A few months ago I was given an AT&T 3G Microcell because the coverage in my home area is terrible. Great! The problem is that this device wants to be placed outside of my firewall. I don’t like that because 1) I can’t control it, and be certain someone outside my firewall can’t hack it and start using my minutes and 2) I don’t like having some weirdo device I’ve no experience with being in front of my Internet connection if I can help it.
As feared, within days of activating the device, my Internet connection began to suffer. Every day, we needed to reboot the stupid thing.
So I called AT&T Wireless Support. After half an hour on the phone with a tech, I was given the number for Enhanced Support. I called this number, only to be disconnected as soon as I had finished entering all sorts of options into the system.
I called back, and after some time, was connected to a nice gentleman, likely in Bangalore, who told me I had called AT&T Home Support. He gave me the right number, which I called.
And I found myself right back at AT&T Home Support… Wonderful.
So I called back to the original wireless support number and, after some time, was connected to a live human who told me that I had reached the Enhanced Support line. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!?
After 25 minutes and 38 seconds on and off hold, the line went dead.
I called back, and got someone who was very sorry to hear about the problems and told me she’d help me. I said “Great!” After explaining that I have a lot of experience managing firewalls, and want instructions on how to program my firewall so that the 3G Microcell can function from behind the firewall, I was put on hold. After some time, I was told, get this, that “the only way to make it work was to reprogram my firewall.”
No kidding.