jonathanm1978

It's common with all small cells. These units are self optimizing and self configuring just like the bigger and more powerful brethren on light poles or wooden poles. I like to joke around that they take time to "grow" after install because that's how these things work generally. 

 

Once installed in an area, they will slowly learn their RF environment and neighboring sites and handoffs become smoother and quicker. Sometimes it still bugs out and won't reconnect manually with airplane modes or reboots but they always eventually  find their way back to it after a few hours of leaving it alone. Basically it just needs time. 

 

I had given up on the day that I was installing the MB...I actually had sat in in the spot it currently resides as a last-ditch effort...

Then I just left it, came inside and started playing my Ps4...

I happened to grab my note5 and noticed it said B41 MB on SCP...and I was like "hey, it worked!!"

 

It had sat for probably 2 hours...just searching. It seemed to fix itself from the 20% issue.

Est delivery is 9/1. Will pickup on 9/1 at UPS hub (don't have a UPS store anymore...)...and will update when I see movement on the package..

Highest I got was 20. I'm thinking of sending it back and get the Airave 3 instead since it's so big for my house for a window.

 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

You are aware of the technical differences between the two devices??

 

I have the airave, but when I walk out of my house, it pretty much loses it's ability to provide a reliable calling signal ...

And 3G is all you're gonna get...

 

The magic box is LTE... which means data only.

You're not gonna improve you're calling by getting a magic box.

You're not gonna get better data speeds by getting a Airave.

 

Now, the upside to the MB, when sprint goes to VO-LTE, then you'll see the MB helping with calls.

Until that point, you're gonna see calls on CDMA, and data on LTE.

 

The airave is eventually going to become outdated...as the CDMA network begins to be shut-down...

i'd say within 8-10 years is what is estimated for CDMA.

 

Likely, if a merger of some kind occurs between Sprint + Tmo..it could happen sooner..

 

I really don't pay much attention to my Airave anymore.

Sometimes I run it for a couple weeks, sometimes i unplug it and let it sit..

 

I try to leave it unplugged for a few days (so I will know when there is work in the area that could improve my reception)...

 

I hope to see B26 soon in my area...or a 2nd B25 carrier...but with the airave, it's not going to be obvious to me at my house.

 

(I will say this, the MB reaches a LOT farther than the airave. I get nearly 1/2 a mile of LTE around my house...which is really surprising for such a small device)

Got my shipping notice as well. But nothing comes up on the UPS site yet.  So I guess it's not actually shipping out until at least tomorrow. 

 

 

From my years of experience with UPS, FedX and USPS (mostly UPS and FedX tho)...that usually means (and sometimes it will say this)

"tracking information has been sent to the carrier, but the package has not yet been picked up by the carrier"...

 

so, a shipping label has been printed and placed on a box, but UPS hasn't picked up yet. They will probably start moving around 9-10am today..you'll probably see something on the UPS app around 5pm this evening (times are CST for me)..

 

For those who are unaware, Sprint has a contract with UPS to not leave packages ...they told me that MUST see a person and hand it off ...so you need to either pick it up at the local hub (or UPS store), or have someone available to sign,

 

Apparently people used UPS as a "I never got it" when they would leave packages on someone's door...

 

I've signed the delivery confirmation release....but it still doesn't apply to shipments that are made from sprint....

I still have to physically touch the package as received from the driver...

Sorry for that ambiguous email screenshot in my previous post..

 

Per my email at 3am or whatever time it was...my WIFE's grey Note 8 has a tracking number and is on the way...

The one I wanted (the black) is not yet shipped.

 

If i go to www.sprint.com/myorder ...then I can see that the grey has tracking, but the black doesn't..

 

I'm not receiving a return kit, since on the day I preordered my notes, i purchased my note 5 outright...so I own my note 5.

Just got email

 

 

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Ha, I actually got an email reply today, because I had an old airrave, i couldn't get a MagicBox. If I return the Airrave, I can get the magicbox, so we'll be doing that

They didn't mention my airave 2.5 when they talked to me. Still have it.

 

btw, software updated...

 

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It was mentioned a few posts back. When you get your new Note, you then go to Samsung site to register it and choose your promo deal.

I haven't tried yet but curious if you gotta have the new note to choose your gift? Like required to enter IMEI or such...

If not I'd like to know if anyone is successful with choosing.

 

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I'd love to have enough tower details to know whether HPUE is capable in area yet (maybe capable isn't the term...I guess active or in use)...

The last "work"done was a gmo to LTE around March or Feb I think...

 

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 And they start shipping on the 5th, although historically its always been a day or two earlier. I was sent the contract to sign and everything was done. 

 

 

 

Edit: found out one has to register the phone once we get it and thats when you pick which bonus offer to get.

 

TS

 

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who encounters that. Usually the language barrier doesn't bother me much...mainly because i have a best friend who is Indian and he depends on me to talk to people for him when he's conducting business at the store... And I've been doing that for 10 years or so. So I can understand just fine when it comes to non-American accent...

But, when you need to make sure it's accurate, or affects a bill ...then you want to know for sure what you're hearing is exactly what they mean... 

 

I've never done the "pre-order" thing.. The Note 5...I got that on release date (telesales, waited on shipping, so it was like ~1 week after it's official release to Sprint)

This is actually the 1st time that I've done the "pre-order" and wait for carrier to even receive devices.. So something new for me.

And I was told about that freebie thing when I asked..the same thing you were ...when you receive device, you log into site and pick which freebie you want...

Congrats. Only thing I could get was the $28 deal.  I tried to sign up for the $20 but everytime I entered my account info it switched deals to the other one.  Oh, well. No complaints.  It's still better than the $40 full monthly payment. It makes the total ust a bit more than the price I paid for my current Note 4.

 

 

I should be awarded something else I think...because I actually called into telesales and spoke with them (for 45+ minutes) to get the deal that I got. I gotta say, the language barrier is HORRIBLE... It was beyond misery to try and understand / speak with the rep..

 

I did manage to get it done though. Aside from the huge account issue and not being able to verify since they can't send a text to ANY of my 8-10 devices...

 

also got the $30 act/per phone waived...so I did pretty good I think.

 

I was "told"...that my current Note 5 (on lease since release) was buyout for $1.04 .........and my wife's Note 5, also on lease since release, was buyout for $30.36...

So I kept both. But I am not sure that's accurate, and since I can't login, I am unable to see my device balances...

 

I don't know if/when they will get this fixed, but i hope that it's done soon. I don't want to drive an hour away just to sign the ToS/Lease...

 

She also told me shipping could start as early as Sept 5...

I should receive between 9/5 and 9/15.

I just got an email from Sprint offering an upgrade to the Note 8 for $28.88/ month on an 18 month lease. It's one of those credit deals. Pay $40 and get a $11.12 bill credit each month.  With upgrade after 12 months of payments.  Not as good as the new customer deal but cheaper than the $33/month deal that best buy is offering.  

I'm a current customer, and got the $20/mo for 18 month..no new lines.. Both are upgrades and both are $20/mo each.

 

billed $40/mo but receiving a $20/mo bill credit. Plus the freebies from Samsung.

 

This is a "known" issue. It happened to everyone who got a MB when they got the shipping notification (ie when it was added to your account). I haven't been able to login since last week.

 

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Herein lies the problem with me...If I don't do esign within like, 72 hours (actually now it's like 60 hours) then my order for 2 GN8 will auto cancel...

The nearest store? An hour away.

They gotta get that resolved...

Even Exec Cust Serv hasn't called me back about this issue and I called "Susan" at 8:35 this morning and she's been working on it for me!!

Got my pre-order done already for TWO Galaxy Note 8. Sprint doesnt have the gold edition...so I had to order a black and gray edition.

 

Problem with sprint.com/esign...

For whatever reason, Sprint has been unable to send me a confirmation text to verify my account, and I can't sign into the esign page ...it says this:

 

 

 

I'm waiting on someone from Exec Cust Relations to return my call regarding this error.

 

(when I sign into my account, I can't see ANY devices...nothing shows up. And I can't see data use either)...

 

Something has happened since they added the MagicBox on my account.

 

The Magic Box was my 11th device..and I could be wrong but after you get to 10, you have to either have a business or corporate account to be able to have more devices ...

 

Even though the MB isn't an actual "line"...it's still got a number and should show up as a device on my account..

So I think whatever they did with the MB to add it has done something to my account..and I can't sign into it anymore..

Actually thought I would get denied, the towers near me don't all include band 26...one of three has it. Only two of three have 5x5 band 25...and no band 41...

Actually the business location I requested seems more sensible than my residence...because I can get LTE depending on where I am...

I am not sure on it yet as I just did the request this week...

 

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$20/mo on lease ain't bad with upgrade in twelve months.

 

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That upload is more than enough for VoIP. Latency is what matters on WiFi calling. Also, the MB is for data only (excluding Calling+ devices) so it won't help you with calls.

 

You probably didn't need the MB and just put unnecessary strains on Sprints supply chain. Why grab it if you knew it was not going to help with voice? If voice was your main concern, you should have just bought a repeater or switched carriers.

 

Sprint should have stuck to distributing MBs to businesses only. Consumers don't need these as most of us have WiFi. Even if VoLTE is launched, consumers can still use wifi calling and have their call handoff to VoLTE when they leave their premises.

 

 

I've been dealing with Vonage + Airave and AT&T since 2008. Thanks for the advice, but I'm well aware of what works, and how it works. 

And as far as "uneccessary strains"...Sprint doesn't just send you a MB simply because you request it. Plenty of folks got denied..but according to Sprint coverage maps, I'm in a slim coverage area that looked to be beneficial for a MB to work properly.

 

I also ordered one for my business location (a gas station), I guess thats an added strain as well (even though it's fringe B25/B26).

 

And I never said voice was my main concern. And no, you can't use Vonage, Airave and Wi-Fi calling at the same time. It just don't work. Not even close...there's not enough upload to go around for them all.

 

In my airave post, I've posted screenshots of the upload/download activity in real-time of a call in action on Airave. 

I know exactly how much of the upload it takes to make a call. 

 

I should've just bought a repeater or switched carriers. Thanks...I'll keep that in mind when I consider my decade of service with Sprint...

And I rarely complain about Sprint..but I definitely could if I chose to...

It really depends on where you're located. If you have barely any B25 signal (or B26 only) it won't really help you. In these cases an airave is more appropriate. The MB is designed more for places that are on the edge of B41 coverage; places where you can get B41 by a window, but no where else inside. For those locations, a magic box works beautifully. Many buildings and houses in cities fit this description.

 

My place is a good example. I get B41 on the second floor by the window facing the site. First floor is B25 or B26. With the MB I have 30+ Mbps B41 throughout now instead of sub megabit speeds on congested B26.

 

The fact that the MB supports B25 does not mean it should be used with a barely usable B25 signal. My take on it supporting B25 is that it may choose a strong B25 10x10 or 2xCA B25 signal over a very weak B41 signal if it performs better, but it really shouldn't be used normally. It's designed for B41 relaying.

 

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Again, there is NO B41 at all near me. This is not correct..it doesn't use b41 solely as it's backhaul.

B25 is the supplied backhaul to REPRODUCE a b41 carrier that you connect to with your phone (in my case)

 

And Airaves aren't the solution for people who can't get a decent ISP (or if they can't get any type of broadband internet at all)

It seems people are confusing an airrave for magic box.

Magic box isn't a solution for low outdoor signal and speeds won't dramatically increase if the feeder signal is marginal (or if the source is 5x5 b25).

If service is poor outside, the box won't create fiber fed service, u need an airrave

 

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No confusion here....as I already own an airave. You don't need an airave when you're supplied internet speed (more-so the upload) is sub-dialup speed..or comparable to dialup.

 

I have a 6meg down, 0.5 meg upload. The 0.5 meg upload equates to being about 420kbps in real-world. So for VOIP of any kind, it sucks.

 

And I'm in a 5x5 B25 market, with marginal outdoor signal as pictured above.

 

The magic box still gives me better signal and speeds than my DSL does on upload side...

 

However, I don't try to use my phone as an ISP either...so there's that.

Any idea as to how long it'll work on battery?

 

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The 20% initialization thing seems to be an issue with new MBs. Think most people just let it sit and work things out or need a replacement.

 

Also what are you trying to access?

The MB has no public facing access available. If you're trying to get through into the IP address then it's a fools errand as you must have a sprint airspan management software suite and corporate access in order to utilize the small cell management tool.

Mine did the 20% thing for nearly an hour. I actually went to my business location right after I picked it up from ups because the business has a -105 band 25 signal...so it should've been easily setup...but after an hour of trying at the business, I just decided to bring it home and see what transpired. Keep in mind, at home I don't have anything. I've seen band 25 up on my roof, and while riding my four wheeler...but only once place on the ground near my house - under the edge of my carport, right at the lattice, and only in one specific spot. I took this box all over my house. North side, south side, every place I could plug it in...finally I left it outside on the banister at the lattice...and later (hour or two)I noticed SCP said B41 MB...which I know means magic box. Sure enough I check and it's connected...barely.

 

I built a small platform and raised it up about 3 feet so rain won't blow in...and I'm still connected this morning. No drops, but speed is not the best either.

 

When I say barely connected...I mean barely. But it's holding...I'm not dropping any at all.

 

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I actually did get mine to work, the signal is weak and I'm not sure it'll be a long-term solution (where I had to place it)...

Determination is key..I kept moving it around and the last place I tried was a spot that I had my cell phone make the "lte jingle" from SCP a few times before...so I tried it there and just left it for a while..

 

Happened to grab my phone and noticed SCP said B25(2)...but the details said B41 MB...

 

What may negate the positives is the fact that this spot I found is outdoors (however it's under my carport, and I built a small platform that get it above the weather ..but it's still outdoors.)

Yeah, I was gonna reply that but just forgot to...I think the Auburn - Opelika area falls into the Georgia - Atlanta market. 

They are sister cities ..only a few miles apart..and the Ga line is like...right there. 

 

The MSC I think is Atlanta...but I could be mistaken.

No..I wasn't aware of a blog posting about it..but I haven't been able to look around much either.

 

They sure don't send you much paperwork with it to describe what you should look for when hooking it up, aside from the QSG..

 

I guess I will just hang onto it and hope it comes to life soon.  Definitely not sending it back. if I have to, I'll put it in at my business location so that customer who come in will be able to use it. It's in a scarcely covered b25, b26 area.

 

 

No b41 anywhere around me (or even in Alabama that I'm aware of)

Magic Box - received = check.

Magic Box - not working = check.

Magic Box - currently outside trying to latch on to 1 bar of B26LTE from a tower 8 miles away - check.

 

Happy with Magic Box's current operational status -- uncheck.

Just for clarity...I was not saying that I was arbitrary forced into the new Unlimited Freedom Plan. I did mention in my previous post that I said to the Sprint Tech that the Unlimited Freedom Plan did sound like a good value, but I did clearly state to the Tech that I wanted to "think about it and consider my options". So I did not actually give my consent or authorization to be switched over.

 

Honestly, at this point, since I have already been switched over to the new Unlimited Freedom Plan, I'd me more than happy to stay with the Unlimited Freedom Plan, as long as it is a good value for me and there aren't any 'catches' that will cause me to lose any benefits I had with the ED 1500 plan.

 

Futhermore, the reason I chose to ask here at the S4GRU Forum, is because I know the members here are very knowledgeable and I trust all of your opinions.

 

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I had the same thing happen, as I mentioned above...back in May. Called into Sprint to order a new SGS8 to replace a broken phone...and spent nearly 40 minutes talking to the salesperson. In the conversation, we went into depth on my account charges, etc...because I do have a really high bill each month, but its mostly because I have so many devices on my account (I am at the 10-device limit I think). Plus an airave...plus the magic box on the way now....

 

So she mentioned that I would do better on the unlimited freedom plan. I actually agreed to it at first...then as our conversation went on, it came down to comparing and pricing. She told me that unlimited freedom would actually cost me about $20 more a month on my base charges...so I finally, in the end, declined to change plans.

 

She had originally set the plan-change to take place on the 6th of the month (as the date we spoke was the 18th.)..

This would eliminate any pro-rated charges, etc from appearing on my bill..so I went along with that. When I backed out (still during the course of my phone conversation -- never hung up before I changed my mind).. she changed everything back so that my plan would remain (I am still on the 32gb data bucket...with 1 tablet on unlimited tablet plan)...

 

On the 6th of the following month, I suddenly lost ability to text on my tablet, and that threw me off...however I didn't notice anything until my bill cycled a few days beyond the 6th...and when my bill finally cycled, it was hugely beyond what it should've been...even with the phone upgrade/etc. We're talking about $150 higher than it should've been....so I called in to Sprint.

 

Turns out, the plan change went into effect, but only  on 2 phones and my tablets. the other 4 phones were still on 32gb share...so i had some enormous billing errors. 

 

Sprint fixed it all back like it was, and saw where I requested no change to my plan...so the person i called about the problem got a supervisor to do an override since the 32gb share plan is no longer available. They told me they couldn't add that plan and that they would have to get management to add it for them because it's no longer offered.

 

Sprint gave me all sorts of credits for the issue, and fixed everything back to be the way it was before the changes.