No MMS on Microcell

Again, you are throwing in side issues that are unrelated to AT&T phone MMS interoperability over AT&T microcells. The customer-provided routers and modems have nothing to do with this, so there is no need for AT&T to test all those combninations. IP is IP. And the microcell in all these cases provides every indication that it's happily connected to AT&T over the customer-provided ISP connection. If the only thing that is having issues associated with the customer's Internet connectivity is MMS over celluar data via the AT&T microcell, it just seems really hard to say that this proves an Internet conectivity issue that is caused by the router or modem.

And *nobody* in htis trhead has said they expect the same bandwidth out of the phone/microcell as they get either from their personal WiFi/ISP connection or real 3G/4G. So to keep saying it's lower is not helpful. OK. It's lower. Got it. Already knew it.

I bet most, if not all, of the phones with MMS failing over the "3G" microcells have MMS work just fine over forced EDGE over the regular AT&T network. So it's not purely some simple bandwidth "performance limitation". MMS was working and understood long before the first microcell was developed.

And you say "Multimedia messaging, visual voice mail, and other services that need data are collateral damage when using a microcell" but users here are not complaining about any services that involve data besides MMS. When my MMS wasn't working, I could turn off the phone's WiFi and send/receive all other 3G data just fine--if slowly--over my microcell. I'd bet that this is true for many others with the same problem with MMS.

The bottom line is that these two statements are not proving true for some users for MMS over cellular data via AT&T microcells:

…

Can I use voicemail, text messaging, and data services on my wireless device when connected to my AT&T MicroCell?

Yes, your basic mobile handset services from AT&T are compatible with the AT&T MicroCell.

…

Supported Devices

Supports voice and 3G data
Supports voice and data

David606, you are saying that both those statements are inaccurate or, at least subject to "performance limitations" interpreted to mean that not meeting these statements is a "performance limitation". (So, basically, anything that doesn't work as designed/marketed/intended in AT&T world is an OK "performance limitation" within the EULA by that argument.)

I'll accept, but not excuse, that this issue is coming from various handset/microcell incompatabilities stemming from software that AT&T has some measure of control over and, in most cases, qualified and supplied to their customers. I do not accept that the microcell was not intended/specified/marketed to support MMS. (Not talking YouTube, Hangouts, whatever arbitrary IP data traffic the phone can generate. Talking here about MMS over cellular data.)

And you can say there is nothing that can be done because the limitations just make it so. (which sounds kinda like: so shutup you whining customers and be glad AT&T gives you anything for all that money you fork over every month!) Despite having listened here to more or less the same blame Android, blame microcell technology line for four or five months, our MMS over AT&T microcell problems went from a 95% of the time problem to a 0% of the time problem when AT&T did some unspecified something somewhere in my AT&T microcell or in their network. That something did not include changing the OS/apps in our phones, or the capability/firmware in my router and DOCSIS modem, or my ISP connection performance or connectivity. My bet is that it was a pushed microcell firmware update. But the microcell is such a completely opaque black box I have no way to know.

I'm going to unsubscribe from this thread. It's now working for me--even though David606 says it's not intended to. It's pretty clear AT&T doesn't really care if MMS over AT&T Microcell works for those people who are still having problems. Just keep paying your bill each month and be happy.

I think it's a good idea that you do unsubscribe. Arguing about this is not going to solve anything and will not help anybody. Routers and modems do make a difference for proper functionality of the MicroCell. It may not be related to this specific issue but hardware settings, default or otherwise, do impact the MicroCell. AT&T can't possibly test all of those devices to make sure that compatibility is met for the MicroCell. So instead they make the requierments known so the enduser can ensure compatiblity. The same for the phones. The phone mfrs know what is needed to work reliably but again, there are just too many devices to adequately test and keep current with either firmware pushes by the carrier or the device mfr.

AT&T has been upgrading their network (not very well in my opinion) for 4G/LTE and beyond and not paying a lot of attention to the older technologies (2G/3G) so as phones become faster and much more complicated, the aging technologies are having a hard time keeping up. Promises are made by the carriers and are often not kept.

One of the suggetions is to disable as much AT&T software (bloatware) that you can because that, in some cases, has crippled some Android devices. Again, not adequately tested.

WiFi-C (WiFi calling) is supposed to alleviate some of those issues but as we are seeing, it too has connection issues over and above what one would expect on the customer's WiFi. I wish there was one problem we could point to as the cause but there's not. Too many variables. It's easy to blame AT&T for all of this but to be honest, I think the blame has to be shared equally by AT&T and the various OEM's who provide phones for AT&T's network. The whole issue sucks and I've been fielding these types of questions for a very long time and have tried to get reasonable answers by contacting AT&T, Samsung, and various Android programmers.

There are no answers that will satisfy everyone.

I have zero doubt that some microcell issues come from the router. (The modem seems a harder case to understand.) MMS send fail over cellular data over microcell just doesn't credibly seem one of those, assuming all else is working and other documented requirements for the Internet connection/router are made.

Totally agreed about AT&T bloatware. We had Cingular V3XXs when we first came to AT&T. Since that experience, we have paid a steep $ premium--forgone thousand$ in device subsidies--to use Nexus devices instead of the carrier-maimed devices.

A lot of people use the complexity of these systems to avoid taking any resposibility for making their parts of it work correctly or in ways that tolerate others failures to do so. There's always somebody else to blame. And when that fails, fall back on "compatability is hard and the user agreement says all bets are off anyway."

Enjoy your evening.

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@OttoPylot wrote:

The MMS/SMS issue is a known issue with Android-based phones. It is more of an issue with Android than it is with the MicroCell and is acknowleged  by Samsug. Unfortunately, because of the multiple devices that run under Android, and the number of mfrs, it's almost impossible to get the OS to play nice. It's sort of the same reason why WiFi Calling is not being offered, yet, on the AT&T network for Android-based devices.

 

The iPhone is a different issue and I'm surprised that you are having issues. Most of us don't. I have no issues at all with my iPhone 5 sending/receiving MMS, FT, or any other feature when using my MicroCell with my iPhone.

 

Why are you only forwarding ports 500 and 4500? If you are gonig to port forward, then you should be forwarding all four ports that are required for the MicroCell to work reliably.

 

Check that your router is setup with the minimum router requirements and then get back to us. Quite often modems supplied by the ISP have default settings that need to be changed to meet the minimum requirments for the MicroCell.

---

Only forwarding ports 500 and 4500 since many other of my network devices needs NTP and SSL.  Also, ports 500 and 4500 being open on my router do not report as open using a port tester from the internet - and Comcast are ZERO help on open/closed ports!

VVM on 3 iPhones (not 2 as I stated above) simply doesn't work in Microcell service range.

MMS/VVM on Samsungs also doesn't work.

I have 5 devices that voice calls work, SMS works, but MMS/VVM simply fails.

I am willing to provide as much information as requested on this forum to resolve my issue.  So fire away with questions, I am at an impass now!  One setting that I coudl not find on my TP-Link router was to block fragmented packets.  Anyone know of other language for the same thing?

Also, in the meantime I have placed my MicroCell in my DMZ to see if that helps.  Further testing on-going...

Any other suggestions?  I don't want a lecture on Apple this, or Samsung that....  Just instructions to get my MicroCell service fully operational.

Thanks!

Andrew

Before we can truly help you you need to ensure that the minimum router requirements are being met:

DHCP enabled

Ports that must remain open (public and private):

123/UDP - for NTP traffic.

443/TCP - for HTTPS over TLS/SSL for provisioning and management traffic.

4500/UDP - for IPSec NAT Traversal (for all signaling, data, and voice traffic).

500/UDP - for IPSec Phase I prior to NAT detection, after which 4500/UDP is used.

            IPSec Pass-Through is enabled

            Block Fragmented Packets is disabled

NAT duties handled by only one device if you have a separate router and modem (gateway)

These are not negotiable. In other words, for the MicroCell to work reliably, all of those ports need to be open and the other requirements met. If you port forward to a statically assigned IP address for the MicroCell, you need to port forward ALL of them. Detailed operation of your router is up to you to figure out because AT&T can not possibly keep up with all routers, firmware, and individual configuration needs. Neither can we. Besides, we don't want to be repsonsible for messing with someone's LAN. I know that sounds harsh but that's the reality of it.

The MMS/SMS issue on Android devices will never be satisfactorily resolved until Samsung/Google/AT&T decide that it is important enough for them to tweak the OS for all of the possible Android devices that are available to AT&T. Individual firmware pushes to the MicroCell are not possible.

amr421

You won't get a lecture from me about smartphone OSs, but I do have to say that we find it frustrating when people who know nothing about how a Mcell works come here for help yet berate us, tell us we AT&T fanboys or start threatening us with going to another carrier if their problem isn't solved immediately.  Quite honestly, I could care less if someone leaves AT&T for Verizon, Sprint or T-Mobile.  Otto and I are users like you who spend countless hours trying to help people here simply because we see a need.

We are not AT&T employees.  We do not have all the answers.  We've learned about the idiosyncrasies of the Mcell from experience by working with users like you over time.  We do have limited resources within AT&T that can help us but for the most part, the solutions to tough questions we simply can't answer.  We would dearly love to have access to engineers within AT&T who could help us to help users but as with any large corporation, there is no motivation to provide us ACEs with technical help.  Too many other competing priorities and we are at the bottom of the list.

Having said all that, this MMS/VVM issue with the Mcell has no simple solution as Otto has previously posted countless times.  We can't provide you with any suggestions as you haven't provided any information about your home network, ISP or subscribed bandwidth.  Has your Mcell ever worked properly?

Forget about the results you get from running online port checkers.  They are worthless as they give false results about the status of ports being open or closed.  My Mcell works fine yet several different port checkers I've run on my network always show that all the ports necessary for Mcell operation are closed.  I won't go into the technical reasons as to why but you are welcome to research the many articles written about free port checkers online.

We can try to help if you answer ALL of the following questions but the odds of us helping you are slim as this MMS/VVM problem is complex.

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?

For Apple VVM issues and possible fixes:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201436

http://howtoisolve.com/how-to-fix-att-visual-voicemail-iphone-6-not-working/

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@OttoPylot wrote:

For Apple VVM issues and possible fixes:

 

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201436

 

 

http://howtoisolve.com/how-to-fix-att-visual-voicemail-iphone-6-not-working/

 

 

---

Thanks OttoPylot,

Even though all 3 iPhones are version 5s I read both items.  Seems to relate to setting up Visual Voice Mail for the first time, or resetting iPhone.  Tried all of this.  Did not help.  Remember VVM works perfectly when NOT in MicroCell range...

Andrew

See answers below (apologies for all bullet numbers resetting to 1 ! )

MicroCell™ TroubleShooting Questions:

1. Have you read the Tech Guide first? 3G MicroCell Technical Guide by Otto Pylot

Link (https://forums.att.com/cng/attachments/cng/3gmicrocell/14725/12/MicroCell%20Technical%20Guide%20v1.7.pdf) provided is bad.  Please repost link.

1. Do you have an active postpaid AT&T mobile account?

YES.

1. Is your MicroCell white or black?

BLACK

1. Who is your ISP and is your service ADSL, cable, wireless or satellite?

Comcast Xfinity cable service

1. What are your suscribed download and upload speeds as stated by your ISP?

105 Mbps download, 20 Mbps upload

1. Have you tested your internet speeds? (http://speedtest.net)

YES.

1. Please run the test and post your latency, download and upload speeds.

Ping = 7mS, Download speed = 94 Mbps , Upload speed = 24 Mbps

1. Have you tested your connection for VoIP? (http://voiptest.8x8.com)

YES.

1. Please run the test and post the results that are listed under the "Advanced" tab.

VoIP test statistics
--------------------
Jitter: you --> server: 1.2 ms
Jitter: server --> you: 0.1 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

General information
-------------------
IP address: X.X.X.X
Local time: Dec 31, 2015 11:48:06 AM
Test server: http://voiptest.8x8.com:82/

1. 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.

I am using the basic connection method.

1. Are all of the cables firmly in place?

YES.

1. Do you have a combined modem/router (gateway) or a separate modem and router? What are the makes and model numbers for your equipment?

No, I have a separate cable modem (Arris TM722G), and router TP-Link R600-VPN

1. Have you met the minimum requirements for router settings as outlined in the Tech Guide?

Cannot read Tech Guide - repost working link please.

1. What other equipment (access points, switches, computers, WiFi components, gaming consoles, etc.) do you have connected to your network?

Lots - too much to list here, and irrelevant in my mind (feel free to convince me otherwise).

1. 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?

All four lights are solid green.

1. Have you done a hard reset of the MicroCell? See the Tech Guide for instructions.

YES, many times.

1. Have you deactivated and reactivated your Mcell using AT&T's MicroCell website?

YES, many times.

1. Does the ac adapter feel warmer than the top of the MicroCell where the vents are?

No.

The link in my sig line works fine for the Technical Guide. I just tested it.

The minimum router requirements are given in the setup instructions. Do you not have the setup instructions?

The number of devices using your internet connection can affect the MicroCell, especially if there is some sort of prioritization/load balancing setup. The MicroCell needs to maintain a 24x7 secure VPN connection to the AT&T Mobilty servers at all times. Port forwarding to a static IP address assigned to the MicroCell may be necessary if you have lots of devices sharing the same connection. Shouldn't be necessary but you might want to consider it. AT&T recommends that you either setup port forwarding or put the MicroCell in the DMZ, but not at the same time. Either do one or the other.

Your VoIP test, for a single snapshot in time, looks fine. At least we can probably rule out bad line quality. However, it would be nice to run the test a few more times at various times to see if it is reproducible. My guess is that it will be.

We have seen issues with Arris modems in the past. I'm not saying that's the problem in your case but it is a possibility. Sometimes the modems shipped from the ISP are configured in such a way for the ISP that there is a conflict with the MicroCell.

What is problematic is that your phones do work with the MicroCell, you just don't have MMS/VVM. I'm assuming you leave WiFi enabled on your phones at all times.

The Android-based phones we can't really help you with because the MMS issue is a long established problem that Samsung/Google/AT&T can't, or won't address. Sorry.

The iPhones are what bothers me. I have no problem with my iPhone 5 (iOS 9.2) with any features (MMS/SMS/VVM). In fact we have older iPhones as well and they don't have any issues (and we've used them with the DPH-151, 153, and the new 154). Our router is an Apple Extreme Base Station, but that shouldn't make any difference, the line is a 20Mbps DSL line (delivering a consistent 18Mbps) and the ISP is independent. Line quality is perfect.

What I would suggest is that you confirm the router settings first, then we can work out from there.