AT&T 3G MicroCell: A Comprehensive Exploration
by Brian Klug on April 1, 2010 1:55 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- AT&T
- Microcell Review
- Mobile
Activating your own personal cell tower
As I mentioned earlier, there's a lot that takes place during device provisioning. Before anything is plugged in, the MicroCell has to be registered online with AT&T for both E911 and spectrum regulatory reasons. As I mentioned earlier, AT&T doesn't want to try and run the femtocell on spectrum they aren't licensed for, and there isn't uniform UMTS 850/1900 MHz licensing across the US. In my market, for example, AT&T is only licensed for the 1900 MHz spectrum.
MicroCell management - Can you micromanage a microcell?
The registration begins by prompting you to enter the device's serial number. Easy enough. Next, it asks for the physical address where the device is going to be used. I was asked for that information while I was at the store, but had to enter it again during registration. This is important because it's used for E911 as well as for verification against the GPS fix the hardware gets. Finally, you enter the approved device phone numbers that will be allowed to use the microcell. At last, you're told it's ok to plug everything in, and it's time to wait - and believe me, wait you will. This is a process that can take up to an hour, though in practice at the two locations I tested, I saw times of between 20 minutes and a 45 minutes.
There's a lot going on behind the scenes during this process, which explains why it can take some time. I noticed on my hardware during the first activation process that the device restarted cold at least once - it's highly likely there's a firmware update with security fixes and updated software that happens. It's also listening for and building a list of macrocells in range for its handoff list, adjusting its own transmission power, and collecting information about what frequencies are active in proximity. All the while trying to get a good GPS fix and provision itself on the network. After the GPS indicator is solid, the 3G indicators will flash either long pulses or very short pulses until the process is complete. Again, there's zero documentation about what long pulses versus short pulses means, but I saw alternating random patterns of both each time. The whole time, aside from the blinkenlights on the hardware, your only status page is the MicroCell management page in the screenshot above. There's very little in the way of communicating what's going on, it'll just let you know that activation is still pending, it's failed, or it's complete.
Oh noes! I didn't take it apart, I swear!
Both times I did this, at the very end of the process the status page briefly communicated that the worst had happened - activation had failed. It's confusing because you'll see the 3G light go solid and your phone join the microcell, but the page will show failed for a minute. Don't panic, look down at your phone. If everything went fine, you should now see "AT&T M-Cell" if you have an iPhone or "AT&T MicroCell" on other hardware as the carrier string:
Yes, they also send you an SMS and email with the news
It took some of my phones just a few seconds to join the microcell and show the carrier string, it took others a minute or two. I found that restarting the hardware unsurprisingly sped the process and assuaged my impatience. Now that it's working, how well does it work?
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leexgx - Friday, April 2, 2010 - link
the UMA thing looks good idea, seems Way more piratical then these base stations ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_Access_Networ... ) only ever seen it on blackberry phones thought, only issue i could see with them is if it doe snot work with the wireless router correctly or intermittently out of range of routerjulioromano - Friday, April 2, 2010 - link
Very nice and geeky review.Thanks for all the infos!
Simozene - Friday, April 2, 2010 - link
1. These units need to be very cheap or free for consumers.2. Any minutes or data usage that is routed over this instead of AT&Ts regular network should not be counted towards the limits on your data plan. It's not their network so you should not have to pay for using it.
If those two conditions are met I can see how this could be a very useful product.
sxr7171 - Friday, April 2, 2010 - link
But it's not. It can't even hand off properly.Chrisg331 - Friday, April 2, 2010 - link
1st off, great article. Good methodology as well. Will you be able to test different handsets (Primarily different chipsets/antenna designs to eliminate bias on the dropped calls), possibly test a repeater (as mentioned before) and possibly test data usage pattern(s) for those that may be bandwidth capped on their broadband? Great job. Could really be useful to those looking to ditch landlines.GregHH - Friday, April 2, 2010 - link
In your haste to slam AT&T you neglect to notice that the other cell carriers offer the same type of device. That implies their coverage must not be perfect and all encompassing. Everyone seems to think cell coverage should be ubiquitous whether in a metro area or in the wilderness. I feel good that my area finally got 3G coverage in December of 2010.JKflipflop98 - Saturday, April 3, 2010 - link
So, we're in the future looking back on the past then? Or we're in the past looking towards the current? Oh God, my head's going to explode.ivwshane - Friday, April 2, 2010 - link
There is no required monthly cost. Buy just the microcell and use your existing minutes and data plan. Buy a microcell with a $20 feature and you can have unlimited minutes while using it and you also get a $100 rebate.No one is forcing anyone to buy these, at&t is simply giving it's users a choice, if you want to improve your in home coverage then buy one, otherwise don't.
mikeshady - Saturday, April 3, 2010 - link
So if I understand it correctly the price,$20/month unlimited calling$10/month with AT&T DSL
$0 with AT&T landline.
Will i be able to use it for the unlimited free since i have att landline
mrSHEiK124 - Tuesday, April 6, 2010 - link
Those failed handover videos; that happens ALL OF THE TIME on at&t in the Tampa, FL area. If you're on a highway or main-road and venture off into the boonies, as you get booted off 3G all you can hear is distortion (the handover is successful and the call doesn't drop, but good luck continuing the phone call...) and weird audio artifacts. at&t...more bars in more places.