7 Best AT&T MicroCell Replacement Solutions

What is an AT&T MicroCell?

When suffering from dropped calls, stuck text messages, and slow internet, an AT&T MicroCell acts like a mini-cell tower, providing signal inside the home or office to give you more bars and coverage for talk & text on 3G.

Unfortunately as of December 31st 2018, AT&T MicroCell has been discontinued.

Why is AT&T MicroCell Not Supported or Working Anymore?

An AT&T MicroCell works by connecting to a broadband landline internet like Comcast, Cox, Verizon Fios, AT&T Fiber, etc. It converts your broadband landline to cell signals and vice versa.

However, the need for a MicroCell has been replaced by WiFi Calling since phones, especially smartphones, have the ability to connect directly to your router and use WiFi data for voice calls and internet.

It bypasses the middleman (AT&T MicroCell) and gives you what you need without needing additional equipment. It's also essentially free.

This is the reason why AT&T MicroCell has been discontinued.

While support for existing AT&T MicroCell devices continues, it's expected to end when AT&T moves on from 3G which is expected to be around 2020-2021.

What are the main AT&T MicroCell Limitations?

The biggest limitation of an AT&T MicroCell is that it only works on 3G signal. They simply have not kept up with the times.

With AT&T launching LTE, 4G, 5Ge, and, 5G...the MicroCell just doesn't cut it anymore.

Perhaps if AT&T had continued supporting the MicroCell, it would have kept up with the times, but that is not a reality we live in. Additionally, the AT&T MicroCell allowed only specific phone numbers you had to register individually.

Finally, the effective range for the device was only about 100 feet - hardly ideal for covering your whole home and giving you true comfort.

What are AT&T MicroCell Replacements?

An AT&T Signal Booster is actually better than an AT&T MicroCell.

First, an AT&T Signal Booster takes your existing weak cell signals, amplifies 5G, 4G, LTE, and 3G signal up to 32X, and rebroadcasts the stronger signal into your home, office, or car.

Think of it like a giant megaphone, it enhances the quality and strength of signal for your phone to pick up.

Second, unlike a MicroCell, it does not need to be connected to ANY landline internet. So if you don't have a landline internet service nor have access to it–especially rural areas, then an AT&T booster is the best choice, since it doesn't require any type of internet or WiFi service to work.

It simply reaches farther to and from the nearest cell tower, bypasses multiple interference, and brings stronger signal to your phone.

Third, an AT&T Signal Boosters does 3G, 4G, LTE, and 5G while the MicroCell does only 3G. Only certain 5G frequencies are supported, 4G LTE is expected to last until 2030-2035 while 3G is expected to be sunsetted in 2020-2021.

How to Boost Your AT&T Signal?

An AT&T Signal Booster amplifies your AT&T 5G, 5Ge, 4G, and LTE signal for more bars, stronger reception, and better coverage inside your home, office, or car:

• Works for all phones & cellular devices: tablet, hotspot, laptop, etc.
• Complete kits, easy to install.
• No monthly fees, no need to connect to WiFi.
• Works for all phones and all carriers

For homes, whether you're in a remote rural area with an off-the-grid cabin or cottage or in the big city with difficult-to-get-signal buildings, our recommended home cell phone boosters get the job done. They'll extend your AT&T network signal with low-cost options for 1-2 rooms up to 7,500 sq ft coverage depending on your model and outside signal.

Our vehicle signal boosters work for cars, sedans, RVs, and even boats.

Enterprise AT&T signal boosters cover up to 100,000+ sq ft buildings, although it takes a dedicated team of installers and planners to get the absolute best service.

Why be a servant to the cell tower? Bring the cell tower inside your home! Below are our top recommendations.

AT&T Cellular Signal Booster For Home

The Best DIY AT&T Booster for Home

• 5G ready booster. Amplifies talk, text, and data
• Up to 5,000 sq. ft. of AT&T coverage under best conditions across all bands
• Up to +65 dB of gain, with 21 dBm uplink and 12 dBm downlink
• Multiple accessories for maximum coverage and customization (sold separately)
• Complete coverage for multiple rooms or midsize home for all carriers across multiple devices
• Outdoor yagi antenna and indoor panel antenna configuration, with stylish fabric front

The weBoost Home MultiRoom is our most popular AT&T cellular booster for home.

It's easy to see why. It lies at the sweet spot of price, aesthetics, and efficiency, with a coverage range that usually works for most people. It features a drill-free installation with antennas that enhance your home décor rather than ruin it. It also works across all major AT&T bands, including 5Ge.

It also features a higher uplink and downlink power than previous generations of weBoost home boosters, meaning it's more likely to work well in a weak signal area. That said, expect reduced coverage. It's really important to understand that 5000 sq. ft. will only be achieved in optimal conditions, and that 2000-3000 sq. ft. is a much more realistic estimate of your enhanced AT&T coverage - even less in a very weak signal area.

If you live in a very weak signal area, have a really big house you want to cover, or just want your booster professionally installed, consider its sister product, the weBoost Installed Home Complete.

Best Professionally Installed AT&T Booster for Home

• Superior cell phone service for your entire home. 5G Ready
• Up to 7,500 sq. ft. of coverage under best conditions
• Up to +72 dB of gain, with 24 dBm uplink and 12 dBm downlink
• Multiple accessories for maximum coverage and customization (sold separately)
• Complete coverage for entire home for all carriers across multiple devices
• Outdoor yagi antenna and indoor panel antenna, with stylish fabric front
• Needs no WiFi connection or monthly fees. One time purchase.

Designed, as you might expect, to cover an entire home. The weBoost Installed Home Complete certainly has that power, fully capable of covering a large home with decent outside signal or a midsize home with weak outdoor signal. Expect up to 7,500 square feet of coverage with flawless outside signal, but a more reasonable estimate would be somewhere between 3,500 and 5,500 square feet. In addition, in order to really maximize your coverage, additional antennas are required, especially if you’re trying to cover more than one floor. If you live in a very weak signal rural area, this is your best option for decent coverage - you’ll probably be getting about 2,000 square feet from it.

There are two major considerations on whether or not to buy the weBoost Installed Home Complete . This booster works best for large residential homes, suburban or rural areas, and more. The effective coverage area will vary depending on the strength of your OUTSIDE signal, so it's important to understand – if you’re expecting 7,500 square feet of coverage but have only one bar outside your home, you won’t get it. Realistic expectations of coverage in that scenario are more like 2,500-4,000 square feet.

The other major consideration is whether or not you’d prefer to install it yourself, or have someone do it for you. The weBoost Installed Home Complete is the only consumer booster currently on the market that allows for a complete, professional installation at no extra cost to you.

Note that the installation is only available for residential buildings in the United States.

Most Affordable AT&T Booster for Home

• 5G ready booster.
• Up to 2,000 sq. ft of coverage under best conditions>
• Up to +60 dB of gain
• Works with all cellular devices across all carriers
• Compact design, fits on any flat surface

The weBoost Home Studio is a nice affordable option if you’re on a budget and only need to improve your AT&T signal in small areas.

Under perfect condition, meaning a strong outside signal and minimal cellular signal interference, the Home Studio can cover areas up to 2,000 sq ft, enough for a small home, office, apartment, dorm, or condo. The coverage area, however, is determined by how strong or weak your outside signal is. So, if you live in an area with weak outside signal, you’ll get around 200-500 sq ft - enough for 1-2 rooms. Extreme remote locations will receive much less coverage.

For those extreme cases, consider the weBoost Home MultiRoom for more coverage.

AT&T Cellular Signal Booster For Cars

The Best AT&T Cell Booster for Cars

• 5G ready. Better talk, text, and data speeds guaranteed
• Up to +50 dB of gain - the max allowed for a mobile signal booster in North America
• Highest uplink output of any vehicle booster
• Works for all phones and all carriers, including AT&T
• Sleek, metallic exterior designed to displace excess heat for peak performance
• Extremely customizable: variants for any type of vehicle and setup

The weBoost Drive Reach is the newest, most powerful vehicle booster from Wilson Electronics, and is an ace at boosting AT&T signal.

A slim outside antenna picks up the signals, and an indiscreet inside antenna (usually Velcroed to the driver seat) broadcasts the signal inside your vehicle. For optimal results, you have to be about an arm's length from the inside antenna to get the boosted signal, so it's best for your typical sedan, truck, or SUV, but will work with any vehicle.

Hands down, this is the best vehicle booster no matter where you live, as not only does it reach farther to the cell towers for rural areas, but it does a better job at handling more noise in urban environments than other signal boosters on the market.

Highly recommended for AT&T customers.

Best Value AT&T Booster for Cars

• Amplifies talk, text, and 4G LTE and 3G data. 5G ready.
• Up to +50 dB of gain
• Works with all cellular devices across all carriers, including AT&T
• Extremely customizable: variants for any type of vehicle and setup.

The weBoost Drive X is a relatively inexpensive yet extremely reliable vehicle signal booster ideal for drivers in urban, suburban, and some rural areas. It’s more powerful than the old Drive 4G but not as powerful as the Drive Reach. Here is a comprehensive Drive X vs Drive Reach review.

With its +50 dB of gain and more range than its predecessor, it can communicate with relatively far distanced towers to provide you and your passengers with enhanced 3G, 4G, LTE, and 5G AT&T signals. It's an all-around performer for the city and the countryside. In weak signal areas, you and your passengers might have to be closer to the inside antenna to benefit from the amplified signal.

For those in extreme cases of poor signal, we recommend the Drive Reach, which is able to reach farther to the cell tower.

Most Affordable AT&T Booster for Cars

• Boosts Voice, Text Messages, and Data. 5G Ready.
• For a single smartphone
• Cradle signal booster
• Boosts AT&T and all major US carriers
• Up to +23 dB Gain

The weBoost Drive Sleek is about price and performance for the single user.

The kit includes a magnet mount antenna that can be easily installed on the roof of any vehicle and an adjustable cradle vent mount designed to hold any size smartphone or small tablet. To benefit from the boosted signal, your cellular device has to be in the cradle. And when paired with a Bluetooth headset, it really shines for hands-free calling and navigation.

It’ll work best in urban and suburban areas but is not the strongest performer in extremely remote locations. However, as long as you have a sliver of signal, the Drive Sleek won’t let you down.

AT&T Cellular Signal Booster For Commercial Buildings

Most Popular AT&T Commercial Booster

• 5G-Capable
• Commercial signal booster
• Up to 25,000 sq ft of coverage under best conditions
• Up to +70 dB Gain
• Automatic gain control to prevent overload
• Works with all cellular devices across all carriers
• Expansion kits available to maximize coverage
• Great for urban and rural areas

The weBoost for Business Office 100 is a popular pro-grade microcell replacement designed to amplify AT&T cellular signals inside small business buildings. However, for people with large homes, or those who live in an extremely remote area where maintaining a reliable AT&T connection seems impossible, the Office 100 will definitely help when a microcell is out of the question.

With gains up to +72 dB and enhanced output powers, it can communicate with distant cell towers and cover up to 25,000 sq ft under best conditions. For the most part, it averages around 10,000 to 15,000 sq ft, depending on the configuration and outside signal. Areas with extremely poor outside signal combined with other factors, such as internal building material and building layout, could receive much less AT&T coverage.

It's the best microcell replacement option for small businesses that have strong outside signal but experience spotty AT&T service throughout the building, as well as large homes located in remote areas where tower distance makes maintain a reliable AT&T connection extremely difficult.

FAQ

How May We Help You?

Wilson Amplifiers is the leading provider of cellular amplifiers. Cell phone amplifiers boost 3G, 4G, LTE, and 5G for any phone with any carrier for home, office, or vehicle.

We seriously hate dropped calls and poor coverage, so it's our goal in life to stomp on spotty signal like the little roaches they are:

• Free consultation (ask us anything) with our US-based customer support (sales@wilsonamplifiers.com) or call us at 1-800-568-2723.
• Free shipping.
• Better signal or industry-leading 90 money-back guaranteed. No questions asked.
• We want everyone to be satisfied, so we provide lifetime technical support and a 2-year warranty for all products.

Ask us anything and we'll be glad to help.

Interested in Learning More? Check Out Our Signal Boosting Info Center