suspicious of the Powerline Adapters, I tried disconnecting and reconnecting the Ethernet cable from the Mcell to the Powerline Adapter to mimic a temporary loss of connection to the router to see if that affected the Mcell connection.  The Mcell connection was not lost.

 

I have not set any open ports or a static IP address for the Mcell yet.  Is what I'm experiencing indicative of this solution?  Does anyone have any other thoughts as to what try next?

 

I don't want to waste my time with an AT&T Level 1 tech support person because their suggestions are almost always worthless.  I have better luck contacting user forums and that is why I'm posting here.

 

Thank God I was able to convince AT&T to give me a Mcell for free because if I paid $200 for it, I'd be very upset right now.

 

Thanks In Advance!

 

Avedis53

 

 

___________________________________________________________

MicroCell Technical Guide by Otto Pylot


I am not an AT&T employee.

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

11 years ago

I'm hoping to get some mileage out of the Technical Guide post and use that to push for a status update link. You are correct in that updates are usually done at night but if this was a maintenace thing (replaced switch, tower issue, etc) then that can happen at anytime. Or, it was just a hiccup in the system for no apparent reason.

Professor

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2.2K Messages

11 years ago

The question about an AT&T Mcell Network Status link is how far down the chain they could or would go.  Xbox and PS3 is what I imagine to be a centrallized server system that would lend itself to maintenace outage and update notification.

 

If AT&T was pushing an update or was doing maintenance on a central or regional scale, I would think that would lend itself to a status notification very easily.  If they were having a problem on a very local basis, I wonder if they would bother with a notication that involves just a small number of Mcells.  Still, if I call Charter and ask about my internet connection, they can look at my area and see if something is amiss.  Perhaps AT&T has this capability...who knows?  It would be nice if I could go to the Mcell webpage, enter my zipcode or address and see if they have anything going on that impacts my Mcell.

 

I'm afraid if something like that is coming, it will be a long time in the future.....or more likely not at all.  

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

11 years ago

I would agree with you my friend but AT&T is huge and complicated. And I think the number of MicroCell users is a very small percentage of their overall cellular subscriber base and it's just something they can't, or won't, allocate a lot of resources to. To be fair, quite often issues are localized, and if they never reach regional areas, AT&T might not know about it. That's why it's so important for people to PM CustomerCare if they are having outages or connectivity issues because the sooner AT&T can document a pattern, the quicker they will have their engineers look into it. It's a fine line though because of the individual issues that come up that have no bearing on localized or regional problems.

Professor

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2.2K Messages

11 years ago

Here's one for you Otto,

 

Yesterday about 6 PM, I walked by my Mcell and the power light was flashing red.  GPS, Ethernet and 3G lights were solid green.  I looked at my iPhone and it still showed it was connected to the Mcell.  Checked my wife's iPhone and it was connected also.  Power cycled the Mcell and it went back to normal.  Have you heard of anyone else who has experienced this?

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

11 years ago

Power light flashing red is not a good thing. Maybe the ac adapter is starting to have issues or it's the outlet. It's interesting that you still maintained connectivity with the Power light flashing red. Keep an eye on it.

Professor

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2.2K Messages

11 years ago

Just when you think you've seen all the Mcell can throw at you, along comes something new.......

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

11 years ago

Hence the "live" Technical Guide Smiley Wink

Contributor

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1 Message

10 years ago

I have my cell by window directly connected to the FIOS wireless router. I have the same problem. Occurs with both iPhone and android devices. Others have reported the same. Them cell just appears to be an unstable overpriced device which is much much worse than the version network extender which is very reliable. I believe the only good answer is to convert to verizon.

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

10 years ago

There are lots of reasons why you have to power cycle to re-establish a connection. Some are phone related, some are AT&T related, and some are ISP related. FiOS is Verizon's version of fiber connectivity similar to AT&T's U-verse. It's not surprising that there are compatibility issues between Verizon internet service and AT&T VOIP service. They are competitors with different technologies. Verizon does not offer a true VOIP service like AT&T does. Verizon's voice is more similar to the old POTS lines (using PCM technology) that they, and AT&T, are trying to get rid of. FiOS and MicroCell compatibility issues are not surprising at all.

Contributor

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1 Message

10 years ago

I have this exact same problem, symptoms, etc. Did you ever get a resolution? I have evn had my micro-cell replaced with no luck.

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