What is happening with 3G?
DrGreen's profile
Employee

Employee

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2 Messages

Monday, August 15th, 2016 12:42 PM

Microcell no longer working with phones

My AT&T MicroCell (DPH-151) lights are all solid green.  I followed OttoPylot's recommendations to reset the MicroCell, restarted phones and I even deactivated and reactived it. I alos tried the reset procedure but the phone still show that they aren't connected to the MicroCell.  I have AT&T Uverse as my ISP.  Is there anything else I should try??

*I am an AT&T employee, and the postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent AT&T's position, strategies or opinions.

Accepted Solution

Official Solution

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

8 years ago

If your MicroCell is that old, I would check the ac adapter with a voltmeter. It should read 16VDC +/- 0.5 with no load. It could be that the adapter is starting to fail and while all indications are that it is working, there may not be enough power supplying the radios so that the signal is weak or non-existent. The solid green 3G light just means that you are connected to the AT&T Mobility Servers. It has nothing to do with signal strength output of the MicroCell.

 

There are ways to test for detected signal strength on your phone so that may give you an idea on whether it is the MicroCell radio or not. If you have an iPhone, there's instructions in my Tech Guide on how to check that. Checking the ac adatper is what I would suggest first.

Employee

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2 Messages

8 years ago

ACE-Master, I think you were correct in that the adapter is going bad.  The readings varied from 10-12VDC and never got as high as 16VDC.

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

8 years ago

Ok. That's a start. If the adapter reads 12VDC with no load, then the output will drop when load is applied. Make sure you replace the adapter with one of the exact same rating as the MicroCell is a bit finicky with its power requirements. If that doesn't work, come on back and we'll dig a little deeper.

Professor

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2.2K Messages

8 years ago

Interesting that his AC adapter output is inadequate yet the Mcell displays all solid green lights.  Not sure I've seen that before.  Usually, there are odd indicator light displays to go along with a failing adapter.

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

8 years ago

Yep, I agree. But we continue to see odd things witht the adapters so let's hope a replacement corrects his problem. Hopefully there hasn't been any damage done to the MicroCell.

Contributor

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3 Messages

7 years ago

OttoPylot,

Thank you so much for publishing your Microcell Technical Guide. I found the details enlightening and led me determining my issue. As you pointed out in your guide and other posts, the AC adapter can be the culprit of issues. In my case the adapter DC output was stable enough for all the microcell (old white model) functions to operate--all of the proper green lights were on and steady. However, neither our iPhone or Samsung would connect. As you instructed, measuring the adapter no-load output showed it was inconsistent and between 22V and 30V. I connected another known good 12Vdc source and within 5 minutes of the microcell booting up, both phones connected and were back to 5 bars of cell signal. Thanks again!

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

7 years ago

@Ward28guy - you're welcome. That's one of the reasons that I posted the Quick Tips. Folks laugh at Avedis53 and myself when we mention the adapter, especially if the light patterns on the MicroCell look ok, but they don't realize that the 12VDC is necessary for the radios, and all the lights really indicate is that power is being detected, not necessarily the correct amount of power.

Professor

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2.2K Messages

7 years ago

Folks are laughing at us?.........Smiley Sad

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

7 years ago

@Avedis53 - yeah. I was keeping that from you. I've received some pretty interesting messages in the past about the ac adapter. That's one of the reasons I wrote what I did in the Quick Tips.

Professor

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2.2K Messages

7 years ago

It never ceases to amuse me when people come here with a problem and don't know anything about a Mcell, yet tell us what is or isn't the cause...

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