AT&T MicroCell

MicroCell
™
Informational Document for
Technical, Operational, and Troubleshooting Issues v1.7
by Otto Pylot
Page 2 of 23
The AT&T MicroCell is a very useful device when in-home cellular coverage is
lacking or non-existent. However, it has developed a love/hate relationship with
some customers. The purpose of this document is to hopefully explain some the
technical workings of the MicroCell, which may help to explain why some customers
have problems with their MicroCell’s or their phones when attempting to connect.
There is a new version of the MicroCell, the DPH-154, and is the black model
displayed above. It has a smaller footprint, but without the Computer and external
antenna ports. Otherwise, as of this writing, the new model functions the same as
the older, white model.
The MicroCell is a totally closed system so there is no access to modify or change
settings like you can with a router. Only AT&T can modify the system and does so on
occasion with updates automatically pushed to the unit (usually in the middle of the
night). There are no announcements of what the updates are for or when they will
be pushed out.
The MicroCell is primarily for voice. You can use it for data, but the speeds will be
slow (typically up to about 3.0Mbps download) even though it uses 3G (HSPA) for
throughput. Voice doesn’t have the same bandwidth requirements that data does so
if your download speeds are terrible (which they probably will be) on the MicroCell,
voice should still be fine. That’s why the recommendation is to leave WiFi on if you
plan to use data as well. That way, data will be downloaded via WiFi and voice will
be handled by the MicroCell. You data usage will also not go against your data plan if
you use WiFi.
VoIP Basics:
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is basically converting an analog voice
communication to digital communication, which is then transmitted from one point
to another by way of the internet. This is not easy and takes a considerable amount
of technology and cooperation among the various service providers to get it to work
without any issues. Most of the time, we just pick up our phones, make a call, and
not even think about what is going on behind the scenes to place that call.
The key factors that affect VoIP are as follows:
Latency - this is the amount of time it takes a voice packet to get from your location
to its destination over the internet, and is usually measured in milliseconds (ms).
The lower the latency, the better the call. High latency can cause calls to be dropped
or affect the overall quality of the call. Causes of high latency can be many. Some
may include the number of router hops (increases the danger of voice packets being
incorrectly copied and sent thru), network congestion, low bandwidth, buffer
management, data communication protocols (routing and switching), etc.