For customers of AT&T who do not get good reception in their home due to the peculiar location of their house can get over the problem by getting a 3G Microcell device which will boost the weak signals through their existing broad band connections. However sometimes the Microcell which has been installed itself become a cause for disruption of communication and it is a situation where the disease is worse than the cure.
Many iPhone 5 users who have installed microcell in their smartphones or iPhone 4 users who have upgraded to iOS 6 are facing difficulty in reception of signals. I have an iPhone 5 and it has a 3G Microcell device installed. However inside my house the device does not work and I have to switch to VOIP like Skype for my business communications. I had a talk with AT&T guys and they informed me that they are aware of the problem and are working on it. However they did not give any timeframe for the problem to be solved.
The Microcell is a complicated device and is managed by three entities-AT&T, Apple and Cisco who makes the device. Having a word with my good old friend who is a geek in wireless technology helped me to get to the gist of the problem which is caused by the following reasons-
The first reason for it not to work is that 3G MicroCell does not support LTE connections. It is a hardware issue and is caused because the HSPA base band chip on the device’s circuit board is incompatible with LTE. Nothing can fix this problem. However I have read in forums that some users were able to connect with their Microcell by just switching off the LTE. Microcell connects to the fastest connection and will choose the weak LTE signal instead of the stronger 3 or 4G HSPA signal. So switching off the LTE will do the trick.
Another problem with the Microcell not working with iPhone 5 or the iOS upgraded iPhone 4 is that it adjusts its signals it generates to avoid interference with local towers. This in turn depends upon how weak the signals are at the time of activation. The user’s phones will also adjust their transmitter power based upon the strength of the received signal from the MicroCell. So the balancing of the signals becomes very tricky and often erroneous.
The Microcell is a boon for people who are residing in rural areas where the signal strength is often poor. However it causes problems in city where the signals are adequate but are unable to reach the inner parts of your house. There is also a risk of hacking. Therefore users are cautioned to proceed very carefully and report back any issues with your 3G MicroCell or if your iPhone 5
Source : pc-tablet
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