How To Administration Tmobile Cellspot Router Using Your Wifi Data

Biz & It —

T-Mobile's network extender lets anyone utilize your Internet bandwidth

Similar Comcast, T-Mobile boosts its network by borrowing your bandwidth.

T-Mobile US CEO John Legere with the new 4G LTE CellSpot.

T-Mobile US is giving customers free devices that boost network coverage in and around their homes, with ane caveat: the device lets anyone in the immediate expanse use the customer'southward Internet bandwidth.

T-Mobile said its 4G LTE CellSpot piggybacks on your Net connection to "provid[e] an average 3,000 sq. feet of glorious full-bar T-Mobile LTE coverage throughout your home," even if there is no T-Mobile cellular indicate in the area.

"[I]t'due south the world's first device of its kind that is 3G, 4G and VoLTE-capable, and any T-Mobile customer can connect to it automatically only like any other jail cell belfry—no passwords or log-ins required," T-Mobile said in today's announcement.

Nosotros asked T-Mobile over electronic mail and Twitter whether customers can configure the CellSpot to require a countersign or use a whitelisting scheme to limit access. We got an answer via Twitter, with the company saying, "The 4G LTE CellSpot doesn't provide restricted admission. Other T-Mobile customers within the device coverage range tin likewise access the 4G LTE CellSpot coverage." (A T-Mobile spokesperson afterward confirmed via email that there is no way to limit admission to the device.)

The CellSpot is a new version of a device that was released last year. The previous 1 acted more like a regular Wi-Fi router, letting users specify a password. T-Mobile has distributed more than 1 million of them to customers.

The new 4G LTE CellSpot is gratuitous to Simple Choice PostPaid customers (with a $25 refundable deposit). To use it, customers should take Cyberspace speed of at to the lowest degree 2Mbps downstream and 512kbps upstream. Customers set it upwards by connecting an Ethernet cable from the CellSpot to "any available Ethernet port on your router or router/modem philharmonic unit of measurement."

T-Mobile said the device is as well ideal for businesses and allows upwards to 16 simultaneous telephone calls. If your home Internet is fast enough, T-Mobile says the CellSpot can back up speeds of 60Mbps downstream and 20Mbps upstream.

Fifty-fifty though information technology's using your home broadband connection, whatsoever information you lot apply while connected to the CellSpot counts confronting your T-Mobile program's data limits. Customers must apply Wi-Fi to avert using up cellular data allotments—so y'all're better off using Wi-Fi to begin with, specially if your phone supports Wi-Fi calling. The CellSpot could as well use up any data resource allotment you have for home Internet, if you lot're on a capped plan.

T-Mobile's network has traditionally struggled indoors. While the visitor has been boosting cellular coverage, the CellSpot and T-Mobile'southward cover of Wi-Fi calling helps fill in some of the remaining gaps.

Since the new device's range is limited to 3,000 foursquare feet, customers may not be sharing their Internet connexion with too many people, especially if they live in a house in a sparsely populated area. In an apartment complex, it could exist more than of a problem. If other people are using your Internet bandwidth, it could slow downward your ain Web access.

AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint allow customers restrict access

T-Mobile isn't the only carrier to provide devices like the CellSpot. AT&T sells the similar MicroCell, merely phones must become through an activation procedure in society to use it, so not just anyone can connect. AT&T customers can as well manage an approved user list to allow specific people to connect.

Dart has an Airave device that likewise uses a customer's home Net service, but lets customers restrict access to canonical telephone numbers. Verizon Wireless sells a Samsung Network Extender and provides a way to manage access. The Verizon system doesn't entirely cut off other users, just lets you choose who gets priority access.

T-Mobile's strategy here is like to one employed past Comcast. Since 2013, Comcast has made its customers' habitation modems deed as public Wi-Fi hotspots past adding a 2d betoken to each device. Other Comcast subscribers who are close enough to the device can log in to the Wi-Fi network by entering their Comcast usernames and passwords.

Co-ordinate to Comcast, abode Internet customers don't lose any bandwidth because the public Wi-Fi portion is separate. The public hotspot feature is on by default, but Comcast lets customers disable it.