OttoPylot's profile
ACE - Expert

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

Monday, April 17th, 2017 7:11 PM

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Help! My MicrcoCell Doesn't Work!

Microcell art.jpg

 

Help!  My Microcell Doesn't Work!

by @OttoPylot

Recipient of the Award for Community Excellence in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016

 

 

“My MicroCell doesn’t work” is the most common complaint that we see on the MicroCell Forum. Unfortunately, that doesn’t give us much to work with because we don’t know what’s not working.  There can be lots of reasons why your MicroCell has “stopped working” so the following are some of the more common issues. A more detailed description is given in my Tech Guide on how the MicroCell works, common issues, and potential fixes.

 

First and foremost, there is no functional difference between the older, white MicroCell and the newer, black model.  Both are still 3G and the only real differences are the loss of the Computer port, external antenna port, and a smaller footprint on the black model. A new MicroCell more than likely will not correct any issue(s) you may be experiencing.

 

LED Light Pattern

 

Letting us know which LED is flashing, and the color, helps us diagnose what the problem may be and which troubleshooting methods we should try first.

 

White MicroCell LED’s, top to https://forums.att.com/cng/attachments/cng/3gmicrocell/14725/23/MicroCell%20Technical%20Guide%20v2-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tech Guide and on page 23 of the MicroCell Users Guide (DPH-154) under Firewall Settings. The requirements are fairly basic so most ISPs should have no difficulty meeting them. However, if your ISP supplies you with a router, modem, or gateway, you must make sure that it is not custom configured for your ISP with settings that may not be compatible with the MicroCell. AT&T cannot force an ISP to open ports that the ISP has closed for “security” reasons so unfortunately you must work with your ISP and not AT&T.

 

We also get many questions on how to check and/or configure routers for optimal MicroCell use. This is another area that we really can’t help you with. The reason being is that there are just too many routers/gateways available, with different firmware versions, customer setups, etc. for us, or AT&T to keep up with. It may sound harsh but we don’t want to be responsible for modifying a customer’s internet connection. That responsibility is between the customer and their ISP or device hardware manufacturer.

 

MicroCell issues can be either reported by phone or chat to AT&T Support, ATTMobilityCare (preferred), or posted here in the community.  If you can supply us with the basic information as indicated above the quicker we can hopefully get a resolution to you. If you choose to send a private message to ATTMobilityCare, please include a detailed description of your issue, what has been done to correct it, any trouble ticket numbers assigned to you, your account info, the best way for them to contact you, and your location.

 

OttoPylot

Recipient of the Award for Community Excellence in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016

MicroCell Technical Guide by Otto Pylot

 

___________________________________________________________

AT&T Cell Booster Technical Guide by OttoPylot

Cellular Booster Guide by OttoPylot

Award for Community Excellence Achiever*
*I am not an AT&T employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

2 Attachments

Traveler

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2 Messages

5 years ago

My MicroCell stopped working not long ago (just blinks red, telling me it is not functioning), so I tried your instructions to enable WiFi-Calling for our two iPhones (the wife has a 8s and I have a 6), and the quality of the calls is pretty bad. I have a high-end Orbi 3 satellite system which covers our home (and surrounding area) rather well, but still not much luck. Since I live in a crowded suburb of Los Angeles (Redondo Beach) which has no mountains... am amazed how our AT&T cellular service is not that good here (still!) and we get frequent dropouts on that. Is there any tweaks I should do to the Orbi configuration to help optimize the WiFi-Calling?

 

And, I did see you guide to cellular boosters, but, was wondering if you recommend some of the lower cost options ($400 for this one on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/weBoost-470101-Signal-Booster-Office/dp/B00RHMFQSA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_sims?ie=UTF8#customerReviews) for use in a 2000 ft townhouse (3 levels) in a crowded suburban environment that I live in?

 

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

5 years ago

@JPinLA - I use WiFi-C  here with the Orbi Mesh system and call quality inside of the house (2 story) and anywhere on our half acre is perfect. The satellite upstairs is hardwired to the main unit downstairs but other than that, there aren't any "tweaks" that you can do to the Orbi system. We have an iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, and one of the newest iPhones. Even our older 5SE works just fine. Comcrap is our ISP.

 

You need to disable the MicroCell (turn power off) before you setup WiFi-C on your iPhones and I would also suggest you disable WiFi-Assist as well but leave WiFi on. I can't recommend a cellular booster system. You need to read carefully the return policy and possibly discuss your options with the cellular booster company that is mentioned in my Cellular Booster Guide: https://forums.att.com/cng/attachments/cng/3gmicrocell/14725/27/Cellular%20Booster%20Guide%20-%20v1.3.pdf

 

@GDGreer1 - Once AT&T begins to phase out their 3G network in lieu of newer technology (WiFi-C, 4G, 5G, etc) the MicroCell will cease to work. That process will probably begin sometime next year.

Traveler

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2 Messages

5 years ago

Otto,

 

Many thanks for the quick reply, and the guidance. I did have the not-functioning MCell powered down since it stopped being functional. After I posted the question, I poked around the NetGear Orbi support forum, and one bit of advice that others found useful for this exact problem (but not all reported good results) was to the "Disable SIP ALG" setting. I tried this and it seemed to have a good effect in my two test phone calls. We have Spectrum (new name, same so-so service, but a higher bill every other month) so perhaps they are causing this issue.

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

5 years ago

@JPinLA - the MicroCell doesn't use the SIP ALG protocols but quite often they are mis-configured which can affect the MicroCell. This usually happens if one has another VoIP service that depends on them. However, I've never heard of SIP ALG interfering with WiFi-C because I have not disabled SIP ALG on my Orbi system and we have no issues at all with WiFi-C on any of our phones, or friend's phones who are WiFi-C capable.

 

WiFi-C on AT&T's network does require two of the same four ports that the MicroCell requires. If something affects those ports you will have poor WiFi-C or no WiFi-C at all. Spectrum (Charter) has all kinds of issues with the MicroCell and WiFi-C in general so it could very well be something that Spectrum is doing or has done.

Voyager

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2 Messages

4 years ago

About a week ago, I had an issue where my black MicroCell would no longer connect, and I just got the blinking "bars" light.  The other three lights (power, Ethernet and GPS) were solid green.  I did a lot of the troubleshooting noted here, with no success.  I de-activated the unit via the AT&T web site, and the reactivation would not work, and I got e-mail and text messages from AT&T saying that the (re)activation had failed.

 

A call to AT&T support led me to do most of the same things I had already done.  They tried re-activating things from their end, and the re-activation also failed.  The support rep noted that she could "see" my unit connected via GPS, but the error code that was showing up indicated that the unit was unable to establish a VPN tunnel to AT&T.  She couldn't tell if the issue was at my end or AT&T's end, but I had no issues with my own network (Verizon FioS into my home).  At her direction I connected the MicroCell both to my FioS modem, and also directly to my wireless router via Ethernet cable.  Neither connection would work.


She then escalated the support request to AT&T Second Level support for further diagnosis and solution.  The next day I got an email and text message that the problem was successfully resolved, and indeed the MicroCell was then working just fine, with four bars on my phones and the "MCell" moniker at the top of the phones' displays.

 

So, evidently, the issue was on AT&T's end.

 

The support rep did confirm to me that AT&T is no longer selling the MicroCell units, but that they are still supporting them.  In case anyone is having problems with their MicroCell units, they are still able to support them via AT&T.

 

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

4 years ago

@gerryvz - the problem was that you deactivated and then reactivated too soon. It takes awhile for the requests to go thru the system and if you do that too quickly, there are conflicting requests which hangs the system up. At that point in time only the AT&T Second Level CSR's and above can override the requests and let the reactivation go thru.

 

The loss of connectivity to the AT&T Mobility Servers was more than likely an issue on the ISP side (changing routing, a failed or failing switch etc) of things. You can have a solid internet connection but if line quality starts to fluctuate, you will lose connectivity when everything else is fine.

 

AT&T stopped selling the MicroCell's at the end of 2017 because the MicroCell has reached its EOL. The service and support will continue until AT&T begins to transition away from their 3G network, probably around Feb. 2021 or sooner. At that point in time, the MicroCell service itself will be discontinued. WiFi-C is what AT&T and us recommend now so I would start planning ahead. It's doubtful that AT&T will send a text message to all active MicroCell users informing them of the impending shutdown of service. They buried the EOL announcement on the website that was difficult to find so that's why I had to make the announcements a couple of times on the MicroCell Forum.

 

Support will become less reliable the closer they get to sunset on the MicroCell as they begin to pull resources away and assign them elsewhere. WiFi-C, a cellular booster, or switch carriers will be your only options.

Voyager

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2 Messages

4 years ago

@OttoPylot-- I waited about three hours after deactivating, before trying to reactivate and then getting the failure notice after trying to reactivate.

 

The good thing is that they were able to resolve it.

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

4 years ago

@gerryvz - I've seen it take up to a day or longer before going thru the system. At least you got it resolved relatively quickly, this time. However, if the root cause is VZ with a maintenance or update....... WiFi-C will be your friend 😉.

New Member

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1 Message

4 years ago

I have 2 white microcell x10+yrs. It has worked fine until the past 8-9 mos. I purchased an external antenna which worked great for couple months, with no changes it stopped working. Only light showing is the power light. I have done all the trouble shooting methods AT&T suggests with no success. I changed internet service to fiber last week and still have nothing. I contacted my internet provider today and they have ck’d everything on their end and it all shows working as it should be. They suggested I contact AT&T cause the problem appears to be on their end. I have completed the activation procedures multiple x’s with still no activation on either one. They both only show power light. Hope I’ve given you enough information. If I can provide any more info please let me know.

Thanks

[email scrubbed]

(edited)

New Member

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1 Message

4 years ago

So I understand that the AT&T MicroCell setup is essentially dead. My MIL had been using one for several years, residing in a rural area with spotty cellular coverage. Her M-Cell device has been acting up, and I've told her that she'll need to either start using WiFi-C (sketchy, since the ISP is sporatic), or she'll need a cell booster. My (possibly dumb) question for you is: would the presence of the malfunctioning M-Cell device have an effect on the existing internet and/or WiFi network signal? If it's not working properly anyway, should it just be unplugged and removed from the equation?


Thanks,

 

s_t

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