DO YOU FREQUENTLY experience dropped calls or sluggish data service on an AT&T cell phone in a home or small offce that’s supposed to be within the network’s area of coverage? An AT&T 3G MicroCell might help your wireless connection,
though in my tests it wasn’t 100 percent reliable. And how much hassle you’ll have depends largely on the layout of both your home and your home network.
A white and orange trimmed box about the size of a Nintendo Wii, the 3G MicroCell is a femtocell, that is, it functions as a mini cell site that connects back to the mobile network via Voice over IP through your wired broadband service.
AT&T is rolling out the $150 device in various markets; you can purchase one only in an AT&T store.
Like other femtocells, the 3G MicroCell has a built-in GPS receiver that reports to the network once activated. It is enables E911 emergency service: If you dial 911 on your cell phone when it’s connecting via the MicroCell, emergency responders
will know where you are.
On the first couple of days after installation, my service was pretty good. Phone calls stopped dropping, although voice quality didn’t improve. I also no ticed very slight pauses before my callers’ responses but nothing I couldn’t live with.
Data was zippy. But on the third day, my iPhone was dropping calls from locations fairly close to the MicroCell. Rebooting the device seemed to fix the problem.
Overall, the AT&T 3G MicroCell does appear able to improve service in the home, but with occasional glitches. Though I’m not entirely thrilled with it, on balance it seems to help my service more than it hurts.
