Is the 3G MicroCell compatable with AT&T Fixed Wireless service?

This is a recording......

If you have a fixed base wireless signal, why would you need a microcell?

@rjniles - I understood the OP to mean that his internet connection is now wireless broadband and the MicroCell doesn't work reliably, or at all, with those types of internet service. WiFi-C would be the method of choice but there have been discussions on whether WiFi-C would work with that type of internet service as well being as the entire connection is wireless. I haven't seen any definitive reports on whether WiFi-C works with satellite and/or wireless broadband. It's something I'm looking into from actual users and not just talking to AT&T Support because they will say it does, and I don't trust their accuracy on matters such as this.

I would think that Fixed Wireless would experience the same issues with VOIP that other wireless internet systems like satellite internet have only not as severe.  The latency and other associated VOIP metrics (jitter, packet loss, etc.) degradation shouldn't be as great as the distance the RF signals have to travel are a lot less than beaming RF up to a satellite and back.  Regardless, out-of-spec VOIP metrics will be present to some degree and could cause dropouts, robotic voices, etc..  This would affect WiFi-Calling as well as the Mcell when trying to operate either on a wireless internet connection.  Some real-world feedback would be enlightening however.

Howdy,

To answer a couple of questions... Fixed wireless is new to me and to many I have spoken to at AT&T.  There are a few more details at att.com/internet/fixed-wireless.html.

We do not have AT&T cell service at our home (or any other for that matter).  We were able to get Fixed Wireless by running 600' of CAT5e with an POE extender to a hill across from us that has a good view of the tower.  Fixed Wireless is providing much better bandwidth than we had before (25Mbps vs 1.8Mbps).  The latency with Fixed Wireless is not as good as we had before (45 ms vs. 20).  The Cat5e from the Fixed Wireless antenna goes to an AT&T 5269ACFXN model router.  Other devices including a PC have all worked just fine.  However, when I connect the 3G Micro Cell to the AT&T Fixed Wireless router it never shows an internet connection (keeps blinking).

I am still inclined to think this is a set up issue because I can not come up with a good reason why it should not work.  What is different about a micro cell tower internet connection from any other device?

And I must plead further ignorance... WiFi calling is for outgoing calls only, correct?  It will not work for incoming calls.

Thanks!

@FWcellChat - WiFi-C is for making/receiving calls when there is no cellular connection but you are connected to WiFi. It can be your own WiFi in home or away from home. However, you need a phone that is capable of WiFi-C AND a post paid AT&T cellular account. WiFI-C in home is analogous to the MicroCell, which is, or was, intended for cellular calls when the in-home cellular reception was bad or inconsistent. The MicroCell uses AT&T's VoIP service via your land-based (DSL, cable, or fiber) internet service.

Succesful VoIP has very specific line requirement for it to work well. Latency is one but there are other more important factors, like jitter, that have to be met. Satellite and/or wireless broadband can not always meet the those requirements (especially wireless). A 24x7 secure VPN to the AT&T Mobility Servers must be maintained at all times, otherwise your connections is either lost or never made at all. That's the way Cisco/AT&T designed the MicroCell (femtocell) and it is mentioned in the documentation and even on the outside of the box (on the bottom I think in small print).

Again, your internet service can be fine, but the line is not clean enough for VoIP with a satellite or wireless broadband service. There's nothing that can be done about that. Your issue is further complicated by the fact that you are also using 600' of CAT-5 and then connecting to a POE. I don't know how the fixed wireless routers are configured but there are very specific router settings that need to be set with land-based internet. Those are given in my Tech Guide but you'll have to figure out how to access the router yourself to check. We can't help you here and my guess is that AT&T support won't be able to help either. They're pretty much clueless at times with a properly setup MicroCell.

Your only other options are to use a cellular booster (provided you can get at least one to two bars of cellular reception on top of your house. I do have a Cellular Booster Guide as well that will give you information on that. If you don't have any AT&T cellular reception at all, then your last choice is to switch to another carrier that offers better reception or try Google Voice.

Thanks for your detailed comments and info OP.  I will need to do some more poking at the router. 

Unfortunately none of the carriers provides a good signal at our house.

@FWcellChat - just keep in mind that even if you can check the router settings, and they meet the requirements, you will probably still have connection issues because your internet service is wireless, and the MicroCell just can't deal with the latency (45ms?), jitter, and other VoIP parameters that are critical, not to mention interference issues as is common with wireless in general.

I'm surprised that you don't have GPS location verification issues as well if you are as rural as you say you are and there aren't any macrocells (towers) close enough for the MicroCell to get a lock.

Being as you don't get any cellular signals at your house, then a cellular booster won't work either because there is no signal for it to lock on and "boost". WiFi-C or Google Voice are your only other options, and I'm not sure is WiFi-C even works with a wireless internet service.

Please keep in mind about the MicroCell reaching its EOL. Even if you are successful in getting it up and running, the service will be shutdown eventually and you will be right back where you are now, so start planning and researching your other options. Verizon and T-Mobile still offer femtocells, and some are 4G, so that may another option but you'll need to talk to them and explain your situation in detail to even see if theirs will work.

Unfortunately you are in a dead zone for cellular and internet coverage so your options are severely limited for at least cellular.

Another option would be to keep your internet service that works with the MicroCell and use the fixed wireless for your "regular" internet needs. But that would only be temporary for the reason I gave.

I was never able to get my 3G micro-cell tower to work thru the AT&T Fixed Wireless network.  To be clear, it is not that it does not work well, it does not work at all.  I did not talk directly to AT&T to find out exactly why it can not make a connection to the internet.

My solution is to stop trying to use the tower.  I have switched to using the WiFi calling feature on my iPhone 8 and that seems to work just fine so far.

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions!