Like having a cell phone tower indoors

John Stark, Layton, Utah — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 23:32:15 GMT

You state that there was no solution until now, what about cellphone repeaters? The technology is as cheap as $199.00 and you own it, no monthly fees, no wireless routers, no internet connection needed, no new phones. I'm surprised you didn't mention this or review it, as it is relatively old on the market and fairly cheap to own.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

chris, washington dc — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 00:14:54 GMT

I remember they used to have something similar to this. it was a cell phone, but when you were within range of the base station, it would use your home phone line to make calls instead. Now with this t-mobile, it's using the internet to make calls instead of the home phone. This is a great product it'll make huge leaps in the industry. I can only imagine that if Verizon were to start selling it, they would charge 3 times the amount of t-mobile.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Bill Verthein, Arlington Heights, IL — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 00:25:25 GMT

I like the idea but I don't understand why I have to pay TMo more money because they have bad cellular coverage? This service only has value when they have failed to provide me with coverage. As it is I am paying for the Internet broadband and possibly the WiFi AP that backfills their poor cellular coverage. This should be free. Given that TMo is WAY behind in 3G data rollout giving this away free would be a nice differentiator for them.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

GSKChicago, Chicago, IL — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 00:52:14 GMT

Interesting... My experience with T-Mobile in Chicago (downtown and North side) is less than stellar. Outside the city however it was always very good. To be fair though, I haven't had T-Mobile for quite some time. I'm with AT&T and if I wasn't absolutely in love with my iPhone, this would be a really neat alternative to having to find the window that provides the best reception. I'm a big fan though of any new technology that will cause the other companies to pay attention and upgrade their services, etc.

Thanks for the review - as always, fantastic insights, information and easy for even the dumbest (read: me) of people to understand.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

mike — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 00:54:10 GMT

i have a netgear router and i was wondering if this would work if ijust bought the phone this sounds like a dream come true if it works

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Luke, AF, UT — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 01:18:49 GMT

I would doubt that you see other carriers try to catch up. Why? Because most of them have vested land-line interests: Verizon, Sprint, at&t. Why would they offer a product, such as HotSpot @Home, when it is designed to take the place of a landline phone? They would be shooting themselves in the foot. This is an excellent product that, when it catches on, will be wildly popular and very beneficial. $20 for unlimited calling on Wi-Fi networks? How can you pass that up? Way to deliver on the promise of Stick Together, T-Mobile! Now bring us more phones!

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Jim, New Hope, PA — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 01:54:35 GMT

This is a good direction for the industry to proceed...so many of us have cellular coverage issues at home. But I have to hope that they might come up with a low cost "home" GSM gateway to IP solution that will work with any phone instead of requiring "special" dual-mode handsets. This technology already exists for the corporate campus and it would be nice to have it available in the home.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Matt, Winston-Salem, NC — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 02:13:10 GMT

This is great to see from T-Mobile - hopefully other providers will follow suit. It just solves a lot of connection problems indoors and other workplaces. Good for T-Mobile, I'll have to think long and hard about going their direction when my present contract expires.....

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Henry Hirsch — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 02:22:52 GMT

When I first had my Verizon analog cell phone, I had to be near a window to be able to use my cell phone. I have had a Verizon digital cell phone for over a year and I have not had any reception problems in the house or car.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

T Dianics, columbia, Mo — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 03:32:31 GMT

Repeaters! Repeat; R-E-P-E-A-T-E-R-S, you can buy them for the home.

You're not much of an expert....

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Mike H., San Diego, CA — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 05:55:57 GMT

While I'm sure this will be a nice solution for some, the underlying issue here is that GSM coverage here in the US is far from the ubiquitous service enjoyed by other countries. Furthermore, to make up for the deficient service, providers should be offering this to their frustrated customers free of charge with their tails between their legs.
I suffered through this same problem of not being able to use my cell phone in 99% of the usable space in my house in San Diego (a wireless hotbed) simply because I travel outside the US often and needed GSM until recently.
I do not wish to plug anyone here but now, I have ditched my GSM provider and am now using a phone that works on domestically on CDMA (much better US coverage, IMHO) but also has a GSM chip for international use. This is the best of both worlds for me and I now have full signal in my home and just about everywhere else I go and have not dropped a single call in 2 months now!

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Dave, Cincinnati — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 09:51:48 GMT

Old news.... Cincinnati Bell has already been doing this and they use AT&T as the cell provider. And all talk time done on the wifi network does NOT count against your plan minutes. Looks like it's the others that need to "catch up" to Cincinnati Bell. http://www.cincinnatibell.com/consumer/wireless/home_run/

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Jeffrey Campbell, Amelia, Ohio — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:37:06 GMT

I had been putting off installing wireless networking in my home, satisfied to just run a new ethernet line whenever I needed it. This, however, changes everything. And, being a little "frugal" at heart, I needed my WiFi system to do more than handle a browser.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Troy Ziesmer — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:55:29 GMT

Are you brain dead?
Simply forwarding your cell phone to your home phone would be a smarter and more cost effective option.
In fact they even have a call forwarding monthly option for you to add to your plan.
But, why not make things more complicated for yourselves...

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Robert Albano,Seattle Wa — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:56:27 GMT

Good story and a great innovation ,yes to bad Iphone
got all the noise this month.There is one large flaw thou T-moble does not provide celluar service they are a GSM carrier.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Keith O'Fallon MO — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:08:51 GMT

How does it handle 911 calls? Like a VoIP call or like a cell phone?
Thanks

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Todd Phillips, Columbus, Ga — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:30:58 GMT

I have this problem when visiting my parent's house. Next to zero service as soon as I walk in the door. I can see where this would be nice, however... I use a blackberry... and I would not to by a new phone just to use T-Mobile's already bad service. As soon as my contract is over, I plan to switch to a more powerful and reliable network. T-Mobile has never impressed me.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Chris, Columbus, OH — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:06:51 GMT

So I have to get a new phone, pay extra fees, worry about someone hacking into my router and eavesdropping on my calls, or worse, and switch my service to Tmobile? No thanks, my window works just fine.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Thomas Johns Lufkin, TX — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:46:19 GMT

You can go to most electronic stores, like radio shack and get a repeater for your home. I belive the best one is Zboost by wi-ex. It will cover up to 2500 sq feet in your home. They offer a dual band model that will work for CDMA or GSM phones. No need to pay T-Mobile a montly service. I have one of these in my home and I went from 0 - 1 bars in my home to 4 - 5 bars..

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Amit P, Houston, TX — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:26:38 GMT

What would happen if you took this new phone overseas and connected it through your hotel/apartment/coffee shop/wherever's free WiFi network, do you think you'd be able to make calls as if you were still in the US (i.e. CHEAP!)??? That would be awesome and is similar to what some people do with VOIP boxes. Anyone have any info?

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

chris lee — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:32:59 GMT

Man, this is such useless info.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

john from cincinnati — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 17:14:21 GMT

cincinati bell wireless has had this for a few months and it works within any hotspot worldwide

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

The Smart Guy — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 17:38:15 GMT

But without your help and stupid no real value devices to eat up bandwidth, the big telecoms wonthave such a good arguement against net neutrality.

Come on everyone, lets get behind AT&T and go buy that device that does something after streaming 50 times the amount of data that just checking a page would cost.

That way, the next time congress considers regulation, the big players will have a great arguement why people should pay extra for things that are now free, because now they need to improve infrastructure don't they? How convinient.

Oh btw, you people bitching about repeaters. The job here isn't to inform you, its to sell a product.

Hahhaha. And you thought there were independant non biased reporting in America.

Hahahhahaha.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Steve K. Houston, TX — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 17:46:05 GMT

Really people.... The solution is to provide cell phone service that works. Adding a bunch of extra crap to supplement a poor service provider does nothing but reward poor performance on the part of the cell service provider. Oh and by the way sometimes a cell phone that costs 19.95 does not provide optimum service. Sometimes you get what you pay for. I use Cingular service and have a Razor phone and the only place I've had a problem with reception is in the blast proof office buildings in the refinery that I work in. Buy cheap crap get cheap crap.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Phil Treffinger, York, PA — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:11:50 GMT

Regarding 911 calls via this GSM over IP. The Cellular industry and the 911 centers in the country have spent billions to provide cellular location technology (Wireless Phase II). This new GSMIP technology completely bypasses the local cell phone tower and goes directly into T-Mobile's inter-switch network. I would question how T-Mobile will determine how to route the call to the correct 911 Center. Vonage uses a Vonage database that the Vonage subscriber must update as subscriber moves from place to place. As long as that database update occurs with each move of the adapter, the call will be routed to the correct 911 Center.

Based on the information in the article, it would appear to me that a 911 call made using this new technology will be impossible to route correctly.

Phil Treffinger
Telecommunications Administrator
York County Department of Emergency Services
County of York, PA

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Philiip, Atlanta, GA — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:12:29 GMT

T-Mobile is really moving up with the technology. This is a great product. I have it at home and I was able to turn off my home phone (Vonage) and using this service saves me money in the long run and I do not have to use the minutes on my plan when talking via my wirless router. From a user, I love it!!!!

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Dave, Philadelphia, PA — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:48:08 GMT

You dont have to pay T-mobile any fees for this service. You only have to do that for unlimited calls using Wifi, not bad if you ask me. Otherwise, the minutes just count against your current plan (i.e just like when you call using your cellphone in the house anyway). So the only matter is getting a new phone unless you dont have a wireless router.

And I've had t-mobile for about 6 years now and I've had just as good or better service than my friends with cingular(at&t) and verizen here in philadelphia and I get way more minutes than they do for the same price.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Dawn-Memphis — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:56:07 GMT

I've been a Cingular/ATT customer for more than 5yrs, and in fact, I no longer have a landline because I've never had problems using my cell at home, or indoors in general. So great for those who need it, I guess.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Dan, Morristown, NJ — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:21:32 GMT

I've had T-Mobile in the past. I wasn't able to hold a call made in my house and in my basement there was no signal at all. Then I switched to Verizon (CDMA) and was amazed at how nice it was to have a cell phone that I could actually use. I'm convinced CDMA hold's the call better, traverses valley's better and penetrates walls (homes and offices) better than GSM. Switching might also be a solution for those frustrated with GSM networks.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Joe, Granite City, Illinois — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:24:08 GMT

Why don't cell companies just make the cell phones get better reception, or add more cell towers for better reception instead of having to do this?

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Chris- West Memphis, AR — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:26:38 GMT

I'm also from memphis with a Cingular/ATT cellphone.. I've been a customer for 7 years and never really had issues with cellular service unless I'm in a remote area (which isn't the case often)... I don't see a value in adding a service to charge more when the problem is the amount of cell towers and reception in your area.. but hey, don't call and complain about that cuz your cell provider might fire YOU like Sprint did..

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Keith F. Kelly — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:55:54 GMT

People are being really stupid when they blame cellular networks for "not having good coverage" when they can't get a cell signal inside a building. You can bombard a building with a plethora of RF waves and still not get good reception inside the building. That's just the way the laws of the universe work and no cellular company can change that! The ONLY real solution is to effectively put a cell "tower" inside the building, which is what this approach does.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Hector Vex, Sarasota, FL — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:17:49 GMT

It's like selling a car with three tires, then offering a fourth tire several years later instead of just selling the car with four tires. T-Mobile's cell service stinks, and that's coming from someone who lives in Florida. There is not much terrain here to get in the way. In fact, the lack of terrain is one reason I've stuck with Alltel. I've certainly never had a problem inside my house using the cellphone, and am still able to get calls while driving across Alligator Alley where the cell towers are few and far between. I can't imagine getting a flat in my three wheeled car on that part of I-75 and only having a T-Mobile phone to call for help.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Joe S — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:45:21 GMT

It seems a number of folks want better coverage from their wireless provider for their homes but no one wants a cell tower in their neighborhood. So how do you provide coverage in someone’s home when the addition of towers is heavily opposed? UMA is one solution.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Gary — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 21:46:13 GMT

I think, it is a good deal to have unlimited calling with good quality connection. But to an existing customer T-Mobil should at least give out the phone free if the customer is upgrading and is paying 20 dollars extra.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Jeremy J Minneapolis, MN — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:04:06 GMT

This is a good idea, but I don't like the profit model. I think TMobile shouldn't charge for VOIP calls. The calls cost them a lot less since they don't use a cell tower. I'm converting from air to land using my wireless router. Vonage is profitable and has unlimited voip service. TMobile should do the same...calls made over your wireless router shouldn't count against your plan minutes. I would call this a concession for them not having good service. I don't (can't) charge them for the bandwidth or router usage...they shouldn't charge me for having to use ip to make the call since their coverage isn't good.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

David, Naperville, IL — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:19:26 GMT

1. Repeaters, blah. Why buy a cellular repeater when I already have a WiFi base station in my home. I don't need more junk to lug around.

2. The key to UMA is that as long as I have WiFi coverage (at home, at work, at Panera, etc.) I'm not eating my minutes. So I can switch to a lower number of mobile minutes. With T-Mobile's WiFi footprint, I could roam onto T-Mobile HotSpots for free so I don't eat my minutes.

3. Your Mileage May Vary. No one cares about how good the coverage is where you live. Carriers have different tower placement and use different frequency bands and air interfaces. So you can only tell if a carrier is good for YOU if you try it out in the places you frequent the most. With all of the roaming agreements these days, the GSM footprint in the US looks pretty similar no matter what carrier you're with. Same goes for CDMA. It's only when you get down to the places you go the most that you can really tell how good the coverage will be.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Jimmy Crackhorn — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:29:03 GMT

Another way to fill up your local landfill with more newer outdated handsets. I have serious issues with Cingular as it is and I'm not going to add to them with another contraption.

The US is years behind Asia and the EU when it comes to wireless and I for one am tired of being stuck up the backside by shoddy services. The Act of 1996 was supposed to create competition and all's we got was SBC/T gobbling up everything in sight. Hello Ma Bell.....errrrr Big Brother.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Richard Tjoa, Suffern, NY — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:29:39 GMT

The beauty of these WiFi headsets is that ANYWHERE you have a WiFi signal, INCLUDING OUTSIDE THE USA, (that doesn't require some kind of web login for 'acceptance of terms' or credit card numbers, etc.) or any T-Mobile HotSpot, you'll have a clear "cell" signal. Then, you'll have free, unlimited calling to any number in the USA. This is why it is different than setting up a cellphone repeater.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Winfield Schmitt, Lisbon, CT. — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 23:11:39 GMT

I have T-moble and I no cell service within 1/2 mile of my home (other carriers are no better). I have a LinkSys WiFi network for the computers at home already. My only internet option besides dial-up is DSL (which just recently came to the area, and requires a land-line) since no cable company serves my area. If only I could connect with a human being at T-Mobile who could explain the service and sell it to me, I would probably buy in. LOL!

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Steve Denkenberger clinton, utah — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 01:35:44 GMT

I think the T-MOBILE service in my area rocks. Full signal any where I go. At home, work, or out fishing.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Ann Atlanta, GA and Houston, TX — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 02:15:41 GMT

I am actually amused by this. I think the launch of the IPhone probably saved TMobile a lot of embarrasment in touting something as being a tech break-throug that has been around many years before the cellphone. Call forward!! As far as I know this is a free service. I travel extensively and I would ditch a provider in a second if I can't use my phone where I need to use it and with the exception of topography (which is when I use call forward) I am able to use my phone wherever I need to, much to the irritation of those traveling with me that get a great signal as long as they remain a couple of miles from a major interstate. I haven't had a home phone in many years I guess I thought that was the direction telecommunications was taking but there are always different strokes for different folks.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Ben, Atlanta — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 02:34:27 GMT

It appears that a number of readers are thinking of this new T-Mobile service as a way for T-Mobile to "improve" service without having to invest in cell phone towers for areas that are currently under-served. However, I think the real benefit of this service is that it potentially eliminates the need for a home phone line (including VOIP phone service) at a cost of $9.95 a month. In other words, a person would now have one phone number rather than two. The only two potential issues I see are (1) WI-FI signal strength in the home, and (2) the costs for making long distance, international calls.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Jim, New Hope, PA — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 03:18:11 GMT

For those suggesting repeaters, they are not always a solution. The cell tower for my area is on the mountain behind our home. But we are effectively shielded by said mountain in the specific location we live...go 500' in either direction on the road and it's 5 bars. At home, it's about 1-2 bars outside and zippo inside. I couldn't get a repeater to work even minimally when I tried it. So a gateway would be a welcome thing in this house.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

J Dunfee, Florida — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 03:37:19 GMT

It'll work on any "clean" Wifi connection. If your link has a "key" (WPA/etc) you'd need to enter it of course. Not an issue at public wifi places.

There will be problems if you have to "accept terms of service" or somesuch at a "free" wifi hotspot (e.g. in a hotel.) In some cases you'll be able to through the browser on the phone and authenticate the phone's MAC address, in other's not.

Note that T-Mobile's "Hotspots" will likely automatically authenticate. Betcha their phones "detect" that automatically. They'd be crazy not to since it removes bandwidth from their cell sites!

When smartphones show up with this that problem should materially ease, as they tend to have "real" browsers instead of the crippleware WAP crud in most low-end phones. That will help.

The other thing is latency and connection quality. It has to be reasonably good or this won't work well.

In general its not a bad idea at all. As with nearly everything, the implementation will make the difference between "great" and "huh?"

I've had T-Mobile GSM service now for close to five years and travel all over, both in the US and Internationally. IMHO their service "just works", including the data side. I've tried the others but have found either their service quality lacking, their prices outrageous by comparison or, in some cases, BOTH.

This looks like a good add but I won't pay the additional $10 for it. If I can use it on "plan minutes" for free AND the call quality is equal or better then when my next phone is bought if it supports it I'll use it - otherwise - naw.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

elise lefort, cut off, louisiana — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 03:47:06 GMT

what about cellphone repeaters NOW? I NEVER HEARD OF THIS tell me more. my priority is internet tho. I want tobe able to use my laptop anywhere and for some weird reason my Dell laptop didn't come with wireless capabilities.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

pat hurd south fl — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 03:54:53 GMT

i have t-mobile two phones and one being a costly sidekick i get ZERO coverage in my home maybe alittle coverage outside. Ilive in south florida ,,,,not the mountains. They came out with this wi fi that doesnt work eith any exsisting phones , i think they are very far behind in coverage areas . verizon gets out everywhere.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Jason, Lexington KY — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 04:37:13 GMT

I personally think T-Mobile service here is great. Whether Im in the city or driving out in BFE, or on the lake with no major city within 30 miles. There's always at least 3 bars.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

al commune — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 05:09:01 GMT

like others have said, a repeater is a better idea. works well, you own it, no internet connection needed, no added fees and no need to buy a new phone. and this works with all carriers

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Tom, Binghamton, NY — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 05:41:26 GMT

troy..this is obviously for the growing number of people that don't bother with landline phones anymore. And it is a great deal. Most people I know with only cell service go for the 1000 or 1500 anytime minutes plan for that reason. But with this, they can opt for the cheapest plan, and pay the extra $10. (And considering T-Mobile is $10 cheaper than other providers, it is like getting it for free.)

Not to mention, they don't talk about the OTHER benefit. This is not just for the home. Whereever there is an open WiFi connection, you get free calls, if you choose that option. If you live in an area with lots of Wifi spots, you don't have to ever worry about your anytime minutes again.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Tom, Binghamton, NY — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 05:46:30 GMT

Jimmy Crackhorn...The US is "years behind" other countries for a very good reason. Actually, 2. First is DEMAND. Hate to break it to you, but most people simply don't CARE. It is fine for what most people need. And second...maybe you should check out a map. Check out just how big the United States is compared to countries in Europe and Asia. Then check out an almanac and check out the population density. It would be prohibitively expensive to blanket the US with the same coverage density as European countries. And that brings me back to demand. The increase in service level would not be worth the HUGE increase in price that would come with huge increase in overhead costs. (P.S.: US cell phone service is better than Australia's...again, if you want to know why, check out an alamanc for population density of countries. You'll see that EVERY country that has areas where some people have no neighbors within half a mile of their house has subpar service comarped to Europe.)

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Beau, Long Beach, CA — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 06:46:45 GMT

I am with Verizon, and I have never had any problems using my cellphone indoors at home, at work, or in many businesses I frequent. I am staying with Verizon, in my opinion, they are the best. 15 years of great cellular and landline telephone service is proof of that. A little more expensive, but well worth it, especially for emergencies, when it really counts............

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Steve Boston, MA — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:54:12 GMT

Correct me if I am wrong but the problem with VOIP and this type of service is that now your personal calls can be hacked into just like any other online service so you are potentially allowing others to listen in on private info such as credit card transactions, banking transactions etc.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Keith O'Fallon MO — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:41:00 GMT

re:911 on T-Mobile
Thanks Mr. Treffinger. I wondered if T-Mobile would route 911 calls like Vonage does.

<<Regarding 911 calls via this GSM over IP. The Cellular industry and the 911 centers in the country have spent billions to provide cellular location technology (Wireless Phase II). This new GSMIP technology completely bypasses the local cell phone tower and goes directly into T-Mobile's inter-switch network. I would question how T-Mobile will determine how to route the call to the correct 911 Center. Vonage uses a Vonage database that the Vonage subscriber must update as subscriber moves from place to place. As long as that database update occurs with each move of the adapter, the call will be routed to the correct 911 Center.

Based on the information in the article, it would appear to me that a 911 call made using this new technology will be impossible to route correctly.

Phil Treffinger
Telecommunications Administrator
York County Department of Emergency Services
County of York, PA>>

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Eric, So. Cal. — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:38:37 GMT

Why is everyone complaining about T-Mobile charging for this? Read it again- they're not! It's free. You only pay 10 bucks more if you don't want it to count against your minutes (unlimited). Sounds like a great deal to me.

BTW: Repeaters still have to talk to the tower- if you can't talk to the tower in your home, you can't use a repeater. Also, this solution works everywhere, not just your home (unlike a repeater).

I have only two questions, the first of which was brought up by a couple of others.

1) How does 911 routing work?

2) When using a router, is the data encrypted using a strong, standard public/private key encryption algorithm from the phone to T-Mobile. A lot of public wi-fi networks are not encrypted (or use WEP which may as well be not encrypted) and I sure don't want any passerby to be able to sniff out my phone calls.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Mike, Davenport, Florida — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:46:58 GMT

Who cares what they come up with, they still have lousy customer service (more directly, no customer service). They scam you by claiming the phones you send in for replacement under warranty are received damaged in their own packaging with their own shipping instructions charging you the price for replacement of the phone thus getting free of standing good on "warranty" replacement. You have no recourse as their "customer service" reps only lip service you with nothing but repeating the phone was damaged and no supervisors are ever available to speak to. They should all be in jail. If you don't drop your service with them, you'll soon enough find out I'm right!

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Chris Albuquerque, NM — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:04:50 GMT

Hot Spots @ Home is a great product. It is secure if you have one of the 2 routers T-mobile offers. You only pay extra if you want unlimited minutes while using WiFi. You will actually save money by possibly being able to reduce your current monthly plan. Repeaters have been talked about quite a bit but they are only for improving service at home. You cannot carry it with you and you do not get unlimited calls with the Repeater!

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Dennis Polgozinya, Mendham, NJ — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 18:56:11 GMT

there is an obvious problem here: My 12000 sq foot house is too big to be covered by a repeater or even the wifi router...so now what mr. Smart guy?

how do I take cell calls from the west wing of my estate when my butler calls me from the reserve kitchen in the guest house to ask me which type of caviar I want? well, I implore, what do I do?

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

EJ Sawyer, Baton Rouge, LA — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 19:08:09 GMT

Two comments:

First, I would much rather have the WiFi connection route calls to my landline, essentially turning my cell into a cordless handset when I'm at home. Then I'm not spending *any* minutes (or paying additional fees for unlimited) as long as I'm calling from home.

Second, I hope that when they get the smartphones going, they're clever enough to make the phone's browser capable of using the WiFi connection, thus eliminating the need to use data minutes to surf. Nothing I read in this article indicates that they've taken that step yet -- and since it would cut into their profits, they may not have any incentive to do so.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Frank, Tawas City, Michigan — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 20:01:50 GMT

I can't believe people are knocking t-mobile. I've had t-mobile for at least 7 years even when they were (voicestream wireless). I've lived in Texas, Michigan, Ohio, and the sticks of Idaho and its worked great everywhere. I can even travel to over 180 countries and I don't have to change chips or anything of that nature.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Chris, Milwaukee, WI — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 20:11:02 GMT

This technology breakthrough is much greater then what people think. While people think that it is unnessecary right now, this type of mobile phone is the future. It actually puts cellular phone companies in jeparday. T-mobile is able to do this because they have not nearly as much invested in infrastructure as cingular, or verizon. These companies all have the technology, but would rather make you pay to use their towers rather than free wi-fi spots. All it takes is for someone to develop an open source VOIP program for a Wi-Fi smart phone and you will never have to pay for a call when you are in a hot spot again. Wi-Fi cities or college campuses that are completly wireless are the perfect markets for this technology.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Shaun Martin — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 21:06:56 GMT

I agree with the comment above ....... why should I have to pay for their poor service? They should be coming to me asking how my service is and making it better if it is terrible! Tmobile keeps coming out with fancy phones and new services, which is fine but first, shouldn't you make sure you are giving your customers adequate coverage. What good are the fancy phones and fancy services if you can't get the signal to use them. They are a business based on communication. I find it ironic that this is the weakest part of tmobile.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Renee, Pittston, Pennsylvania — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 22:01:34 GMT

Well...I have Verizon and TMobile. I have a mid-grade cell on Verizon and the (way too expensive!) Sidekick for tmobile. Anywhere I am, buildings, vacations, out in the country for a drive, even up in the sky when we go for a plane ride for an hour...Tmobile has NO reception, while Verizon always does. TMobile has horrible service, I am dropping it asap and keeping with Verizon. I have used Verizon for years, and I also used several other carriers and had problems with all of them. Verizon is the best when it comes to customer service and reception. TMobile wouldnt need this if they had good reception already. To me, it's useless crap from a useless company. If you don't get good reception to the point where you need this to help out, just switch to verizon.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Clark H Leesburg VA — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 23:09:12 GMT

AT&T/Cingular has cost me business by providing the most abismal service on the planet. I've stood 100ft from one of their towers and couldn't get service. True Story.

Go T-Mobil!

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

J. B. Colorado Springs, CO — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 00:34:44 GMT

I worked for T-Mobile, so you may accuse me of having a biased opinion, but when I was a new hire, I went through training. Part of the training is detailed explanations of what services they offered and what they do for the customer. It seems a lot of people on here don't know exactly what the HotSpot service is, and are thus, unimpressed. However, it is not comparable to a repeater, nor is it comparable to call forwarding. T-Mobile has free call forwarding on every plan, so offering something similar to it for a monthly fee that requires more hardware would be ridiculous. It's actually a great service and a great idea. However, I do understand the people who think the T-Mobile service sucks. That's in your area. I live in Colorado, and I don't get less than 3 bars anywhere I go. But every provider has their weak areas, that can't be avoided. Good article, I know they appreciate the positive comments.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Pete N., Staten Island, NY — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 01:18:13 GMT

It's just another $10 bucks out of pocket. Instead of giving you better reception, like they are supposed to, they add a router, and $10 more a month. I have the Verizon Family plan with 700 minutes nation wide coverage. So far the reception has been very good since they changed over to digital signal. Plus almost everyone that means something to me has Verizon too, so we are not charged any minutes called to another Verizon customer, and never run out of minutes (700). Besides, Verizon will probably come out with the same thing.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Scott, Birmingham, AL — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 02:36:36 GMT

I like the idea because I have two teenage daughters who love to talk and talk and... on their cell phones at home (yes, they should use the landline). If I get the wi-fi family plan they can talk unlimited, and I don't have to monitor the minutes on a constant basis. So for me its not signal strength, its unlimited talk time, regardless of day. Also, when you start the call at your house, it remains "free" even if you leave your house and connect to a cell tower.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

doug baker, Fort Collins, Co — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 08:46:35 GMT

Think of this. Your company has a wireless network for the office, now you can make calls without any minutes. You stop by a hot zone, like a starbucks. Make calls without using your minutes. It would be like the "old" days when you had unlimited calls on your landline, but still have a mobile phone.
Yes, you could lower your minute plan to nearly nothing and have unlimited calls anytime anyday at home and many many other places.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Wired-less — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 09:18:55 GMT

Wifi to mask your poor network and lack of 3G capability. While Deutch Telecom may be a big dog overseas, their US-tMobile division has the worst coverage of any carrier-IMHO. Too bad for tMobile there's no WI-Fi coverage on I-75

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Miriam, Los Angeles, CA — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 16:54:20 GMT

Repeaters only work if they can pick up a signal to repeat... As long as you can set up a WiFi network, you can have full bars. Plus, I think the setup is a heck of a lot easier than a repeater. I have used the service and it's easy to get up and running and cost effective! Kudos to T-Mobile!

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

JDF, Albany, NY — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 04:09:19 GMT

Think about this..GHANNA, yes a small little country in Africa has better overall cellular coverage in THEIR country then America,Japan they have coverage in trains that run UNDERGROUND, Dont beleive me, look it up on the internet. And yes, repeaters for the home are not new, flashy gee wiz items ...but this....is..... a new product to sell....

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

mike nashua nh — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 11:22:59 GMT

i have it and it is great the call quality is better than ever i ditched my land land and verizon wireless as well i highly reccomend it

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Alan, St. George, UT — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 01:31:06 GMT

In regard to repeaters or cellular amplifiers, Elsie in Louisiana and Jim in PA, Wilson Electronics has very effective in-building and mobile solutions for minimizing dropped calls and helping boost your cellular signal in signal shadowed environments. For example, Jim, if you had a Yagi antenna on the roof of your house and a Wilson SOHO (small office home office) amplifier connected to it and then to a panel or dome antenna inside, you could really see a difference in your signal strength inside. I have a dual-band mobile wireless amplifier in my car with a magnet mount antenna on the roof and it increases my signal 10 to 15 times keeping my calls from dropping and keeping me connected when in a fringe area on the road. The Wilson SOHO in-building amplifier can also be used in a "mobile" environment such as a RV or large boat. If you're using a Kyocera KR-1 or other brand of router with a cellular air card plugged in, you can use Wilson's SignalBoost amplifier with an inductive coupler hooked up to it using a velcro patch and it will improve your cellular signal and increase your data rates in low signal areas. Check out this link for a demonstration: http://www.wilsonelectronics.com/Files/Media/RVTV.mov
Also, I use my laptop and a cellular air card when on trips (my wife driving of course) and I can really tell a difference in my connectivity. I like Wilson because their amps are FCC type accepted and they are engineered very well with oscillation and overload protection built into the circuitry so they do not interfere with carriers or users on the cell system. They basically power up when needed and power down when not... so you don't know they are there. Anyway, if you haven't checked out Wilson try their web site at www.wilsonelectronics.com

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Michael Alexander, Boca Raton Florida — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 02:42:59 GMT

It sounds like a good marketing effort by T-Mobile. I have been a Cingular/AT&T customer for 7 plus years and currently have a Palm Treo 680; no calling or receiving call issues inside my house. I have a wireless router setup for my laptop;could it be that my Treo calls are already being routed through it? Mmmmmmm;sorry T-Mobil.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

The Verizon Wireless Test Man, Tampa Bay area, Fla. — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 03:15:47 GMT

Sorry...but I'm keeping my Verizon Wireless phone and my Skype service.

Verizon Wireless: The best network coverage, network quality/service, and customer service. Tried all the major carriers (at&t/Cingular, Sprint, T-Mobile...), nothing compares to Verizon Wireless' unsurpassed quality service.

Skype: It's barebones VoIP. Hey, last year I got the $15 promo (1-year of service) that allows me to call to anyone (land line and cell phones) in the States and Canada (UNLIMITED calling). Plus, Skype-to-Skype is always free.

The reason for T-Mobile to launch this is because of the poor cellular reception that you get from them, especially in rural areas. (IMHO, of course!!!)

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

D, Seattle — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:34:53 GMT

I love how people are stating that repeaters are an alternative. This is not designed to be an alternative to poor service (although it could alleviate it). This service is designed to allow people to not use wireless minutes while off of the T-Mobile network and on a Wi-Fi connection for a small monthly fee. If you have another provider with poor service, then you'd have to get a repeater. It would be pretty awesome to just get the lowest number of minutes with this, and then port your home number over to it so you could take your home number with you if you wanted…

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Alan St. George, UT — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 15:01:48 GMT

Elise in Louisiana...might look into getting a cellular air card for your laptop... then get a Wilson Electronics (www.wilsonelectronics.com) cellular amplifier (repeater) for your car or your home... they have mobile and in-building models and the highest receiver sensitivity of any on the market... that is why they pick up the weak signals. The Wilson has up to 10 times more power than your cell phone alone and can increase your cellular signal 10 to 15 times. Also, if you are using an aircard with your wireless router, you can use a cellular amplifier to boost the incoming signal so it is stronger within the house.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

John SYdney Yamane — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 19:52:11 GMT

The TMo product is just another VOIP solution which is awesome free internet technology. Yes it provides TMo access to where no cell site has gone before. Yes it provides TMo to higher bandwidth access which is no cost to them. Yes, it opens the doors to other Cellular Phone companies to do the same as well. FOr those Homeland security visionaires I know you already fear about the sprawl of unsecured open networks which could be be used to empower roque terrorist or enemy, yes the American corporate zeal really shoot ourselves in the foot all the time. TMo and all Cellphone companies goals is to move their costly towers indoors in the millions. CHeap no cost to them micro-cell sites in every home. What a great idea. I cant wait to see what those rich/young/techies in Dubai will think of next. Can I say UWB for the world.

Hint to investors in 802.11g (as goes for any of its bandwidth falvors)is that the cost to intergrate this features into all devices cost .000005 which will inject billions of dollars into the electronic consumer economy.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

chester — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 04:11:15 GMT

NOBODY cares about the cell reception in your area. So QUIT typing.

78% percent of you people are idiots.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Ted N — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 16:35:03 GMT

I have the T-Mobile @Home Wifi setup and it works great. I have cut my plan down to nothing. I don't use a land line at home, so this is perfect for me. I am saving $30 per month by using the wifi router that I already pay for with my internet connection. I coupled this plan with MyFavs so that I can call 5 people anytime, anywhere and it is basically free. Add that to my @Home wifi and I can talk to just about everyone and hardly use anytime minutes, hence dropping my plan from 1500 minutes down to 300 minutes. The call quality is excellent. This is a big winner...

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Albert Lavigne, Schenectady, NY — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:03:40 GMT

I contacted TMO about no coverage in my house, they offered this solution with the following options:

1) no extra monthly fee but I use my normal cell minutes
2) 9.99/month extra for unlimited calls on the WIFI connection.

There were 2 phones available for this at the time the Nokia6086 and the samsungt409. I went with the nokia for $29.99 each and a 1 year extension.

The only problem I've had so far is occasionally I have to power cycle the phone or I can't connect to my wireless router. Voice quality if good but not stellar, I have yet to try the mp3 functionality, but have used the radio, headset & blue tooth functionality all work as expected.

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Cindy, Alexandria, VA — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:57:37 GMT

Maybe this technology can be wrapped with the sling box providing the same service as voip in a package deal even far from home?
I have T-mobile and the only place I have ever had issue with connectivity in my house is in the farthest areas of my basement and deep into the galley kitchen (granted, I have a lot of windows and a relatively small house). I have never bothered to even get a landline. So, to me the greater benefits for those looking at this has more to do with unlimited calling BEFORE 9pm as this option is overall cheaper than paying unlimited anytime minutes. That would be a HUGE savings for people that work from home and make lots of business hours calls, as well as keeping families connected when the kids are off at soccer etc.
Money wise - In Europe (at least for the years I was there, you did NOT pay for incoming calls, so even if you had zero minutes on a prepaid, people could still call you)...the industry here in the U.S. has always been a bit more greedy.
The European experience was a huge reason I got T-Mobile...plus the absolutely horrible coverage of AT&T and Sprint especially when I was traveling midwest to east coast and they expected me to find a local retail store wherever I was and have the handset reset for the area to get better, or any, coverage. For computer connectivity I tried out Verizon before the huge FIOS push. They had to specifically check their service line area and how far away I was from the main phone tower, I was less than two points away, supposedly. They were about a month late sending the equipment. Then the service people kept saying they were showing that my line was live coming into the house...numerous calls to their service departments, crawling all over my house checking every concievable jack, including the outside incoming box that is usually locked and relaying to them as I did each and being charged for equipment and service for the entire time....the service personnel on the phone were quite nice, but it took obstinance and cursing to get them to rerun their own service search only to then say...oh, yeah, there is no service there yet. I sent everything back and for two months they continued to charge me while they "processed" the cancellation. In total they wasted four months of my time and energy as well as interest on monies. I will NOT have Verizon!

Like having a cell phone tower indoors

Chris, Beijing, China — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 10:47:27 GMT

I am shocked at the poor coverage and complicated nature of the mobile phone industry in North America. In China were I am currently living, setting up a plan takes a few minutes, is cheap, and you can use any phone you want. All you have to buy is a sim card and you are set. No such thing as a locked phone. You can even buy prepaid cards instead of opting for a plan. In addition, I have never been without a signal in my 6 years of mobile phone use throughout the country. The North American phone system is not at all convenient for the consumer, and is so bent on squeezing as much money out of consumers as possible.