Microcell Connectivity on wireless broadband...not satellite broadband

Interesting. The MicroCell will work with a wireless internet connection but it can be dicey at times. Satellite is definitely out, DSL/cable no problemo.... wireless? ehh.

I checked out the Wildblue/Exede forums regarding the Mcell and found that many people are using the Mcell with their satellite ISP.  Aside from a modem firmware issue about a year ago that interupted service for many Mcell users that Exede fixed with an firmware upgrade, these users seem to think that the Mcell works fairly well, all things considered.

A few forum posters commented on the latency issue, indicating latencies about where I predicted in my post in this forum to someone asking about satellite internet and the Mcell.  However, they said that it was an acceptable trade-off given the fact that these people have satellite internet because of their remote location and typically have no cell tower coverage either.

Exede has even started their own VOIP service and given the limitations, users are indicating that it does work.

So to say that satellite broadband and the Mcell can't work isn't entirely accurate.  Many people with no other options are using a Mcell on their satellite ISP network.  I suppose a laggy connection is better than nothing given their remote geographical locations.  There are other issues like rain-fade that can reduce satellite ISP bandwidth to a crawl and will affect the Mcell adversely.

It is probably better suited for cellphone texting than voice.  One could simply adopt the old two-way walkie-talkie protocol of saying "Over" when they conclude speaking so that the person on the other end knows they can now talk without talking over the other person.

Agreed, but like I said.....something is better than nothing.

Faced with no land-line internet service or cellphone coverage in the hinterlands, I would certainly consider trying out a Mcell with my satellite ISP.  If one can deal with the latency problem, it might be worth it.  Many people do think it's worth it and accept the technical short-comings and lack of AT&T support.  Exede does seem to be receptive and helpful to users who do have Mcells.  You can always return the Mcell if it doesn't meet your needs.

I agree with that as well. Doesn't hurt to try as long as the customer understands that any issues that may result, official support by AT&T (other than possibly us) will be non-existent. Their stance is basically a blanket statement. The MicroCell will not work with a satellite ISP. That covers them from any support related issues because it if does, or did work, AT&T just says they were lucky and leaves it at that. I've had this discussion before with the engineers on a con-call and my feeling from the conversation is yeah, it may work, but they're just covering their ***es for when it doesn't.

I know Hughes is starting their VoIP solution as well.  Guess satellite broadband network has been improving over the years!  I knew back in the day, you couldn't run VoIP, or anything needing low-latency (Gaming, etc).  Things have changed.

Like you guys said above, it might not be the best solution, but some of us don't have a choice, ROFL.  Over a year I was running Verizon's femotocell with no issues regarding the connection.  It was hardware-related that brougt me over to AT&T.

I can relate on AT&T's stance on not supporting satellite connections and covering their butts.

What would help us, in the future, is if we knew exactly what kind of internet connection you have when you post your issue. It does make a difference when we try to help.

Three of four ATT techs tried to tell me a Microcell won't work on a wireless broadband connection. The truth is that it will. It won't work on any connection where the latency is too high. You need 384kbps up and down and latency < 100 ms. That means it won't work on consumer satellite broadband and satellite broadband in general without some special configuration.

CS was a little lax in their explanation.  Technically, the Mcell can work on a wireless connection however AT&T does not support or recommend doing so not only because of latency but also packet loss, packet delay and jitter.

384 kbps up or down is not adequate bandwidth for a Mcell to operate on a home network.  AT&T recommends 1.5 Mbps down/256 kbps up as a minimum and we recommend doubling that.  I might agree with you if there were no other devices operating on the a home network at the same time but that's not the case in the real world.

As far as satellite broadband is concerned, no amount of "special configuration" can overcome the latency of bouncing a signal off a satellite and back (44,500 miles) plus the physics of the satellite communication hardware.  Round-trip latencies of 1,000 - 1,400 msec are typical for satellite internet.  Two-way VOIP conversations with over a second of voice delay are virtually impossible to tolerate because the two parties tend to talk over each other.

I agree that Microcells are not supported meaningfully by ATT support. I personally support about 50 Vz fem-to-cells and a lot fewer ATT and Sprint ones on our WISP; this in a community with no cellular service, no cable, no DSL, no fiber to the home. I agree that 384kbps isn't enough for a customer to do anything else with their 'net connection; but techs saying "Microcell won't work on wireless" is not a fact and some of our customers want our service only to allow their mobile phone to work. They work on our lowest, $30 per month price tier.