I thought I was going to have to just deal with it when AT&T sent me a notice that they were going to replace my 3G Microcell with a new product called a Cell Booster. If I disable mobile access altogether, the SMS will send fine but then I can’t get phone calls reliably. For example, if I am trying to send an SMS and there is any signal at all from AT&T, my phone will try to use that network instead of the much stronger wireless network in my house. Most modern phones support calling over WiFi now, but it just isn’t the same. In February 3G service in the US will cease, and I thought I was going to have to do without a femtocell. With that I could get an iPhone and it would work at my house.

The 3G Microcell, technically a “ femtocell“, is a small device that you can plug into your home network and it will leverage your Internet connection to augment wireless coverage in a small area (i.e. Apple introduced the iPhone 3G, and AT&T introduced the 3G Microcell. At that time it was only available from AT&T, and unfortunately the wireless coverage on that network is not very good where I live. Back in the mid-2000s I was a huge Apple fanboy, and I really, really, really wanted an iPhone.

At&t cell phone booster