Sprint Airave (Post #1 has a quick "FAQ" for help)

so is it modem-airave-router
or

modem-router-airave

It goes from cable modem to airave, airave to router. Is that correct? sorry for the delayed response, I am away from my computer from time to time at work, thanks for your help, greatly appreciated.

I have mine set up cable modem, router, airrave plugged into the router. I had problems with my mobile light connecting and the Sprint rep told me to leave it overnight and see. Sure enough, it was working when I woke up the next morning and has been fine ever since.

I thought about switching it up like that, but didn't want to fry anything. I may give it a shot if the reset doesn't work on the airave when I get home. Thanks.

Mikey P said:

It goes from cable modem to airave, airave to router. Is that correct? sorry for the delayed response, I am away from my computer from time to time at work, thanks for your help, greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

ok, leave it setup like that, but take a paper clip, and find the reset hole in the back of the airrave; hold it in with the paper clip for AT LEAST 15 seconds, then release it...wait awhile, and that should fix the airrave

if that doesnt work, then, disconnect everything, then reconnect your cable modem first until it gets a signal; then connect your airave, and finally, connect your router..

Thanks for the advice people

So I tried the reset, and that still didn't work. I switched to modem, router, airave, and this worked like a charm. I was up and running in 30 minutes with full bars. Thanks again for all the help.

thats how I have it set up too, and its worked perfectly for over a month now..
funny, its not how Sprint recommends setting it up!

What a bizarre ordeal!

Since first blowing cash on a Sprint plan on September 2, I haven't had any reception in my house except by one distant and inconvenient window. Of course this resulted in a dozen calls to Sprint. During two strange reluctant conversations with tech support about my lack of service (in which both reps claimed my service issues were impossible for them to identify), reps alluded vaguely to airrave as "something to look into" in "the future."

The first person said this: "It's not something we offer any more. We don't have it right now, but in a few months, you can try again. They ran out of airraves 'cause of threads on the internet. People call up pretending to have phone problems so they can get free minutes, which the airrave gives 'em permanently. See, that's why we're out. So, like, Sprint isn't offering that now. Maybe try in January."

During the second conversation, I lost it. I bought a smartphone to replace my land line, I told the rep. It was unacceptable that I should have to pay Verizon and Sprint until Sprint got it together to provide a signal in my home. The tech person (who seemed more like a sales rep) said he'd talk to his supervisor. He returned and told me the service would be $99.99, an additional activation fee and $4 every month thereafter. He also told me I couldn't have the service during the first three months of service. I should try again in January.

Whatever, I told him. Just connect me to Support Services. I just want you to put the call through.

When I reached the Airrave person, he was dumbfounded by all of it. "I just processed one of those an hour ago," he said. "Of course we have 'em available. No, you don't gotta pay $99.99. The airrave is free. No, you don't gotta pay by the month. You gotta pay $19 for the activation and that's it. Who told you all that stuff?"

That was yesterday. I received notice today that the airrave had shipped and was given a tracking number.

I could be wrong, but it seems as if Sprint is obligated to provide service for you at home but doesn't want you to know that. It seems as if Sprint personnel have been instructed to tell you elaborate lies to throw you off track unless you prove worthy. Again -- what an odd experience.

I got something like that the first time I called. I talked with a CS person and although she told me I was in an area that got no service she couldn't give me a free airave. She said they usually do that for people that have been with sprint for a while (I've only been with them for a few months). She said I could purchase it for $99 + the monthly fee. I told her no thanks. I then saw a thread on here that suggested to call and ask for the retentions department and they would take care of you. I tried this, and within 5 minutes the rep. had me a free airave on the way for no charge at all. She said it would take 3-5 days, but it arrived the next day. I was a little dissapointed in the first experience I had with Sprint's CS, but I could somewhat understand what they were saying. Needless to say I am very happy with them now. It was a great feeling to get full bars all through out my house instead of none at all. Now if they would just bring 4G to Charleston, SC I would be in heaven. Oh well, can't have everything I suppose.

Flaspeneer said:

The first person said this: "It's not something we offer any more. We don't have it right now, but in a few months, you can try again. They ran out of airraves 'cause of threads on the internet. People call up pretending to have phone problems so they can get free minutes, which the airrave gives 'em permanently. See, that's why we're out. So, like, Sprint isn't offering that now. Maybe try in January."

Click to expand...

Flaspeneer, great story. Sadly that is another lie and blame the customer (like blaming SERO users who were proactively pitched SERO probably saved the company) attitude by a Sprint worker!

I pay $20 a month to get those "free minutes" whcih go out over my IP and not sprint towers, and Sprint makes $240 a year or $480 on my contract on those multiline "free minutes." At stores they pitch those minutes and say it allows you to cut your landline.

Sprint customers were also at a disadvantage with mobile to mobile since with ATT and Verizon at over 80 million each , that meant with either 2/5 of your calls to mobile were not charged to your plans and with sprint it was more like 1/8 were not.

That and Sprint trying to cash in on the VOIP explosion where why they gave way free ones, since they avoided losing thousands of customers and captured income from those who might have gone with voip from another provider.

BTW airaves got cheaper and cheaper to make, probably about $30 per unit. The fact is the current shortage is becasue their newly designed 3g units, by a cheaper manufacturer, were pools tested and do not work well and they are backed up due to technical issues.

Thanks for the background and thoughtful history lesson, Aero. The fact that Sprint's allowed to charge such ludicrous prices for Skype mimicry shows you just how much of a racket cell phone coverage in America really is. Pan forbid they offer services at a profit relative to the cost and availability of the actual services provided.

It has been a while on this thread. I just wrote this review of Sprint Airave on another forum. Thought some of that might help to clear some noise in this thread:

I am not a Sprint Employee but just a happy customer.

@rnikischer - Just give Sprint a call and explain to them that you have bad coverage at your home. I think they should just come through for you as they did for me.

@jakee_11: You have a good point
<it>I realize you are happy with Sprint except for coverage at your home. There is absolutely no sense in paying for sprint's shortcomings so in case you are not offered an airave for free, ..</it>
That was exactly what I thought when I found out about Airave. I look around at Sprint stores and cannot find one. I finally decided to just call Sprint Customer support. When I told them that the coverage at my home is bad, they said "We'll give Airave to you for free and waive the monthly fee". Sprint shipped a new version of Airave (newer than the one I saw described on Sprint's website). The unit arrived promptly and worked right the way after it was plugged in and initialized. The only thing I needed to pay was a $18.99 activation fee for the device. Before I have Airave, I have 2 bar at the best location in my house (some corner on the 2nd floor), and no signal at all in the basement. Now, I have 5 bar everywhere in my house including the basement. Now I can actually use the office in the basement for my business.

We have Airave for about a year now, and it has been working great. You do need a broadband Internet connection to have the Airave work for you. I can tell the difference between the Airave connection (via my broadband) vs regular wireless connection outside because there is a quick tone notice at the beginning when it connects. It works for anyone who has a Sprint phone. My nephew who stayed with us for 3 months got on without doing anything.

I read many reviews regarding product like Airave, which relates to the only "problem" we run into, if you might even call that a problem. There is a "handover zone" somewhere at my driveway where my connection would go from Ariave to the regular Sprint network. When that happens, the call get dropped. The review I read said that if you actually have decent Sprint coverage, you are introducing a problem because they compete and your call might get dropped from one and picked up by the other. You ended up going from a decent to spotty coverage.

wase4711 said:

so is it modem-airave-router
or

modem-router-airave

Click to expand...

According to the instructions, Sprint wants it Modem - Airave - Router

However, I don't like putting it infront of my router. So my Router is in front, Modem plugged into Router's WAN port, and Airave plugged into one of the PC ports on the Router and it works great.

StealthTH said:

According to the instructions, Sprint wants it Modem - Airave - Router

However, I don't like putting it infront of my router. So my Router is in front, Modem plugged into Router's WAN port, and Airave plugged into one of the PC ports on the Router and it works great.

Click to expand...

This is how I have it set up too. Works perfectly.

Figured I'd add my 2 cents, since I just got my second Airave working.

In May, before I got the Evo, I called customer service complaining about poor coverage in my house. They offered the Airave for a low $4.99 per month, I insisted I didn't expect to have to pay for the service that I was told I should get. (I was suggested to use this tactic by local sprint rep.) I ended up getting it for free with no monthly payment.

That Airave was the Samsung model and only worked for voice. Didn't bother me too much because I use WIFI anyways while at home. It stopped working a few weeks ago and I tried various reboots and so forth. Called Sprint on Tuesday 12/28, and after going through a few levels of support, they sent me a new Airave. The Airvana model.

It arrived today, and I set it up... Modem -> Router -> Airave, just as I had the old one. Got solid green Broadband light, Solid green GPS light, and blinking green Mobile light that turned blinking amber after 1/2 hour. Powered cycled a few times as directed by user guide with same results.

Called number in user guide: 866-556-7310 and asked if new Airwave Mac address was set up. It was not, and the tech had me unplug Airwave and read him the Mac address on the bottom. After he entered it on his side, had me plug it back in.

It is now 1 1/2 hour later... all lights are green. Voice is 5 bars, and data speed is good even if turn of WIFI. Happy with new Airwave for now... hopefully it will be stable and will last.

I have a unique situation. I live on the fringes of Sprint cell coverage. Outside I can make and receive calls, inside I cannot. I do get 3g data from the tower. We do not have DSL or cable offered in our area, but we do have "wireless internet" which is from a small company that has set up an antenna on the house and it is pointed to an antenna about half a mile away which the ISP has set up on a telephone pole. Ironicaly when I do a internet speed test it shows that I am using a Sprint cell tower. I subscribe to the 3 meg service but hardly get that. I can use skype reliably so I thought I would be able to use the Airave.

I called Sprint and said simply that I have been a customer for 5 years or more and moved to a new house and have poor service. I would need to cancel my service unfortunately unless they had a solution. The tech escalated me to his supervisor and I told him the same story. He looked at my account and said since I am a premier customer that I qualified for the Airave and service for free. I think it was because I have two Evo's on the account. I got the Airvana UPS 2 days later.

Setup was easy. Modem --> Airave --> wireless router. I'm using the external GPS antenna since I have it hooked up in the basement. I had to register the Airvana's MAC address with my ISP which was a snap. After that it took about 20 minutes for the internet, GPS, then Mobile lights to stop flashing and I had full bars in the basement. I have a two story home and in the furthest point from the unit I have 4-5 bars reliably. Call quality is great even through my wireless internet. Calls transfer to the cell network going from the Airave. I haven't tried going onto the Airave from the tower. I'm not holding my breath though. I'm quite happy with the improved service from what we had.

StealthTH said:

According to the instructions, Sprint wants it Modem - Airave - Router

However, I don't like putting it infront of my router. So my Router is in front, Modem plugged into Router's WAN port, and Airave plugged into one of the PC ports on the Router and it works great.

Click to expand...

Having some experience with other VOIP devices (I use Ooma for my landline) I can tell you this is just the standard way VOIP devices are recommended to be connected. It should function correctly either way, either Modem -> Airave -> Router, or Modem->Router->Airave. The reason they recommend putting it before the router is that this is the only way to be sure that heavy traffic on your network from other useage (i.e. downloading torrents, streaming netflix, etc.) doesn't get in the way of your VOIP traffic, causing issues with voice quality. If the Airave is connected directly to your modem it can make sure your voice traffic is not crowded out by the other traffic from the router. If the Airave is located further "downstream", then it's up to your router to make sure the voice traffic gets priority and the majority of routers out there don't do this. Some newer routers (like the D-Link 655) have QoS features built into them that can actually monitor the network traffic to give priority to voice traffic but this sort of feature is still not widespread. From the manufacturer's perspective I'm sure it's much easier to just tell people that the device must be plugged in directly to the modem.

Anyone figured out if this thing works with a Virgin Mobile android?

I have had my airvana arave for about 2 weeks now. Today when I make a call after 40 seconds the call drops and goes to a busy signal. WTF!!
Worked great until today.

I've been using an Airave for about 1.5 years, from just after we moved into our new home. First the Samsung unit, then the Arvana.

Anyway, I have started having issues early last week...Incoming calls only are affected...the caller dials my number, and they never hear it ringing...My phone (EVO) rings, and I say "Hello, Hello, HELLO!?!" and they don't hear me...I hear them mumbling "hmm..it's not ringing". Then they call right back and the same thing happens. So I call them, and it works fine...they tell me they hear themselves as a very strong echo when this happens. This has happened to 2 out of every 3 inbound calls I get at home since Tuesday 2/23. Airave tech support has an "open ticket" on my behalf now...Still waiting for the fix. This doesn't happen when I am away from the house. Made 20 straight test calls to my phone over the weekend while "out and about" all worked flawlessly. Made the same 20 test calls to my phone while at home, and again, 2 out of 3, the caller never hears it ring, and can't hear me, but I hear it ring and can answer the call.

Interesting. We're experiencing different issues, but they started on the same day. Maybe your half of the country is incomming, and my half of the country is outgoing. I wonder if anyone else is having problems?
I hate to see someone else having problems, but it doesn't seem quite as bad when you're not the only one.

This thing is not store at sprint stores right?

I'm concerned that they will make me pay the fee to get it.. long story short I live in a apartment with cinderblock walls with metal screens and sitting on the bed about 7 ft from the window is enough to drop my calls.. just being near the window with the phone is enough for voice drop outs and all.

I believe you can call Telesales to order it.

You could also look at a simple booster from 3gstore.com.