MICROCELL STILL DROPPING CALLS DAILY !!!!

After reviewing your VOIP test results, one thing that stands out is your Download TCP forced idle value of 0%.

The TCP Forced Idle Percent allows customers to assess the capacity for a connection to sustain more than one TCP session without degradation to other TCP sessions.

A value of 0% indicates that there is virtually no additional bandwidth available for multiple sessions given your subscribed bandwidth.

I'd run the VOIP test several times during the day and evening to see how much variability in these metrics you are seeing.  Run the VOIP test when Netflix is on and again with it off.  There are many variables that can affect TCP Force Idle.

Ok, thanks.  Will check it out.

Answer these questions and we can start there.

MicroCell™ TroubleShooting Questions:

1. Have you read the Tech Guide first? 3G MicroCell Technical Guide by Otto Pylot
2. Do you have an active postpaid AT&T mobile account?
3. Is your MicroCell white or black?
4. Who is your ISP and is your service ADSL, cable, wireless or satellite?
5. What are your suscribed download and upload speeds as stated by your ISP?
6. Have you tested your internet speeds? (http://speedtest.net)
7. Please run the test and post your latency, download and upload speeds.
8. Have you tested your connection for VoIP? (http://voiptest.8x8.com)
9. Please run the test and post the results that are listed under the "Advanced" tab.
10. Are you using the basic connection (modem -> router -> MicroCell) or the alternate connection (modem -> MicroCell -> router)? The alternate connection is not possible with the black (DPH-154) MicroCell.
11. Are all of the cables firmly in place?
12. Do you have a combined modem/router (gateway) or a separate modem and router? What are the makes and model numbers for your equipment?
13. Have you met the minimum requirements for router settings as outlined in the Tech Guide?
14. What other equipment (access points, switches, computers, WiFi components, gaming consoles, etc.) do you have connected to your network?
15. What does the light pattern look like on the MicroCell (power, ethernet, GPS, and 3G)? Are they all a solid green or is any of them blinking green or red, and if so, which one?
16. Have you done a hard reset of the MicroCell? See the Tech Guide for instructions.
17. Have you deactivated and reactivated your Mcell using AT&T's MicroCell website?
18. Does the ac adapter feel warmer than the top of the MicroCell where the vents are?

Thanks, everyone, for the replies.  All good stuff.  For right now, I have rearranged my setup which allowed me to remove a WiFi router that was between my DSL modem and Microcell.  I just did this, so do not yet know if this will help my issue.  I'll keep you posted.  THanks!

That is called the alternate setup procedure (which is covered in the Tech Guide). What you are doing is removing the router (obviously) from the chain so if there are any problems with the router (hardware, config, etc) they are not a factor in your troubleshooting. I would caution you though not to use the Computer port of the MicroCell (if you have the older white model) to connect your router to because that had so many problems that Cisco/AT&T removed it from the newest, black model.

What speeds are you supposed to be getting from your ISP?

Well, the removal of the router didn't do the trick.  Still dropping calls.  My subscribed speeds from Centurylink is 3Mb down, and .5Mb up.  I pretty consistently get "about" those speeds. 

I have the newer black model Microcell.  Yes, i have deactivated and reactivated it.  I will attempt to answer all your questions when i can.  Thanks!

I still have 0% TCP Download Idle, and have been researching that parameter to get my mind around it's significance, but just haven't quite understood it completely yet. 

Just ran another test, here are the results:

Speed test statistics
---------------------
Download speed: 2848 kbps
Upload speed: 492 kbps
Download consistency of service: 88 %
Upload consistency of service: 98 %
Download test type: socket
Upload test type: socket
Maximum TCP delay: 72 ms
Average download pause: 3 ms
Minimum round trip time to server: 81 ms
Average round trip time to server: 96 ms
Estimated download bandwidth: 2921 kbps
Route concurrency: 1.025615
Download TCP forced idle: 0 %
Maximum route speed: 6472 kbps

VoIP test statistics
--------------------
Jitter: you --> server: 0.0 ms
Jitter: server --> you: 3.4 ms
Packet loss: you --> server: 0.0 %
Packet loss: server --> you: 0.0 %
Packet discards: 0.0 %
Packets out of order: 0.0 %
Estimated MOS score: 4.2

Your tests indicate that you are just about on the edge of acceptability. A 3.4% jitter, while still under the magic 5% is starting to push it.

AT&T claims the minimum speeds are 1.5Mbs/128kbps but I don't believe it. Those are probably laboratory generated numbers years ago when home networks weren't so complicated.

If you connected directly to the modem and bypassed the router altogether then it's not a router issue and is a CenturyLink issue.

I have ADSL2+. What I did was run a data cable directly from where the phone line enters the MPOE straight to my computer room and installed a phone jack in the wall. There is nothing else connected to that line only the Comtrend DSL modem which is in bridge mode and then to my router. The "phone box" is a modular one so I connected the DSL filter between the Test Jack and the line going to the rest of the house so the house landline is filtered without having to use any other external filters or splitters.

As soon as you connect another device to your internet speeds will flucutate a bit and that is what is probably causing your poor call quality and/or dropped connections. There is nothing that AT&T can do about that. This is an issue you will have to take up with CenturyLink and it may require upping your speeds and then making sure your physical line connections are clean with no loose or corroded wires and then re-examine your line quality.

I would talk to CenturyLink and see about temporarily upping your subscribed bandwidth to see if this is an insufficient bandwidth issue with the Mcell.  This would be simple to do and if you see an improvement then it is probably not a wiring/connector issue.  If there is no difference in reliability with a higher bandwidth then I'd be looking at line quality/ISP issues.

Hi, Can you give me some help if that is ok.. I also have Comcast 85 down and 20 up. I have my black microcell plugged into my router and i have these settings for port forwarding setup on my router

Port .8 is my microcell..

I also have my modem (Gateway) set to bridge mode no firewalls on at all ..

When I run speed test on my note 5 through AT&T I get these speeds

ping 138 MS

download 2.44 Mbps

upload 0.05 Mbps

If I do a speed test from any computer or laptop or ipad in the house even on Wifi or Connected I get 80 - 90 megs down and 20 megs up..

I cant use my phone for anything in the house because it is so slow and I cant even upload pics from my phone or txts pics dont come through or upload.

Any thoughts how to get my speeds higher because that is CRAZY..