T-Mobile LTE & Network Discussion V2

[cortney]

I haven't left the city yet with T-Mobile service, but from the maps I should be covered quite well in FL. I'll have to test T-Mobile next time I drive out of town.

 

You'll be fine. The crowdsource maps show Florida's cell coverage superiority quite clearly. Any VZW or AT&T user is golden, and Sprint and T-Mobile users near most populated areas are pretty much worry-free in general.

 

As such, T-Mobile leaves FL magentans in delusion about the rest of the country. But the RootScore reports show that party is crashing, so only for so long. 

[maxsilver]

T-Mobile's launching a LTE CellSpot. This is an actual LTE femtocell (not a WiFi router), with B2 HSPA+ and B4 LTE.

 

Free (with $25 deposit) for eligible Simple Choice subscribers. Availability begins November 4th.

 

https://newsroom.t-mobile.com/media-kits/4g-lte-cellspot.htm

[Paynefanbro]

T-Mobile's launching a LTE CellSpot. This is an actual LTE femtocell (not a WiFi router), with B2 HSPA+ and B4 LTE.

 

Free (with $25 deposit) for eligible Simple Choice subscribers. Availability begins November 4th.

 

https://newsroom.t-mobile.com/media-kits/4g-lte-cellspot.htm

 

It's cool but it seems like filler for those newer rural areas where people get a decent signal outside and basically nothing indoors. Also, it'll only be as fast as your ISP so what is to stop one from simply using WiFi and WiFi calling. It seems kinda redundant for folks who already own a WiFi CellSpot.

[EvanA]

T-Mobile's launching a LTE CellSpot. This is an actual LTE femtocell (not a WiFi router), with B2 HSPA+ and B4 LTE.

 

Free (with $25 deposit) for eligible Simple Choice subscribers. Availability begins November 4th.

 

https://newsroom.t-mobile.com/media-kits/4g-lte-cellspot.htm

Do you use your data cap when connected to the CellSpot? You'd essentially be double paying for service because you pay for the hard line and T-Mobile.

[bigsnake49]

You'll be fine. The crowdsource maps show Florida's cell coverage superiority quite clearly. Any VZW or AT&T user is golden, and Sprint and T-Mobile users near most populated areas are pretty much worry-free in general.

 

As such, T-Mobile leaves FL magentans in delusion about the rest of the country. But the RootScore reports show that party is crashing, so only for so long. 

Thanks to Metro site locations maybe. Go on the lesser roads in Florida. Go inside a concrete block condo.

[bigsnake49]

I haven't left the city yet with T-Mobile service, but from the maps I should be covered quite well in FL. I'll have to test T-Mobile next time I drive out of town.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5X

Don't believe anybody's maps.

[Ascertion]

Don't believe anybody's maps.

True.  I haven't witnessed Verizon's map, but I've seen first hand, Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T's maps and they all claim to have full signal in areas that just do not have good service.  Of course, this is limited to the areas I've witnessed, but that is my findings.

[Ascertion]

So, T-Mobile's new LTE CellSpot.  How is it any different than Verizon, AT&T's, or Sprint's Signal Broadcasters they're handing out to customers?  Seems ironic, considering Legere just posted the Scarriers video making fun of Sprint for copying them.

[EvanA]

So, T-Mobile's new LTE CellSpot. How is it any different than Verizon, AT&T's, or Sprint's Signal Broadcasters they're handing out to customers? Seems ironic, considering Legere just posted the Scarriers video making fun of Sprint for copying them.

It has LTE and not just 3G like everyone else. Pretty pointless if you ask me. You don't need full bars of LTE in your own home if you have WiFi. I suppose VoLTE is a nice benefit.

[Deval]

T-Mobile's launching a LTE CellSpot. This is an actual LTE femtocell (not a WiFi router), with B2 HSPA+ and B4 LTE.

 

Free (with $25 deposit) for eligible Simple Choice subscribers. Availability begins November 4th.

 

https://newsroom.t-mobile.com/media-kits/4g-lte-cellspot.htm

 

I fail to see the purpose of this device, since you're using it to connect to LTE, instead of your own home internet. By definition you would need to have adequate home internet speeds and service in order to use this femtocell, so why bother with it?

[joshuam]

I fail to see the purpose of this device, since you're using it to connect to LTE, instead of your own home internet. By definition you would need to have adequate home internet speeds and service in order to use this femtocell, so why bother with it?

 

BYOD devices, or devices without wifi calling. Other than that, the only target market I can see is a small business.

[RAvirani]

Any chance sprint will release an LTE femtocell?

[maxsilver]

I fail to see the purpose of this device, since you're using it to connect to LTE, instead of your own home internet. By definition you would need to have adequate home internet speeds and service in order to use this femtocell, so why bother with it?

 

Just my opinion, but I think it's nice for not having to authenticate with WiFi, click through a dozen pages of stupid disclaimers, enter e-mail addresses, etc. It's also nice having a known trusted / decent connection (VPN'd for you transparently, automatically, on every device).

 

For most people's homes, it probably redundant. And they already give away a WiFi Router for that use case too.

 

But for business, it seems a lot more useful. Especially businesses where WiFi is sometimes worse than useless (Hospitals come to mind)

[Ascertion]

Any chance sprint will release an LTE femtocell?

It'd be nice if they did and enabled it for B25/B26, since they have nationwide licenses for both of those. But, as stated in the thread, if your ISP is already supplying you WiFi at decent speeds, you can just hop onto WiFi calling. It'd benefit people like me, who have a N5x but do not have WiFi calling functionality on Sprint.

 

EDIT: Just found out that the 4G CellSpot on T-Mobile counts towards your usage!

https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-21332#question9

 

Is there a separate pricing plan for T-Mobile 4G LTE CellSpot?

 

No. 4G LTE CellSpot customers use their existing service plan with T-Mobile, meaning data used over the 4G LTE CellSpot counts against your data plan. To access data without it counting against your plan, use Wi-Fi.

[mittenmitten]

rofl wtf is the point of this if it counts against your data?!

[Deval]

Any chance sprint will release an LTE femtocell?

 

No reason to, home internet would be much faster than any LTE speeds a femto would produce.

[Deval]

It'd be nice if they did and enabled it for B25/B26, since they have nationwide licenses for both of those. But, as stated in the thread, if your ISP is already supplying you WiFi at decent speeds, you can just hop onto WiFi calling. It'd benefit people like me, who have a N5x but do not have WiFi calling functionality on Sprint.

 

EDIT: Just found out that the 4G CellSpot on T-Mobile counts towards your usage!

https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-21332#question9

 

 

I think for members like yourself, a stock 3G Airave would work the same, and you'd get the expanded voice coverage and use WIFI for data.

[Ascertion]

I think for members like yourself, a stock 3G Airave would work the same, and you'd get the expanded voice coverage and use WIFI for data.

I was in Colorado earlier this year and in the mountains, we didn't have any coverage. The home we rented out for the week actually had an Airave and Home WiFi. We all used WiFi calling because the Airave would stop working after an hour of resetting it. I even completely factory reset it and tried getting it back up and running and couldn't get it working longer than an hour. WiFi calling worked great! I had the HTC One M8 at the time so it was available for me. Now though, the N5x would've suffered from the Airave's consistency to mess up.

[lilotimz]

Any chance sprint will release an LTE femtocell?

say something like this?

 

Maybe. Nothings through the FCC yet.

[WiWavelength]

EDIT: Just found out that the 4G CellSpot on T-Mobile counts towards your usage!

https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-21332#question9

 

 

This LTE CellSpot is about VoLTE, which for regulatory reasons is voice, not data.

 

I will have further comment later.

 

AJ

[Ascertion]

This LTE CellSpot is about VoLTE, which for regulatory reasons is voice, not data.

 

I will have further comment later.

 

AJ

Kind of a grey area, because it's all being routed through your home ISP, which will no doubt see it as normal data usage, through T-Mobile's VPN.  From the ISPs standpoint, you'll be using data no matter what, even if you're only texting while on the 4G LTE Cellspot.

[derrph]

I think it's cool but here's my thought. With T-Mobiles verified mapping, will people start to verify locations of LTE that are using this CellSpot knowing there is little to no coverage in that location?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[caspar347]

say something like this?

 

Maybe. Nothings through the FCC yet.

Woah. Almost a square mile of coverage. Impressive.

[maxsilver]

EDIT: Just found out that the 4G CellSpot on T-Mobile counts towards your usage!

https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-21332#question9

 

That is common for femtocells on every carrier.

 

Sprint's Airave and AT&T's Microcell also count against any voice/data usage limits your plan has (unless you have a specific plan that counteracts it). 

[WiWavelength]

Kind of a grey area, because it's all being routed through your home ISP, which will no doubt see it as normal data usage, through T-Mobile's VPN.

 

I could be wrong, but with standardized VoLTE, I doubt it.  Because of VoLTE QoS, the packets will be flagged as voice, not data.

 

AJ