Official Magic Box discussion thread

[dro1984]

Sprint updated something with the Magic Box on Wednesday or Thursday (Feb 28th or March 1st)... since then my Galaxy Note 5 will not received incoming calls.   All I get is an eventual voicemail if they leave one.      I didn't know the Magic Box was the problem at first and was very frustrating.   My phone would work everywhere but home (Receiving calls)...  only when home it didn't work.   I went to local Sprint store... called customer service 2 or 3 times.... nothing worked.   Now they escalated to Network team.    Well, I figured it out today... I unplugged my MB, and wonder of wonders, it works!        So I'm about done with MB.    I have to figure out a way to call them and get MB dept and tell them of my issues and how I can send it back.     

[pokefan02]

I believe if you look in the settings menu there is a phone number to call

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[burnout8488]

42 minutes ago, dro1984 said:

Sprint updated something with the Magic Box on Wednesday or Thursday (Feb 28th or March 1st)... since then my Galaxy Note 5 will not received incoming calls.   All I get is an eventual voicemail if they leave one.      I didn't know the Magic Box was the problem at first and was very frustrating.   My phone would work everywhere but home (Receiving calls)...  only when home it didn't work.   I went to local Sprint store... called customer service 2 or 3 times.... nothing worked.   Now they escalated to Network team.    Well, I figured it out today... I unplugged my MB, and wonder of wonders, it works!        So I'm about done with MB.    I have to figure out a way to call them and get MB dept and tell them of my issues and how I can send it back.     

The Magic Box only broadcasts LTE. I'm not sure how it could have affected calling on your Note 5. (Note 5 doesn't support LTE Calling Plus, as far as I can tell) Perhaps eCSFB isn't working through the MB to tell your phone to switch to 1x from LTE to receive the call?

[RAvirani]

33 minutes ago, burnout8488 said:

The Magic Box only broadcasts LTE. I'm not sure how it could have affected calling on your Note 5. (Note 5 doesn't support LTE Calling Plus, as far as I can tell) Perhaps eCSFB isn't working through the MB to tell your phone to switch to 1x from LTE to receive the call?

I would think the Note 5 would use SrLTE, although I may be wrong. 

[Tony21]

I got my sprint magic box in December and the site said that it was available in bumpass va, it was working for 3 months until last week. Got a replacement and it's not connecting, now the site says it's not available in bumpass va and the magic box tech support confirmed that it was compatible with tower so I want an explanation for why it's not working anymore.? She said that possible upgrade is coming..... Who knows. 

[dro1984]

Don't know what to tell you.   Had Magic box plugged in... No calls would ring.    Had my Verizon cell home from work to test.   Unplugged Magic box, and my Note 5 would ring and  work normally. Plugged the Magic box in and let it reconfigure (log in network) and again... no incoming calls!    My other sister came over, she has an AT&T cell, did the same thing with the same results.   I'm not using WiFi calling or anything like that... nothing changed on my phone.    So I'm just telling you what is going on and if others are experiencing the same thing.    Magic box is causing an issue and I'm sick of calling Sprint as they are clueless with their own equipment.   I cannot tell you how many times I was lead down the road of "turning phone  off and then on"..."please update your PRL"... "please update your profile" blah, blah blah.... all the while knowing more than them that none of that would correct the issue.    I will call Sprint again and request a billing credit (and I'll get it) and then I will ask on how  to return the magic box.    Don't need this  headache anymore.         

[Tony21]

They'll send you a return kit 

[Tony21]

1 hour ago, Tony21 said:

They'll send you a return kit 

Make sure you have the boxes 

[speedingcheetah]

U could just drop it off at a Sprint store. to turn it in. since they own the equipment. (like u do when u return cable tv boxes to companies like Comcast).

However,  no telling if the clerks there know how to send it back to the correct department and remove it from your account properly. 

Also, I have had one person say to send the MB back and have it removed from your account  BEFORE your port out...else Sprint will charge u a $150 equipment fee...that is a huge pain in the ass to get them to refund even after u mail back the MB.

 

Edited March 4, 2018 by speedingcheetah

[lilotimz]

29 minutes ago, speedingcheetah said:

U could just drop it off at a Sprint store. to turn it in. since they own the equipment. (like u do when u return cable tv boxes to companies like Comcast).

However,  no telling if the clerks there know how to send it back to the correct department and remove it from your account properly. 

Also, I have had one person say to send the MB back and have it removed from your account  BEFORE your port out...else Sprint will charge u a $150 equipment fee...that is a huge pain in the ass to get them to refund even after u mail back the MB.

 

No. DO NOT DO THIS. 

Sprint stores cannot return or take in Magic boxes. 

One must request an RMA kit from Sprint tech / magic box support and ship it back to Sprint. 

 

[speedingcheetah]

10 minutes ago, lilotimz said:

No. DO NOT DO THIS. 

Sprint stores cannot return or take in Magic boxes. 

One must request an RMA kit from Sprint tech / magic box support and ship it back to Sprint. 

 

Its a Sprint product...and the customer returned to a Sprint store. Legally,...they returned it. Period.

But of course...its always recommended to return they Mb way Sprint instructs u too. Just to avoid any potential headaches.

A contact of mine in FL went into Sprint corporate store while on his way to the airport, returned MB and closed his Sprint account..... he was moving to Australia.  They gave him documents that said he did so.  Been 3 months now. He says he has seen no issues from that.

Edit: It was a company/business account...not normal personal account, so maybe that had something to do with it.

 

Edited March 4, 2018 by speedingcheetah

[lilotimz]

Sprint in internal communications directly instructs their stores to not accept Magic Box returns on location and directs them to contact sprint customer support to obtain Rma kits.

Sprint store employees are definitively not trained nor equipped to handle anything related to magic boxes and to recommend it as a fact will lead to headaches beyond comprehension.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[S4GRU]

Although it's been years, I once returned an AT&T device to a store that then went lost and they claimed that I never turned it in.  They they tried to charge me.  It was a nightmare beyond all reason.  If they say you need to return it via RMA, do it that way.  Even if you get a store to accept it, if it goes missing somehow, it will be a nightmare to get it worked out.  I all but guarantee it.

[dro1984]

No... no issue here.  I called Sprint.  I already had a trouble ticket in with them so I got right through to Technical support.   They are sending me a 'return kit' to put my Magic Box in and return  via UPS.      The clowns at the local stores (many of them) are like used car sales people running the retail outlets and they scare me. Most of them are independently owned/run.   I feel like they are trying to sell snake oil.    I went there last Saturday and was asked, "How attached are you to your phone number?"... "I can get you on a $30 plan by adding a 2nd line and then about a week later, come back and cancel your  old phone number/account"...     Sneaky, shady, dishonest.  

Technical support asked detailed questions about the issues with no incoming calls.   I explained I tried everything, including re-provisioning my phone via Sprint Customer Support, updated PRL, turned if off and off 100 times... etc...  then played with unplugging the Magic box and getting incoming calls again.   A little while later i plugged it in again and then no incoming calls.   ( I had my Verizon work phone that I was able to call my main number and play around with).    I unplugged the box and i had incoming calls again.         Called for my return kit today.  

I know many on here will argue that Magic Box only works with LTE Data.. and that's all good and fine. I'm not a network engineer.  But some software update they did over a week ago started the issues with incoming calls.   Magic Box is causing me issues which I don't need.   

[greenbastard]

49 minutes ago, dro1984 said:

 

I know many on here will argue that Magic Box only works with LTE Data.. and that's all good and fine. I'm not a network engineer.  But some software update they did over a week ago started the issues with incoming calls.   Magic Box is causing me issues which I don't need.   

Probably a eCSFB issue with the Magic Box (which I believe the Note5 relies on). 

I do know that the LTE band your phone is on determines what CDMA band your phone should drop to when an incoming call is detected (non-SRLTE phones). If you have a weak PCS CDMA signal, then this could be causing issues. Or if your area doesn't have 1x800 and your MB is set up to force your phone into 1x800 for incoming calls could also be a problem. Every MB is set up differently by Sprint. It all depends on the market it is in. My gut tells me that swapping your MB won't bring a fix. It is probably a simple error on Sprint's end that could get fixed through a simple software update. It's just a matter of more people opening tickets in your area.

[dro1984]

Sitting at my kitchen table, using Signal Check Pro, I am on LTE 1900 for Data with my Wifi shut off.    For Voice calls it goes to 1xRTT. 

[ingenium]

It could be a config issue with the newest MB software. I noticed that while on LTE, Google Voice via Hangouts calls weren't reliably working. They'd ring for maybe half a second then go to voicemail as a missed call, as though they had been trying to ring the device for a while until it timed out.

I recognize they're different scenarios, but I'm wondering if the MB is queueing up incoming data for idle UEs, which could cause the phone to not switch over to CDMA in time.

So I'd say if Sprint can't fix the problem, leave it unplugged (or plug it in overnight once a week or so, so Sprint doesn't see it as idle) until the next software update comes out. Or maybe check it once a week/month and see if it resolves itself. Kind of a PITA, but I think this is a temporary problem that will get fixed.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[though]

I'll chime in too. I did a factory reset last night and now the unit will not fully boot up. I unplugged it and tried it again and no-go.

I am thinking like others mentioned that the latest firmware screwed up some MB's!

[burnout8488]

1 hour ago, dro1984 said:

Sitting at my kitchen table, using Signal Check Pro, I am on LTE 1900 for Data with my Wifi shut off.    For Voice calls it goes to 1xRTT. 

Have other Sprint users ever been on your MB and had calls work successfully? Can you test with a different handset on your account?

[schmidtj]

On 3/3/2018 at 7:37 PM, pokefan02 said:

I believe if you look in the settings menu there is a phone number to call

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
 

My Gen 3 MB has a sticker on the back with the MB support phone number. 

[Handyman]

On 9/10/2017 at 11:11 PM, shaferz said:

I'm waiting on a new shipping label to send ours back.  We are iPhone users here and did not have a consistent experience with our MB.  Still waiting on an update on a replacement unit.

MagicBox doesn't work for phone calls unless you have LTE Calling Plus enabled, which is not yet supported on iPhones and many other phones.

[shaferz]

Just now, Handyman said:

MagicBox doesn't work for phone calls unless you have LTE Calling Plus enabled, which is not yet supported on iPhones and many other phones.

Did you inadvertently quote a post I made 6 months ago?  lol

 

 

[though]

I am not sure if this is related to my market (Nebraska) but I did a factory reset on the MB and after several tries to boot up, restart the device, etc it will no longer boot up and work. It gets stuck at the screen here. I will also attach the firmware screen

[ingenium]

I am not sure if this is related to my market (Nebraska) but I did a factory reset on the MB and after several tries to boot up, restart the device, etc it will no longer boot up and work. It gets stuck at the screen here. I will also attach the firmware screen

It could be doing an upgrade? The latest firmware ends in 144a for the top line.

Your market was questionable if there was spectrum for a magic box, correct?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[though]

3 minutes ago, ingenium said:

It could be doing an upgrade? The latest firmware ends in 144a for the top line.

It hangs there for hours. I don't think a firmware upgrade takes that long????

Your market was questionable if there was spectrum for a magic box, correct?

Correct. It initially wouldn't work. After a few months it then worked. Now back to not working...