Teacher
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17 Messages
Microcell not working
Hi Everyone,
I've used the white/orange ATT Microcell for almost a decade. Outside of the occasional restart, the device has performed well; without it, we have 1 bar of signal strength in our Wayne NJ home. A couple of weeks ago, we no longer had 4-5 bars of strength and the term "Microcell" was no longer visible on our iPhones. After recycling the unit, resetting it, cycling my router, etc., it still didn't work. However, it had all 4 lights solid green. Opened a ticket with ATT and they could find nothing wrong. So, thinking that my 10-year old MCell had given up the ghost, I bought a new one on Amazon - the black Cisco unit ($240). I transferred my family configuration to the new MCell on the website, got 4 green lights, email confirmation that my MCell was "activated and working", but no MCell service.
I use a pair of Linksys WRT-1900AC routers. Although I hadn't deliberately opened the ports outlined in the MCell manual before (the original unit worked anyway), I did so. Still no joy. Contacted ATT again. They told me to give them a couple of days, after which they let me know that "everything was working again". Indeed, I had MCell reception on my iPhone 7+, but neither my wife nor my daughter had MCell service. This situation happened in the evening; by the next morning, MCell was once again absent from my iPhone.
So, I contacted ATT again last night, updating my escalated support ticket. They told me that they could find nothing wrong, but will investigate "another aspect of the Microcell" and let me know.
I'm sorta at my wits end here.... ATT consistently recommends using WiFi calling, but that won't work in many areas where there is insufficient WiFi coverage. And that suggestion is nothing more than a band-aid, seemingly to get me to go away. My sister lives 8 miles from my home, has ATT and the same Cisco MCell unit and things are working fine for her.
Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions? I've constantly had to follow-up with ATT - there is no communication coming from their end unless I initiate the conversation.
I don't know where to go next with this
OttoPylot
ACE - Expert
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24.5K Messages
6 years ago
@JustMeInTX - did you purchase the MicroCel used?
Which model is it?
Who is your ISP and have you had any power outages?
Are you using the mobile app to access your myAT&T MicroCell Settings page or are you attempting to access via the web?
What does the light patter on the MicroCell look like?
Have you recently updated your phones and what kind of phones do you have?
We really need more specific information if we are to help you online.
Keep in mind that sales of the MicroCell were discontinued at the end of 2017 because the MicroCell has reached its EOL. Support will continue for now but will become increasingly useless as AT&T gets closer to shutting down the service. There is not ETA on that yet. What we and AT&T recommend now is WiFi-C (WiFi Calling) if your phone is capable of that. It not, then your only other options at this point in time is to purchase a cellular booster, switch carriers, or possibly try Google Voice.
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MicroCellEarl
Teacher
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17 Messages
6 years ago
Thanks for your reply. What happened with my MicroCell issue was that I
simply... left it alone. The suggestions I was getting from the Community
pointed me in various directions, some more obscure and unlikely to have
caused my issue than others. What I knew from the onset of the issue was
that *my installation had not changed*. My router's firmware hadn't
updated; the M-Cell's Power block hadn't changed it's output voltage, etc.
To me, the reason why my MCell stopped working was ATT's fault, regardless
of what they said and regardless of their response that *nothing was wrong
on their end* and that *everything looked ok*. So, I just got frustrated
with the lack of vendor accountability and any new actionable suggestions.
Months went by and, lo and behold, one morning I woke up to an ATT email
notifying me that my MCell was in the first stage of activation. Wait,
what? I hadn't re-initiated the activation process. In fact, I had not
interacted with the MCell, the ATT MCell website pages, or even this
community, for several months. But, there it was, suddenly, a serendipitous
change in status. Not very long after the email arrived, my MCell resumed
correct operation and has, except for a couple of infrequent instances
where it lost its location reference (a situation that I did nothing at all
to create), worked reliably ever since.
So, ATT *did* do something to resolve the issue, whether or not that was
their intent. What it was, I don't know.
thanks,
Earl
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OttoPylot
ACE - Expert
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24.5K Messages
6 years ago
@MicroCellEarl - not much information to go on. What kind of internet service do you have?
If you did not use your MicroCell for a few months then AT&T could have deactivated it due to inactivity. Usually they will send you a text notifying you of such but not always. Occasionally they will "clean house" and just basically screw the whole process up. GPS location should never change once established unless you live in a rural area, an apartment building, etc.
As I mentioned, start considering your alternatives because support, on the front end and back end, is going to eventually get less reliable than it is now.
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JustMeInTX
Contributor
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2 Messages
6 years ago
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OttoPylot
ACE - Expert
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24.5K Messages
6 years ago
@JustMeInTX - AT&T, like any other provider doesn't really care if they lose a customer or not. There are plenty to replace them. The MicroCell is old technology (3G only) and will not be hardware upgraded to 4G/LTE/5G and beyond. Once AT&T starts to phase out their 3G network, the MicroCell service will go away, and Support for it will be getting less and less in favor of WiFi-C as it gets closer to the phase out (probably another year or so). Plan accordingly.
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OttoPylot
ACE - Expert
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24.5K Messages
6 years ago
Double post edited out.
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FukAaa
Contributor
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2 Messages
6 years ago
File a complaint with the attorney generals office. They are trying to be slick . They no longer sell the microcells and I think they are trying to get out of servicing them . They had a tower down 2 years ago and lied about it. I reported this to the attorney generals office and they had to fix it. I went without for 4 months . My cable internet company came to my house and showed me it wasn’t their fault . Within 28 days of my complaint it worked again
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OttoPylot
ACE - Expert
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24.5K Messages
6 years ago
@FukAaa - AT&T announced last October, and I posted as much, that sales of the MicroCell would be discontinued at the end of 2017 because it had reached its EOL. Support, such that it is, would continue thru this year. It makes no sense for AT&T to continue to support a product/device that they no longer sell nor have any plans on upgrading. Once they shutdown their 3G network the MicroCell will become useless. Does that suck? Sure it does, but AT&T, like any other huge corporation, has the right to do with their products and services as they will. Could AT&T handle this much better? Absolutely. But they're not. The MicroCells were never serviceable. If one failed, you either had it replaced with a refurbed unit (if they sent you one after warranty expired) or you had to purchase one second hand (eBay for example). There is nothing to file a complaint about. It's business as usual. Technologies move on. And companies like AT&T need to stay abreast and offer new services if they are to be competitive. I stopped using my MicroCells a year ago and started using WiFI-C (WiFi Calling) and couldn't be happier.
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sadastronaut
Tutor
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7 Messages
6 years ago
Hi, what makes WiFi calling superior to microcell?
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.7K Messages
6 years ago
1. Wifi calling will work wherever there is a Wifi connection, as opposed to lugging around a microcell which of course can’t be reconnected everywhere you go. Decidedly more portable. Like inside a hotel or large buildings that have Wifi. It also allows you to call or text home from another country for free without a passport or Day pass plan.
2. It doesn’t cost an extra $275. Most of the phones sold in the last 4 years have the software built in.
3. Wifi calling will still work once 3G is phased out, which may be years off, but it’s still coming.
4. Wifi calling allows anyone to connect to Wifi, the Microcell excludes non ATT phones.
5. Unlike M-cell, Wifi calling will work with satellite internet
Can’t think of others at the moment
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