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6 Messages
3G Microcell stopped working
I have had the old orange and white 3G microcell for about 7 years. The Model is DPH151-AT and it says 12v on the bottom. There was a short power outage a day or 2 ago and today I noticed my cell phone did not say Microcell but said ATT. I did come here and read that the power supply could be the problem. I have replaced the PS before and the one I have now has a 12 Vdc output and it measures 12.3 Vdc. It was replaced about 1 year ago and has been working at 12Vdc all this time.
I checked Amazon and they have the replacement PS for the DPH151-AT that all say 12 Vdc when they do list the output. I checked for a 16 Vdc and did not find much.
The Lights: The top power led is solid green. Second led down (ethernet) is off but I know it works because I am typing this. I have a ethernet cable from my router to the 3G and another ethernet cable from the 3G to my desktop PC and I am on the internet. The 3rd GPS led is solid green. The 4th led for the computer is off. The bottom 3G led just blinks slowly (about 3 seconds between blinks). I unplugged the power on the router and checked the wire from it and into the 3G and they both clicked. (I'm still on the internet). I have unplugged the 3G and measured the 12.3 Vdc. I pushed the reset button for a second and reapplied power but did not hold down the reset switch while doing so.
Is there any other tests I can do or just leave the 3G led blink overnight?
Accepted Solution
Official Solution
OttoPylot
ACE - Expert
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23.9K Messages
5 years ago
@GTWatson77459 - the adapter outputs 12VDC but when you test it with a voltmeter, it should read 16VDC +/- 0.5 with NO load. The reason being is the adapters are unregulated so they output more than they need when no load is connected. That way when current is drawn, the adapter will still be able to output 12VDC. The docs on the adapters will not list what the output is when no load is applied. They just list what the output is when in use.
A solid green power light just indicates that current is detected. It is not an indicator of power quality or consistency.
The ethernet light needs to be a solid green. That indicates that one, you have an etherent connection between the MicroCell and your router and two, the MicroCell is reaching the AT&T Mobility servers. No ethernet light, no service.
You should not be connecting your MicroCell to anything other than the router. The Computer port was eliminated with the most recent, and last iteration of the MicroCell, the black DPH-154. There were lots of issues using the MicroCell as a passthrough device so that function was eliminated with the last model. To be clear, do not connect anything else to the MicroCell other than the router. Even if it worked in the past.
A solid green GPS light just means that the GPS location check has been completed. It does not mean that you have GPS location verification.
A flashing red 3G light usually means that your GPS location could not be verified. No GPS verification, no service.
Disconnect your computer from the MicroCell. Power cycle the MicroCell and your router and see what happens. You may need to do a hard reset so follow the instructions given in my Tech Guide (link is in my sig line).
It's also possible that the MicroCell was damaged due to your power outage. They can not be repaired. Do you have it protected on a surge suppressor? It is also possible that your router settings have changed due to the power outage (your ISP rerouting traffic for example) and a port has been blocked. Check to make sure that the minimum router settings are still being met.
Keep in mind that sales of the MicroCell were discontinued by AT&T at the end of 2017 because the MicroCell had reached its EOL. AT&T will still support it (what ever that means) but as soon as AT&T begins to transition away from their 3G network, the MicroCell service itself will be discontinued as well. What AT&T and us recommend now is WiFi-C (WiFi Calling) if your phone is capable.
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GTWatson77459
Teacher
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6 Messages
5 years ago
Thanks for the tips. I think the Ethernet part must have died on the Mcell when the power went out and back on 3 seconds later.It was not on a surge protector or UPS.
I moved it closer to my Comcast Modem and plugged in the ethernet cable directly from modem (bypassing my ASUS Router) to the Mcell and held in the reset pin while I powered it up. The power led came on but the Ethernet led never did. The GPS led came on after I moved a little closer to a window but the 3G led just slowly blinks like it did all last night and all day today when I came in from work.
My wife and I both have Samsung Galaxy 9 cell phones and they have wifi calling. I tried it out and even though my ATT signal strength is at one bar, I was able to make calls inside my house. When I lose power I have to walk out the front door to get a signal strong enough to call the power company but I have a smart-meter that tells them I'm out. 🙂
As an aside, I built a new PC this year and the Mobo came with built in wifi so even though the Mcell had a cable going to the PC, I never plugged it in.
I'll toss the 3G MicroCell in the recycle bin and just use the wifi calling.
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OttoPylot
ACE - Expert
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23.9K Messages
5 years ago
@GTWatson77459 - the are some routers and modems that just don't play nice with the MicroCell because of the default settings. However, if the MicroCell worked before with your existing equipment, and the only difference between then and now was the power outage, it is possible that the MicroCell got borked.
For WiFI-C to work well, you should have the MicroCell powered off so that your phone does not try to connect to the MicroCell that it is registered to as well as your WiFi signal. That can cause call quality issues. Keep in mind that WiFi-C is not necessarily the same thing as WiFi, different protocol sets. WiFi ability does not necessarily mean you have WiFi-C capability.
The ability to have trouble-free WiFi-C is due to one, your phone (some phones just work much better than others), two, how robust your WiFi signal is and three, your ISP. WiFi-C uses two of the same four required ports as the MicroCell does, so if anything is affecting those ports, your call quality could suffer.
We have Comcrap as well but I preferred to use my own equipment (Motorola DOCSIS 3.1 modem and a Netgear Mesh WiFi System). WiFi-C call quality and reliability is excellent on our iPhones upstairs/downstairs and all over our property outside.
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GTWatson77459
Teacher
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6 Messages
5 years ago
I've got the VOIP, Internet and Cable bundle so I'm limited of the Modems that support phones. I have the Arris TM822 Comcast modem. I have my own ASUS RT-AC66U router that works OK. Just looked and it looks like I could get a NETGEAR Nighthawk Cable Modem with Voice CM1150V on Amazon for $230 and save my monthly rental fee.
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OttoPylot
ACE - Expert
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23.9K Messages
5 years ago
@GTWatson77459 - if you have another VoIP service that could be a problem. A lot of VoIP services use ALG/SIP which can cause issues. The MicroCell does not depend on ALG/SIP but it all depends on how your ISP/hardware is implemented.
Any other VoIP product could have issues with the MicroCell.
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