S4GRU

Wouldn't it just be a novelty? If you think about it...the need for a home femtocell above voice/text usage isn't necessary. Data usage in a home is better served by WiFi. I personally wouldn't want my data to go through Sprint servers, if it can go directly to the internet. For performance and security reasons. And we know that Airave owners already have an ISP, it makes more sense to use your WiFi. My friend has an Airave. The only time his 3G gets used is if I am over. Otherwise all his data use is on WiFi. Sprint's LTE speeds on an Airave would be limited to the speed of the customers ISP. There are a lot of people with 3Mbps and 6Mbps internet out there. If you live in an apartment/condo complex, it could limit other peoples LTE speed. Also, for many people, even a weak LTE signal will produce faster speeds than their home DSL service. If Sprint were asking me about creating a LTE Airave, I'd advise against it. Robert via Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

That is in the North Wisconsin market and will not see NV/LTE deployment begin until some time in 2013. Robert

My wife's EVO LTE also seems to do this. She has mentioned a few times if she wakes up in the middle of the night to do something on her phone, it takes an extra 5 seconds for the wifi to kick in. She does get calls and texts in that time. So the CDMA radio must still be going. For the most part, its a welcome feature. My wife forgets to plug in her device overnight all the time. Robert via Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

I wouldn't allow microwave to be pointed at my house. There may even be standards/protocols that prevent that. Clear does have some non microwave sites in some locations. But I was told in the past that Clearwire has 90%+ MW backhaul on WiMax sites. AAV makes a lot of sense in a home location. It probably was already served by some high speed alternative ISP. Robert via Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

steak sandwich Robert via Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

Not so far as I have found. Robert via Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

18th Hole

It does seem out of whack. I was expecting faster speeds out of the MiFis since they can produce a stronger signal back to the site. But this is way high. I wonder if it is a typo and was actually only 12.1Mbps. Which would still be high, but much more plausible. Robert

Happy Birthday

The Antelope Valley is a part of the LA Metro market. At least the parts in LA County. They also are receiving deployments, but the map we used above cuts off points in the Santa Clarita/Valencia area and north. Robert

by Rick Layton Sprint 4G Rollout Updates Monday, June 25, 2012 - 4:27 PM MDT As technologies advance, the equipment to use the technology must advance as well. With the upcoming release of 4G LTE in our area (Houston), new equipment will be required to be able to use it. Although Sprint will have numerous data devices to handle the usage by the end of the year, only the Sprint Tri-Band Modem will be available at the rollout of the 4G LTE service. Due to the enormous dependence my business has on accessing data in a mobile environment, plus the great increases in data speed available with 4G LTE, this makes getting access to 4G LTE imperative to me. I depended heavily on the Sierra Wireless data devices when I started this business 7 years ago for my source of a reliable method of mobile data transmission. This relationship continued on until the release of the original Hotspot with the 4G service in my area. At one point, I was so displeased with past models, that I had sworn I would never buy another Sierra Wireless device as long as I live. This conclusion was reached after having numerous issues with previous hotspot models. There were so many problems that it seemed as if the device was never even tested on the networks it was to be used on. Also Sprint actively blocked reviews of the device, likely to not hinder sales in spite of the problems. My need for a new device with both WiMax and LTE capability outweighed my outright dislike of Sierra Wireless products. I proceeded against better judgment, and the Tri-Band modem was ordered even though the possibility of getting a substandard unit once again was always at the forefront of my mind. On with the show The official part number of the Tri-Band Modem is 803S. Along with the modem, I also ordered the SSX7077-V desktop cradle. I had to dig through a lot sites to find the information necessary to make this decision for my business. Much to my surprise, even though I was told the cradle was not available yet, I got a Sprint telesales person who was able to use the part number and find they had it in stock. Upon arrival I unpacked the unit and cradle...while holding my breath. The device that came out of the box was a pleasant departure from the previous Hotspots I had owned. Above is a picture of the device as it was shipped with all components. There was a small user guide as well but to get the real instructions the user guide must be downloaded from Sprint. Gone was the one piece blow molded plastic case which allowed no air circulation and caused the prior Hotspots to overheat quickly. Although the display is still too small for my aging eyes (it is actually the same display size as prior units) the change to the case makes it much easier to see in the interior of my van where the device will mostly be used. In this picture of the front you can see that there is a new button arrangement as compared to the older Hotspots. Also in the picture is the USB cable for use with the charger or to connect a computer, the AC to USB adapter, the battery and the battery cover. I opened the cradle, which was surprisingly inexpensive, and was delighted to find an additional AC to USB adapter which meant the cradle could be left in place without having to move the adapter around. As you look at the modem from the side you can see the antenna ports (the covers are open), the USB connector in the middle and the slot for the memory card. The round hole just right of the left antenna port is the reset button for the unit. Here is the same view with the battery and cover installed. Notice that the SD card slot is covered by the battery cover. The opposite side has two switches. The one on the left is a WPS setup button while the one on the right is a slider to mute the unit. The unit sits nicely in the cradle and looks to me to be a solution to help keep the USB port for the charger/interface cable from failing. This has been a major issue with the prior Hotspots. The case of the unit also helps support the USB port to take some of the load off of the circuit board. It took quite a bit of digging on the Sierra Wireless site to find out that the antenna ports are for the 4G WiMax band only. The cradle contains 2 5dbi omnidirectional antennas to allow full use of the WiMax network architecture. Initial testing The initial testing of the unit looks promising. The antennas in the cradle for 4G WiMax actually seem to get 3 – 5dBm gain in all conditions tested. The new unit has the ability to search the other bands for signals while staying connected. This allows less downtime between band changes. I notice a lot less disruption when switching bands. This unit has better reception on 3G and 4G WiMax than the previous hotspots and even the U600 USB modem I use as well. 4G WiMax is able to connect quickly even at 10% and the cradle has improved stability of WiMax and decreased ping times. For a short time I had access to Sprint 4G LTE as they were testing the towers in my area. The speeds were incredilbly faster. A 10% 4G LTE signal averaged 8.12Mbps download and 1.85Mbps upload. An 80% signal was able to get 35.8Mbps down on my best test and 22.1Mbps up. The upload speeds was very unexpected, and much higher than Sprint LTE smartphone devices have reported. This is likely due to much stronger transmit capabilities of the hotspot. I also discovered that when the modem is tethered the cable limits the bandwidth to approximately 20Mbps total speed. It will be interesting to see how it works in the 12 to 14 hour days of hot Houston Weather. First week in the field The Tri Band Modem got pressed into service a little quicker than planned, as my main unit went down with a bad transmission and the U600 USB modem with a Cradlepoint that was in this unit appears to have been damaged by the wrecker’s radio which runs on the edge of the WiMax frequency at 5 watts. The units have been sent in to determine cause of failure and for repairs but I think next time I will make sure all electronics are powered off before getting that close to a transmitter (OUCH!!). I am running the same routes in a rental van with the Tri-Band Modem that I normally use the other units on. There is less downtime in the signal gaps I am familiar with and areas where I have had signal problems in both 3G and 4G WiMax are much improved. I have yet to encounter any more 4G LTE signals but am looking forward to the service coming online soon. The unit seems to be running hotter than I would like with a fully charged battery but is actually cooler that the previous Hotspots. The temperature is supposed to soar over the next few days without the cloudiness we have had this past week. So it will be interesting to see if the overheating problems of previous models still occur. Week 2 – The True test The unit is getting worked really hard this week with temperatures outside up near 100 degrees. The GPS is useless with this kind of sun load as the unit will overheat if left in direct sunlight (as the instructions state) in about 20 minutes. The good news is that this is about twice as long as my original Hotspot will last. How anyone can make a unit that requires a clear view of the sky for GPS but can’t handle sunlight is beyond comprehension. A quick check of the Tri-Band’s temperature specs shows that the unit is only rated for 95 degrees. The prior Hotspot was rated well above the century mark but couldn’t even handle 90 degrees for any length of time. The crappiest laptop on the market will handle 105 degrees plus all day long. The true test will be my afternoon calls when the temperatures are high. Battery life has been about 8 to 9 hours which is far better than the prior Hotspots. The unit started overheating one afternoon. I can’t say I’m a bit surprised at that, but what is surprising is that it will run steadily as long as the air temp is below 98 degrees. This is a first for Hotspots as they always overheated well before the rated temperature spec. The bad news is the crappy overheat shutdown doesn’t turn off the unit before damage starts to occur, nor does it turn the unit off completely. Removing the battery cover seems to help air circulation and overheating some. The button lights are flickering after one overheating but the unit seems to be working fine other than this. It will be interesting to see what happens when it really gets hot here. According to the specs 4G LTE takes the least amount of wattage to run so it may not overheat as fast when using 4G LTE. I had the chance to try the modem in the old school 3G EVDO mode as one of my locations is 40 feet underground and that is all that is available at this location. I shut the unit down after 30 minutes as the unit was so hot you could barely handle it even though the temperature underground is around 70 degrees. I would not recommend trying to use this for any length of time if you want the Tri-Band to not overheat!! My Opinion Although Sierra Wireless has made some major improvement in the 3rd generation Hotspot, this is still a unit for the casual user. It is not designed to handle heavy use or outdoor summer temperatures for any length of time. It will be going in my climate controlled cabinet to protect it from the heat next week. I will let you know how it works when the temperature stays below 85 degrees. The improvements in connectivity, reception and stability are worth the investment. As long as you know and adjust your usage for the limitations of the unit.

Yes. Stay tuned for the NYC market article this week for more info. However, NYC has over 1,100 sites. Some of the early second round markets have between 300 and 500 sites. Even with the head start NYC has, some of these smaller markets will slam out Network Vision in comparison. Robert

You can have complete 800 service without being on every site. Just like Verizon has complete LTE 700 coverage on being on 50% of their sites. Robert via Galaxy Nexus using Forum Runner

Our news articles will not be allowed to be places for member disagreements or Sprint complaints. You can complain to Sprint directly, we will not be the host for that. The internet may be open, but S4GRU is limited in its scope. Please refer to our posting guidelines. Robert

No. Articles are posting in launch order, not necessarily in Round Order. Because NYC is so large and SF Bay has had delays in its start, there will be some weaving of First and Second Round articles. Robert

There is really no way to speed up Chicago faster than it is...money is not the issue. I don't know if you fully grasp the scope of Network Vision. Network Vision is not just slapping LTE panels on a tower and walking away. Network Vision is a complete replacement of the Sprint network. At each site, every piece of equipment, every cable, every cabinet, is all replaced and completely reconfigured. Also, Sprint is deploying it over every single site in its Network. Every one. The rate at which the Chicago market is moving now is completely unprecedented and has NEVER been reached before ever in American wireless history. When Verizon came into Chicagoland and started adding LTE to sites, they added them to only one third of their sites. They slowly add more and more over time making the market more dense. Sprint not only has a much larger amount of work they are performing at every site, but they also are deploying on every site in the market. If you were to do a site count comparison, the number of sites Sprint/Samsung have converted to date is probably equal to the number of Verizon LTE sites in the market now (after 1-1/2 years). And Sprint is still going full bore to complete them all. If you look at the work in the proper context, you cannot help but be in awe of the enormity of it all. And now that Sprint/Samsung are even pulling ahead of schedule in the market is extremely impressive. Sprint will soon launch a state of the art network in Chicago. But there will be some bumps in the road along the way. I don't believe Sprint could spend any more money to expedite Chicago faster than now. I think a faster deployment than now is not feasible. The only place Sprint could spend more money to speed up Network Vision at this point is in expediting 2013 markets. Robert

I do understand why your are frustrated. However, I do not understand why you put up with it if Sprint doesn't meet your needs. I also am not crazy about repetitive complaints all over our pages. I provide information that I receive for your benefit. Hopefully it helps you to make decisions that are best for your circumstances. Robert

Yes. All Second Round markets. If you go to this link and look at the Second Round markets, you will see the order in which the Articles will post. The North Jersey article will not be until next week some time at the earliest. Robert