If you own a MicroCell and rely on it for placing calls at
your home or at your office, now may be the time to start thinking about replacing it.
Why the MicroCell was Discontinued
To be honest, we’re not really sure. The MicroCell was hugely popular with users. And well over a
million devices were sold. But the MicroCell hadn’t been updated in some time - and it relied on older
3G technology, rather than providing newer LTE service.
Cisco was the main manufacturer of AT&T’s MicroCell, and they
announced
that they were discontinuing their line of femtocells in mid-2017. It’s not clear which came first:
AT&T’s decision to discontinue or Cisco’s.
Alternatives to the MicroCell
With the AT&T MicroCell no longer available, how can you boost your AT&T cell phone signal? You have
two options, and they’re actually better than AT&T’s MicroCell in multiple ways:
We generally recommend using a booster only if you have at least 1 bar of
consistent and usable signal (preferably LTE signal) outside the
building.
Since boosters amplify the signal and bring it inside, generally your signal will be as good indoors as it
is outdoors after you install a booster.
Signal Boosters vs The AT&T MicroCell
Using a signal booster instead of the AT&T MicroCell has multiple benefits:
Signal boosters support AT&T HD Voice service
That means you’ll experience much better call quality than you would by using the AT&T
MicroCell.
Signal boosters support LTE
The AT&T MicroCell only supported 3G service. Support for LTE means you can achieve significantly
faster data rates with a signal booster than you would with the MicroCell.
Signal boosters will work for everyone in the building
The MicroCell, on the other hand, only worked for users who were registered to use your MicroCell via
AT&T’s online portal.
Signal boosters are more reliable
Boosters don’t rely on your broadband Internet connection. The MicroCell, on the other hand, would
stop working if you were having any kind of internet connectivity issues.
Top Recommended Booster Kits:
Please note: before picking a kit, we recommend
checking the RSRP and SINR for your outdoor signal. This will help you figure
out which kit is the best choice.
The Cel-Fi GO X
If you have weak outdoor signal (less than -80 dBm RSRP) then the
Cel-Fi Go X for AT&T is your best choice. The
GO X is a carrier-specific device, meaning that it only improves signal for one carrier at a time (just
like the MicroCell).
The weBoost Installed Home Complete is an
excellent broadband booster, and performs better than any of the other signal booster kits at this price
point. This booster even includes installation!
weBoost is the largest manufacturer of signal boosters in the US, and for good reason: their products
perform excellently. The weBoost Connect 4G-X is a
great solution for homes and small offices.
If you have a small home, strong outdoor signal, and a low budget, the
SureCall Fusion4Home is a great pick. We
recommend purchasing the kit with a yagi outdoor and a panel indoor antenna, as it performs considerably
better than the other kit options.
These two numbers help inform exactly which kind of booster you should purchase:
If your RSRP signal strength is stronger than -80 dBm (e.g. -60 or 70 dBm), then you can
use a wideband signal booster like those from weBoost,
Wilson, SureCall, and
HiBoost.
If your RSRP signal strength is weaker than -80 dBm (e.g. -90 or -100 dBm)
but higher than -115 dBmandyour SINR is greater than 3 (e.g.
5 or 10) we recommend using a carrier-specific booster like the
Cel-Fi GO X.
If your SINR is less than 3 or your signal is less than -115 dBm, please contact us using the
live chat at the bottom right of this page. We recommend using a broadband booster instead, but you
should know that the coverage area will be very limited
Option 2: Use Wi-Fi Calling
If you have great signal, and your device and carrier supports it, you can use Wi-Fi calling instead of the
AT&T MicroCell.
Wi-Fi calling allows your phone to make and receive calls using your Wi-Fi network instead of its cellular
network.
Wi-Fi calling works great if:
You have a fast, reliablie broadband Internet connection.
You don’t mind if you have call issues when your Internet connection is under heavy load.
You don’t mind if calls drop when you enter or leave the building.
You don’t mind phone calls not working when your Wi-Fi connection has problems.
You’re using a supported device. Most iPhones now support Wi-Fi calling. Android devices typically
only support Wi-Fi calling only if you’re on a carrier-approved device.
You don’t mind guests losing connectivity (until you share your Wi-Fi password with them).
You can read about how to enable wi-fi calling on Android devices
here, and on iPhones
here.
How the MicroCell Worked
AT&T’s MicroCell was a type of “femtocell.” Femtocells create a local cellular network, similar to how a Wi-Fi routers create a Wi-Fi network.
But instead of communicating back to AT&T’s network wirelessly, it used your existing Internet
connection.
Femtocells are still popular devices, and Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint all still sell femtocells for their
networks. For example, we sell the popular
Verizon LTE Network Extender for Enterprise 2.0.
AT&T sold 3 models of MicroCell, all manufactured by Cisco. The model numbers for the three devices
were: DPH-151, DPH-153, and DPH-154.
Further reading
Want to know more about the ins and outs of boosting signal?
