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Airave = No Help

NCHornet

Well-Known Member
Apr 8, 2010
127
8
I have four phones on my plan, only two are smart phones. My son has a Blackberry and I have the Hero. Only our phones have issues with dropping calls due to poor signal. My wife and daughters phone only show 2 bars but never drop a call. It seems these higher tech phones are more sensitive to poor reception. So I called sprint hoping to get the AIRAVE. I was not offered any reduction in price and no waving the monthly fee. I wrote a email to Sprint explaining why I was unhappy. I have been a customer for 10 years and have never had a great signal at my house but I never dropped calls either. A couple days later a rep from retentions calls me and offers me the Airave for .99 then shipping and activation fee, it was the best they would go so I agreed. Got it yesterday and installed it thinking it would solve my problem. I get five bars standing near the device but when I go into the next room the signal is down to a single bar, no better than without the Airave. Even when next to the Airave and I go to download a song from Imusic and it starts dropping to 1 or 2 bars. I emailed Sprint and they said for Airave to work you must be within a mile from the nearest Sprint tower. Nobody asked this before!! They also said their computer shows I am in a roaming area, I don't care what their computer says my phones never go into roaming mode in my area. My bills prove this. I am thinking there must be something wrong with the unit. All lights are blue on the front so it is getting a signal and GPS location, but why isn't it broadcasting to the claimed 5000 sq feet? Maybe someone could explain this better before I try and call Airave tech support. But so far I am not impressed with this Airave. Glad I have a no risk 30 day period!!
NCH
 
I have the Airave in my house. I'm not sure if this is how the Airave is supposed to work, but when I'm connected to Sprint's network via the Airave, I automatically drop from Ev to 1x and can't do any real data transfer. Basically, when connected w/ Airave, all I can do is text (not MMS) and make calls. That may explain your problem...
 
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I don't think so. If I am away from the house and come back home I have to literally pass the phone near by the Airave, then it will pick up the signal and jump to 5 bars, but then as I walk down our short hallway the bars start dropping. About 40-45ft away in the living room I am down to a single bar and calls will still drop. The man from retention says it is because I live more than a mile from the nearest Sprint tower. This makes no sense to me. If the Airave gets a steady signal and it is able to provide 5 bars in the same room why can't it spread that broadcast to the rest of the house? Isn't that the whole idea about having the thing anyway? To boost a low signal? The guy from retentions is trying to say if the Airave was receiving a stronger signal than it would broadcast out further. What??? If I had a stronger signal I wouldn't have the darn Airave. I guess I'll have to call Airave tech support tomorrow. Man I hate doing that, everytime I call I sware I am never going to renew my contract!!! Thanks for the help though.
 
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Call tech support. My airave works just fine, the airave does not support data, only voice, so when you browse the web etc, your phone uses the nearest cell tower to send and receive data. Also, when on a call and you leave the area of your airave, your phone automatically switches to the nearest cell tower, but if you are not home, and on the phone when you come home, your phone will not automatically switch to the airave from a cell tower, you will drop the call. It is just how it works.
Did you use the gps antenna externally and put it near a window with a clear path to the sky? Also, the unit does not work as well in basements no matter where the gps antenna is placed.
I spent some time on the phone with advanced airave tech support getting mine working good enough for me, thats how I know all this.
 
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Call tech support. My airave works just fine, the airave does not support data, only voice, so when you browse the web etc, your phone uses the nearest cell tower to send and receive data. Also, when on a call and you leave the area of your airave, your phone automatically switches to the nearest cell tower, but if you are not home, and on the phone when you come home, your phone will not automatically switch to the airave from a cell tower, you will drop the call. It is just how it works.
Did you use the gps antenna externally and put it near a window with a clear path to the sky? Also, the unit does not work as well in basements no matter where the gps antenna is placed.
I spent some time on the phone with advanced airave tech support getting mine working good enough for me, thats how I know all this.

Mine is placed in my basement and the GPS antenna is right near the window.. works quite fine I might add
 
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NC, call airave tech support. They can increase the range on the device. They did this for me, and now I can use it not only throughout the house, but on the back patio as well. Before it would drop out in the kitchen, which is far from the airave device.

Huh? Are you sure about that? Can you provide details as to what they said they did?
 
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Huh? Are you sure about that? Can you provide details as to what they said they did?

Well, when I first got the airave, I was impressed, until I figured out it did not work with the range that was advertised. (don't remember what that range was now..but something like 5,000 sq ft rings a bell, but not sure.) So I called Airave tech support, after explaining my issue (lost calls in parts of my house) they put me thru to a 2nd level tech who had to put in a "ticket" to get the range increased. Apparently they can address the airave remotely and increase the power...which increases the range. It seems that the device can interfer with other peoples use of cell phones on other networks, so they are set from the factory at a lower power/range to avoid problems if you live in close proximity to a neighbor (like in an appartment)

The ticket was approved, and my range is now much better. I seem to recall an additional communication from Sprint/airave telling me of the approval and asking if the increase had helped.

Hope this has explained it enough, if not, hit me with more questions.
 
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Just gave them a call. Sounds like they can do it for me, once I prove that I don't have other issues (with connection speeds). So, when I get home tonight, I will run those tests (through 8x8, Inc. VoIP and Broadband Speed Test ) and, hopefully I can get the power boosted, too.

Thanks for the pointer!
Eph

You're welcome! It's always nice to be able to help someone...thanks are nice too! ;) Post back with the results.
 
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Well I just got off the phone with Airave tech support. The range of the Airave is not 5,000 sq ft as sales claims it is 5,000 cubic feet. This ends up being 30-35 ft from the unit. This is a huge difference over 5000 sq ft. Just thought y'all would like to know. I will be returning mine ASAP. I am so tired of Sprint's BS!!!

nch
 
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Well I just got off the phone with Airave tech support. The range of the Airave is not 5,000 sq ft as sales claims it is 5,000 cubic feet. This ends up being 30-35 ft from the unit. This is a huge difference over 5000 sq ft. Just thought y'all would like to know. I will be returning mine ASAP. I am so tired of Sprint's BS!!!

nch

Unfortunately, not all Sprint techs are created equaly. If I were you, I would call again, and remain calm. (Not saying that you weren't calm, cause I didn't hear the call, but you sound agitated in your post) I know it is stupid to have to do this. They CAN increase the range.
 
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I can tell ya it's 5000sq feet.. not cubic feet... signals are never measured in cubic feet (that's a volume measurement). I ahve an Airave, I'm in a Roaming only area.. I have 6 bars in the basement and 5 bars upstairs (on third floor) and I even get signal 70 feet up my driveway. the Airave doesn't require a cell tower, it uses your broadband connection and CREATES a personal cell tower for your house... either you got a bad unit or have shielded walls...
 
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My home was built in the early 60's and no shielded walls. I didn't get upset at the tech because he was actually very friendly and seemed knowledgeable. He did say they can increase the signal strength but they only do this if you are loosing the signal after 10ft and after they increase it you can usually go out to the 30-35ft range. He said if I was already getting the signal at the 30ft mark increasing the signal would do nothing for me. I agree it doesn't make sense and I have never heard of distance given in cubic feet. I will try one more time and call Airave tech support. If this doesn't work I am sending it back to Sprint along with a few emails describing my disgust of their company. Now I will calm down a bit before I call.

NCH
 
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...I will try one more time and call Airave tech support. If this doesn't work I am sending it back to Sprint along with a few emails describing my disgust of their company. Now I will calm down a bit before I call.

NCH


@NCH, did you ever get the range/power output of your Airave device increased? Are you still suffering the signal strength issues?
 
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How do you do that? My Airave shows as an Airave, not a phone...

Ahh but it has a phone number attached to it. Take that phone number and go to best buy and get yourself an upgrade and tell them its a gift so dont activate it yet. Take the new phone and call sprint and activate it on your primary line. Problem solved.

I work at Best Buy as a 2nd job and I didnt know this till Sprint decided to inform me of it.
 
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Before anyone questions this...look at the pics attached. Notice even sprint offers the upgrade to the airave. Only catch is DO NOT activate the new phone on the airave number or you just bought yourself a 2 year contract.
 

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Hmm..not saying it won't work, but just skeptical...

So they renew a 2 year contract on a phone line for the Airave, that there isn't a contract on, and then give you an unactivated phone...... Have you actually done this? How long ago? Does the Airave then have to wait another 2 years, or is there still no contract on it?
 
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