Microcell dropping calls

[jnl24fan]

My microcell worked fine for months,  for about the last 6 weeks it has started dropping calls.  I have a full signal.  Any thoughts?

[Harry7]

Same issue here... have had microcell for 8 months and just recently dropping the call after about 10 seconds on a regular basis. All signals are full and I'm only 10 feet from the microcell. Hope someone has an answer. Is there any kind of software update that can be done in the microcell??

[JasonTracy]

Did you get a new phone? I didn't have this problem until I got my Samsung Focus S. Never drops a call on cell, but dropping ALL OF THE TIME on MicroCell.

[Sue_C21_Realtor]

I'm having the same problem. My phone shows I have 4-5 bars but I drop calls like dead fly's. This is crazy. I was told to wait until they can repair a tower near my home and get a birds nest out (waiting for the babies to fly the coop) then see how well my phone works without the micro cell. Well needless to say the babies have gone and my cell service never came...  0-1 bar without the cell 4-5 with but still dropping calls. Exchanged units and still the same thing. Wouldn't you think as long as AT&T has been in the phone business they would have the market over Verizon. I love the Service plan I have with AT&T but the service coverage has a LOT to be desired. I'm a Realtor and I can't afford to be dropping calls while talking to my clients... AT&T Please help!!!

[meach13]

I am also having the same issue.  Been using a Micocell for over a year now with no issue and super long conference calls.  Now seems when joining calls I am good to listen and talk for about 10 mins then it goes call failed.  Try to call back connect for 1-2 mins drops again call failed.

No new internet same isp and no issue brighthouse doc 3 40/4

microcell in same spot for entire year home office 10feet away

same phone for the year blackberry torch

same location in home office about 10 feet away

[Bill48105]

Wondering if ATT 'upgraded' us putting new firmware on or something as I'm having the same issue the past few weeks & it has been driving me nuts! (I've always had drops here & there but many times a day lately)  I haven't changed phones in a long time, same ISP, same router, etc.  Calls are dropping for no reason (my Inspire just goes back to home screen) after what seems to be random amounts of time to various people. Doens't matter if I call them or they call me..  I've power cycled the microcell a few times without any luck in helping stop it from happening.  For now I've unplugged it & will deal with dropped called (albeit fewer) from our weak 3G tower that prompted me to get the microcell in the 1st place.

RANT:

Btw ATT/HTC: It is RIDICULOUS you do not allow forcing EDGE on the Inspire!  Our 3G coverage stinks here but the Inspire & stock Aria both refuse to stick to EDGE even when selected. Why not allow people with 3G issues to ELECT to run on the slower more reliable EDGE network? I get FULL BARS on EDGE but these newer phones insist on sticking the the low 1 bar 3G signal causing dropped calls & DATA DOES NOT WORK because the signal is too weak.  Force to EDGE & voila full bars, rarely a drop call & data always works.  Clearly the hanging on to 3G too long needs fixing (just switch to edge already!) and please let us force edge if we want.

Anyway if you guys (ATT) sent out an update to our microcells or did some 'update' on your end please fix it ASAP. Heck whatever the reason please fix it!

Thx

Bill

[dkolars]

I, too, am having this problem...  Switched from iPhone to HTC Inspire some time ago, but don't think that's the problem... I cannot get a call from anyone that does NOT drop out... only on my end... I can hear the other person just fine, and they're usually saying, "Hello?"  "Are you still there?"  "Hello"..... etc. etc.  They cannot hear me.  So, they hang up (unless the call is dropped, which sometimes happens), and we can talk for a few more minutes until it happens again...  getting very frustrating...  I'll be calling AT&T tomorrow to chat about this!  Got 5 phone calls today, 2 local, one from 40 miles away, one from FL, and one from Canada, and they ALL dropped my end of the conversation...

[Bill48105]

Well I gave up on ATT & switched to MetroPCS saving $79/month AND unlimited everything. (Only had 200MB of data before) Sure data is slow (only 2G in my area right now) but honestly even HSDPA+ '4G' wasn't much faster for me most of the time with only 1 bar around here. At some point I'll go for an LTE 4G phone but this $59 Samsung Admire Android is decent. (No Inspire for sure but better than our Aria's).  I figure if I'm going to get sub-par service I might as well save $79/month lol (Not a single drop from MetroPCS yet btw..(  Seriously my wife & I had been having 10-20 drops a week on ATT towers last few months aside from microcell drops. I had 20-30 calls into ATT support reporting issues with a tower in our area that got nowhere.  ATT promised a new 3G tower a year ago that never happened.  Anyway my early term fees & out of pocket for new phones will break-even after just 7 months.

Anyway, for anone having dropped calls on MicroCell I found something out as I was removing my MC from my account. There is a new setting in the ATT MC admin where you can turn off hand-off to towers which could help stop some of the drops.  (I never got to test as I had already switched to MetroPCS by time I found the info)  But it'd make sense turning that option off (so it doesn't even try to hand-off to weak signal tower) might help out a lot.

This info on ATT's site is here:

http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/3gmicrocell.jsp

Click on FAQ tab. Then very last one is:

Is there any way to reduce the frequency of dropped calls when I walk around my home?

Yes. It is possible as you move around your home that your MicroCell is handing over your call to an AT&T cell tower, especially as you move further from the MicroCell. To reduce the potential dropped calls stemming from this, a new feature is now available to give you greater control over your MicroCell experience. Please go to www.att.com/3GMicroCell and select the "Manage Settings" tab. Log into the MicroCell web portal with your Personal or Business account username and password. On the "Manage your MicroCell settings page", select "disable" automatic hand-out. If you choose to disable automatic hand-out, this will apply to all numbers on the approved user list. Note: When automatic hand-out is disabled, MicroCell calls will drop when the handset is out of MicroCell range. As such, if you begin a call on your MicroCell, you will need to stay within range of the MicroCell in order to avoid a dropped call.

Hope that proves helpful to someone as I wish I had seen it before I canceled to at least try it but owell at this point. lol

Bill

[JasonTracy]

I just logged into the MicroCell settings page, and the things they mention don't appear on the page. "Auto" and "Hand-out" are not on the page at all using search.

Hopefully, this means they've updated documentation but have not the actual page & firmware yet. However, now that this is listed in the documentation, I have something I can actually point to when getting them on chat again, which I will do when I have more time tonight.

[Bill48105]

JasonTracy: Odd yeah I didn't see it when I looked either but it's definitely there in the FAQ. Maybe it is too new at this point or maybe ATT CS needs to force an update of the Microcell.. EIther way hope it helps sooner than later.

[hojbjerg]

Just checked my settings and I don't either see any option to disable handover.

[Bill48105]

Maybe one of you should contact ATT support & point out that FAQ and see what the status is. Or I can have my father in-law call since he now has my microcell but he's in no hurry to adjust it since he's not had a single dropped call yet. lol

[JasonTracy]

Online chat was worthless. Calling 1-800-331-0500 & pressing options 3 (tech support) and 3 (Microcell) got me to someone that knew what was going on. MicroCell team has requested the web team get the settings page updated, but in the meantime, you can call that number & request they toggle the hand-off switch for you. Only took a few minutes.

I'll try my phone some today & see if the issue appears to be resolved.

[JasonTracy]

Dropped two calls since they made the change. Will reboot phone & MC to see if that helps.

[krmarlin]

Yes, mine will drop calls even when I am directly below on the next floor.  Could it be the U-Verse modem/router that creates the problem?  It sucks and is most frustrating.  2 or 3 times per call.  If I need to make an important call, I use my majicjack.  It has been the most reliable communication device in the last year and @ $19.95/year.  Too bad Majicjack isn't on a cell network.  Hey, ATT, I just want it to work!!!!!

[Commander McBra…]

I have been having the same exact problem since I went from a Blackberry Torch 9800 and a 3G network to a Blackberry Bold 9900 4G network.  For a year and a half with my Torch I would get garbled calls on a regular basis but no dropped ones.  Upon switching to this phone??  I get exactly what everyone here is posting about.  My call will drop about 3, 4, 5 times, over and over.  The other party stops hearing me but I can hear them and then CALL FAILED.  I am on my 3rd Blackberry Bold and the same thing keeps happening (so that ruled out any individual device issue) I'm also on my second Microcell and that has resolved nothing as the problem continues.  I've updated the software on my phone and still nothing   I was on the phone with tech support for the microcell (not att, the microcell manufacturer) and after an hour or so on 2 calls and I can tell you they have absolutely no idea what's wrong.  If anyone has a resolution for this I would greatly appreciate it

[mladyraven]

I have been having the same issue since I got my Microcell! It worked for 2 months and then started to drop calls. They replaced the Microcell, it worked for 4 months and then started to drop calls again. I got the phone replaced that helped for a few weeks.  I replaced the router and that helped for a few weeks. 

They need an upgrade to the Microcell or they need to get a product that actually works.  The Microcell is made by Cisco, I had a Cisco router and still the same issue. 

This is insane...they need more towers so we will not need to use a Microcell. I walk down the block and my phone works fine, yet everyone in my complex who had ATT has switched because they could not use the phone in the house that is insane. 

When I had T Mobile I had no problem, however, I switched to ATT after we got Iphones and it's been a nightmare since. 

What do people mean when they say to change the hands on .... 

[bob550]

If you sign in to manage your MicroCell settings, you will now see an option to disable "Automatic Hand-Out". If you select "Disable", the theory is that your phone will stay connected to the MicroCell without automatically selecting a macro cell tower signal, no matter how weak. The results of this "hand-out" would be a dropped call when your phone lost the tower signal, as it can't hand back to the MicroCell. I say "in theory" because the option to disable has done nothing for me. I personally have another theory on the cause of dropped calls. I believe that the call is interrupted when Internet data is received by the phone. It may even be data associated with a particular app. To test this theory, I would try disabling both Wi-Fi and Data on the phone while in range of the MicroCell, unless you intentionally access the Internet. If that reduced or eliminated the dropped calls, you can then try disabling updates on specific apps as a test. Although AT&T has always advertised the ability to use data while on a call, that may not necessarily be true for the MicroCell. I hope I didn't over-explain this! 

[Commander McBra…]

I tried this and it didn't work mladyraven said it right, there's a problem with the microcell in that it does not work with all the phones they say,

[Wireless_Guru]

My BlackBerry drops calls even with Wi-fi turned off and disable automatic hand-out selected.

[Vermonster]

I know this is a little dated after the last post but I have quite a bit of information that may help others. I actually really happy/mad that I found this as AT&T told me I was the only one with a record of issues.

I upgraded from an Samsung Eternity to a Samsung Focus Flash (i677) Running WP7 7720. I've had issues from day one which was about December 1st. I have spent numerous hours on the phone, in the store, and driving (closest store is 40 miles one way). I have tried to keep a list of what we did to fix it as well as some **** gems of CS ****.

-Replaced Sim card "Your 3G card is confusing the Microcell because the phone is 4G."

-Turned off the Microcell Handoff, temporarily. This setting will not stay, the woman changed it numerous times to no avail.

-Disabled Data

-Disabled WiFi

-Master reset the Phone.

-Reset microcell

-Re-authorized the phone for microcell use

-Was told "it's an issue with the Towers in NYC and Verizon's network" (because I primarily talk to my Girlfriend), despite telling them I get dropped calls to other people on my family plan, and local landlines.

-Microcell had new firmware pushed to it.

-Microcell was thought to be a refurb so it was replaced with a retail. (I honestly don't think they replaced it).

-Was told I "wasn't running the newest software version" to which I replied "That's because AT&T refused to release it." After arguing with her about it she finally put me on hold to check. I have the newest software.

-There was a Broadband something-something setting on my phone that was disabled. They remotely enabled it and honestly this had a huge effect. I can now hold calls for an average of about 10 minutes, up from the 3 second average before.

-replaced the phone with a refurb (AFAIK) as an insurance claim.

I now have 2 Samsungs that can't connect. Everyone else is able to connect and hold calls 2 Sharps, 3 Samsungs, 2 Pantechs, and an iPhone 4s. I originally thought this was either a samsung or WP7 issue but I see iPhones having the same problems. Not to mention my battery drains like a busted dam. [Per Guidelines:  Keep it Relevant and Appropriate].

[word filter avoidance]

[mgagman]

I'm experiencing the same issues.  We've had ATT for like 10 years always with lousy service in our home.  We recently killed our landline, so needed our cells to be reliable.  My wife and I each got the Iphone 4S and installed a new microcell.  My reliability is worse now.  I have disabled the auto switching, but my phone still won't stay connected to the microcell connection.  One minute I have 4 bars with the microcell and the next I have 2 bars with regular tower signal.  When I lose the call and go to hang up, it takes like 2 min for my phone to actually disconnect so I can try to call again.  Work blackberry with verizon has no issues - after a decade, may have to switch.

[Vermonster]

I just wanted to offer a quick solution to this. Change Phones, to a completely different manufacturer. My Samsung had issues for 8 months. I spent 8 months doing the same thing over and over. I had 4 different Samsung phones and they all had the same issue. I finally got AT&T to pretend I didn't upgrade. I walked in and paid $49 for a Nokia Lumia 900. Haven't has a single dropped call or disconnection since.

I'd be willing to detail more of what happened between my last post and now if anyone is interested.

[jfbloom22]

We have two microcells in our office, and both of them are dropping calls.  Basically unusable.   Almost everyone has some type of iPhone. I have an iPhone 4 running iOs 6.   Other iPhones also having issues:  iPhone 3G and iPhone 4S.  Our network is working great for other things.   Hour long skype calls for instance are not a problem.  We have 16mb of bandwidth up and down.

We have restarted the m-cells and that seems to help for a few hours.  

I will note that even when our iPhones are just sittin on the desk, I can watch them go from 4 bars on the M-Cell, to no bars, then searching, then 1 bar when it connects for a moment to the outside network, then maybe a minute goes by and it connects back to the M-Cell and has 4 bars.  

In responce to some of the posts here, I turned off celular data on my iPhone 4.  However, I am still dropping calls.  

[Danigirlinlv]

The calls started dropping recently too.

I had a 4S and haven't had that great of cell service in my neighborhood around the holiday season especially for the three years I've lived in my house, 1-3 bars. I live in Las Vegas in the East around Sam's Town and Cannery Casinos, and AT&T hasn't been very strong in that area, but I've had AT&T for so long, and love the iPhone, I've just dealt with it, however, now I decided to upgrade and purchase the iPhone 5 with 4G LTE two weeks ago while I was at the Apple Store. It was working fine all over and at my house when I first got it, and for an additional week. It displayed 4G LTE, now only displays LTE. Also, I am constantly having problems with internet service, and I have to stand in one part of my house to even get reception. I upgraded to be able to do wireless with my computer, and only worked for a short time, now not at all, and the Hotspot thing isn't doing anything either, so I don't want to pay for that. When I am in the middle of a call, the other end get this screeching and/or garbled sounds (this is happening a lot lately too) and have to hang up. For a 4G network, this isn't right. This was supposed to be a boost, not a set back.

I am at my office now, and the same thing, hardly no bars, 1-3 at best, and this is in the Summerlin area, so now I am confused.  I have already purchased phone case, car charger, and plug adapter over $90.00, and I am really thinking of giving it back and paying the disconnect fee. 

[Otto Pylot ACE - Czar]

First of all, the MicroCell is for 3G only. It will not connect at 4G or LTE, even if your phone says M-Cell 4G. If you are on a 4G/LTE tower, the phone should re-connect at 3G once it is range of the MicroCell. If you are having problems with your internet service (you didn't specify exactly what the problem is/was) that will definitely affect the MicroCell. What do the lights look like on the MicroCell? Are they all green or is any of them blinking green or red? AT&T coverage, from what I understand, is not as good in Nevada as Verizon's. My daughter lives in Reno, which is where I bought my iPhone 5, and says that AT&T is spotty at times around town (even though I never had any issues with my iPhone 5). You may want to turn off LTE on the iPhone 5. Some have said that it makes a difference. The iPhone won't even bother to attempt to connect to LTE when it detects it and will connect at 3G/4G. Even here is San Jose, 4G/LTE is not everywhere and you can go from LTE to 3G within a couple of blocks. FWIW, my iPhone 5 has never had any connection or call issues with our MicroCell and I have not had to reboot the MicroCell, disable LTE on the iPhone, or toggle Airplane Mode on and off. I don't bother with the Hotspot feature of the iPhone (seems superfluous to me) and I don't see a need to connect to my computer wirelessly with my phone.

[chuckturner]

Same with me. It is a mystery I hope they solve soon, as I need to book work and depend on my iphone5 and Microcell!

[Otto Pylot ACE - Czar]

What exactly is your issue now and how do you have your MC setup?