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Sprint Airave


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I'm sure you will see my post in the NO thread. The ping and jitter seem to change it little outside of adding a lot of delay. I use mine on a 1/192 connection. It is more like a .3/192 connection. The pings at night are around 300 ms. During the day they range from 1000-2000 ms. The jitter can be anywhere from 100-300 ms. The connection is very unstable to say the least and it works decently. The delay is annoying but I have learned to deal with it. The ISP is Frontier...pretty much tells the story.

 

I love my Frontier service. I have a 35DL/35UL plan for about $50/mo.

 

Sent from my Rooted Galaxy Note II using Forum Runner

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I love my Frontier service. I have a 35DL/35UL plan for about $50/mo.

 

Sent from my Rooted Galaxy Note II using Forum Runner

 

You must be on the old Verizon FiOS product. Most areas they serve are stuck at 1 or 3 mbps with 192 or 256 kbps upload. They have upgraded a few areas to VDSL but those are few and far between.

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Doesn't Sprint block the use of Airave if you are outside of the Sprint service area that they can legally operate in? I though that and 911 was the main reason for the gps. Since it has an internet lock and a gps lock just seems you are locked out of service. I thought I remembered something about a cutoff line where it will and will not work.

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Doesn't Sprint block the use of Airave if you are outside of the Sprint service area that they can legally operate in? I though that and 911 was the main reason for the gps. Since it has an internet lock and a gps lock just seems you are locked out of service. I thought I remembered something about a cutoff line where it will and will not work.

 

That is correct to an extent. But Sprint has been licensed PCS 1900 MHz spectrum in all 50 states and Puerto Rico for at least the last 15 years. So, no, the above should not be a problem inside the US. For example, Sprint has no native service in central Montana, but if you own a ranch there and want to set up an Airave, you can do so because Sprint still controls licensed spectrum in that area.

 

AJ

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That is correct to an extent. But Sprint has been licensed PCS 1900 MHz spectrum in all 50 states and Puerto Rico for at least the last 15 years. So, no, the above should not be a problem inside the US. For example, Sprint has no native service in central Montana, but if you own a ranch there and want to set up an Airave, you can do so because Sprint still controls licensed spectrum in that area.

 

AJ

 

Going along with that I had an airave before coverage came to my area. Nearest coverage was about 30 miles away. Shortly after I go my airave coverage was turned on in the area. I still need the airave as the coverage is very weak. They still have gaps along the major roads in the area so I would imagine that those will be filled in with time which would boost the signal I get.

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They still have gaps along the major roads in the area so I would imagine that those will be filled in with time which would boost the signal I get.

 

Boost the signal that you get with your Airave? No. The Airave is an independent femtocell. It does not rely on any signal from the macrocell network.

 

AJ

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Boost the signal that you get with your Airave? No. The Airave is an independent femtocell. It does not rely on any signal from the macrocell network.

 

AJ

 

I wasn't clear on that. New towers to boost the signal I get from the macro network. The delay I experience with the airave is frustrating. It isn't the airave but the internet connection. I wish there were other options for this area.

Edited by userkv8031
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Contrary to popular belief, there are restrictions to where an Airave will work, even within the US. This is mandated by the FCC to keep Sprint out of markets it doesn't currently operate in, even if it has spectrum licenses in the area (and we all know Sprint has the PCS G block over the entire contiguous US).

 

Typically, you have to be in a Sprint service area and within 35 km of the nearest Sprint cell site. The GPS is used not only for 911 location but also for time synchronization to the macro network (this is important for proper handoffs). If the GPS coordinates of the device and the nearest cell site are too far apart, it will not be allowed to function.

 

Judging from the coverage map of Charleston, WV, I would assume you are too far from the nearest site for the Airave to work properly.

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Contrary to popular belief, there are restrictions to where an Airave will work, even within the US. This is mandated by the FCC to keep Sprint out of markets it doesn't currently operate in, even if it has spectrum licenses in the area (and we all know Sprint has the PCS G block over the entire contiguous US).

 

Welcome to S4GRU. This is a nice, technically oriented first post. But I would appreciate some documentation before anyone takes this as gospel.

 

Now, I am not sure if you are using the PCS G block 10 MHz licenses as just an example. But they are irrelevant to the Airave discussion because they are being utilized only for band 25 LTE. Additionally, Sprint has held nationwide spectrum in the traditional PCS A-F blocks for about 15 years.

 

AJ

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Yes, I used the G block as an example since it's one contiguous block across the country.

 

I'm afraid the documentation I used as my source is not available externally for me to post. However, rest assured that the information is accurate. I went looking for it after providing an Airave for my sister who recently moved to a town that wasn't served by Sprint. I thought, like most people do, that it would work anywhere. Only after it failed to operate did I start doing some deeper research. After finding out this information, I'm surprised Sprint even shipped one to her address outside of their market.

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I'm afraid the documentation I used as my source is not available externally for me to post. However, rest assured that the information is accurate. I went looking for it after providing an Airave for my sister who recently moved to a town that wasn't served by Sprint. I thought, like most people do, that it would work anywhere. Only after it failed to operate did I start doing some deeper research. After finding out this information, I'm surprised Sprint even shipped one to her address outside of their market.

 

Hmm, that is interesting. I have only theoretical experience, no direct experience with the Airave. So, I will let others chime in, but my understanding was that the Airave could be used to create even an island of coverage well outside of Sprint macro network coverage and that GPS was used to determine the location for PCS 1900 MHz licensing concerns. Handoff to the macro network should not be a concern, as that is a hard handoff, a crapshoot, anyway.

 

AJ

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Charge you what?

 

I have used it in a location that doesn't have a Sprint tower for about 15 miles or so. Used to have no Verizon there so that's why I brought it. I don't bring it with me anymore since VZW has roaming coverage there for me to use now.

 

Sent from my little Note2

 

 

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Question about the Airave. Is it true Sprint will charge you if the device has been unplugged for a certain amount of time? Mine has been unplugged for a month.

 

I have seen discssion on SprintUsers of Sprint requesting the unit back after it had been unplugged for several months. Honestly I cant blame them for asking for it back if it isnt going to get used.

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Contrary to popular belief, there are restrictions to where an Airave will work, even within the US. This is mandated by the FCC to keep Sprint out of markets it doesn't currently operate in, even if it has spectrum licenses in the area (and we all know Sprint has the PCS G block over the entire contiguous US).

 

Typically, you have to be in a Sprint service area and within 35 km of the nearest Sprint cell site. The GPS is used not only for 911 location but also for time synchronization to the macro network (this is important for proper handoffs). If the GPS coordinates of the device and the nearest cell site are too far apart, it will not be allowed to function.

 

Judging from the coverage map of Charleston, WV, I would assume you are too far from the nearest site for the Airave to work properly.

Hmm, that is interesting. I have only theoretical experience, no direct experience with the Airave. So, I will let others chime in, but my understanding was that the Airave could be used to create even an island of coverage well outside of Sprint macro network coverage and that GPS was used to determine the location for PCS 1900 MHz licensing concerns. Handoff to the macro network should not be a concern, as that is a hard handoff, a crapshoot, anyway.

 

AJ

 

Jbnello brings up a good point about the GPS and I am wondering how close Samanthabry is to the United States National Radio Quiet Zone in WV. Is it possible that the Airave will not work because it recognizes it may be in an area where it is illegal to operate? I forgot about that zone in WV and never experienced it until I went skiing at Snowshoe. It was odd because only part of the mountain has any cell phone reception, because of the quiet zone. The hotels for the resort all provide ethernet cables and no WiFi, which was weird until they told us that by law they could not provide WiFi. Makes a good place for all those anti wireless technology buffoons (aka those trying to stop cell deployments) to call home. Any thoughts to this?

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Jbnello brings up a good point about the GPS and I am wondering how close Samanthabry is to the United States National Radio Quiet Zone in WV.

 

That is a good thought, but Charleston is on the opposite side of the state from the National Radio Quiet Zone. So, I doubt that is the issue.

 

AJ

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Hmm, that is interesting. I have only theoretical experience, no direct experience with the Airave. So, I will let others chime in, but my understanding was that the Airave could be used to create even an island of coverage well outside of Sprint macro network coverage and that GPS was used to determine the location for PCS 1900 MHz licensing concerns. Handoff to the macro network should not be a concern, as that is a hard handoff, a crapshoot, anyway.

 

AJ

 

I was under the same impression.

 

You are right about the GPS... it is also used to determine which frequency to use if I understand correctly. As for the time sync, it was stated that it was for proper handoff, but I think that would only come into play for a soft handoff. But don't all CDMA base stations have to be synced up to within a few microseconds anyway? Would that include femtocells as well?

 

Question about the Airave. Is it true Sprint will charge you if the device has been unplugged for a certain amount of time? Mine has been unplugged for a month.

 

Sprint will request you reconnect or send the device back if it goes offline. They have spent millions of dollars on the equipment which they then pass out for free. If they're not being used, it's money down the drain. Only if you don't send it back do they charge you for the cost of it.

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jbnello, before I respond, will you confirm that I fixed your quotes above correctly? Previously, you had mixed quotes and posts.

 

AJ

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Originally when I was searching for a solution for the lack of native Sprint coverage in McConnelsville, OH (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McConnelsville,_Ohio) where I stay and preferred not to roam on Verizon I obtained an Airave to resolve the issue and would take it with me every time I would stay with family in the area. Sprint customer support granted me an Airave at no extra charge but could not guarantee that it would work there. Sure enough I plugged it in McConnelsville, OH the next time I was in town and after a GPS lock I was granted service. At the time, when I was researching if it would actually work where there was no native Sprint coverage I couldn't find any definitive information from any of the forums that I searched. I never came across the 35 mile radius information, mentioned in an earlier post, anywhere but according to maps on this site McConnelsville, OH is just within 35 miles from the nearest tower. Your mileage may vary with the device, but it worked for me in an area that is not covered by any Sprint towers.

 

I hope that information helps anyone with questions regarding the device.

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Judging from the coverage map of Charleston, WV, I would assume you are too far from the nearest site for the Airave to work properly.

 

For my amusement, I typed in an address in downtown Charleston WV (specifically, 501 Virginia Street East, Charleston, WV 25301, which is the location of some Charleston city offices) into the Airave eligibility tool:

 

http://www.sprint.co...:airavecoverage

 

It comes back "not eligible." If I had to guess, Charleston is part of the nTelos wholesale market, and I'll bet you dollars to donuts your Airave won't work there because Sprint has subleased its spectrum to nTelos there. I don't think nTelos will lease femtocells to Sprint customers (heck, I doubt they offer them to nTelos customers either).

 

On the other hand, I typed in the address for the city hall of Fulton, Mississippi (213 W Wiygul St Fulton, MS 38843)... and found something really interesting. The blue areas are where you can get an Airave.

 

http://coverage.spri...ntery=34.271589

 

By sheer coincidence (literally it's the first address I tried other than one in Charleston), on the right you can see where the 35km boundary cuts off here. If you play with the scale parameter in the URL you can actually zoom out, and find out exactly who Sprint won't give an Airave - sucks to live in Red Bay, Alabama if you're a Sprint fanboi.

 

http://coverage.spri...ntery=34.271589

 

Something for everyone to play with this weekend. :)

 

EDIT: Here's your problem... http://coverage.spri...7&mapcentery=38

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For my amusement, I typed in an address in downtown Charleston WV (specifically, 501 Virginia Street East, Charleston, WV 25301, which is the location of some Charleston city offices) into the Airave eligibility tool:

 

http://www.sprint.co...:airavecoverage

 

It comes back "not eligible." If I had to guess, Charleston is part of the nTelos wholesale market, and I'll bet you dollars to donuts your Airave won't work there because Sprint has subleased its spectrum to nTelos there. I don't think nTelos will lease femtocells to Sprint customers (heck, I doubt they offer them to nTelos customers either).

 

On the other hand, I typed in the address for the city hall of Fulton, Mississippi (213 W Wiygul St Fulton, MS 38843)... and found something really interesting. The blue areas are where you can get an Airave.

 

http://coverage.spri...ntery=34.271589

 

By sheer coincidence (literally it's the first address I tried other than one in Charleston), on the right you can see where the 35km boundary cuts off here. If you play with the scale parameter in the URL you can actually zoom out, and find out exactly who Sprint won't give an Airave - sucks to live in Red Bay, Alabama if you're a Sprint fanboi.

 

http://coverage.spri...ntery=34.271589

 

Something for everyone to play with this weekend. :)

 

EDIT: Here's your problem... http://coverage.spri...7&mapcentery=38

 

By jove, I think you've got something!

 

Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

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