TateT
@buckeyecom.net
| reply to MASantangelo
Re: I must be missing something...
said by MASantangelo  :They get you for the phone and the service, the service is crappy at your house, they won't expand the signal to cover you, but hey look we have this $250 box that will allow you to use your phone! ... Someone explain this better because it seems like a load to me. Typically, calls made using a femtocell are free or at a very reduced rate. I haven't been tracking pricing at all, but I seem to recall Sprint's is something like $100 for the gear, then a monthly fee ($15 / mo I believe) gets you unlimited calls.
So you see, this isn't just for people who live in the sticks. It can be beneficial for heavy talkers with low-minute plans too.
- Tate
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kingfisher
Premium
join:2007-07-17
Webster, NY
 ·RoadRunner Cable
 ·Verizon Wireless B..
| From the Verizon literature included in the Engadget article -
"enabling customers to get the most of their plan minutes while at home"
I think I read the information pretty completely and there is no mention of usage external to your plan. I suppose this could change. |
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digiblur
Got Sipura?
Premium
join:2002-06-03
Louisiana
| reply to TateT
The Sprint implementation with the Airave is awesome. I installed a repeater with an outdoor directional antenna and the results were fair but still not the greatest.
I was able to get the Airave from Sprint for free and no monthly service. I get full coverage all over the house now and have the ability to block people from using it but I leave it wide open since I don't live in an apartment.
--
Make your Sipura/PAP2 speak. »www.voipurize.com
SouthWest Louisiana PC Users Group »www.swlapcug.com |
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Big Dawg 23
join:2002-03-27
Northfield, MN | reply to TateT
I guess I missed that part. If they want a $15 access fee for me to have Unlimited as long as I am at home sign me up. I have wanted to dropped my home line but for me and my wife to go unlimited but that is $125 more a month. |
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RickNY
Premium
join:2000-11-02
New York
1 edit | reply to digiblur
said by digiblur :I was able to get the Airave from Sprint for free and no monthly service. I get full coverage all over the house now and have the ability to block people from using it but I leave it wide open since I don't live in an apartment. I agree -- the Airave works quite well for me as well.. And, like you, Sprint provided it to me at no charge as well as no monthly service charges. Sprint usually charges $99 for the device and $4.95/mo for just coverage using your included minutes. Without the Airave, I was on a fringe area that showed 0-1 bars on my Blackberry. Since I also have Sprint for my work-supplied Blackberry in addition to my personal one, it benefits that as well. I get 4-5 bars in my home now all the time.
Sprint was very agreeable to providing the device and service to me at no charge. One thing about this that I think is a little ridiculous is that the companies should not be charging monthly fees to simply extend coverage -- you are paying them to a) take load off of their network b) reduce the need for them to invest more heavily in their coverage and c) use YOUR resources to transport your calls to the telephone network. If Sprint hadn't offered it to me at no charge, I probably wouldn't have purchased it. The problem with my area is that all of the major carriers share the same towers - so if I have no coverage with Sprint, I get no coverage with Verizon either.
Just one thing to note -- even though the documentation says you can restrict numbers using the device, it practice this does not happen. Even if you specify that the device is restricted on your account page and provide numbers, it does revert back to wide open. This is because if you are in a densely populated area with low cell coverage, your Airave will deny users from using their phone altogether. They are reportedly still working on a fix for that -- until then, the devices are wide open to anyone else with a non-iDen Sprint phone. |
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