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Free signal Boosters from T-mobile for customers - Networking

Hi,
I went to the T-mobile store yesterday to pay my bill. So while talking to the rep, I told him how I get such a horrible signal in my house and if and when my wireless internet goes on the fritz or I switch ISP's I have a certain amount of time without the use of wifi calling. So the rep. told me to call T-mobile Customer service and get a signal booster, I asked him how much it was. He said free. I was partially right, you have to qualify, meaning you have to spend so much money there a month <I'm not sure of the amount>, and you Must have a 3G or 4G device, or devices. So I called and I qualified, so they free of charge are sending me a free home signal booster. There's no monthly fee either. So for those of you that get a crap signal in their house and sometimes the internet goes on the blink or you just are sick of having to keep your phone on wifi with wifi calling at all times at home, that's a huge battery drainer. I really didn't see any video's for this on YouTube so I'll be sure to make one once mine comes to show you how good or not good it works.
I hope some of you found this heplful, If so hit the thanks button please
good luck all,
Knotrkr

Must have good credit, be spending 70 bucks or more on your bill(all lines combined), be in 3g/4g coverage with 3g/4g phones(does not boost 2g), be in detached dwelling(no apartments), have somewhere in your house you can get atleast 1-2 bars of 3g, and be willing to sign up for 2 year service agreement.
For those that meet the criteria, it's a great option

I was one of the lucky ones who got in on the deal when it was still in beta. The only criteria we had to meet was not live in an apt, and have a landline for 911 purposes. Thing works great. You should see a nice improvement.
Sent from my LG G2x

TJBunch1228 said:
I was one of the lucky ones who got in on the deal when it was still in beta. The only criteria we had to meet was not live in an apt, and have a landline for 911 purposes. Thing works great. You should see a nice improvement.
Sent from my LG G2x
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I'm really glad to hear that. I'm sick of having to keep wifi calling on 24/7. Its a 2 year free service agreement meaning even if your regular contract runs out you gotta hang onto it till the 2 years is up. I just reupped my contract 3 months ago anyhow to get the sensation. I hope it helps though.

Wait what does this do exactly? Boost the 3G in your house? What do you connect it to? :s
Also, anyone in UK using this?

bringonblink said:
Wait what does this do exactly? Boost the 3G in your house? What do you connect it to? :s
Also, anyone in UK using this?
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I'm really not sure yet. I was at the T-mobile store last week paying my bill and checking out some phones and whatnot. I got to talking to a sales rep. and I was *****ing about the horrible signal I get as soon as I walk in my house, and I always have to keep wifi calling on and how it kills my battery. He told me to just call customer service and get a signal booster. I didn't even know if it was true or not because sometimes those guys talk bulls^^t. So I called and it's a real thing, you have to be using a 3 or 4G phone, pay over 70 a month on your bill, and you can't live in a rented apartment or rented house (I DON"T KNOW WHY). But it is free, you gotta send it back when your done but it doesn't have a monthly cost or any cost. As far as putting it together I never saw one. But I was told you put 1 piece at the spot in your house where you get the most bars. Then I think there's a couple other pieces. I do know that none go outside. I found one video of one on youtube but it cuts off after like 18 seconds but I'll be sure to make a video and I'll post the link to it on this thread. It's supposed to arrive at my house no later than October 17th. As far as the UK, I don't know. I live in the U.S. and use TMOUS and don't really know anything about the other oversea T mobiles.

TJBunch1228 said:
I was one of the lucky ones who got in on the deal when it was still in beta. The only criteria we had to meet was not live in an apt, and have a landline for 911 purposes. Thing works great. You should see a nice improvement.
Sent from my LG G2x[/QUOTE
Quick question, Did you already get OK service in your house? Or was it just out and out HORRIBLE like mine, EG,, nonstop loosing signal, dropping calls, and all that? and how much did it help? Like from how many bars to how many bars and did it help your 3/4G signal as well? If so how much,
Thanks a lot,
Kn0t
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Your are correct, but as far as the 2 year contract agreement goes, it doesn't lengthen your current phone contract at all. It's a separate contract just for the booster. They told me even if my contract goes up and I leave T mobile just keep the Booster in a box somewhere and send it back at the end of the 2 year contract. It doesn't cost you any money any way you slice it, and if T mobile is still there in 2 years (God I hope so) I'm sure I will be too.

I spoke with tmo customer service several times last week about the poor signal in my home. After reading about the boosters on tmonews.com I called and asked about getting one. After arguing with several reps that they do exist I found someone who knew about them but told me there was no way I could get one. He said It was just a test project that you had to be invited into. If anyone has a name or direct line of someone I could talk to that would be helpful. I had always had great experiences with tmo's customer service but this last experience was terrible.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

tohg2 said:
I spoke with tmo customer service several times last week about the poor signal in my home. After reading about the boosters on tmonews.com I called and asked about getting one. After arguing with several reps that they do exist I found someone who knew about them but told me there was no way I could get one. He said It was just a test project that you had to be invited into. If anyone has a name or direct line of someone I could talk to that would be helpful. I had always had great experiences with tmo's customer service but this last experience was terrible.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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Well, IDK who you talked too. I called and told them that the customer service guy at the store told me I could get a free signal booster. They said yes If I meet the criteria witch I listed in an earlier post. It came in the mail yesterday. I was never able to get more than 1 bar in here that would drop all the time and no data. now I have nonstop 3 too 5 bars and nonstop 4G. Whoever you talked to was just lazy or misinformed. I called a week ago and got it yetsterday. I took a few pics.
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IF you have your own house or live in your parents house.. as long as it's a single family house. you have a 3 or 4G phone and your bill must be more than 70 a month. If you meet that criteria, call back and ****ing demand that they give you one of these. whoever you talked to is full of ****. I called I asked. They put me on hold to make sure I met the criteria and they confirmed my shipping address and that was that.. the whole thing took 15 minutes.
best of luck to ya buddy.
kn0t

oh to answer a question from an earlier post. The Kit consits of 2 main peices. 2 plugs. And some instruction booklets. It's very easy to hook up. You take the one piece, and you put it near a window were you get at least 1 bar on your phone, and you plug it in. You take the second piece and place it in the center of your house, nowhere near the first piece. And that's it. Nothing screws into anything. Nothing goes outside. it's 2 boxes and need plugged in and it works well.

Was there a part number or something on the box you could send me?
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Yup. It's called a Tmobile - cell - fi
Model # : CELFl - RSU104

I was finally able to get setup to have a booster sent to me. They must have my account marked as me being a jerk. I spent an hour being transferred around and no one could help me. I put my wife on who also has T-Mobile and within minutes we had one ordered. The first guy told me I need two lines on my account to qualify. Then he hung up on me. The next lady said my credit wasent good enough, which is BS, seeing as I just bought a house. Finally I let my wife try and she was approved right away. One thing I know is T-Mobile customer service has definitely taken a turn for the worst. Thanks for the help
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

tohg2 said:
I spoke with tmo customer service several times last week about the poor signal in my home. After reading about the boosters on tmonews.com I called and asked about getting one. After arguing with several reps that they do exist I found someone who knew about them but told me there was no way I could get one. He said It was just a test project that you had to be invited into. If anyone has a name or direct line of someone I could talk to that would be helpful. I had always had great experiences with tmo's customer service but this last experience was terrible.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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Just call Customer service and say you were at the store telling them about your horrible signal in your house and you were about to cancel your account (that should light a fire under their ass), then proceed to tell them that the Rep. at the T mobile store assured you that you could call customer service and get a FREE signal booster. It did start as some beta trial but not anymore. I got mine so fast I can't understand why your having any problems as long as you meed the criteria. 1. must own a 3/4G Phone. Must Spend over $70.00 a month on your bill, You must live in a house, with no other families, no apartments, duplexes or anything and you must have a land-line for 911 purposes (don't ask me why) . If you meet those you should have zero problem getting one. All I paid was like $7.88 shipping and handling that they just add to your next bill, oh you must have good credit as well. Those people you talked to are full of **** plain and simple. or they just didn't feel like doing their job. The Box just says, T-Mobile CEL - FI®. There's a sticker that says NXT CELFI RS1-4 INDOOR COVER
PCS PHONE KIT SMART card serial number.
that's about it.
All I can say about the unit is, in my house I'd get 1 bar that would come and go, go more than come, I had to wave my phone around in the air to send a text, and calls, If they would go through at all would drop almost immediately. AND I would get 2G or E at the very best. Once in a while 3/4G would flash on and off real fast. Now I have 4G Nonstop, and between 2 and 5 bars at all times, and I never drop a call. I do have wifi and wifi calling that I used but it just drained my battery so bad, this unit really really works well and if you don't get signal in your house I'd call them and not take no for an answer. Honest to God it took me 15 minutes for the entire phone call and 5 days later it was at my door.
THIS IS THE BOX IT CAME IN
THIS IS THE UNIT THAT YOU MOUNT IN YOUR WINDOW
THIS IS THE UNIT THAT YOU PUT IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR HOUSE

knotrkr said:
You must live in a house, with no other families, no apartments, duplexes or anything and you must have a land-line for 911 purposes (don't ask me why) .
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Hopefully I can clear this up for the confused. Enhanced 911 services on your cell phone allow the emergency dispatcher to immediately triangulate your location based on where your cell phone is. This way even if you are unable to tell the dispatcher your address they can send units out to you. This Cell-Fi amplifies an existing signal which a near-by neighbor could also pick up and utilize. This confuses the E911 because it cannot accurately track your location. For this reason, for legal and safety purposes, T-Mobile must require that you have a landline, which will automatically give your address to the emergency dispatcher. They also require that you live in a single family residence as to not put your neighbors at risk by FUBARing their ability to track them in case of emergency should they happen to be calling from a T-Mobile cell phone as well.

I assume they just felt like being assholes to me. I do have a habit of yelling at incompetent customer service reps. Truth is I was looking to cancel my service and I still might. I'm really waiting for the new nexus to be released so I can see what carriers it will be available on. My wife has wifi calling on her bb but it isn't an option on my nexus s. At any rate, our cel-fi shipped today so I guess I won in the end. Thanks again for the info
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

SWEET I may switch to TMO now....This isnt a femtocel like sprints airrave right?

churro7 said:
SWEET I may switch to TMO now....This isnt a femtocel like sprints airrave right?
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Sorry man but I have no clue what sprints airrave is man.

Well I got my booster today. There is one spot in my house where I get between 1 and 2 bars of hsdpa. Running a speed test in that window I can get .80mbps down. 2 steps from that window I have nothing. I placed the window unit in that spot and put the base unit in the middle of my house (1800 sq. Ft.) The two units are about 25 ft apart. I am showing a 6 on my base unit. They say 1-9 the higher the number the better. I can now make calls anywhere throughout the house and have clear quality. I am getting around .40mbps down in the room with the base unit. Overall I am very happy with the booster. I have wifi so the speed doesn't bother me and thankfully I can finally make calls from my couch. Any questions let me know
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Related

Long story short, moved to a new house, Sprint service sucked (not even one bar) at the new house. Called Sprint, ***** ***** *****... Airvana. Im not a photographer, i barely had the patience to take these pics while holding myself back from not hooking it up faster. Its still initializing, book says GPS can take up to half an hour... if not gotta hook up the external GPS antenna. Mobile portion can take up to two hours so im just gonna be here on the computer waiting until then. Ill update as things move along, for now heres the flicks.
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Good luck - I had one of the 1st Gen and it worked pretty well... with the issues I have at the house they should be sending me one soon...

Yo it's JR from B20 (sick srt4)
I heard about that a while back but never actually saw one. Let me know how it works out I might want to get that in my office.

jerdog said:
Good luck - I had one of the 1st Gen and it worked pretty well... with the issues I have at the house they should be sending me one soon...
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Thanks man, how far did your coverage go... do you remember? like only a floor away, outside, etc??
AndersonAirChris said:
Yo it's JR from B20 (sick srt4)
I heard about that a while back but never actually saw one. Let me know how it works out I might want to get that in my office.
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whats up kid, your first post on my thread? i feel honored lol. yea its still activatin like i said on fbook but as soon as it does, i got you.

oreoOozZz said:
Thanks man, how far did your coverage go... do you remember? like only a floor away, outside, etc??
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It was actually pretty good - but it was also first gen - so as soon as my phone was out of range it would drop the call I was on. they now do "hot-swap" where it will seamlessly (supposedly) switch between the tower and the Airave

jerdog said:
It was actually pretty good - but it was also first gen - so as soon as my phone was out of range it would drop the call I was on. they now do "hot-swap" where it will seamlessly (supposedly) switch between the tower and the Airave
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Damn that must have been aggrivating because i definetly would have forgot and always dropped calls lol. Thanks for the info though man.
Update: It was taking forever to find a GPS signal (over an hour, i gave it a little extra) so i finally connected the external GPS antenna and the light went green solid (found location) almost instantly. Unfortunately the mobile light startin blinking amber which means i have no service... the receipt that they give you says it should be activated when you recieve the unit but i guess thats not true, time to start jonesin on the phone with Sprint again. Ill post back and lets you guys know what happened when im through.

K, just got off the phone with sprint and for some reason they had the wrong mac address in the system. That is the reason why the unit wasnt activated. I power cycled both my router and the airave like they said to do, router is obviously back up and running fine... on the airave broadband is solid, GPS is solid but mobile is still flashing green. The rep said it can take up to 4 hours to activate so im not gonna hold my breath. Gonna stay on the comp for a few, do what i gotta do and hopefully it activates in the process.

Cost?
Usually it's like 4.95 a month.. how much are you paying? or is sprint footing the bill? this should be interesting

bomix said:
Usually it's like 4.95 a month.. how much are you paying? or is sprint footing the bill? this should be interesting
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All free my man, they waived the $4.95 a month for 2 yrs ( they said just call after 2 yrs and they will extend it another 2 yrs free ) and the $199 or whatever it is unit fee. I had been called a few times in the last 2 months since i got my evo and went through all the hoops they asked me to jump through ( factory resets, things on my end, things on their end )... nothing worked. I called a couple of days ago and pretty much told them, this is it... if they cant do something about the crappy service, im going to *CANCEL*. I wasnt an ass, the lady on the phone was extremely nice... she even stayed an hour late just to try and fix it for me. I didnt mention anything about an airave, i just said im still having bad service and its not the phone... im fed up. That phone could have caught on fire how fast they transferred me to retentions, within minutes i had one sent out to me free of charge.

I'm jealous. Just have my ****ty first-gen Airave.

TheBiles said:
I'm jealous. Just have my ****ty first-gen Airave.
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Call up! See if your eligible for an upgrade. I've seen post about it like wildfire all over the net, they just call and get a free replacement.
On another note, it JUST started working now. 2 calls to airave support and finally a click of the reset button and within minutes its all synced and working. DEFINETLY makes a difference. i had 0 i repeat, 0 bars in my home. Everywhere else 5-6 bars, now i have 5-6 bars in my house. 3G and everything, calls are perfectly clear. Awesomeness all around.
Thanks Sprint, for doing what my phone should have done in the first place now.

oreoOozZz said:
Call up! See if your eligible for an upgrade. I've seen post about it like wildfire all over the net, they just call and get a free replacement.
On another note, it JUST started working now. 2 calls to airave support and finally a click of the reset button and within minutes its all synced and working. DEFINETLY makes a difference. i had 0 i repeat, 0 bars in my home. Everywhere else 5-6 bars, now i have 5-6 bars in my house. 3G and everything, calls are perfectly clear. Awesomeness all around.
Thanks Sprint, for doing what my phone should have done in the first place now.
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I'm up for the upgrade, but I have to haul my lazy ass into the Sprint store to pick one up.

Seeing this thread inspired me to give them a call, mine should be here in a couple days. I have been thinking of getting one for a while, just the fact that it uses VOIP for calls within it's range and doesn't use your minutes makes it worth it. I've been a Sprint customer for about 9yrs so I got it for free with free service.

Damn, we need one of these. But according to their coverage maps, we have perfect signal at the office and home, do you think I can ***** at them enough to get one for free?

TheBiles said:
I'm up for the upgrade, but I have to haul my lazy ass into the Sprint store to pick one up.
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So totally worth it.
ausch30 said:
Seeing this thread inspired me to give them a call, mine should be here in a couple days. I have been thinking of getting one for a while, just the fact that it uses VOIP for calls within it's range and doesn't use your minutes makes it worth it. I've been a Sprint customer for about 9yrs so I got it for free with free service.
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Good stuff man, best of luck! If you need any help just give me a shout but its pretty self-explanitory.
Hrshycro said:
Damn, we need one of these. But according to their coverage maps, we have perfect signal at the office and home, do you think I can ***** at them enough to get one for free?
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My house is directly smack dab in the middle of a PERFECT coverage zone, they say they have no idea how this happens in my location. They might make you jump through a few hoops and turn the phone off, reset it, bla bla bla but after they see nothing works... tell them your going to cancel and they will transfer you to retention = airave. Let me know if you need any help too.
But yea, this thing is MONEY in the house... as soon as you walk outside though, dead lol. One guy said it doesnt go past 20 FT... i dont think hes kidding lol. I dont care though because im never really on my phone outside my house plus my airave is in the basement so its kind of understandable.

oreoOozZz said:
But yea, this thing is MONEY in the house... as soon as you walk outside though, dead lol. One guy said it doesnt go past 20 FT... i dont think hes kidding lol. I dont care though because im never really on my phone outside my house plus my airave is in the basement so its kind of understandable.
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20ft??? I am getting a good 5 or 600 feet out of mine.. No joke.. I can leave my apartment complex and make a call and still in Airave coverage.. For kicks I went down the street a little ways and made a few phone calls and had my wife checking the Airave. As soon as I made a call she was able to notice the mobile light start to blink on the new airave.
Extremely awesome coverage. I can finally drown out the other Airave in my area thats setup as private..
James

oreoOozZz said:
My house is directly smack dab in the middle of a PERFECT coverage zone, they say they have no idea how this happens in my location. They might make you jump through a few hoops and turn the phone off, reset it, bla bla bla but after they see nothing works... tell them your going to cancel and they will transfer you to retention = airave. Let me know if you need any help too.
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I'll try, because I actually do get dropped calls at both places. I have the 2 phones force PRL roaming at the office because the data service from the tower it connects to out there is at 0.025 Kbps - not kidding! It can't even send a google voice text until the 5th try.

ausch30 said:
just the fact that it uses VOIP for calls within it's range and doesn't use your minutes makes it worth it.
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Not true I was told it will still use minutes but for 10 a month it would be unlimited calls while connected to it..i have not gotten a bill yet to confirm. Only repeating what sprint said...

cj10488 said:
20ft??? I am getting a good 5 or 600 feet out of mine.. No joke.. I can leave my apartment complex and make a call and still in Airave coverage.. For kicks I went down the street a little ways and made a few phone calls and had my wife checking the Airave. As soon as I made a call she was able to notice the mobile light start to blink on the new airave.
Extremely awesome coverage. I can finally drown out the other Airave in my area thats setup as private..
James
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Thats awesome man, your in an apartment complex so im guessing you have your airave located on the 2nd floor somewhere high in the apartment. Like i said mine is in the basement so i think thats what cuts a good amount of the coverage. Im okay with that though because inside my house is really only the problem. As soon as i went outside i did the *99 and got an error message instead of the airave message. I still get anywhere from 2-4 bars outside from the tower so its cool. The coverage you are getting is ridic man, thats pretty far.
Hrshycro said:
I'll try, because I actually do get dropped calls at both places. I have the 2 phones force PRL roaming at the office because the data service from the tower it connects to out there is at 0.025 Kbps - not kidding! It can't even send a google voice text until the 5th try.
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I totally know what thats like! I wouldnt even get one bar in my house, i would never get any phone calls. When i did try to make a call by the window with one bar, it would always drop. So frustrating. Then i started doing the same thing as you, making the phone force roam. I tried to do the 1.40 PRI update like a bajillion times and for some reason like others, i guess whatever reset or restore we did messed up the roaming. When the phone would roam and i would go to make a call, i would get an error message from Verizon saying the number couldnt be authenticated. When i went to send a text it would give me the could not send error. That was the last straw, i shouldnt even have to force roam my phone to go on another network in the first friggin place... ridiculous. Thats when i called man and now everything is good to go with the airave. Definetly give them a call and if they ask you to pay for it... threaten to cancel, they will send it.
sprink0281 said:
Not true I was told it will still use minutes but for 10 a month it would be unlimited calls while connected to it..i have not gotten a bill yet to confirm. Only repeating what sprint said...
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Yea i heard that somewhere too, idk i guess ill see how my usage shows up on the bill and let you guys know. Somebody else even said that on the new airaves they arent offering that $10 unlimited plan anymore. Who knows.
5-6 Bars of EVDO, everywhere in my house. Actually making/receiving calls. Loving it.

How are your data speeds? Can you run a couple speedtests for us? And how do they compare to other places around you (where you get decent coverage).

I posted this at PPCGeeks but thought id post here as well:
OK so i recently moved from WA St to Oregon and into a new place obviously. Well my new house is pretty much a dead zone, i had to fight to get 1 or 2 bars, standing outside. I was missing important calls and was constantly dropping network and trying to regain, therefor chewing my Evos battery right up.
Well i saw an article last week that Sprint will be starting to give out Airaves for free to qualified customers. Well i decided to give retentions a call, told them that I might have to switch to att or verizon because i dont get any reception in my new place. They suggested and airave and what it cost, i mentioned that i read that they would be given them for free, with no monthly cost to qualified customers. The guy told me to hold, came back to tell me he will send me one for free with no monthly charge. Id only be required to pay the activation fee. I was like OK.
So today i received a package and a new Sprint Airave was inside. I was a little shocked to see the size of the unit, larger than a regular router or modem, i thought it would be a lot smaller. Anyways i hooked it up to my modem, plugged it all in, waited for about 30min for all the lights to go solid green, therefor it would be fully connected and activated. Came downstairs, looked at my phone and I HAD FULL BARS!!!!!! I jumped for joy, tested a call, had full bars while testing a call. Did a speed test and was received data at 1933kbps and uploading at 822kbps, faster than i ever get on regular 3g.
Overall im impressed that this thing actually works, and works really great. So for those of you with bad reception in your house, inquire about one of these.
If you have any questions feel free to ask, ill answer the best i can, and if you guys have any tests you want me to perform let me know.

Airave
I call Sprint tonight and there going to send me an Airave. They told me 3 to 5 days. I wanted to know the Make and Model of the Airave that you have. How long did it take for you to get yours and what is the range that it covers. Do it cover your back can front yard? Please let me know who make the unit. I want to see if i can find some reviews on it. Thank you in Advance.

I just set mine up and its awesome! completely plug and play (although it took long enough to set itself up that I thought I had something wrong). I have good signal and fast 3g (no 4g version yet). if you can get sprint to give you one of these, totally go for it. even if you have to pay for it its probably worth it IMO.

Is this something you have to hook up to a computer because I'm in the same setuation but no computer lol
Sent from sprint hero cm6.1

Got mine from Sprint a week ago after I complained about bad signal. At first they offered me it for $100 along with a $5/mo fee. I told them I thought it was rather silly I should pay for their lack of service and I already pay $10/mo for 4G (and I have 2 Evos on my plan) which is a limited market. She transfered me to account services who was able to give me it for FREE and NO additional charges/fees! Came in 3 days via UPS.
What you get: The Airave Unit, Cat5 ethernet cable (yellow ), external GPS receiver (optional), power adapter, and various documentation/manuals.
Installation: Plug in the power adapter to the unit and an ethernet cable to the WAN port to your router/modem. Wait about 30-60 minutes for it to activate itself and go online. Once the lights are all solid (Internet/GPS/Wireless) you are set. No configuration or setup is required otherwise.
Use: Your phone should automatically use the Airave since it is the closest 'cell tower'. You should notice full signal strength or close to it depending on where you are in relation to it. The best way to test if you are connected to it is make a phone call, you should hear a double-beep before the call is made (or if you answer an incoming call), which means you are connected via Airave to Sprint's network.
The Airave requires a GPS lock to validate your location as being within the US. You can bring the Airave with you when you travel, though you will still need an ethernet connection in order for it to connect to Sprint's network. Obviously, if you try to bring it outside of the US, it will not connect due to GPS seeing you outside of the US. Sadly, it also does not work in Alaska. The unit itself has a GPS receiver inside, but if you place it in an area with poor reception (two story houses might have this issue), you can use the external GPS antenna that they give you and place it near a window.
The Airave is a seamless addition for most people. If you are not currently using a router, have no fear, as the Airave has two LAN ethernet ports which make it a mini router I believe (I have not tested it though I can't imagine what else they would be for). So you can connect your PC to the Airave and use your internet connection that way.
If you are using a router, I believe it has to support VPN passthrough. I am not entirely sure but most of them nowadays do support it. I am using an Apple Time Capsule (newest generation) and it works flawlessly.
If you are on a call using the Airave and leave the signal range of it, it can hand off the call to another tower seamlessly (Airave -> Tower). However, it cannot do it in the reverse manner (Tower -> Airave). So no worries if you somehow wander out of the Airave's coverage, which I have yet to test the effective range on.
I would recommend 40-80 KBps bandwidth per call, and 1-2MBps per 3G device. Me and my brother use the Airave simultaneously for both voice and data while streaming Netflix, online gaming, and torrenting. I have yet to notice a performance loss in either data or voice. However, if you have a Wifi router, it would be wise to use that instead of 3G.
Another nice benefit is battery life, and as an Evo user I can really appreciate that. Before, I would get 2 bars of 3G at best, usually 1, and sometimes none at all. So my phone was constantly searching for the tower or ramping up the antenna power to talk to it better. Now that the tower is literally within 3 meters usually, it can keep the radio down to minimal power usage. I have noticed a GREAT difference on leaving my phone on my desk overnight with 3G on. Before I would lose a considerable amount of battery (25% or more at times), and now I lose maybe 5% at best. Of course, using Wifi would be optimal since it could switch the 3G radio off in most cases, but for those without that option this is a great way to help battery life at home.
Summary: This device is easy to set up, easy to "use", and does exactly what you'd ask from it. Most people can't justify the price for Sprint's shortcomings, which is understandable, so try to get it for free by complaining and being stubborn about it. If your contract is nearly up, this is PERFECT leverage for you to get one for free.

Did this a while ago as well and I confirm it works. You don't even have to call retentions. There are two ways to do this:
A) Just call them and say that you get no signal in your house and (and if you have an Evo/Epic), justify that you shouldn't pay extra for one by saying that you're already paying for 4G that you're not getting.
B) Tell them you were talking to a representative who was in the process of taking down your information so that he could send you one for free, but the call dropped.
Just make sure to tell them you want the newer model. It can handle more calls and puts out more signal (and supposedly does WiMax as well, but not yet. That's what a rep told me). It's called the "Airvana. NOT THE SAMSUNG MODEL (older one).
Proof it works (I used plan A):
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Too bad, not for new customers
Its a shame i really like there prices and have great service everywhere but inside my house.
But they said I am a new customer and thats with the 30 days is for. I guess I got 27 more days to decide what other cell company I want.
OR I can pay a $130 for one Not going to happen already get raped with the phones!
LAME!
I dont think thats a way there going to get more customers I guess they will always be in 3rd or who knows maybe moved done to 4th.

saw429 said:
Its a shame i really like there prices and have great service everywhere but inside my house.
But they said I am a new customer and thats with the 30 days is for. I guess I got 27 more days to decide what other cell company I want.
OR I can pay a $130 for one Not going to happen already get raped with the phones!
LAME!
I dont think thats a way there going to get more customers I guess they will always be in 3rd or who knows maybe moved done to 4th.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look at the post above yours. I got one for free with no monthly charges. Also, if you have an Evo or an Epic (or Evo Shift) and it's rooted, download an app called Roam Control. You can turn on roaming and roam on Verizon for free (it's included in your plan).

Oh and when I asked to be transfered to cancel my acount, I guess they hangged up on me. Whats up with that?
Yeah i know about Roam Control But I wanted to save $10 bucks a month right before they increased the rate on all smartphones to $10 more a month. So I got 3g phones instead.
I was thinking of switching and getting the EVO and pay the extra $10 but its lame that i have to do all this extra work for them. It seems pointless to do so if I cant get a signal. Oh and when roaming it uses you minutes no matter what so that sucks for Roam Control.
Maybe I should call sprint again and give it another try. It makes no sense at all that they wouldnt give me one to keep me as a customer. Strange! Whats the difference between me 2 day customer and a 10 year customer leaving it a lost no matter what.

saw429 said:
Oh and when I asked to be transfered to cancel my acount, I guess they hangged up on me. Whats up with that?
Yeah i know about Roam Control But I wanted to save $10 bucks a month right before they increased the rate on all smartphones to $10 more a month. So I got 3g phones instead.
I was thinking of switching and getting the EVO and pay the extra $10 but its lame that i have to do all this extra work for them. It seems pointless to do so if I cant get a signal. Oh and when roaming it uses you minutes no matter what so that sucks for Roam Control.
Maybe I should call sprint again and give it another try. It makes no sense at all that they wouldnt give me one to keep me as a customer. Strange! Whats the difference between me 2 day customer and a 10 year customer leaving it a lost no matter what.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cancel and make a new account or ask to have it converted to this. It comes with a lot of perks and also $10 less for each plan:
http://sprint.com/sero
[email protected]
Employee code 383
That's what I use.

My work gives me a bigger discount then that, it would actually cost me more, I believe. LOL

I didn't have to complain at all...I just played dumb...yesterday I fixed my EVO's 3G problem (change CDMA to Auto PRL instead of CDMA Only) and was trying to watch Sprint TV (not available over WiFi, but is a service included with unlimited data), and just told them I have WiFi but can't watch Sprint TV with it, and that I got terrible service inside my house (2 bars) but I go outside and immediately have full 3G signal and Sprint TV works fine (100% truthful, didn't have to lie)...she asked me to go by a window, where I did get way better signal, and to go outside, and if I had high speed internet, then sent me to customer relations, who then told me I qualify for the Airave 2 and that they'd send it to me 100% free, no contract extensions, and no monthly charges...should be here Monday or Tuesday...will post back with my experiences.

Got my Airvana today...this thing is AWESOME!! I live in an area with advertised awesome 3G but it flies now...I never could stream YouTube, or really do anything unless I was on WiFi, but now I have a choice...plus I can use Sprint TV finally, which is pretty neat...I'm looking forward to actually being able to use my phone now. Was plug and play just as described, but using the external GPS antenna made it ready to ride in about 10 minutes. I highly recommend if you have terrible coverage in your house and you're contemplating a new carrier, this thing works!

Matt262 said:
Got my Airvana today...this thing is AWESOME!! I live in an area with advertised awesome 3G but it flies now...I never could stream YouTube, or really do anything unless I was on WiFi, but now I have a choice...plus I can use Sprint TV finally, which is pretty neat...I'm looking forward to actually being able to use my phone now. Was plug and play just as described, but using the external GPS antenna made it ready to ride in about 10 minutes. I highly recommend if you have terrible coverage in your house and you're contemplating a new carrier, this thing works!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This thing just uses your home internet connection to broadcast 3G in your home. If you want fast data, you might as well use Wifi since it uses less battery on your phone...

Product F(RED) said:
This thing just uses your home internet connection to broadcast 3G in your home. If you want fast data, you might as well use Wifi since it uses less battery on your phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't see the part where I said I was unable to watch Sprint TV...? Sprint TV doesn't work on WiFi...this is a review thread, instead of flaming, contribute or don't say anything, or at least read AND comprehend ALL the posts before replying negatively...I do mostly use WiFi, but if I missed NCIS now I can watch it on my phone without having to go out to the driveway, or at the very least take advantage of it since it is a service that is included in my plan.

Matt262 said:
Didn't see the part where I said I was unable to watch Sprint TV...? Sprint TV doesn't work on WiFi...this is a review thread, instead of flaming, contribute or don't say anything, or at least read AND comprehend ALL the posts before replying negatively...I do mostly use WiFi, but if I missed NCIS now I can watch it on my phone without having to go out to the driveway, or at the very least take advantage of it since it is a service that is included in my plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't know the definition of flaming. Where did I flame? I stated facts. Forgive me for missing the "Sprint TV" part, but you don't have to go ape-**** over it.

Product F(RED) said:
You don't know the definition of flaming. Where did I flame? I stated facts. Forgive me for missing the "Sprint TV" part, but you don't have to go ape-**** over it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flaming, also known as bashing, is hostile and insulting interaction between Internet users. Flaming usually occurs in the social context of an Internet forum, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), Usenet, by e-mail, game servers such as Xbox Live or Playstation Network, and on video-sharing websites. It is frequently the result of the discussion of heated real-world issues such as politics, sports, religion, and philosophy, or of issues that polarise subpopulations, but can also be provoked by seemingly trivial differences. (straight from Wikipedia)
Why do I consider it flaming? Simply because this particular thread was about reviewing a device -- the Airave -- not about getting faster data speeds without using WiFi...but rather, does the device work or not, and if so, how well, which my whole point was that it DOES in fact work, not that I'm going to quit using WiFi in favor of the Airave. I don't need advice on getting faster data speeds because I'm well aware that my 20mb down/2mb up over WiFi is GOING to be faster than the fastest 3G, it's self serving, and thus pointless to even bring that up -- but especially in a device review thread. Counterproductive posts are a waste and a pain to read through to get to useful information, which is why no one searches. And on that note -- I'll be getting off my soapbox now.

Matt262 said:
Flaming, also known as bashing, is hostile and insulting interaction between Internet users. Flaming usually occurs in the social context of an Internet forum, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), Usenet, by e-mail, game servers such as Xbox Live or Playstation Network, and on video-sharing websites. It is frequently the result of the discussion of heated real-world issues such as politics, sports, religion, and philosophy, or of issues that polarise subpopulations, but can also be provoked by seemingly trivial differences. (straight from Wikipedia)
Why do I consider it flaming? Simply because this particular thread was about reviewing a device -- the Airave -- not about getting faster data speeds without using WiFi...but rather, does the device work or not, and if so, how well, which my whole point was that it DOES in fact work, not that I'm going to quit using WiFi in favor of the Airave. I don't need advice on getting faster data speeds because I'm well aware that my 20mb down/2mb up over WiFi is GOING to be faster than the fastest 3G, it's self serving, and thus pointless to even bring that up -- but especially in a device review thread. Counterproductive posts are a waste and a pain to read through to get to useful information, which is why no one searches. And on that note -- I'll be getting off my soapbox now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wasn't hostile towards you. I just told you that you might as well use Wifi. Did I curse you out? No. Did I insult you? No. Please, show me where I was hostile, because you seem to be overreacting. Maybe you're reading the 3 periods as "F U" or something, but believe me, they're not.

I agree with Product F(RED)

locoboi187 said:
I agree with Product F(RED)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
X2.............

Okay, just just get something out of the way here: Only try to get one of these if your service is really bad at house/office.
1: Make sure you actually have dropped calls. Ours were over 5% which is considered really bad, I guess.
2: Call tech support, wait to get connected, then act dumb an say that you've already been through the tech support stuff and you've been talking to a person in retentions for the past half-hour. They'll say well how'd you get to me? Just say that the guy in retentions said that he was putting you on hold to check into getting you a free airave; you've already been through troubleshooting with him.
3: The person in tech support will transfer you back to somebody in retentions and bring them up to where you're at.
4: Tell the person in retentions should go ahead and start the order and then you're set.
5: Is optional. You can have your call drop them, then they'll call you back and you can make a joke about how crappy the service is. (Actually happened to me)
I took the long way through this today, but started in retentions, got tranfs to tech support after checking the drop call rate and doing some basic troubleshooting, then told the guy in TS that I'd been through it all the last last guy in Relations was checking into a free airave for me, but somehow got transfered to him, ect.
I also started out by telling the first guy in retentions that I'd taken 2 phones to the corp store, they had done some PR update (act stupid about it) and now those two phones always have some ^ above the bars at the office, but the service works great and the data speeds can actually load a website in under 3 minuets. The data service at our office has been 0.02 kbps for over a month now, which is why I did the PRL hack in the first place on the two office phones 2 weeks back.
Anyhow, it's on it's way and didn't take that long.

They do check your area and if they feel you are in a good signal area they will not give it to you for free. I only say this because when I called he told me as long as my area qualifies for free airave service he will be able to do it if not I have the option to purchase one. Luckily after he checked the computer he said "great news u qualify". so this will not work for everyone, and it does connect to gps and reports where the device is connected. So good luck, im sure sprint gonna get stormed with calls and eventually they will catch on.

sprink0281 said:
They do check your area and if they feel you are in a good signal area they will not give it to you for free. I only say this because when I called he told me as long as my area qualifies for free airave service he will be able to do it if not I have the option to purchase one. Luckily after he checked the computer he said "great news u qualify". so this will not work for everyone, and it does connect to gps and reports where the device is connected. So good luck, im sure sprint gonna get stormed with calls and eventually they will catch on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i just hate talking to sprint reps, you think sprint chat will work?

ryohei47 said:
i just hate talking to sprint reps, you think sprint chat will work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't think so cuz you gotta talk to the retentions department...i hate talking to them too cuz of those damn scripts they follow, it's like talking to human robots!
Also should mention don't get caught in a lie about talking to them cuz they do have a record of when you call and what department you talked to. So I'm sure if they know you lied they probably will give you a hard time and might make a note on your account that you lied and who knows they might be reluctant to go out of their way for you in the future, I know I wouldnt want to help a liar. So what if you have to be on the phone with them for awhile your getting something for free if your lucky so not really a reason to *****....

The guys I got didn't talk like robots for once, and they were probably from America. I was surprised. They also seemed quite personable.

Hrshycro said:
The guys I got didn't talk like robots for once, and they were probably from America. I was surprised. They also seemed quite personable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea you can get lucky once in a while...i had a girl from canada one time and we must of had 30 minute conversation after she was done with my issue. It was like we were friends just talking about anything! Was hoping she was local to me I was gonna ask her if she wanted to meet for lunch or something....i kinda wondered since she had my info if she looked up my facebook to see who she was talking to....

sprink0281 said:
Yea you can get lucky once in a while...i had a girl from canada one time and we must of had 30 minute conversation after she was done with my issue. It was like we were friends just talking about anything! Was hoping she was local to me I was gonna ask her if she wanted to meet for lunch or something....i kinda wondered since she had my info if she looked up my facebook to see who she was talking to....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, That would be funny. Ask a CSR out on a date, then get married down the road. That would be better than a myspace marriage.

Got one quickly
In our condo, my girlfriend's BB Curve and my Evo averaged 1 bar. While online checking our account, I decided to just email sprint and ask for an airave. Went to "contact us", left a messege and the next day we got a call from customer service, 10 minutes latter we were approved, two days latter got it in the mail, hooked it up last night, and now we are at five bars each. I am not saying it will be that easy for everyone, but for once in my life it was!

Very interesting, was thinking of trying this but figure I got no use for the Airave for now...

I get average -104 to -118 dbs which I heard -120 is no service. This is at my house. I get data roaming message and dropped calls. Went into Sprint and said I couldn't get one for free or heard of giving them out for free. Sucks I don't have internet to use it even if I did call and got one. Do you have to pay the 4 bucks a month for it or is that waived. Waived or not id use it.. just no internet.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Didn't even bring prices to me, so I'm guessing all free.
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Hrshycro said:
Didn't even bring prices to me, so I'm guessing all free.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you got it from retentions it is free and the monthly fee is waived. When you go to your account and it lists your devices, it should say retentions next to the Airave.

So if a person were to have terrible 3G speeds they still wouldn't help? My reception is weird, no dropped calls or anything but my reception can shoot up from two bars to four, or six. But my 3G is ALWAYS bad in the town I'm in. Any ideas?
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Systemfraud said:
So if a person were to have terrible 3G speeds they still wouldn't help? My reception is weird, no dropped calls or anything but my reception can shoot up from two bars to four, or six. But my 3G is ALWAYS bad in the town I'm in. Any ideas?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just tell them your reception is bad too.

Yeah they don't help you at the store. They just told me they will try to update my phone for tower pulling. Said I already updated the radio to the latest and did the prl update. He said oh well I can't help you then. Wish I had the internet her is call about how bad my reception is and dropped calls. What irritated me the most is txt not going through. Is txt sent by the data service? If I turned data off will I send and receive sms still?
The guy told me it might be the material my house was built with causing the bad signal. If I go out the best reception I get is -100
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How do you see the db of your reception? Sorry for the noob questions.
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##debug# in phone dialer. If you have cm6 you can go through cryon settings and do it. Just type that in the dialer and wait. Click the first one.
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That was the bigger problem at our office, the 3g speeds have been 0.02 kbps fire two months, but I *****ed the drop call problem instead. Im sure you can get one.
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I'm sure I cam get one but won't be able to use. Don't have the internet.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Thanks Hrshycro!!!
Worked to a tee. Called Tech got transferred and in less then 5 minutes the girl in retention was putting in my order! She did put me on hold for a couple of minutes to confirm my eligibility. It's on the way for free with no monthly charge.
Awesome tip, thanks again!

For anyone who doesn't stray too far from the G2 section of XDA I found this thread in the my old stomping ground Vibrant section.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=815637
Basically, T-Mo is doing a pilot of a home 3G booster for select customers. It is a physical unit they ship to you, and it's basically just a cell repeater. You need to have at least a small amount of 3G reception somewhere in your house, according to the thread.
I sent my email about an hour ago to tmo and they responded within about 30 min saying that I might qualify and gave me a number to call. I called and the loyalty rep asked me a couple questions to verify eligibility. You need to live in a single family home and have a landline (though they did not verify this, just asked and continued on when I responded in the affirmative).
The rep said it would be mailed out Tuesday morning 100% free, the only thing I need to do is fill out the surveys they send periodically to see how the service is working.
Basically, if you get crappy 3G coverage in your house, give this a shot. Several people in the thread have already received the device and said it works great, and I can report back once I receive mine.

So all we do is shoot them an email saying our 3G service is sort of low and that we want to be a tester? Can you post the number?

Apparently if you call a standard CSR they will not know what you are talking about. There is a special email. Here is the email exchange. They gave me their number to call in their response, but I am not 100% certain whether you need to email them first or not. Their email is [email protected].
Here's my exchange:
from MORESIGNAL <[email protected]>
to T***** Bunch <[email protected]*******.com>
date Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 3:02 PM
subject RE: Weak Home Signal
hide details 3:02 PM (1 hour ago)
Dear T-Mobile Customer,
We have reviewed your recent coverage concern, and you may qualify to be part of a free, in-home device trial! The device is designed to boost 3G signal inside your home. We look forward to speaking with you regarding your eligibility. Please call us at 1-877-724-4659 for details!
T-Mobile Customer Loyalty Team
Please do not reply to this e-mail. If you have questions, please call us at 1-877-724-4659.
From: T***** Bunch [mailto:[email protected]********.com]
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2011 2:13 PM
To: MORESIGNAL
Subject: Weak Home Signal
- Hide quoted text -
I'm a long-time T-Mobile customer (509-***-****) who's on the verge of cancellation due to difficulty in getting a signal at my house. I read some internet forum posts about a T-Mobile trial of a Nextivity signal booster that sounds like it might allow my phone to work at home and enable T-Mobile to salvage a customer account.
I have a G2 and my wife has a MyTouch3G Slide and only in a couple areas of our house we can get 3G coverage. Unfortunately this is very frustrating for us as we pay almost $150 per month for our service and have very low-speed data while we are in all the common areas of our house.
I live in WA and am willing to fill out surveys on my experiences with the booster. Please let me know if I can be included in your trial.
T***** Bunch
[email protected]********.com
509-***-****

I'm sending an email, just because of my interest in the technology Thx for this.

Thanks for the info! I just sent them a letter
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Sent one as well.. My phone has two bars of 3G sitting beside me but when I pick it up it will go to Edge or even GPRS in certain areas of my house. However I go a few blocks down the street and I am full tilt "4G"

I've seen this happening a bit with AT&T customers with bad reception, getting phemtocells to boost 3G performance inside their house.
Although I don't really get why you would do this with T-mobile? especially if you have a G2, why not just use WiFi calling and call it a day?

I am really excited to see if we qualify for this. In my room I get 3G alright, but most of our house is on edge, and our living room gets little to no cell reception at all. If someone who still has 3G coverage in their house can get this, than we should definitely be able to as long-time (10 years +) T-Mobile Customers.
Our housing association turned down building a cell tower near my house not too long ago to address the concerns of everyone in this area and I was really ticked at them for not doing it.

martonikaj said:
I've seen this happening a bit with AT&T customers with bad reception, getting phemtocells to boost 3G performance inside their house.
Although I don't really get why you would do this with T-mobile? especially if you have a G2, why not just use WiFi calling and call it a day?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is of course assuming one has wifi in their house to begin with.
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TJBunch1228 said:
This is of course assuming one has wifi in their house to begin with.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ya its nuts that some people still dont have wifi, it costs like 20-30 bucks at walmart for a router lol.
i wonder if those same people are still paying for 56k speed on AOL.

TJBunch1228 said:
This is of course assuming one has wifi in their house to begin with.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find it hard to believe that someone reading XDA doesn't have WiFi in their house.
And even lighter, I'd be surprised if someone who has an android phone with a $70+ phone plan including data doesn't have WiFi lol.
Just sayin it would be easier to just turn on WiFi calling then order a microcell.

martonikaj said:
I find it hard to believe that someone reading XDA doesn't have WiFi in their house.
And even lighter, I'd be surprised if someone who has an android phone with a $70+ phone plan including data doesn't have WiFi lol.
Just sayin it would be easier to just turn on WiFi calling then order a microcell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is for people who don't have home internet or only have slow DSL obviously. Of course if you have a great ISP and a wireless router this thread is moot for you.
Don't sign up for the free equipment if you are happy with your wifi calling and wifi data. Simple as that.

martonikaj said:
I find it hard to believe that someone reading XDA doesn't have WiFi in their house.
And even lighter, I'd be surprised if someone who has an android phone with a $70+ phone plan including data doesn't have WiFi lol.
Just sayin it would be easier to just turn on WiFi calling then order a microcell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed lol
I've got a really beasty Net gear router with 8 internal antennas and almost 800mhz processor in it.... and I STILL get barely enough wifi to do wifi calling in my bedroom
So this thing would be perfect for me. I get great data outside, and other parts of my house, but I swear my room has lead walls *it's an addon to the old house*

i ordered mine today hopefully i will no longer have dead spots in my bathroom and back bedroom. and they waived the shgipping cost. tmo is really trying to keep their customers happy.

Thanks for sharing. I ordered one today. I didn't bother with the email and just called the number. The rep asked if anyone else needed one. My folks got two more, one for home and another for office. No shipping, no strings, lifetime use. They may ask you to answer some questions by email about the product. No big deal there.
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tsalate said:
i ordered mine today hopefully i will no longer have dead spots in my bathroom and back bedroom. and they waived the shgipping cost. tmo is really trying to keep their customers happy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Service in the bathroom? sounds like a 1 way ticket to water damage.
But yea it seems like T-mo is really trying to keep their customers. I'm on a non-contract plan and they treat me amazingly lol.

You're gonna sit there with a straight face and tell me you throw birds at pigs while you are deucing?!
Madness
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What number are you calling? I called the one in the thread, and I get some real estate company. I have yet to get an email response.

brfield said:
What number are you calling? I called the one in the thread, and I get some real estate company. I have yet to get an email response.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The number in the 3rd post of this thread, my email from them, is the one I called..worked fine yesterday.
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TJBunch1228 said:
Dear T-Mobile Customer,
We have reviewed your recent coverage concern, and you may qualify to be part of a free, in-home device trial! The device is designed to boost 3G signal inside your home. We look forward to speaking with you regarding your eligibility. Please call us at 1-877-724-4659 for details!
T-Mobile Customer Loyalty Team
Please do not reply to this e-mail. If you have questions, please call us at 1-877-724-4659.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for this post. It gave me an idea of what we needed to do to get into this program. Here's my experience: We called into the program (at the number listed above) and told them that we had a weak signal in our house and heard about this pilot program to provide cell boosters to customers. The representative was extremely friendly through the whole call, and asked us some of the questions above or listed in the other post (landline, home, 911, etc). Good thing we were prepared with this. After going through all that they told us they'd be sending it free with the stipulation that we return it if they end the program and that we answer 3 surveys. Fully worth it from our perspective.
Our reception problems are bad here...
I didn't tell them this, but I think the problems got way worse with our new roof. In most of our house we either get edge or no reception (in two particular places incl our home office) but in my room we get 3G (Lucky!). I'm really excited about this program and that I found this post my first day on the "Normal" G2 forums (I'm normally reading the Dev section).
Aloha

Hey folks,
So I did it. I finally got tired of paying $170 for 4GB of data on two phones and up and cancelled my VZW account yesterday.
I then promptly ordered 2 Moto X's on Republic Wireless and picked their 'best' plan. They have a 30 day money back guarantee, so I figured, what can it hurt.
If you're familiar with Republic, you already know this, but their claim to fame is that they sell a Moto X for $299 in white or black, and then you can pick from 4 plans that are between $5 and $40 a month (per phone).
$5 - Wifi Calling and texting only
$15 - Wifi Calling, texting, and then text and calling over cellular
$25 - The above plus Sprint 3g coverage
$40 - The above plus Spring 4g coverage
You are allowed to change your plan 2x per month. And they supposedly roam on VZW for up to 500 MB a month or somesuch. Which is fine, I only need the actual ability to use the phone when I'm out, or God forbid the wife breaks down somewhere with the baby...she needs to be able to make a call
I know of Sprint and they STINK...I know it and you know it. Ha. At least in my area. But nothing is good at my house...even my VZW with network extender barely gets the job done...but my wifi is GREAT! So, I'm hoping this will work. You can learn more by going to their site.
So, I hope to sell my VZW Moto X and my wife's SGS3 for ~$600, which will cover the cost of the new phones.
Even if I stick with their $40 plan, that's still $80 a month vs. $170. ~$1000 vs ~$2000 on VZW
My experience so far.
Their website is good. There is ample information and they have forums and help sections up the wazoo!
They have 2 phone options. A 'Defy XT' running GB or a Moto X on 4.2.2...no brainer here. Moto X's, please! They only offer white and black...no Motomaker. No biggie..white one for the missus, black one for me. Only downside is I've gotten used to tap to pay and other nice 4.4 features on my Vzw Moto X. Will be hard to go back to slow updates and 4.2.2. again...although at least they have the camera update...and they say 4.4 in February...and Moto and Google have been pushing everything to Play, so it's just a little bit of a waiting game.
After ordering, I see my order will ship in 5-7 days. Sheesh! In a world of Amazon, Newegg, whatever, I'm used to getting orders in a few days. Heck, in a lot of places Verizon will get it to you the same day, everywhere else they overnight it the next day.
So, I look for a phone number. There is none. Look online and find a corporate # which gets you to a menu where you need to know extensions.
So I email them, ask if they can tell me how long to expect. After about 3 hours I get a form email explaining pretty much what was online. 5-7 days to ship, then a few days to get here. Sheesh. I write back and ask for a more personal answer...I get nothing.
Now, about 20 hours later, my order is still pending. No movement whatsoever. But, I guess that's just delivering what was promised with the 5-7 days.
Recap:
Order pros: Easy to order, good phone, nice choices, good website.
Order cons: No ability to reach a real person, molasses slow shipping times, outdated OS.
I'm going to keep updating this thread throughout my month with them, before I decide to keep or return the phones. Figured it'd be fun for me and maybe helpful for anyone else in my situation.

I am interested in hearing of your experience. I considered both RW and Ting before ordering my Moto X. I was on T-Mobile prepaid and had spotty reception at home with my Nexus 4.
While the T-Mobile plan has limited minutes, I used GrooveIP with a Google voice number when on WIFI, so it was not really a limiting factor. I know this is going away next May, but am confident there will be a replacement before then.
My major concern was Sprint's miserable 3G data speeds, and that 3G is all they offer within 60 miles of me. That would mean I would be without decent data when I need it most, when I am out and about. I get exemplary data speeds on T-Mobile as soon as I head down the hill so I decided to stick with them. And thankfully, the Moto X radios have corrected the spotty reception as well.

Solutions Etcetera said:
I am interested in hearing of your experience. I considered both RW and Ting before ordering my Moto X. I was on T-Mobile prepaid and had spotty reception at home with my Nexus 4.
While the T-Mobile plan has limited minutes, I used GrooveIP with a Google voice number when on WIFI, so it was not really a limiting factor. I know this is going away next May, but am confident there will be a replacement before then.
My major concern was Sprint's miserable 3G data speeds, and that 3G is all they offer within 60 miles of me. That would mean I would be without decent data when I need it most, when I am out and about. I get exemplary data speeds on T-Mobile as soon as I head down the hill so I decided to stick with them. And thankfully, the Moto X radios have corrected the spotty reception as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, they sound solid, but the Sprint thing is probably the worst of it...well, from what I've read. So far communication has been the worst of it, but maybe they're slammed for the season...who knows. So far 3 emails, all with form replies. And keep in mind, there is no contact #.
But, once I have the phone in hand I'm pretty much hoping to not have to contact them anymore.

Verizon roaming?
How well does the Verizon roaming work? That could be a key factor for me as some of my family live outside of the range of most providers (not sure on sprint in particular, but ATT is definitely out)

Fellow RW Moto X user here. I got my MX 6 days after ordering it, and they were projecting the 5-7 days thing so its accurate at least. My order status stayed "pending" till it shipped which was about 5 days (the shipping is fast at least) after the order was placed.
Just a couple tips... not sure if you can go back but there are codes floating around the net that give you the first month free. I took advantage of that and got the 4G/LTE plan to test it out. So far sprints network is slow as molasses unless I'm in a 4G/LTE area in which cases its pretty fast (15-18 mbs/up 2-3 mbs/down).
I have to say RW did an amazing job of integrating wifi calling, the handoff from wifi to cell is almost unnoticeable. I get very spotty 3G over at my GF place and it pretty much killed my MX battery in 6-7 hours (didn't realize I had the wifi off), the phone actually got a little warm too. using wifi though, I get my average 1.5-2 day battery performance.
Make sure you check your area and see if you even have sprint 4G/LTE service. no point paying the $40 a month if your not going to be able to take advantage of the additional speeds. The $25 a month plan gets you the same amount of data just at 3G (aka .5 mbs or less on sprint) speeds, which may be all they have in your area.
RW has virtually no phone tech support, its all web based. So on the bright side they have a great web community, on the down side compared to phone based system they can be a bit sluggish (2-3 days) getting you tech support.

They sent me tracking info to be delivered on Thursday. Woot! Maybe it was because they are just underpromising/overdelivering or maybe it's because I bugged them...either way. Kudos to Republic so far. Will report back when they arrive and I fire them up!

I tried the X on Republic and it didn't work for me. I travel a lot, often to rural places in the West (Montana, Idaho, Nevada desert). That right there is a no-go as Sprint is really bad. They state that they have the right to cancel your service if you use roaming too much (after one warning). Don't need to worry every time I place a call or load a website.
I do have a work iPad w/Verizon LTE data, so technically I could tether via wifi calling and have Verizon coverage, but that's a hassle to carry around the iPad constantly.
Also, I didn't realize how much I use voice/data at the same time (GSM).
It's a pretty neat proposition if you are on wifi a lot or live in an area where Sprint is just incredible. Not so for the Western US (excluding huge cities like LA, etc).
Also, my number is ported to Google Voice. RW uses a back-end Sprint number that you don't see and forwards the call to your RW number. If you layer in GV as well, you are double-forwarding each call. Not a big deal on the surface, but the potential for voice lag is doubly as worse with a GV number. Just a thought.
Alas, back to GSM and AT&T. It's worth the premium to me.
Personal opinion as everything on the internet is.

I give props to RW for what they are trying to do but its still basically a beta service and not good for me personally. My battery life was better on a moto x I had on AIO for about 3 months. And RW doesn't support smilies in text messages, maybe a small issue to some but for my wife and I its a staple for us on her grave yard shift nights. I am glad I test drove it and hope to see good things come from their efforts, maybe even a Google buyout some day? I say give them a try for 3 weeks or so like I did, it just might work for you.

I'll be interested in OP's experience. I'll be curious what it will be like coming from a Premium Carrier to a Hybrid Budget Carrier. I've been using RW for about 3 weeks. I came from a Nexus 4. I really like the phone -- Moto X - and I've been satisfied with my experience on RW but I live in a big city; I'm always on wifi at home and work; and I am not a heavy cell phone user.
---------- Post added at 04:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:09 PM ----------
Solutions Etcetera said:
I was on T-Mobile prepaid and had spotty reception at home with my Nexus 4..............
..................I used GrooveIP with a Google voice number when on WIFI, so it was not really a limiting factor...................
..................And thankfully, the Moto X radios have corrected the spotty reception as well.
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Click to collapse
.....................
@Solutions Etcetera Did you go from Nexus 4 to Moto X on T-mobile Prepaid. If so, which version of the Moto X are you using -- DevEd or Tmo??
I too had the Nexus 4 T-Mobile Prepaid and my reception at home was spotty. I'd be interested to know if simply changing your phone to a Moto X improved your T-Mobile reception.
T-Mobile is very strong where I live but my condo is heavy concrete, steel, and glass, and the T-Mobile signal just didn't penetrate very well but on my deck the Tmo reception was superb -- inside terrible. AT&T was fine inside as well, and my Republic Wireless Moto X Sprint reception gets great indoor reception as well.
I never had much success with Groove IP and Google Voice on my Nexus 4. Skype was much better. I live RW and the Moto X but I'm not a heavy cell phone user and I live in a big city and have nearly 24/7 access to wifi. Sometimes I wonder if I should have just stuck with my Nexus 4 on a pay-as-you-go per minute and just used Skype $3 calling subscription.

JGolf,
I bought the T Mobile version because I wanted the black woven back, and yes... I simply transferred my prepaid number to the new sim.
I get reception now everywhere. Home, in town, even indoors in local businesses. That was something both the Nexus 4 and 5 were incapable of. Even when I had signal on those, when I'd pick them up to use them the bars were gone.
I was jealous seeing others talking on their phones where I couldn't, thinking they must all be on Verizon. Who'd have thunk the Nexuses just have crappy radios.

I just switched from Sprint to Republic Wireless, so it's less of a change for me (Sprint is good where I am.) A few things worth mentioning:
Wifi calls are generally good, but I have had issues when lots of people are streaming/downloading/surfing/gaming at once.
Wifi to cell hand-offs have been great, and I can only notice it if I'm expecting it.
My phone came within 3 or 4 days; but my parents' phones, which I ordered the same day to a different address, took about 2 full weeks. Maybe the white ones are on back order or something (mine was black).
I could not port my Sprint phone number to Republic Wireless or Google Voice, so I unfortunately had to use a new number. Google Voice and RW use the same rate center (broadcom.com) so if you can't port to one, you can't port to the other. Motorola Connect has not proved to be as reliable as Google Voice's Chrome extension.
RW has chat support, but they cannot answer very technical questions in my (one) experience. It's just there to provide basic information.
You can submit a help ticket to change your caller ID twice (mine was my city by default.) They got back to me very promptly (but the change has not yet processed.)
You can (at your own risk, of course) root the RW Moto X and install the Xposed framework to customize it without messing up their custom ROM/software; however, they reserve the right to terminate your service. I doubt they would do that if you're not abusing the plan (actually read the TOS so you know what expectations are.) Obviously don't replace their ROM with a different one, as that would defeat the purpose of what they offer (and I don't think you would be able to activate it.) You can dual boot other ROMs for experimentation with Safestrap.
For $25/month, waiting until February May for Android 4.4 is worth it, but I really, really hope they deliver on that expectation and continue updating regularly like they claim they will.
If you decide to sign up, note that there is a referral program. If you use someone's link you and that person each get $19 off, or you can use the promo code "MONEYMUSTACHE19" and get the same $19. Here's my referral link (if this is not allowed, someone can let me know or a mod can remove it.)
I'm happy to answer any questions if people have any!

For me sprint is terrible here, too. But on my actual house, nobody gets cell reception. It's just bad. I'd like to go straight talk, but then we'd get zero coverage at home and the wife would kill me. At least with this I have 50mb down on the router and great n900 coverage.
I'm using a Moto x right now on Verizon, with 4.4 rooted with gravity box doing its thing. It's the best phone imo, I'm stoked
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

Solutions Etcetera said:
JGolf,
I bought the T Mobile version because I wanted the black woven back, and yes... I simply transferred my prepaid number to the new sim.
I get reception now everywhere. Home, in town, even indoors in local businesses. That was something both the Nexus 4 and 5 were incapable of. Even when I had signal on those, when I'd pick them up to use them the bars were gone.
I was jealous seeing others talking on their phones where I couldn't, thinking they must all be on Verizon. Who'd have thunk the Nexuses just have crappy radios.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for that info. It is very interesting and helpful to me. I had the Nexus 4 (and briefly Nexus 5) and my experience was the same as yours.
I was wondering whether or not the radios were not-so-great in the Nexus's because my Republic Wireless Moto X gets great Sprint indoor coverage (even better than AT&T where I've tested) and Sprint operates on higher frequencies like T-Mobile. I know you can't mix and match apples and oranges and I am sure Tmo's and Sprint's are different frequencies, but I get solid 4 bars on Sprint's network on my RW Moto X inside my home, and with both my Nexus's I'd fluctuate between 1-4 bars on AT&T, and lucky to have 1 bar on Tmo.
---------- Post added at 06:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:02 PM ----------
SubliminalME said:
For me sprint is terrible here, too. But on my actual house, nobody gets cell reception. It's just bad. I'd like to go straight talk, but then we'd get zero coverage at home and the wife would kill me. At least with this I have 50mb down on the router and great n900 coverage.
I'm using a Moto x right now on Verizon, with 4.4 rooted with gravity box doing its thing. It's the best phone imo, I'm stoked
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
I'm confused. I thought you were the OP and switching over to Republic Wireless?
---------- Post added at 06:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:07 PM ----------
mmm2010 said:
I just switched from Sprint to Republic Wireless, so it's less of a change for me (Sprint is good where I am.) A few things worth mentioning:
I'm happy to answer any questions if people have any!
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Click to collapse
Do you have any garbled calls. I do, just a bit, when I'm on a wifi call, but so far the cell calls have been pretty good. You?

jgolf said:
Do you have any garbled calls. I do, just a bit, when I'm on a wifi call, but so far the cell calls have been pretty good. You?
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Click to collapse
Usually I don't have a problem with it, but I have experienced garbled calls when my roommates and I are using the internet heavily (Netflix, Xbox Live, Steam, Torrents, etc.) That could likely be fixed using QOS (quality of service) settings on my router to prioritize VoIP traffic, but I haven't tried that (and I'm about to move out anyway).

jgolf said:
[/COLOR]
I'm confused. I thought you were the OP and switching over to Republic Wireless?
Yep! Cancelled my Verizon contract, effective the end of the month and Republic shipped my phones today.
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I canceled before I was officially billed, so I have a question.
I had the $25 plan. What are the average taxes? I know this varies greatly depending on where you live, etc, but does $25 turn into like $37 or something after taxes? Or is it closer to $29 or so.
I know the 911 fees and such add quite a bit to the advertised rate.

ericshmerick said:
I canceled before I was officially billed, so I have a question.
I had the $25 plan. What are the average taxes? I know this varies greatly depending on where you live, etc, but does $25 turn into like $37 or something after taxes? Or is it closer to $29 or so.
I know the 911 fees and such add quite a bit to the advertised rate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good question. Taxes appear to be $1.43 for the $25 plan (obviously that may vary by state), but the $25 plan is really $24.19. Also, the $19 referral discount is really an $18.39 discount, so I paid $7.23 for my first month. All in all, there look to be no surprises.
Here's a screenshot of my first month's breakdown:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}

I love my republic wireless service and moto x. Happy on the $10/month cell call and TXT plan. Not having data out of WiFi actually helps me get back into the real world!
Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 10:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:40 PM ----------
And btw it uses 3g data for txt and MMS. Just can't use internet or download stuff.....except for what I just mentioned.
Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

Republic Experience
I've had Republic almost a year. I even signed up for the Defy XT which shows how desperate I was to save money on my phone bill. The Moto X with Republic is for those who are basic smart phone users and want to save money on their phone service. People who root their phones or need the most powerful phone probably won't be satisfied with Republic.
My wife fits this bill perfectly. She is at home most of the time and couldn't tell you whether she was talking on wifi or cellular, she just likes the phone and call quality. I use the train and notice how the data speed varies at times. The phone has pretty good battery power. It has always made it to bedtime, but I could drain the battery if the screen was on continuously. I love it that I can make wifi calls--which means if I'm in a remote area that has wifi I still can call out or text. I think it's great that you can change your plan 2 times per month, but I haven't needed to do that.
I've rooted a previous phone, but probably won't do anything to this one as it does what I need it to do! I'm very happy with the Moto X and Republic. The downsides--you're kinda committed with Republic with the phone after 30 day trial, tech support and customer service is online or email. The phones came when they said they would, but it was tough to wait for it. Motorola Connect works okay, but would prefer to use Google Voice which I can't seem to get working with this service.
Here's a link for those interested: referrals.republicwireless.com/a/clk/2CtdGg
I'll be interested to hear your experiences!

dlongstreth said:
The downsides--you're kinda committed with Republic with the phone after 30 day trial
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EDIT: Republic Wireless now allows reactivations.
That's definitely worth mentioning. One thing that not everyone realizes is that you can't really sell your RW phone for what it's worth (right now) because they do not currently allow reactivation of phones. One article (the last source) also says that the ESN is locked to a specific portion of Sprint's spectrum so it can't be used for other CDMA carriers, but they do not cite their source.
Republic Wireless is, however, working to change this, so in the future people might be able to get most of their $300 back by selling the device if they decide they want out. I suspect it might be a while, though.
Sources:
https://community.republicwireless.com/docs/DOC-1629
https://community.republicwireless.com/docs/DOC-1628
https://community.republicwireless.com/ideas/1084
http://liliputing.com/2013/09/cant-use-299-republic-wireless-moto-x-sprint.html