How well does the free T-Mobile 4G LTE Hotspot work (cellular, wifi)

[Stijn De Jong]

Most of my neighbors who are on T-Mobile have lousy cellular service but
mine is particularly bad (1 bar at best, but mostly zero bars).

T-Mobile has at least three different options for "boosting" the signal
strength within a home, it appears, at least based on conversations I've
had with other people.

One type is purely cellular (I think) which has a "window unit" which needs
at least 2 bars to work, and then it pairs with a "house unit" which is
usually set to the number 7,8, or 9.

Another type, apparently, as I understand it anyway, replaces your existing
home router (which sounds strange to me).

While the third type is tied to the WiFi router somehow and then it emits a
cellular signal just like a tower would.

Do you have such things?
How well do they work?
Which is best when you have zero bars otherwise on your cellular signal?

[badgolferman]

I have Verizon and have always had a bad signal inside my house. There were
times I would have to step outside to make a call or even listen to
voicemail from the people who couldn't reach me.

I ended up getting a network extender which I essentially a mini tower
inside your house. It hooks up to the router and connects through the
internet to the VZW servers. All voice calls get routed through the
router/extender to the servers and vice versa.

The extender has a GPS antenna that must connect to satellites in order to
provide 911 location services. It comes with a wired antenna that you can
extend near the window if necessary.

The extender has to be registered with the vzw servers to work, but you
don't have to buy it from the company. Mine came off eBay and I've had it
for 6 years now.

[AL]

On 2/6/2017 7:14 PM, badgolferman wrote:

> I have Verizon and have always had a bad signal inside my house.
> There were times I would have to step outside to make a call or even
> listen to voicemail from the people who couldn't reach me.
>
> I ended up getting a network extender which I essentially a mini
> tower inside your house. It hooks up to the router and connects
> through the internet to the VZW servers. All voice calls get routed
> through the router/extender to the servers and vice versa.
>
> The extender has a GPS antenna that must connect to satellites in
> order to provide 911 location services. It comes with a wired antenna
> that you can extend near the window if necessary.
>
> The extender has to be registered with the vzw servers to work, but
> you don't have to buy it from the company. Mine came off eBay and
> I've had it for 6 years now.

Verizon now has what they call 'Advanced Calling' which among other
things can use a local WiFi hotspot if the cell signal is poor or
unavailable. They claim automatic seamless transfer between the two
signals (course the WiFi has to be preregistered on the phone). I have
it on my phone but am not sure if or when transfers occur to the home
WiFi. Many people in my area (we have a local egroup) have recently
complained of poor Verizon service that once was good. My service
continues to be excellent so perhaps it's due to the WiFi. Apparently
not all phones are yet able to take advantage of the service. Mine was
just upgraded about 9 months ago.

[danny burstein]

In <o7bcfg$a84$2...@dont-email.me> AL <135...@invalid.com> writes:

>Verizon now has what they call 'Advanced Calling' which among other
>things can use a local WiFi hotspot if the cell signal is poor or
>unavailable. They claim automatic seamless transfer between the two
>signals (course the WiFi has to be preregistered on the phone).

T-Mobile (and a very small number of others) had this
a decade ago under the name "UMA" (Unlicensed Mobile Access [a]).

A UMA phone would seemlessly transfer between a WiFi signal
and the T-Mobile cell base.

This was a pretty big feature a decade ago when cellular
service - especially T-M's - was more spotty. Triply so
as you could use it in your basement via WiFi and keep
the connection as you walked outside.

ALSO, it meant you could be in a hotel in, say, New Delhi,
and make/take calls to/from the US that handled - and were
billed at - the standard US rate.

Nowadays, a big chunk of cell phones have the almost-as-good
WiFi calling. The difference is they don't have the
automatic handover.

Good to see VZ has UMA...

[a] unlicensed simply means the local WiFi signal
is on the standard, no license needed, 802.11 channels.

--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dan...@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

[Savageduck]

I can't speak for T-Mobile, but where I live in the hills West of Paso
Robles cellular service can be problematic. I have no Verizon service
issue from my home, but there are some folks here who do. I know of
several folks out here with a mix of providers who have bad signals at
home.

One family I know has two different providers, the husband has a
personal Android with AT&T, to get service he has to leave his house
and walk two blocks. His wife has a work provided phone and service (I
do not know which provider), but she is able to enable Wi-Fi calling on
her phone with the provider she uses. She is able to make and receive
calls via Wi-Fi.
I have Wi-Fi calling capability but I have not needed it at my home.

Perhaps that might be a solution for you, I seem to remember that you
use an S7 and T-Mobile should support Wi-Fi calling with that phone.
<http://www.gottabemobile.com/how-to-turn-on-verizon-wifi-calling-iphone/>
<https://www.t-mobile.com/offer/wifi-calling-wifi-extenders.html>
<https://support.t-mobile.com/community/coverage/wifi-calling>
--
Regards,

Savageduck

[Savageduck]

On 2017-02-07 02:14:57 +0000, badgolferman

If you have a home Wi-Fi network you should be able to make Wi-Fi calls
just by making the changes in Settings.
<http://www.gottabemobile.com/how-to-turn-on-verizon-wifi-calling-iphone/>
--
Regards,

Savageduck

[sms]

On 2/6/2017 7:16 PM, Savageduck wrote:

<snip>

The other solution it to port your number to Google Voice, hook an
Obihai box to your router and your home phone wiring (or a cordless
phone) and forward incoming calls to the cell phone. Essentially it's
free VOIP. I've been satisfied with the voice quality on the Obihai
<https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007D930YO>.

If you want to use your cell phone in the house when there is no cell
signal then use it over Wi-Fi with Google voice.

One advantage is that you can get true E-911 service, though it's not
free, it's $15 per year.

We have terrible AT&T coverage at my house, and while a new Verizon
tower just went in near me, I'm not willing to change to Verizon at this
time.

Of course with either solution, be sure to have a UPS on your router and
modem, and if you're using VOIP on the VOIP box.

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

[nospam]

In article <o7benf$gjk$1...@dont-email.me>, sms

<scharf...@geemail.com> wrote:

> Of course with either solution, be sure to have a UPS on your router and
> modem, and if you're using VOIP on the VOIP box.

and don't call your isp using voip, because if they do anything with
respect to your internet connection, the call drops.

[Bob_R]

"Stijn De Jong" <stijnd...@nlnet.nl> wrote in message
news:o7ba0d$1vc6$1...@gioia.aioe.org...

I see that you are in NL. In the US, T-Mobile has something called WiFi
Calling, does T-Mobile NL offer the same thing?

If they do, I find WiFi Calling works very well for me here. Just connect
your cell phone to your home WiFi access point (or any other access point)
and you will be able to access the T-Mobile network through the Internet
instead of through a cell tower. You will still be able to access through a
cell tower when within range of one. I have zero bars of cell coverage at
home but my phone works flawlessly. This isn't a hot spot or voip, the phone
still is on the T-Mobile network and still using it's T-Mobile phone number
for incoming and outgoing calls.

There are WiFi calling preferences in the phone for 1) WiFi Preferred, 2)
Cell Network Preferred or 3) Never Use Cell Network. fyi, I use WiFi
Preferred.
This is for Android 4.2.2.
hth,
Bob

[Savageduck]

On 2017-02-07 03:42:04 +0000, "Bob_R" <exam...@example.com> said:

> "Stijn De Jong" <stijnd...@nlnet.nl> wrote in message
> news:o7ba0d$1vc6$1...@gioia.aioe.org...
>> Most of my neighbors who are on T-Mobile have lousy cellular service but
>> mine is particularly bad (1 bar at best, but mostly zero bars).
>>
>> T-Mobile has at least three different options for "boosting" the signal
>> strength within a home, it appears, at least based on conversations I've
>> had with other people.
>>
>> One type is purely cellular (I think) which has a "window unit" which needs
>> at least 2 bars to work, and then it pairs with a "house unit" which is
>> usually set to the number 7,8, or 9.
>>
>> Another type, apparently, as I understand it anyway, replaces your existing
>> home router (which sounds strange to me).
>>
>> While the third type is tied to the WiFi router somehow and then it emits a
>> cellular signal just like a tower would.
>>
>> Do you have such things?
>> How well do they work?
>> Which is best when you have zero bars otherwise on your cellular signal?
>
> I see that you are in NL. In the US, T-Mobile has something called WiFi
> Calling, does T-Mobile NL offer the same thing?

Nope! He is not in the Netherlands. He is located in Santa Clara
County, California, in the hills above San Jose.

> If they do, I find WiFi Calling works very well for me here. Just
> connect your cell phone to your home WiFi access point (or any other
> access point) and you will be able to access the T-Mobile network
> through the Internet instead of through a cell tower. You will still be
> able to access through a cell tower when within range of one. I have
> zero bars of cell coverage at home but my phone works flawlessly. This
> isn't a hot spot or voip, the phone still is on the T-Mobile network
> and still using it's T-Mobile phone number for incoming and outgoing
> calls.
>
> There are WiFi calling preferences in the phone for 1) WiFi Preferred,
> 2) Cell Network Preferred or 3) Never Use Cell Network. fyi, I use WiFi
> Preferred.
> This is for Android 4.2.2.
> hth,
> Bob
>

--
Regards,

Savageduck

[Richard Owlett]

*REPLY SET TO* alt.cellular.t-mobile

*NOTE BENE* I've done a MASSIVE snip

On 02/06/2017 08:05 PM, Stijn De Jong wrote:
> Most of my neighbors who are on T-Mobile have lousy cellular
> service but mine is particularly bad (1 bar at best, but >
> mostly zero bars).
>
> T-Mobile has at least three different options for "boosting"
> the signal strength within a home, it appears, at least based > on conversations I've had with other people.

> [*MASSIVE SNIP*]

> While the third type is tied to the WiFi router somehow and
> then it emits a cellular signal just like a tower would.
>
> Do you have such things?
> How well do they work?
> Which is best when you have zero bars otherwise on your
> cellular signal?
>

I'm a happy T-mobile customer who *DESPISES* the oxymoronic
concept of "smart phones". [OWL DUCKS for cover ;]

I think the OP's friend was referring to the device I use.
"T-Mobile 4G LTE HotSpot Z915" is how it's labeled.
It is a USB device with two functions:
1. provide internet connectivity for the host computer.
2. provide connectivity to internet [via above mentioned host]
for devices with WiFi capability.

When my former ISP dropped support for all 4 of its dial-up
customers, I went looking for a "modem for a cell network".

T-Mobile was only provider that had staff willing to listen.

I have disabled its WiFi capability.
I can not speak to its sensitivity as I am surrounded be "cell
towers".

Plaintive Plea
Anyone know of cell "service" interested in providing voice
communication"????

[nospam]

In article <iNidneIM9pi3sAfF...@supernews.com>, Richard

Owlett <row...@cloud85.net> wrote:

> Plaintive Plea
> Anyone know of cell "service" interested in providing voice
> communication"????

all of them do.

[Bob_R]

"Savageduck" <savageduck1@{REMOVESPAM}me.com> wrote in message
news:2017020619523079321-savageduck1@REMOVESPAMmecom...

> On 2017-02-07 03:42:04 +0000, "Bob_R" <exam...@example.com> said:
>
>> "Stijn De Jong" <stijnd...@nlnet.nl> wrote in message
>> >>

>> I see that you are in NL. In the US, T-Mobile has something called WiFi
>> Calling, does T-Mobile NL offer the same thing?
>
> Nope! He is not in the Netherlands. He is located in Santa Clara County,
> California, in the hills above San Jose.

> --
> Regards,
>
> Savageduck
>
Thanks Duck. I saw <stijnd...@nlnet.nl> and assumed . . .
Bob

[Stijn De Jong]

On Mon, 6 Feb 2017 19:19:46 -0800, Savageduck wrote:

> If you have a home Wi-Fi network you should be able to make Wi-Fi calls
> just by making the changes in Settings.
> <http://www.gottabemobile.com/how-to-turn-on-verizon-wifi-calling-iphone/>

There are, as I understand it, 4 T-Mobile solutions to lousy signal:
0. Mobile phone WiFi calling (this uses no additional T-Mobile equipment)
1. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE WiFi Router (uses WiFi calling)
2. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Signal Booster (uses cellular only)
3. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Internet Cellular Tower (uses both)

I have years of experience with #0 and #2.
For example, here's my #2: http://i.cubeupload.com/6Jpa5v.jpg

Mainly, I'm just trying to figure out the practical differences between #2
(which I already have) and #3 (which has different pros and cons) from
someone who has had both.

My "T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Signal Booster" comprises 2 units:
A. Window Unit, Model Cel-F1-D32-24NU
B. Coverage Unit, Model Cel-F1-D32-24CU
It's pure cellular.

The current (#2 above) device picks up a weak T-Mobile cellular signal and
re-broadcasts it from inside your house. All your neighbors can use this
cellular tower in the middle of your house also, so you're acting as a
cellular "repeater" for T-Mobile (in essence).

The new (#3 above) device T-Mobile is offering for free has a very similar
name but it uses the home router to make a connection to a portable
T-Mobile tower, such that you and all your neighbors will end up using your
router, so you're acting as a backbone "supplier" for T-Mobile (in
essence).

I am just asking about the practical implications of each of those two very
different but similar-sounding branded devices.

[Stijn De Jong]

On Mon, 6 Feb 2017 19:27:23 -0800, sms wrote:

> The other solution it to port your number to Google Voice, hook an
> Obihai box to your router and your home phone wiring (or a cordless
> phone) and forward incoming calls to the cell phone. Essentially it's
> free VOIP. I've been satisfied with the voice quality on the Obihai
> <https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007D930YO>.

I don't know anything about Obihai, but I already have Ooma and Google
Voice and hard-wired Skype telephones, so, I'm not sure what the difference
may be.

Our Internet is WISP, and in this stormy weather, it goes down a lot (due
to a variety of problems with the electric company and antennas), so,
adding yet one more device that is purely dependent on the Internet being
there is problematic.

How is this Obihai any different than Ooma?

Looking at the Amazon page you referenced, I guess it's really just a
Google Voice number in a box?

Do you have to pay the monthly tax like I do on my "free" Ooma?

> If you want to use your cell phone in the house when there is no cell
> signal then use it over Wi-Fi with Google voice.

The solution is to make T-Mobile provide cellular signal, not to use my
WISP Internet as a crutch for T-Mobile.

Currently T-Mobile has a purely cellular "booster" in the house.
But what they're offering is this half-cellular-half-wifi booster, the
comparison of which is what I'm asking about.

> One advantage is that you can get true E-911 service, though it's not
> free, it's $15 per year.

I don't give one whit about 911 service.
In fact, on my Ooma, I have it registered to some residence in Kansas (or
wherever had the cheapest tax at the time that I registered it years ago).

I'm not in the least worried about 911 geolocation.
If they want to know where I am, I'll tell them.
If I can't tell them, then tough luck for me.

People who worry about 911 geolocation have nothing else to worry about.

> We have terrible AT&T coverage at my house, and while a new Verizon
> tower just went in near me, I'm not willing to change to Verizon at this
> time.

We have a T-Mobile tower within 2 or 3 miles as the crow flies, and it used
to be OK but recently went to hell in a handbasket.

> Of course with either solution, be sure to have a UPS on your router and
> modem, and if you're using VOIP on the VOIP box.

Everyone out here has a generator which kicks in and runs the whole house
temporarily off the grid. Most are about 20KW but 14KW or even 10KW will do
for most things (they don't run at full power most of the time). They're
all hooked to the propane tanks, so they can run for days (one or two
gallons an hour and most of us have 1,000 gallon propane tanks with R3D
dials and software to email us when the tanks get low).

The problem is that we get our Internet from a hotspot which is even
further away than the T-Mobile cellular tower (our rooftop WiFi radios are
all operating at maximum legal wattage), so, relying on Internet for
cellular is problematic.

[Stijn De Jong]

On Mon, 6 Feb 2017 19:52:30 -0800, Savageduck wrote:

> Nope! He is not in the Netherlands. He is located in Santa Clara
> County, California, in the hills above San Jose.

This is true.

Here, in the hills, we just got a beating from the Pineapple Express, where
our power goes out frequently (it has gone out about six times in the past
six months, for example, once for over three days) and there is no cable so
we have to get our Internet from either the sky or a hill that is three to
five miles away as the crow flies.

We all have similar equipment at home to cope with the weather:
a. Everyone has a generator (usually about 20KW) and transfer boxes
b. Everyone has propane tanks (most are about 1,000 gallons)
c. Most have solar (generally in the 20KW range but it varies)
d. All that I know have cellular hotspots (aka cellular repeaters)
e. We have multiple WiFi devices not all of which support WiFi calling

There are, as I understand it, 4 T-Mobile solutions to lousy signal:
0. Mobile phone WiFi calling (this uses no additional T-Mobile equipment)
1. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE WiFi Router (uses WiFi calling)
2. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Signal Booster (uses cellular only)
3. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Internet Cellular Tower (uses both)

I have years of experience with #0 and #2.
For example, here's my #2: http://i.cubeupload.com/6Jpa5v.jpg

I'm just asking if anyone has experience with #2 and #3 who can advise me
of the pragmatic pros and cons of each since I'm contemplating getting #3
from T-Mobile to replace/supplant #2.

[Stijn De Jong]

On Mon, 6 Feb 2017 19:16:09 -0800, Savageduck wrote:

> Perhaps that might be a solution for you, I seem to remember that you
> use an S7 and T-Mobile should support Wi-Fi calling with that phone.

There are 4 similar but different things that T-Mobile offers:

There are, as I understand it, 4 T-Mobile solutions to lousy signal:
0. Mobile phone WiFi calling (this uses no additional T-Mobile equipment)
1. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE WiFi Router (uses WiFi calling)
2. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Signal Booster (uses cellular only)
3. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Internet Cellular Tower (uses both)

I have years of experience with #0 and #2.

For example, on T-Mobile, you just take any Samsung phone (which I have)
and set it to WiFi calling and that works (not well, but it works).

But I'm not asking about WiFi calling.
I'm asking about #2 versus #3 from someone who has both.
Here is a picture of #2: http://i.cubeupload.com/6Jpa5v.jpg

Mostly I'm just trying to figure out the practical differences between #2

(which I already have) and #3 (which has different pros and cons) from

someone with experience and knowledge of both.

I have more than a half-dozen cellular devices at home, not all of which
have WiFi calling. Besides, WiFi calling is useless once the Internet goes
down (which, for me, is WISP, so it goes down a lot in storms which we have
been getting weekly lately). It's less important, but WiFi calling won't
switch off of WiFi calling, so it always drops a phone call once you move
out of the area of your router. In essence, WiFi calling is OK, but not
very useful overall.

I have been using #2 above, the purely cellular signal booster (aka
repeater) for a couple of years, but for whatever reason, it no longer
works.

So I'm contemplating getting #3, but it has very big issues too. For one,
it uses the WISP as the backbone, which is already tenuous, especially
these stormy days where our antennas blow down or the WiFo access points we
connect to (which are miles away) lose power.

In addition, #3 makes my WISP Internet available to all my neighbors who
connect to the T-Mobile tower in the middle of the house, which again, is
different than #2 which I already have (but which is no longer working
well).

So I'm just asking for input from folks who have more experience with these
devices than I do.

[nospam]

In article <o7e4pg$8sq$1...@gioia.aioe.org>, Stijn De Jong

<stijnd...@nlnet.nl> wrote:

>
> How is this Obihai any different than Ooma?

very different.

> Looking at the Amazon page you referenced, I guess it's really just a
> Google Voice number in a box?

it's a voip ata that can directly link to google voice as well as other
voip providers.

> Do you have to pay the monthly tax like I do on my "free" Ooma?

no

[Stijn De Jong]

On Tue, 7 Feb 2017 21:13:38 -0500, Bob_R wrote:

> Thanks Duck. I saw <stijnd...@nlnet.nl> and assumed . . .

I change headers for privacy reasons but I don't change my style or the
content of my messages (e.g., I've always had the same equipment).

Since I change headers for privacy purposes, the only header line that
matters is the subject because I put full and complete details into the
body of each post in any thread I originate.

In this case, I have a typical setup for the mountains above Silicon
Valley, which is I have, for electricity, an automatic generator which
suffices for power (as it's run from a 1,000 gallon propane tank and it
only sips a few gallons an hour when running).

For Internet, my setup is just as typical, which is that I have a rooftop
antenna set to near-legal-maximum power, which obtains WiFi signal from an
access point miles away on another mountain. This suffers from power issues
at their end, since by their very nature, WISP towers are in the windiest
and most inaccessible places you can imagine. They all have power backups,
but, when the power goes out for days (which it does frequently here), then
they run down and we lose Internet.

For telephones, I have just as typical a setup, which is Ooma and Skype
telephones, where the Ooma also makes use of Google Voice on the incoming
side. I don't care about 911 location services so I have the Ooma
registered to somewhere in Kansas (or wherever I set it up for when I first
set it up to use the cheapest monthly tax possible). Point is that 911
location service isn't important to me in the least.

For mobile phones, they're all GSM T-Mobile capable (mostly from Google or
Samsung or LG or Apple), some of which do WiFi calling but not all of which
do WiFi calling (WiFi calling sucks anyway, for a bunch of reasons).

What I really want is just good cellular signal from T-Mobile.

The cellular tower (there is only really one that is practical) is miles
away, but even so, I used to get two and three bars on the purely cellular
T-Mobile signal booster (http://i.cubeupload.com/6Jpa5v.jpg).

But now I only get one bar (for whatever reason) on that signal booster
window unit, which means that there is no cellular signal in the house
whatsoever now (actually, SMS works and phone barely works, so, there is
"some" signal).

Obviously T-Mobile did something to degrade their service, so, I called
them to complain, and they offered this "new" device, which, at the
surface, I don't like because it requires Internet whereas the current
solution did not require Internet (remember, my Internet is already using
systems which are over the air and subject to weather forces).

So I was just asking from anyone who had experience with #2 and #3 below
what they thought of the pragmatic differences. Anyone who doesn't have
experience or knowledge of #2 and #3 probably can't advise me.

[Stijn De Jong]

On Tue, 7 Feb 2017 03:10:31 +0000 (UTC), danny burstein wrote:

> T-Mobile (and a very small number of others) had this
> a decade ago under the name "UMA" (Unlicensed Mobile Access [a]).

I'm not sure what the UMA is, but as far as I can tell, T-Mobile has the
following four free options for anyone who has lousy cellular signal at
home:

0. Mobile phone WiFi calling (this uses no additional T-Mobile equipment)
1. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE WiFi Router (uses WiFi calling)
2. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Signal Booster (uses cellular only)
3. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Internet Cellular Tower (uses both)

I have used #0 and #2 for years, but I'm contemplating adding #3 along with
#2 and #0.

All I'm asking is pragmatic advice from anyone who knows the differences.

[Stijn De Jong]

On Wed, 8 Feb 2017 04:12:05 +0000 (UTC), Stijn De Jong wrote:

> 0. Mobile phone WiFi calling (this uses no additional T-Mobile equipment)
> 1. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE WiFi Router (uses WiFi calling)
> 2. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Signal Booster (uses cellular only)
> 3. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Internet Cellular Tower (uses both)
>
> I have used #0 and #2 for years, but I'm contemplating adding #3 along with
> #2 and #0.
>
> All I'm asking is pragmatic advice from anyone who knows the differences.

On the back of the existing #2 devices are these FCC IDs:
http://i.cubeupload.com/6Jpa5v.jpg

1. Window Unit: FCC ID YETD24NU
https://fccid.io/YETD24NU
User manual: https://fccid.io/document.php?id=2270465
2. Coverage Unit: FCC ID YETD24CU
https://fccid.io/YETD24CU
User manual: https://fccid.io/document.php?id=2270512

[Stijn De Jong]

On Tue, 7 Feb 2017 14:24:56 -0600, Richard Owlett wrote:

> I think the OP's friend was referring to the device I use.
> "T-Mobile 4G LTE HotSpot Z915" is how it's labeled.
> It is a USB device with two functions:
> 1. provide internet connectivity for the host computer.
> 2. provide connectivity to internet [via above mentioned host]
> for devices with WiFi capability.

T-Mobile seems to overuse their brand names so that's confusing.

Do you have a picture of your T-Mobile branded device?
Do you have at least the FCC ID on the back of the device?

Here's a photo of my *current* T-Mobile device:
http://i.cubeupload.com/6Jpa5v.jpg

The FCC ID on each unit is:

1. Window Unit: FCC ID YETD24NU
https://fccid.io/YETD24NU
User manual: https://fccid.io/document.php?id=2270465
2. Coverage Unit: FCC ID YETD24CU
https://fccid.io/YETD24CU
User manual: https://fccid.io/document.php?id=2270512

What is the FCC ID on your units?
With that, we can look them up to see what they do.

[Stijn De Jong]

On Tue, 07 Feb 2017 15:42:40 -0500, nospam wrote:

>> Anyone know of cell "service" interested in providing voice
>> communication"????
>
> all of them do.

TERMINOLOGY:

It's a good point that there are *different* things T-Mobile offers to
increase signal strength. I know of at least these four things:

0. Mobile phone WiFi calling (this uses no additional T-Mobile equipment)
1. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE WiFi Router (uses WiFi calling)
2. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Signal Booster (uses cellular only)
3. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Internet Cellular Tower (uses both)

I'm not sure what this "T-Mobile 4G LTE HotSpot Z915" thing is, but, it
seems to be this:
https://support.t-mobile.com/community/phones-tablets-devices/mobile-internet/t-mobile-4g-lte-hotspot-z915

The technical specs from T-Mobile are here:
https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-29094

Amazon sells it for a hundred bucks here:
https://www.amazon.com/ZTE-Z915-Mobile-Hotspot-T-Mobile/dp/B00PK8ZI8G

It has its own SIM card (microsim) as shown here:
https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-29090

A user guide is here:
https://d28dq596ebml6z.cloudfront.net/media/wysiwyg/ZTE-Unite/ZTE_Unite_User_Manual_English_-_PDF_-_639KB_.pdf

It seems to be a "hotspot" in that it receives T-Mobile cellular signal and
then it acts as a hotspot for 5 to 10 WiFi connections.

Given all that, am I correct in assuming that this thing is #1 in the list
below (where I personally already own #2 and I will get #3 soon but I have
no experience or other knowledge of #1)?

[Stijn De Jong]

On Tue, 7 Feb 2017 02:14:57 -0000 (UTC), badgolferman wrote:

> I ended up getting a network extender which I essentially a mini tower
> inside your house. It hooks up to the router and connects through the
> internet to the VZW servers. All voice calls get routed through the
> router/extender to the servers and vice versa.

I think T-Mobile offers 4 different ways to improve cellular service at
home (and while traveling).

0. Mobile phone WiFi calling (this uses no additional T-Mobile equipment)

1. T-Mobile 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot (traveling cellular wifi hotspot)

2. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Signal Booster (uses cellular only)
3. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Internet Cellular Tower (uses both)

0. Mobile phone WiFi calling (this uses no additional T-Mobile equipment)

This only requires a cellphone that can handle WiFi calling, which T-Mobile
allows all its subscribers to do for free (AFAIK). The way I understand
WiFi calling is that it uses the home broadband router connection for its
data and cellular. One disadvantage is that the signal strength is only as
good as your WiFi coverage, and, the phone calls drop the moment you move
out of range of the router. Then you're immediately back to lousy cellular
coverage.

1. T-Mobile 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot (traveling cellular wifi hotspot)
https://www.amazon.com/ZTE-Z915-Mobile-Hotspot-T-Mobile/dp/B00PK8ZI8G
This thing seems to be a battery operated SIM-card-enabled hotspot which
receives cellular signal from T-Mobile and then it becomes a little router
for five to ten WiFi connections. I think this is not used for the home, so
much as when traveling.

2. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Signal Booster (uses cellular only)

I have had these for years, where they are simply a cellular-only booster.
The window unit receives weak cellular from T-Mobile, and it then "talks"
to the "coverage unit", which acts as a small T-Mobile cellular tower that
you and your neighbors can use. This does not use the Internet or your
router or WiFi calling on your phone. It's purely a cellular tower.

3. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Internet Cellular Tower (uses both)

I'm going to get one of these, I think, from T-mobile because the #2 above
has gone to hell recently. This has the drawback that it uses up your
Internet connectivity (which, for me, is also over the air), and it also
gives your Internet bandwidth to all your neighbors. It apparently is
either wired to the router, or it connects by WiFi to the home router, so,
that's another drawback. And, when the power goes out, it goes out along
with the router. So, while this unit may work when there is no cellular
signal, it's not something that will solve the problem of lousy coverage
all by itself so I plan on using it in conjunction with #0 and #2 above.
https://www.wired.com/2015/11/t-mobile-will-put-a-tiny-lte-booster-in-your-house/

In summary, I will probably be using 3 of the 4 types of "boosters" by the
end of this week, so I'll have more data for the group in a few days.

[Stijn De Jong]

On Mon, 6 Feb 2017 19:49:01 -0700, AL wrote:

> Verizon now has what they call 'Advanced Calling' which among other
> things can use a local WiFi hotspot if the cell signal is poor or
> unavailable.

T-Mobile, in the USA, seems to offer these four free solutions:

0. Mobile phone WiFi calling (this uses no additional T-Mobile equipment)
1. T-Mobile 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot (traveling cellular wifi hotspot)
2. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Signal Booster (uses cellular only)
3. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Internet Cellular Tower (uses both)

I have been using #0 and #2 for years, but I am going to get #3 soon I
think, so, that I can try it out.

This article seems to explain the difference between #2 and #3, which was
my original concern:
Think Twice About Getting a Microcell (or T-Mobile CellSpot)
http://www.howtogeek.com/233660/dont-get-a-microcell-or-t-mobile-cellspot-if-you-live-in-an-urban-area/

From what that article says, the advantage of my current #2 solution is
that it's a cellular-only signal booster. Sure, all my neighbors can
connect to it, but the bandwidth they use doesn't affect my Internet
connection (which is also over the air since we have no cable or DSL in the
area).

The advantage of the #3 solution, which I will get soon I think, is that it
works without any cellular signal. But the disadvantage is that you and all
your neighbors are using your Internet and router for all the data and text
and calls.

Worse, if you have a data limit (which I do), any data over this tower that
is used by you, even though it goes through your own Internet connection,
will be billed as your data by T-mobile.

Overall, that article is deprecating the use of this #3 microcell concept.

[Stijn De Jong]

On Tue, 7 Feb 2017 02:05:02 +0000 (UTC), Stijn De Jong wrote:

> Do you have such things?
> How well do they work?
> Which is best when you have zero bars otherwise on your cellular signal?

The more I search, the more free options I find as shown in this article:
https://9to5mac.com/2015/11/02/t-mobile-4g-lte-cellspot/

That makes five options to "increase" T-Mobile cellular signal, four of
which are designed for home use.

0. Mobile phone WiFi calling (this uses no additional T-Mobile equipment)

This uses your home broadband router and a WiFi enabled phone.
It does not require T-Mobile cellular signal.
1. Wi-Fi Personal CellSpot Router
This is a replacement router for your home router (or travel router).
https://www.cnet.com/products/t-mobile-personal-cellspot/review/

2. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Signal Booster

A cellular signal booster that does not use the Internet.

3. T-Mobile Personal CellSpot 4G LTE Internet Cellular Tower

Turns your Internet connection into a cellular mini tower.
4. Hotspot router (this is just a travel hotspot with a SIM card for
connectivity to the Internet via cellular data)

[tlvp]

On Tue, 7 Feb 2017 14:24:56 -0600, Richard Owlett wrote:

> Anyone know of cell "service" interested in providing voice
> communication"????

Well, of course, there's your favorite T-Mobile.

If you're looking for *economy* above all else, and have Verizon service in
your area, there's also the Verizon MVNO, Page Plus Cellular, which gives
me voice (and text, and data, all very limited) for a bit over $30/year.

I'm sure there are plenty more options to choose from :-) . HTH.

Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.

[Richard Owlett]

Yes. That is the device.

[Richard Owlett]

On 02/08/2017 12:55 AM, tlvp wrote:
> On Tue, 7 Feb 2017 14:24:56 -0600, Richard Owlett wrote:
>
>> Anyone know of cell "service" interested in providing voice
>> communication"????
>
> Well, of course, there's your favorite T-Mobile.
>
> If you're looking for *economy* above all else, and have Verizon service in
> your area, there's also the Verizon MVNO, Page Plus Cellular, which gives
> me voice (and text, and data, all very limited) for a bit over $30/year.
>
> I'm sure there are plenty more options to choose from :-) . HTH.
>

Thank you. A web search for "Page Plus Cellular" was fruitful in
and of itself. It also gave me key words for searching for what I
do and do not want.

ECONOMY is not my goal, but a valuable side benefit.
My objection to "smartphones" revolves around them being
reasonably high power computers masquerading as telephones. But
with screens too small to read comfortably and no keyboard having
bundled absurdly large data plans (I rarely use more than 1 GB/mo).

[nospam]

In article <pghd0hefrzl6$.8ijutvuh...@40tude.net>, tlvp

<mPiOsUcB...@att.net> wrote:

>
> > Anyone know of cell "service" interested in providing voice
> > communication"????
>
> Well, of course, there's your favorite T-Mobile.
>
> If you're looking for *economy* above all else, and have Verizon service in
> your area, there's also the Verizon MVNO, Page Plus Cellular, which gives
> me voice (and text, and data, all very limited) for a bit over $30/year.

that's hardly economy.

> I'm sure there are plenty more options to choose from :-) . HTH.

significantly more.

[nospam]

In article <Zc6dnch5HIOghAbF...@supernews.com>, Richard

Owlett <row...@cloud85.net> wrote:

> >
> >> Anyone know of cell "service" interested in providing voice
> >> communication"????
> >
> > Well, of course, there's your favorite T-Mobile.
> >
> > If you're looking for *economy* above all else, and have Verizon service in
> > your area, there's also the Verizon MVNO, Page Plus Cellular, which gives
> > me voice (and text, and data, all very limited) for a bit over $30/year.
> >
> > I'm sure there are plenty more options to choose from :-) . HTH.
>
> Thank you. A web search for "Page Plus Cellular" was fruitful in
> and of itself. It also gave me key words for searching for what I
> do and do not want.

search for mvno.

> ECONOMY is not my goal, but a valuable side benefit.
> My objection to "smartphones" revolves around them being
> reasonably high power computers masquerading as telephones.

they're not masquerading as phones. that's just one of the many things
it can do.

> But
> with screens too small to read comfortably

you clearly have never used one. there is no issue with reading what's
on the display, especially since they're all hidpi (other than the
cheap shit). it's likely much sharper than your desktop/laptop display.

> and no keyboard

there's an onscreen keyboard as well as voice recognition, both of
which are more than adequate for the types of tasks people do with
their smartphones.

external keyboards can also be used but few people want to carry a
keyboard *and* a phone and then sit down and type.

> having
> bundled absurdly large data plans (I rarely use more than 1 GB/mo).

data plans vary, from very little (<50 meg) to unlimited.

[Stijn De Jong]

On Wed, 8 Feb 2017 06:43:59 +0000 (UTC), Stijn De Jong wrote:

> That makes five options to "increase" T-Mobile cellular signal, four of
> which are designed for home use.

It doesn't sound like anyone has these T-Mobile devices that I'm looking
at, so this is my current plan (pictures to follow when they arrive).

I think there are five devices that T-Mobile either gives away for free
(most of them are free) or sells somehow, almost all of which are
confusingly branded "CellSpot" or "HotSpot".

These five "things" that increase cellular signal are, I think:
1. WiFi calling (all T-Mobile phones have this free feature)
2. An Asus RT-AC68U router that prioritizes QOS for WiFi calling
3. A cellular-signal booster (no WiFi or Internet is involved)
4. An Internet-based cellular tower (tied to your router & Internet)
5. A portable hotspot with its own SIM card for cellular signal

I already have #1 (wifi calling) and #3 (cellular-signal booster).
Even though I'm on WISP, I will ask T-mobile this week for #3
(Internet-based cell tower).

I may also ask for #2, which seems like a free AC router.
Does anyone have #2, the free Asus router from T-mobile?
How well does it work?

[Stijn De Jong]

On Wed, 8 Feb 2017 06:15:15 -0600, Richard Owlett wrote:

> Yes. That is the device.

I think there are five devices that T-Mobile either gives away for free
(most of them are free) or sells somehow, almost all of which are
confusingly branded "CellSpot" or "HotSpot".

These five "things" that increase cellular signal are, I think:
1. WiFi calling (all T-Mobile phones have this free feature)
2. An Asus RT-AC68U router that prioritizes QOS for WiFi calling
3. A cellular-signal booster (no WiFi or Internet is involved)
4. An Internet-based cellular tower (tied to your router & Internet)
5. A portable hotspot with its own SIM card for cellular signal

I already have #1 (wifi calling) and #3 (cellular-signal booster).

[tlvp]

On Wed, 08 Feb 2017 09:12:26 -0500, nospam wrote, of Page Plus service, at:

>> ... a bit over $30/year.
>
> that's hardly economy.

OK: find me a service I can get with a lower annual cost :-) .

And found a serious erratum in my line,

>> I'm sure there are plenty more options to choose from :-) . HTH.
>
> significantly more.

Oh, sari. Not "plenty", just "significantly". My misteak :-) . Cheers, -- t

[nospam]

In article <utf5g3tc8e12.18hb04zlj0llt$.d...@40tude.net>, tlvp

<mPiOsUcB...@att.net> wrote:

>
> >> ... a bit over $30/year.
> >
> > that's hardly economy.
>
> OK: find me a service I can get with a lower annual cost :-) .

what's in it for me?

i linked you list of mvnos several months ago. do your own research.

> And found a serious erratum in my line,

there usually is more than one in your posts.

> >> I'm sure there are plenty more options to choose from :-) . HTH.
> >
> > significantly more.
>
> Oh, sari. Not "plenty", just "significantly". My misteak :-) . Cheers, -- t

whoosh.

[tlvp]

On Wed, 8 Feb 2017 06:04:27 +0000 (UTC), Stijn De Jong wrote:

> 1. T-Mobile 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot (traveling cellular wifi hotspot)
> https://www.amazon.com/ZTE-Z915-Mobile-Hotspot-T-Mobile/dp/B00PK8ZI8G
> This thing seems to be a battery operated SIM-card-enabled hotspot which
> receives cellular signal from T-Mobile and then it becomes a little router
> for five to ten WiFi connections. I think this is not used for the home,

If you have no (or a lousy) internet connection at home, this can be used
precisely for a (less lousy) internet connection at home. Or away. Anywhere
there's adequate T-Mo service in the air around you.

The real question is: what'll T-Mo ding you for Internet access charges?
Different voices at T-Mo's 611 line have told me anything from $10/month,
for unlimited internet service, to $0.10/MB, which I find hard to stomach.

(Owlett? any advice?) Cheers, -- tlvp

[tlvp]

On Wed, 08 Feb 2017 15:30:00 -0500, nospam wrote:

>> OK: find me a service I can get with a lower annual cost :-) .
>
> what's in it for me?

You'll appear to be not a troll, for a change, but a well-informed expert.

> i linked you list of mvnos several months ago. do your own research.

Translation: I can't think of one either, off-hand, but there must be.

Cheers, -- tlvp

[nospam]

In article <m4jgphdodki2.131dfzasvj973$.d...@40tude.net>, tlvp

<mPiOsUcB...@att.net> wrote:

>
>
> > i linked you list of mvnos several months ago. do your own research.
>
> Translation: I can't think of one either, off-hand, but there must be.

there are *lots* of mvnos with plans suited for occasional use to heavy
use and everywhere in between. you also have to decide which carrier
has the best coverage in your area and also which are compatible with
your phone (assuming it's unlocked). if your phone is locked, then the
number of mvnos from which to choose is drastically less.

only you can decide what best fits your needs and your phone.

[Zaidy036]

look at Consumer Cellular
no contract and they use ATT or Tmobile 9you can specify)
Cost adjustable during month and therefore pay min for what you use.
get SIM in Target and they repay (not taxes)

[Richard Owlett]

I'm paying $20/mo for 2 GB/mo of "full speed" access.
There used to be a $10/mo for 1 GB.
There is "unlimited" access at a "reduced" speed but I have not exceeded the 2GB
enough to experience a slow down. If you do not use the full 2GB of full speed
access, the balance rolls over for up to 12 months.
HTH

[Stijn De Jong]

On Wed, 8 Feb 2017 16:15:54 -0500, tlvp wrote:

> The real question is: what'll T-Mo ding you for Internet access charges?
> Different voices at T-Mo's 611 line have told me anything from $10/month,
> for unlimited internet service, to $0.10/MB, which I find hard to stomach.

T-Mo gives me "free" (I realize, nothing is free) Internet of something
like 2.5GB of what they call "high speed Internet" on each phone, where
after that it turns into low-speed Internet.

Meanwhile, I use kilobits of Internet on the phone, so, it's not an issue
for me.

I think though we researched this in the past where it's something like $10
for a one-shot GB from T-Mobile but we'd have to check the record at
http://tinyurl.com/misc-phone-mobile-iphone or
http://tinyurl.com/comp-mobile-android

[tlvp]

On Wed, 8 Feb 2017 17:46:10 -0500, Zaidy036 wrote:

> look at Consumer Cellular
> no contract and they use ATT or Tmobile 9you can specify)
> Cost adjustable during month and therefore pay min for what you use.
> get SIM in Target and they repay (not taxes)

And they're one of AARP's preferred advertisers (the Jitterbug (greatcall)
folks are another). Wonder if Owlett's still watching after all the static.

Thanks for the data-point. Cheers, -- tlvp

[Richard Owlett]

On 02/08/2017 08:24 PM, tlvp wrote:
> On Wed, 8 Feb 2017 17:46:10 -0500, Zaidy036 wrote:
>
>> look at Consumer Cellular
>> no contract and they use ATT or Tmobile 9you can specify)
>> Cost adjustable during month and therefore pay min for what you use.
>> get SIM in Target and they repay (not taxes)
>
> And they're one of AARP's preferred advertisers (the Jitterbug (greatcall)
> folks are another). Wonder if Owlett's still watching after all the static.

As a calm, though opinionated, senior citizen I don't respond to static ;/
As to Consumer Cellular, I checked them out long before needing an new ISP. I
found their rate structure, as presented on their website at the time, unclear.
I asked for clarification. They responded by sending me a glossy brochure which
was an apparently a verbatim copy of their web presentation. With *NO* reference
to my questions. Permanent *NO SALE*!

[Zaidy036]

They now automatically move up to the next rate point if you exceed the
one you currently have set. Then at beginning of your month, known when
you sign up, easy to set back to minimum and repeat the cycle. AARP
discount is 5%

[Stijn De Jong]

On Tue, 7 Feb 2017 02:05:02 +0000 (UTC), Stijn De Jong wrote:

> Do you have such things?
> How well do they work?
> Which is best when you have zero bars otherwise on your cellular signal?

I think the FBI intercepted my shipment to place a surreptitious bug
inside, but finally the thing arrived yesterday!
http://i.cubeupload.com/uNXXgZ.jpg

T-Mobile MARKETING calls everything a "personal hotspot" though:
http://i.cubeupload.com/dIGbMo.jpg

So it's hard to distinguish the cellular-only microtower from the
internet-cellular microtower, but now I have both.
http://i.cubeupload.com/WoN2gQ.jpg

Interestingly the Internet-micro-tower comes with temporary GPS:
http://i.cubeupload.com/HCc6Ss.jpg

Can that temporary GPS be used for anything useful?

[Stijn De Jong]

On Tue, 7 Feb 2017 14:24:56 -0600, Richard Owlett wrote:

> Path: sewer!news.albasani.net!weretis.net!feeder6.news.weretis.net!feeder.usenetexpress.com!feeder1.iad1.usenetexpress.com!216.166.98.84.MISMATCH!border1.nntp.dca1.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!buffer1.nntp.dca1.giganews.com!nntp.supernews.com!news.supernews.com.POSTED!not-for-mail
> NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2017 14:25:14 -0600
> Subject: Definition of terms needed - was [Re: How well does the free T-Mobile
> 4G LTE Hotspot work (cellular, wifi)]
> Newsgroups: comp.mobile.android,misc.phone.mobile.iphone,alt.cellular.t-mobile
> References: <o7ba0d$1vc6$1...@gioia.aioe.org>
> Reply-To: "alt.cellular.t-mobile"
> From: Richard Owlett <row...@cloud85.net>
> Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2017 14:24:56 -0600
> User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; rv:49.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/49.0
> SeaMonkey/2.46
> MIME-Version: 1.0
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> Xref: sewer comp.mobile.android:36565 misc.phone.mobile.iphone:41730 alt.cellular.t-mobile:1577
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> *REPLY SET TO* alt.cellular.t-mobile
>
> *NOTE BENE* I've done a MASSIVE snip
>
> On 02/06/2017 08:05 PM, Stijn De Jong wrote:
>> Most of my neighbors who are on T-Mobile have lousy cellular
>> service but mine is particularly bad (1 bar at best, but >
>> mostly zero bars).
>>
>> T-Mobile has at least three different options for "boosting"
>> the signal strength within a home, it appears, at least based > on conversations I've had with other people.
>> [*MASSIVE SNIP*]
>> While the third type is tied to the WiFi router somehow and
>> then it emits a cellular signal just like a tower would.

>>
>> Do you have such things?
>> How well do they work?
>> Which is best when you have zero bars otherwise on your
>> cellular signal?
>>
>

> I'm a happy T-mobile customer who *DESPISES* the oxymoronic
> concept of "smart phones". [OWL DUCKS for cover ;]

>
> I think the OP's friend was referring to the device I use.
> "T-Mobile 4G LTE HotSpot Z915" is how it's labeled.
> It is a USB device with two functions:
> 1. provide internet connectivity for the host computer.
> 2. provide connectivity to internet [via above mentioned host]
> for devices with WiFi capability.
>

> When my former ISP dropped support for all 4 of its dial-up
> customers, I went looking for a "modem for a cell network".
>
> T-Mobile was only provider that had staff willing to listen.
>
> I have disabled its WiFi capability.
> I can not speak to its sensitivity as I am surrounded be "cell
> towers".
>
> Plaintive Plea

> Anyone know of cell "service" interested in providing voice
> communication"????

I think the FBI may have intercepted my shipment in order to place a

surreptitious bug inside, but finally the thing arrived yesterday!

Here is a photo of the T-Mobile free microtower which converts your
Internet signal to a T-Mobile microtower in your house.
http://i.cubeupload.com/uNXXgZ.jpg

Be advised that T-Mobile MARKETING calls everything a "personal hotspot"
though, so, I won't be calling it that (since everything is called that).
http://i.cubeupload.com/dIGbMo.jpg

Visually, it's hard to distinguish the cellular-only microtower from the

internet-cellular microtower, but now I have both.
http://i.cubeupload.com/WoN2gQ.jpg

I'm also going to ask for the free T-Mobile WiFi router that is 802.11ac so
I guess the CIA will intercept that shipment to put a bug in it too. :)

If/when I get it, I'll snap a photo of all three together.
I think T-Mobile loves to send these things out to you because that way
they get a personal cell tower in every home.

[nospam]

In article <o7vs9t$lid$2...@gioia.aioe.org>, Stijn De Jong

<stijnd...@nlnet.nl> wrote:

>
> I think the FBI intercepted my shipment to place a surreptitious bug
> inside

one of many things they've done.

[Stijn De Jong]

On Tue, 14 Feb 2017 16:42:38 -0500, nospam wrote:

>> I think the FBI intercepted my shipment to place a surreptitious bug
>> inside
>
> one of many things they've done.

Comey heard both of us deprecating him on the net during his Apple iOS
lying stint, so, check all your equipment too! :)

[Savageduck]

I can see it now.
Teams from the FBI, CIA, and NSA using several hundred analysts to
intercept communications made between all the kooks and geeks, myself
included, found in the various Newsgroups posts. Then spend weeks to
analyse what some of these threads mean, and how much of a threat to
national security they might be.
--
Regards,

Savageduck

[Stijn De Jong]

On Tue, 14 Feb 2017 14:18:31 -0800, Savageduck wrote:

> I can see it now.
> Teams from the FBI, CIA, and NSA using several hundred analysts to
> intercept communications made between all the kooks and geeks, myself
> included, found in the various Newsgroups posts. Then spend weeks to
> analyse what some of these threads mean, and how much of a threat to
> national security they might be.

I think they actually do that, since we could be talking in code.

For example, Oleg Penkovsky was told to huff into the telephone three
times, and then hang up, and then do it again in a minute, and that was the
code to tell MI6 and the CIA that nuclear war with Russia was imminent.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleg_Penkovsky

In the Battle of Midway, a false report of the water supply being damaged
was a code which was used against the Japanese when they rebroadcast it.

At the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese used both the "to to to" code
and the "tora tora tora" code to indicate different things back to the
command center.

In a similar way, I'm sure, newspapers, Facebook, Craigslist ads, and, yes,
the Usenet, could be used to transmit signals.

That having been said, I'd hate to be the CIA agent in charge of
deciphering Jolly Roger's specific code, which goes something like this:
a. Someone says something factual.
b. Jolly Roger calls it a troll ten times.
c. If the someone doesn't take him up on the challenge, that means nuclear
war is imminent between North Korea and Japan.