Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, iPhone
Guest post: Setting up an AT&T MicroCell with Murphy Mac
Editor's Note: We welcome guest poster Murphy Mac, a long-time friend of the site who shared with us his experience of setting up one of the new femtocell AT&T repeaters that promise to improve reception for well-heeled iPhone users... or will they?
Good times for Charlotte, North Carolina: First AT&T makes Charlotte one of six cities getting a 3G speed boost by the end of 2009. On the heels of that news comes the MicroCell, a device that facilitates AT&T 3G calls where coverage is weak or nonexistent.
How? The MicroCell acts like a miniature cell tower in your home or office. Your 3G phone connects to the MicroCell just like it's any other tower. Voice and messaging traffic is then relayed across your broadband Internet connection. Charlotte is the sole initial test market for AT&T's version of the device, though other carriers are distributing their femtocells more widely.
Here's the full breakdown on pricing:
Purchase Price: $150
Monthly Charge: None
Optional Unlimited Voice Minutes Plan while using MicroCell:
AT&T Customer with both AT&T landline and DSL: Free
Customers with AT&T Landline or DSL: $10 per month
All others: $20 per month
I installed a MicroCell for a friend the other day, and after one small hiccup it's running. But is it everything I hoped it would be?
Setup for the MicroCell is straightforward. Most users will probably connect it via Ethernet to their router, which is exactly what we did. Optionally, the device can be placed between the router and the modem, giving MicroCell traffic priority handling over other Internet connectivity. If you don't have a router, the MicroCell can be plugged directly into your broadband modem and your computer can be connected to the MicroCell.
Gallery: AT&T MicroCell
The device also needs a GPS signal to function, so a view of the outside is necessary when setting it up. Wired AND near a window -- the double requirement could prove troublesome for some installations. It's not yet clear how often the unit needs to receive a GPS signal to keep working. Ours is sitting on a desk within six or seven feet of a window.
Before you get started with the setup, your MicroCell needs to be activated via the AT&T web site. Provide the serial number and some billing information and you're all set. There aren't many choices to make, so activation is simple. You can return to the interface later and add up to ten approved 3G devices. Four can be in use at one time.
Once the MicroCell is activated it can be connected using one of the configurations described above and powered up. Then it needs a little time to itself. The lights on the MicroCell will pass through different phases of flashing and not flashing and end up solid. According to AT&T, this initial config could take up to ninety minutes.
Once your lights go solid the MicroCell is ready for use... but our first unit never went solid. I spoke to an AT&T rep who seemed familiar with the device. He performed remote diagnostics and said the device had failed. The AT&T store exchanged it without any questions.
When your lights do go solid, you can start using your 3G phone. You'll see M-Cell at the top of the display, letting you know you're connected to the MicroCell. Calls can be handed off from your MicroCell to a regular tower, unless the signal outside your house is no better than inside.
Performance
Bargain-basement DSL might not be the best choice for the MicroCell. Web browsing while talking on the iPhone resulted in useless garbled audio. Without Internet use, voice quality was quite good. Not many calls have been made yet -- but one has already dropped. For a moment after the drop the iPhone displayed no bars but they quickly returned. Isolated anomaly? Hopefully.
AT&T suggests at least 1.5Mbps downstream and 256Kbps up, though they claim any broadband is adequate. The Lite DSL we're using delivers up to 1.5 Mbps up and 384 Kbps down. A recent speedtest resulted in slightly slower speeds. U-Verse would probably provide much better results.
Pros and Cons
So where does that leave us? On the down side we're out $150, because AT&T has substantial holes in its coverage. This is a part of Charlotte where it's more than reasonable to expect a good signal. Also on the downside, the MicroCell needs to be wired AND placed near a window. Maybe they'll add Wi-Fi in a future version.
The plus side is obvious: People with no bars at their home can now use an iPhone, if they want. AT&T set the monthly charge correctly at zero dollars; now they just need to slice the purchase price in half.
Another plus: The MicroCell is simple to set up, while still providing flexible connection options. It's the kind of device you shouldn't have to think about, and it seems AT&T got that right.
Finally, customers who have both AT&T DSL and an AT&T landline get unlimited minutes in exchange for their one-time $150. That's a decent deal.
Conclusion
If I couldn't get a signal at my house, I'd pay the $150 before I'd give up an iPhone. I believe that purchase price is a little high, but they can't make it free as some have demanded. The pricing provides great debate fuel, but AT&T needs to charge something to prevent wasteful consumption.
Hopefully the rest of you will have MicroCells available soon. I wonder if AT&T has any more surprises for Charlotte?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Manitou said 10:16AM on 10-02-2009
Hmm, I wonder if I can call one of the Charlotte stores and get one sent to me somewhere else? Why does it take ATT so long to do anything - similar devices have been available from other carriers for over a year now.
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emil said 10:52AM on 10-02-2009
I have friends on Charlotte who would be willing to buy one and send it up to me in New York -- anyone know whether or not this would work?
starq said 1:34PM on 10-02-2009
I live in the mountains west of Denver and have zero bars. I went to elaborate methods to try and obtain the MicroCell.
How can I convince ATT that I live in Charlotte but need them to send a unit to Colorado? Hmmm ...
I know! I'll tell them that we are vacationing in Colorado and I want to install a MicroCell for my daughter in a Charlotte college on our way back into town. Damn! I'm brilliant!
First I went to google street view and drilled down to find a house address in Charlotte. Then I located the address of a local college. With information and a good story in hand I called an ATT store in Charlotte.
Getting them to believe my story was not a problem. The unsurmountable problem was that you had to physically walk into a store to purchase the unit. They will not ship it. Anywhere. I entertained the thought of getting someone in Charlotte to go buy me one. Wrong again. They have to have ALL of your account information including credit cards etc.
I guess I'll just have to wait like everybody else.
{sigh}
Manitou said 2:18PM on 10-02-2009
@starq - nice effort though! I see a business trip to Raleigh in my future...
silversurfer01973 said 9:08PM on 10-02-2009
This is the dumbest thing I've heard in a long time. So let me get this straight, not only do I have to pay for this thing but I have to pay a monthly fee(all I have is the iphone)so that I can make up for their crappy network. Who ever came up with this is a marketing genius!
Tom Boucher said 1:41AM on 10-03-2009
The GPS tells it where it is, if you're not in Raleigh or Charlotte, supposedly it doesn't work at least it was reported earlier.
You only have to pay for the Microcell
@silversurfer01973
You only pay for the microcell, the rest is your service. The other payments are for if you want unlimited time while on your own line. yeah, lame.
asif said 10:16AM on 10-02-2009
Does this provide 3G for anyone in the vicinity or only authorised users?
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Dan Mosqueda said 1:01PM on 10-02-2009
My question exactly. If I had it setup in my townhouse, could other AT&T users access it? Is it limited to phones registered for it?
Jay Lyerly said 4:28PM on 10-02-2009
The microcell supports up to 10 authorized users. You have to go to the website and designate up to 10 phone numbers that can connect to the microcell. Random phones won't connect. The microcell can handle 4 of those phone making simultaneous calls. Not sure what bandwidth you need for 4 simultaneous calls.
Steve Jenkins said 10:23AM on 10-02-2009
I picked one up in the RTP test region (Raleigh, Durham-Chapel Hill) and the ATT rep said that the unit only needs to get a gps lock once on the initial set-up. Once that is done it can be placed anywhere in the home that has a broadband connection. My unit is in the middle of the house and it works w.out any issues.
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Macopotamus said 10:23AM on 10-02-2009
The trial has now been extended to the Triangle in NC as well as Charlotte.
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jake said 10:27AM on 10-02-2009
While this is an interesting concept, why does this particular implementation feel like ATT is asking customers to directly subsidize their failure to roll out a comprehensive infrastructure? Obviously a cell phone is a discretionary object - you may want a particular model, like the iPhone, but you don't need one. Thus you don't need an ATT connection in your house. So it seems like this should be a more highly incentivized package IMHO. Like the device should be free for new cellular customers who do not have consistent signal strength where they live. After all, no cell coverage means no customer, regardless of the phone that potential customer might select. But I figure that right now at least the market for this device doesn't seem to be new customers but rather frustrated current customers tired of not being able to use their ATT phone in their home. Which makes the $150 seem even more like a "let them eat cake" fee.
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Jay Lyerly said 4:46PM on 10-02-2009
Our office building is nearly impervious to cell phone signals. AT&T's signal is fine in the parking lot, but goes to nearly zero inside the building. I can't fault AT&T for our building's construction. We acquired a microcell for use inside and it works very well -- definitely worth the $150 for 5 users. I'm very happy to have this device to compensate for the Faraday cage we work in.
Alex Rodriguez said 10:27AM on 10-02-2009
The hook into the AT&T land line and AT&T DSL are a deal breaker for me. :(
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BobbyW said 11:06AM on 10-02-2009
There's only a hook if you want unlimited minutes. Otherwise it's free even without AT&T landline/DSL.
Mike said 10:36AM on 10-02-2009
A note about performance..... since this is a glorified VoIP system (who know what protocols they are using), it is likely that even higher-end broadband plans will results in echoing, or garbled audio. In the poster's review of performance, it would have been nice to hear if the garbled audio went away when placed in front of the router instead of behind it, if the device sets a DSCP value for prioritizing or if it uses QoS itself.
Also, to the poster, latency and bandwidth are different measures of speed. Bandwidth is usually much less of an issue than latency when it comes to voice quality.
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CHRiS said 10:41AM on 10-02-2009
More than likely they will be running this through a VPN, like most of the rest of them do (t-mobile @ home, ooma, etc.)
Mike said 11:15AM on 10-02-2009
well, yes. Everything I said still applies. The problem is when local traffic (e.g. web browsing) starts generating internet traffic and with equal cost starts affecting the latency of those IPSec packets.
Mike Kirsch said 6:56PM on 10-02-2009
"The Lite DSL we're using delivers up to 1.5 Mbps up and 384 Kbps down."
Is this statement backwards? In my experience, AT&T's DSL download speed is always faster than its upload speed.
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Adam said 11:03AM on 10-02-2009
Interesting that it requires a GPS signal. Guess that means people won't be able to use these in interior rooms or basements that lack cell coverage...
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