In my earlier post, I talked about how AT&T is utilizing Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) to provide cell services to businesses and public venues like stadiums, malls and college campuses.  While this service does fill a need for our customers, there is also another, all-too-frequent challenge for the cellular network, reliable cell service penetration at home.

You see, unlike the skyscraper example I provided in that earlier post, where the issues are more obvious (it’s the twentieth floor, cell service doesn’t reach that altitude), our homes can pose other challenges, such as home construction, or even geography.    The very materials used to build your home, or its location, are likely the culprit which challenges our cellular signal from penetrating to the inside, and less signal means increased levels of frustration.

Now we have managed to take the same technology we use for our business customers and shrink it down to single device that you hook up to your broadband router and that brings the power of our cellular network in your home, and can dramatically increase the reliability of service in your home.  This type of technology solves some serious reception issues that have plagued some home-based businesses.

This improvement in cell phone reception is accomplished through the MicroCell. It is a great looking, toaster sized device that simply hooks up to any broadband connection providing a minimum of 1.5Mbps download and 256 Kbps upload speed, (recommended speeds are 3.0 Mbps download and 384 Kbps upload) and it acts as a cellular tower inside your home.  Also, it’s important to note that the broadband connection does not have to be provided by AT&T.

This device can really help with the consistency of cellular service. This is important especially in areas like a home office for small business owners where work is often done in basements, attics, or other hard-to-reach locations. These are traditionally those areas that incur the biggest issues related to service penetration.

Are you using a MicroCell now?  Has this solution bridged a gap in your home cell service?  Tell us about your experiences as it can help others contemplating what to do.