3G Microcell - 3G Red Light Flashing

[jpenaflorida]

My GPS, Ethernet, and power light are on with a solid green. My 3G light is a solid red that flashes every three seconds. I use a Netgear router/modem; honestly, I'm not sure what a modem or router looks like but I plugged the microcell's ethernet into the Netgear. I've tried disconnecting then reactivating the microcell. No luck.

Any advice on how to troubleshoot this issue would be awesome. I live in the countryside where cell phone reception is severely limited. Thanks!

[Rickalodeon]

So here we are approaching December of 2012.  I believe the post that started this thread was entered almost one year ago...and I've read all sorts of suggestions....from powering off the device in specific sequences that included disconnection of the ethernet port...to gigabit network incompatibility....to chanting while swinging a dead chicken overhead (of course, that's an exaggeration).  I imagine some have resolved their issue, but only some.  I get the distinct impression that most are still dealing with the flashing 3G LED.  It does appear that many agree with the failed firmware update theory as the cause, although I can't seem to find how I might confirm through MCell status and date/time stamps.  I've been all over the net and can't find any definitive discussion of root cause and permanent resolution.

I really want to try the suggestions that I've read thus far, but would like to avoid the days or weeks worth of trial & error (which I will do out of desperation).  Is there anyone on this forum that can claim success?  Is AT&T listening at all?  Any success stories would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[OttoPylot]

Your are correct in your conclusion that the flashing red 3G is the result of an update by AT&T. The MicroCell failed to properly re-boot after the update and it thinks it is broken. There is no way to confirm what is going on with the MicroCell because it is a totally closed system only available for "inspection" at the AT&T end. I had the blinking red 3G only once, and that lasted for about an hour with a simple power cycle fixing the problem. I posted yesterday my iPhone 5 and MicroCell speed test. In it, I've listed my hardware setup which may help you. Basically the MicroCell is setup following AT&T's installation instructions and then my port forwarding scheme. There are just way too many hardware variables out there to point you to any one thing that may fix your setup. A hard reset may work for you (pressing the reset button on the back), port forwarding, changing the position of your MicroCell and using an extension GPS antenna, making sure your ISP is not blocking any of the ports necessary for the MicroCell to communicate with the AT&T servers, etc.

Oh, and sometimes swinging a chicken over your head does help

[Budule]

Spoiler

Gps antenna is the cheapest thing to try and the only thing that fixed mine..........

[midget3376]

I say;"Go with the chicken!" I ended buying a new unit, when old one did the whole "flashing red" thing. The thing that amazes me is the total lack of understanding at tech support. It's clear to me that they are just reading from a manual. I didn't even bother calling, when my unit "flaked out" a couple of weeks ago. I tried a power cycle and ended up un-registering and then re-registering. I didn't have a chicken, so I used the neighbor's cat. It wasn't happy!

Wake up AT&T and get some tech folks that actually can troubleshoot these units.

[Rickalodeon]

LOL..so I guess the voodoo thing is not off the table. 

Re: AT&T tech support....I agree.  I called yesterday to see if there might be an acknowledgement of the problem and a solution on their part.  They recommend the unreg/re-reg approach to start.  Then the tech said something that I couldn't let pass....so I asked her to help me understand exactly how the system works end-to-end.  I was stunned when she tried to suggest that the MCell communicates to local cell towers.  I asked "how is it that the MCell can connect to a cell tower, while my phone cannot?.....If my phone could do so, I wouldn't need the MCell".  Her answer:  Because the MCell is supposed to be located by a window.  I knew it was time to end the call.

[OttoPylot]

---

@Rickalodeon wrote:

LOL..so I guess the voodoo thing is not off the table. 

Re: AT&T tech support... I asked "how is it that the MCell can connect to a cell tower, while my phone cannot?.....If my phone could do so, I wouldn't need the MCell".  Her answer:  Because the MCell is supposed to be located by a window.  I knew it was time to end the call.

---

That's funny, but very sad. I mailed support over the weekend with a list of support related issues from the last couple of weeks. I know AT&T would like to resolve issues and comments like that but the machine moves very slowly. That's pretty much why we have this forum, becuase if it wasn't for the contributors, there's a lot of folks who would not have been able to get their MicroCells up and running.

[jamileh]

Hey all,

As a reminder, if you're having trouble with your Microcell you're welcome to send a private message to ATTCustomerCare with your name, account number, email address, phone number and the best time to contact you.

I know you've tried other methods of support without but we'd like the chance to get this worked out for you.  




To send a private message, you can either click on the link in this message or click on the little blue envelope in the upper right hand corner, click "compose new message" and type ATTCustomerCare in the "Send To" field.

[rayfildvt]

 My MC was fine until I removed it downstairs from an upstairs window where it had a better GPS signal.  I moved it down in order to be able to use cell phones in basement bedrooms.  Now I get red flashing light daily, and sometimes must power down/up more than once to recover.

I am on a northfacing mountain slope with lots of trees that have snow, leaves, etc changing all year.  Not easy to "see" the GPS satellites here.

I have read about update issues, bad chips, etc.  but the GPS signal is probably my issue.  Sounds like a GPS antenna might be my solution. I see the connection on the MicroCell.  Where do I get an antenna, and any suggestions realted?  Thanks. rr

[OttoPylot]

I don't have the link readily at hand but you can Google AT&T Microell GPS antenna and find it. I think there's one that works just fine on Amazon for about $6. Make sure you take note of the type of connector that the MicroCell has and get the correct fitting antenna. I believe the cables go up to about 25'.

[carlwain74]

Initially I had my MC down in my daylight basement and it struggled to get a good GPS lock. I then relocated it to an upstairs window and it was working fine..

However, this weekend it decided to flash the 3G LED red and after multiple reboots it stays in this mode. I can see that the device is getting a GPS lock as the GPS LED is solid green (as is the Ethernet LED).

It started to do this after the device was powered off for a few hours of electrical maintenance. Since it was powered back all it wants to do is flash its LED..

[OttoPylot]

If the 3G light is flashing red that indicates a hardware failure. However, if the MicroCell received an update from AT&T that required an automatic reboot, the reboot might not have been successful and the MicroCell "thinks" it's a hardware failure. Was it powered off for "electrical maintenance" properly (unplugged) or did you have an outage and then it attempted to come back on once power was restored? Try a hard reset (holding in the reset button on the back for about 30 seconds).

[fire19]

I just received my MicroCell 2 weeks ago it was working great but the last week all the lights are green but my Iphone 5 will not conect or other cell phones on my plan.  I have to reset the Microcell every day to get the phones to connect and thenit will work for awhile. Is there any other suggestions?.

[OttoPylot]

Are you in the Ohio area by any chance? There apparently is an outage in that area. Sometimes an upstream switch fails and AT&T doesn't know about it until complaints start coming in. Switch outages can sometimes cause a cascade effect and spread to other areas or states.

[fire19]

No I am in Mid Michigan area (Lansing)

[OttoPylot]

There is an apparent outage in the Texas, Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania only affecting certain areas in those states. My guess is that it is an upstream switch somewhere so you may be part of the cascade effect. I would send a PM to CustomerCare (see link in my sig) detailing your problem, what you have done, and you complete account info (phone number, location, etc). The more complaints that come in the sooner the network engineers can figure out what's wrong, if it is in fact a switch, and get it fixed. The problems are the same: all lights are solid green, text messages work, but  incoming/outgoing calls fail.