iPhone(5/6) fails to connect to Microcell consistently

As long as your MicroCell is at least 2' away from any Wifi source there won't be any interference.

Which MicroCell do you have, white or black?

Do you leave WiFi enabled on the iPhones at all times?

Have you turned off your phones completely and then turned them back on? That sometimes clears up any issues that may be happening with the phones.

Who is your ISP and what kind of connection do you have?

What does the light pattern on the front of the MicroCell look like?

Did the MicroCell ever work as expected?

We have a more extensive list of questions to ask but we'll start here.

canary-man I suggest you see the following threads:

Phone to microcell connection dropping a lot, never comes back

and

M-Cell Signal Won't Load or Hold on Phones - All Lights Green

I suspect you have the same problem as some of us.

Nate

@nategold - why must you insist on hijacking threads to continue to push your agenda? The OP's problem may be related to the other threads you've hijacked, but maybe not. Our purpose here is to help, when we can, the questions that are posted. It's quite possible that we may be able to resolve his issue. He shouldn't be sent off to lurk thru other threads. He posted here and this is where we should keep the responses.

I did not "hijack" a thread.  I was merely pointing out threads that may be the same problem that he/she has, which he/she may not have seen.  Wouldn't that potentially be helpful to him/her?

In answer to your questions:

Microcell is black. 2 weeks old.

Wifi is always enabled on all (4) phones

Have tried off/on many times. Sometimes resolves the problem, sometimes not. I have had most success with switching cellular data off/on. Incase it is relevant, when I switch cellular data ON again, I briefly get a "no service" status, followed by five bars (if/when it connects to Mcell).

ISP is Comcast. Mcell is connected to Apple Airport Extreme (ac) router, which is connected to Arris TM722G modem. Internet speed is generally >100Mbps. The AE router is configured to put Mcell in the DMZ (because I have other devices on my network that use conflicting ports).

Lights are always all on

It works fine when it the phones manage to connect.

thx

If you have LTE turned on under cellular settings, try turning it off.  Our iPhone 5S phones never connect with LTE on, as well as the neighbor's 5 or 5S.  But see the other threads.

Will try that and will post back findings. Thx

Disabling/enabling LTE, Airplane Mode, and handing-off are all temporary fixes that have worked for some so it can't hurt to try them in case one works for you until AT&T can figure out why a small, seemingly random number of users are having these issues.

I don't know why you insist on saying that turning off LTE is a temporary fix.  Until about 6 weeks ago it was a permanent fix for us.  We could not connect at all to the mcell if LTE was on.  That is still true today also.  6 weeks ago things changed yet again (the LTE business started in November, before that things were fine with LTE on), and we started getting thrown off the mcell with regularity.  So for some of us, turning off LTE is a permanent fix.

You're just arguing to argue. It is a temporary fix for some because you shouldn't have to disable LTE at all to stay connected to the MicroCell. There are only a handfull of reported issues where disabling LTE allows one to stay connected to the MicroCell. AT&T has been doing some work on their LTE networks and apparently whatever they are doing in select areas (increasing the LTE signal propagation?) has affected some users and their MicroCells. Hopefully an update will be coming very soon for ALL MicroCells that will allow the unit to compensate for the LTE signal strength while AT&T continues to tweak the LTE network.