What is happening with 3G?
amberleigh007's profile

Tutor

 • 

7 Messages

Friday, September 11th, 2015 11:58 PM

Microcell will not connect to iPhone 6 :( M-Cell

I've had the white M-cell 3g for about 2 1/2 years without a problem, until I upgraded to the iphone 6. I have been obsessively scouring the internet like it's my job for the solution to no avail. So far I've tried:

 

1. Disconnecting wifi / mcell, turning off phone

2. Resetting mcell

3. toggling airplane mode off / on

4. De-activating M-Cell service through my online account then re-activating.

5. Deleting all numbers and re-adding them

6. Disabled the "handover" function or whatever it's called

7. Turned off LTE 

8. And just about every combination of the above you can do

 

I am losing MY MIND. All of the lights are lit up green!! Full Bars!! Somebody please help me 😞

 

 

 

 

Accepted Solution

Official Solution

ACE - Expert

 • 

23.9K Messages

8 years ago

This is a technical issue with the new iPhone 6 hardware. Not entirely unexpected. What seems to work for most, and the information is spead out thru a couple of threads here, is this:

 

1. Deactivate your MicroCell. You may or may not have to remove/add phone numbers so I would try it first without removing phone numbers.

2. Unplug the unit, plug it back in, and set it up as if it was new.

3. Once activation is complete, turn off and then on again your iPhone.

 

The process of re-registering your iPhone forces the unit to go thru the Initial Acivation process (details listed in the Tech Guide, see link in my sig) part of which is downloading any updates availabel even if they haven't been pushed yet to your MicroCell or Service Area. The process of turning off and then on again your phone is so the phone can register the MicroCell as being part of the phones cellular neighborhood.

Tutor

 • 

7 Messages

9 years ago

While waiting for someone to reply I started reading through al of the other related threads, and came across one suggesting to change the user nicknames. it actually worked!! Changing the FRICKIN NICKNAME!!! Get it together AT&T. we shouldn't have to go through hours of investigative research to come up with solutions for your product to work!! Good Grief!!! 

Tutor

 • 

7 Messages

9 years ago

welp, i spoke too soon. i saw the mythical m-cell pop up on my phone and got excited. when i checked back after my last post it was gone 😞 

 

I am even more frustrated now that I know that it is possible to connect!!

ACE - Expert

 • 

23.9K Messages

9 years ago

We need more information on how you are setup. If all of the lights on the MicroCell are a solid green, then you have connectivity to the AT&T Mobility servers. Did you upgrade your iPhone 6 to the beta version of iOS 9 by any chance?

Tutor

 • 

7 Messages

9 years ago

hi thanks for your reply, i have the current iOS version 8.4.1  I have a 3T apple timecapsule (that also acts as an internet router), connected to a motorola modem provided by ATT. Throughout all of the tests, and when all of the lights were green (and momentary connection) it was connected to the Apple router. I just tried disconnecting from the Apple router and connecting it directly into my ATT modem, after an hour of a blinking green 3G light it turned red. So then I followed your hard reset instructions, still blinking red. Another hard reset reconnected to Apple router and they're all green again but no connection. Any help / advice is appreciated!

ACE - Expert

 • 

23.9K Messages

9 years ago

Ok, I gotta think about this. I have an AEBS ( Apple Extreme Base Station) as a router. Modem to AEBS. MicroCell connected to AEBS. No Time Capsule. iPhone 5 (iOS 8.4.1) with no issues.

 

A blinking red 3G light can either mean a hardware failure or an update that didn't properly reset the MicroCell and now it "thinks" it is broken. A hard reset usually takes care of that.

 

Have you checked the ac adapter? It should read 16VDC with no load. We have seen all kinds of squirrely things when the ac adapter starts to fail.

 

Did you turn off the iPhone completely and then turn it back on again? Did you power cycle everything?

Tutor

 • 

7 Messages

9 years ago

I'm not super techy, I don't know how to check my AC adapter, but pretty sure it's fine. The Apple router creates another network using the ATT modem, but the ATT modem also has it's own network. So basically I can connect to two different wireless networks even though they're coming from the same connection. Would this make any difference? The only way I can get all of the lights to turn green is if I connect it to the Apple router and network, even though I do not get connection (except for once briefly). I have completely powered / shut down everything multiple times, completely disabled and reconnected M-cell. nothing. 

ACE - Expert

 • 

23.9K Messages

9 years ago

The instructions for checking the adapter are given in the Tech Guide. All you need is a voltmeter. I wouldn't rule out the adapter just because you have lights on the MicroCell. We've seen all kinds of odd things happen when the adapter doesn't deliver the minimal power required consistently.

 

Your setup sounds a little odd. Is the AT&T modem a modem/router combination (called a gateway), and do you have the Apple (router only) connected to that as well? You could have a double NAT which is mentioned in the setup instructions and in the Tech Guide.

Contributor

 • 

1 Message

9 years ago

I started having the exact same issue yesterday. My iPhone 6 suddenly will not connect to the microcell. I've been on the phone with ATT for the past hour- they have gone through all the steps outlined in the prior posts and now I have a technical case open. *sigh*.

ACE - Expert

 • 

23.9K Messages

9 years ago

Have either one of you updated to the iOS9 beta and activated WiFi calling? I don't know what the phone indicates but my guess is that the M-Cell alpha-tag disappears from the home page.

 

First of all we need to know what the status lights indicate on the MicroCell. If all are a solid green when the iPhone loses connection, that possibly points back to the phone because the MicroCell is indicating that it is still connected to the AT&T Mobility servers. I have an iPhone 5 with no issues at all so it seems to be something with the iPhone 6's. Have you turned off completely the phone and then turned it back on?

Not finding what you're looking for?
New to AT&T Community?
New to the AT&T Community? Start by visiting the Community How-To.
New to the AT&T Community?
Visit the Community How-To.