Official Magic Box discussion thread

[speedingcheetah]

12 minutes ago, lilotimz said:

http://s4gru.com/entry/424-psa-generation-3-magic-box-has-arrived/

http://s4gru.com/entry/423-the-magic-box-6-months-later/

http://s4gru.com/entry/420-whats-in-the-box-oh-oh-oh-its-magic/

 

 

Ah. Thanks for that. Quite informative.

2nd gen had e-ink display....wish they had stuck with that. no need for a backlite to stay on. Glad i don't have to have this thing in a bedroom. its still kinda bright even when it dims.

[ingenium]

Ah. Thanks for that. Quite informative.
2nd gen had e-ink display....wish they had stuck with that. no need for a backlite to stay on. Glad i don't have to have this thing in a bedroom. its still kinda bright even when it dims.

If you put it on the lowest brightest setting it will turn off at 10pm and come back on at 6am. Helps I guess if it's in a bedroom where those are the hours that you sleep.

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[speedingcheetah]

1 hour ago, ingenium said:

If you put it on the lowest brightest setting it will turn off at 10pm and come back on at 6am. Helps I guess if it's in a bedroom where those are the hours that you sleep.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 

um....how does one set that.....there is no settings on this thing.

[speedingcheetah]

nevermind....i didnt see the menu button on the upper right. under display format

[speedingcheetah]

Is Magic Box only 4G LTE?

I have a roommate that uses Republic Wireless 2.0 with a Moto G 1st gen phone that uses Sprint 3G network for data...

[lilotimz]

Is Magic Box only 4G LTE?
I have a roommate that uses Republic Wireless 2.0 with a Moto G 1st gen phone that uses Sprint 3G network for data...

Introducing Sprint Magic Box

Get a faster, more reliable data experience inside your home or business.    

 

Boosts data signals – get more bars 

Accelerates LTE data speeds from the nearest Sprint tower

Increases average upload and download speeds by more than 200 percent

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[speedingcheetah]

"Boosts data signals – get more bars"

To the the average user...that is all inclusive. To my roomate...data signal is just that. So she is upset that this isn't helping her when se reads that Sprint says it should in their adverts.

"Accelerates LTE data speeds from the nearest Sprint tower. Increases average upload and download speeds by more than 200 percent"

Again....average user...don't know the difference in the "G" vs LTE.  And it doesn't  say "4G" in those promotions.

Is there such a thing as 3G LTE? I don't think so...I keep trying to get her to switch..but $13 a month is all she is willing to pay and  "it just works"

I did read somewhere that Sprint has some other type of devices that hook up to your own network that supports the phone call signal (1x?) though I don't recall if those did anything for the CDMA 3G bands.

 

 

 

[ingenium]

"Boosts data signals – get more bars"
To the the average user...that is all inclusive. To my roomate...data signal is just that. So she is upset that this isn't helping her when se reads that Sprint says it should in their adverts.
"Accelerates LTE data speeds from the nearest Sprint tower. Increases average upload and download speeds by more than 200 percent"
Again....average user...don't know the difference in the "G" vs LTE.  And it doesn't  say "4G" in those promotions.
Is there such a thing as 3G LTE? I don't think so...I keep trying to get her to switch..but $13 a month is all she is willing to pay and  "it just works"
I did read somewhere that Sprint has some other type of devices that hook up to your own network that supports the phone call signal (1x?) though I don't recall if those did anything for the CDMA 3G bands.
 
 
 

I think most users know the difference between LTE and 3G. The description makes it fairly clear in my opinion, plus the fact that non-LTE devices are increasingly rare. Sprint is starting to deploy LTE only sites as well, so she'd have the best network experience getting an LTE capable device.

You could ask for an Airave 3. It does LTE, 1x, and evdo. It needs to be plugged into your home router or another source of wired internet though, unlike the magic box, and it has a smaller range.

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[mnjeepmale]

I've had my MB since they started shipping them last summer. It's at my cabin. I just noticed that when my Note 8 connects to the MB it works great. However at least twice a day the calls, text and data stop working on my phone. I have to turn on /off airplane mode in order for it to work again. 

This only happens when I'm connected to the MB. 

[Searobbins]

On my second magic box. Neither connects to towers. Got tired or trying all the windows of my house to get error 40. So, I drove to various towers. I can have strong b41 signal on phone but magic box spits out error 30. Tech support says to keep trying different windows at home. I asked them if it doesn't work at a tower, why would it work a mile and a half away from one?

Any ideas?

 

[Tengen31]

Is Magic Box only 4G LTE?
I have a roommate that uses Republic Wireless 2.0 with a Moto G 1st gen phone that uses Sprint 3G network for data...

Yes it's LTE only

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[lilotimz]

On my second magic box. Neither connects to towers. Got tired or trying all the windows of my house to get error 40. So, I drove to various towers. I can have strong b41 signal on phone but magic box spits out error 30. Tech support says to keep trying different windows at home. I asked them if it doesn't work at a tower, why would it work a mile and a half away from one?
Any ideas?
 

It may be incompatible.
What area are you located at?

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[Searobbins]

32 minutes ago, lilotimz said:

It may be incompatible.
What area are you located at?

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Zip is 02559

[lilotimz]

24 minutes ago, Searobbins said:

Zip is 02559

Are you contacting the Magic Box tech support?

If so try their suggestions. Sometimes a macro donor sites do not have the settings switched on to allow Magic Boxes to connect. Seen it here and there and usually doesn't take long for MB teams to diagnose and fix the issue. 

[Searobbins]

8 minutes ago, lilotimz said:

Are you contacting the Magic Box tech support?

If so try their suggestions. Sometimes a macro donor sites do not have the settings switched on to allow Magic Boxes to connect. Seen it here and there and usually doesn't take long for MB teams to diagnose and fix the issue. 

Support said they would put a ticket in and contact me later

[lilotimz]

Just now, Searobbins said:

Support said they would put a ticket in and contact me later

Good to hear. Usually it's as simple as your nearest tower not having Magic Box connections "enabled" which is hopefully the case for you and that they can fix it quickly.

Do let us know how things go!

[though]

Probably a fluke, but I took my MB from Omaha back to Lincoln on Sunday. Plugged it in today and let it sit a couple hours. Came back to this...

[Mr.Nuke]

24 minutes ago, though said:

Probably a fluke, but I took my MB from Omaha back to Lincoln on Sunday. Plugged it in today and let it sit a couple hours. Came back to this...

What do the relay and lte screens look like?

[RAvirani]

54 minutes ago, though said:

Probably a fluke, but I took my MB from Omaha back to Lincoln on Sunday. Plugged it in today and let it sit a couple hours. Came back to this...

 

 

29 minutes ago, Mr.Nuke said:

What do the relay and lte screens look like?

Yes—what are the EARFCNs on both?

[though]

1 hour ago, Mr.Nuke said:

What do the relay and lte screens look like?

I pushed each of those 3 logos and nothing happens. I can only get those 2 screens to come up unless I am missing the magic key combo? I unplugged the unit and will plug it in again tomorrow and check it. Anything I need to do or press? Or just plug in and done?

[ingenium]

I pushed each of those 3 logos and nothing happens. I can only get those 2 screens to come up unless I am missing the magic key combo? I unplugged the unit and will plug it in again tomorrow and check it. Anything I need to do or press? Or just plug in and done?

It should work just pressing on them. Some units have bad touch screens that don't really respond well. Keep trying the same icon a few times and give it a couple seconds to respond. You'll want the "LTE Connected" button to see the broadcast frequency.

That's also an newer firmware version. The current one has different looking buttons. It's possible yours is just performing the updates in the background and that's why it's not responding.

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[though]

******************************

Edit: As of March 7 or so, my Magic Box is no longer working in Lincoln. I did a reset or factory reset on it and it will no longer boot up completely to work.

*****************************

well holy #@)*

Magic Box working in Lincoln, NE!

So I plugged it in this morning again to see if it was a fluke. No fluke. It's working!

I just checked my address on the Magic Box site to check eligibility and it says "Not available in this area".

When I press any of those 3 icons, nothing happens, it just goes back to the clock after 15 seconds or so. So the only thing I can see is the time or those 3 icons.

[Joski1624]

Wow, that's almost the lowest frequency possible.  Anything below 2496 MHz is something else entirely.  Cleveland had a WiMAX carrier on 2508.5MHz, but the channel was only 10MHz wide.

[swintec]

6 hours ago, though said:

well holy #@)*

Magic Box working in Lincoln, NE!

is nebraska a market they never worked in before because of spectrum issues?  maine is in the same boat.  maybe i will plug mine in again and see if i have been blessed with the same luck.

[though]

Just now, swintec said:

is nebraska a market they never worked in before because of spectrum issues?  maine is in the same boat.  maybe i will plug mine in again and see if i have been blessed with the same luck.

that is correct for my market (lincoln), yes.