Initial Activation - AT&T MicroCell Operating And Troubleshooting

MicroCell Informational Document for
™
Technical, Operational, and Troubleshooting Issues v1.7
by Otto Pylot
hours of minimal usage, usually very late at night or early in the morning. GPS
location is verified by using the local tower and the NWL (Network Listen) protocol.
If NWL fails for any reason, then the MicroCell uses the standard GPS scan to
confirm location. If that fails, connection is lost until it can be re-established by
either re-booting or calling support if the reboot or deactivating/reactivating
doesn't work.
GPS also allows the MicroCell to choose which frequencies are licensed by AT&T
that can be legally used in the area. Since the unit operates on the same frequencies
as used by the towers, it must operate within the licenses owned by AT&T but these
licenses can vary from region to region.
GPS signals are broadcast on a 1.5GHz channel which can be absorbed by wood and
metal. So moving the unit a couple of feet to either side of a window may make a
difference in GPS lock. An external antenna can be used if optimal window location
is not possible. The external antenna input on the back of the MicroCell uses an MCX
type connection. Good antennas can be found on Amazon with the prices varying
from inexpensive to fairly expensive.
Speaking of E911 calls, any E911 call from a mobile device should be done with the
complete 10-digit phone number, not just 911. The reason for this is call delay. On a
landline, the 911 operator has your exact GPS coordinates instantly, and even if you
can't speak, but leave the connection open, they can roll emergency vehicles to you
immediately. Mobile devices and VoIP calls (the MicroCell is a VoIP device) are
usually routed first thru your local Highway Patrol or State Trooper's 911
dispatcher, and then that's routed to the local 911 operator. That's usually very
quick but there can still be somewhat of a delay. The landline (voice) dispatcher has
instant access to the GPS database for all calls, and mobile calls may not have the
instant access like the landline operators do. Dialing the 10-digit number is the
same as using a landline. This is getting better as more calls move away from
landline and go to mobile but it is something to consider for use in-home. The
downside is that the 10-digit number is based on your area code and if you are out
of your area code you have no choice but to dial 911.

Initial Activation:

When the MicroCell first boots up, the unit gets a DHCP license, syncs with network
time over NTP, and then does a DNS query for xxxxx.wireless.att.com. Once
successful, it talks to that server over HTTPS (TLSv1) for a while and then
immediately starts an IPsec VPN with xx.xxx.xxx.193.
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