Notice the 'Phone' link in the sub-navigation

While not really a ‘feature’, the above screen just shows you whether your SIM card(s) (there are slots for two in the router) are inserted and registered.

The one ‘feature’ related to the phone capabilities is the call log. You can see in the screenshot above the button to access it. This is what it looks like:

I crossed out the phone numbers I dialed....to protect the innocent!

Note that the call log gets cleared out anytime you reset the router. Today I did notice that the blue light on the router was not on. I have heard reports of this from others. I picked up the handset and had no dial tone, so I unplugged the router, waited a minute, then plugged it back in. After the router initialized, the blue light was back and service was back. I have no idea how long the service was down, but I estimate an hour or two. Hopefully Tmobile gets the kinks worked out. I’m still happy with the service, but I’m certainly glad I have a cell phone to fall back on, which all @Home customers would have to have or else they wouldn’t be able to get the service in the first place. So, for $10, it’s still a good deal even with the occasional hiccup.

Over the past month I’ve received lots of questions, some repeatedly, about the Tmobile@Home service. I figured it would be best to just put them together into a Frequently Asked Questions about Tmobile@Home service post. Tmobile hasn’t done the greatest job of answering questions on their site, based on the questions/feedback I’ve gotten from folks. So, here’s my attempt.

Frequently Asked Questions About the TMobile@Home Service

1. Do you have to get a separate SIM card for the Tmobile@Home service?

   Yes. Tmobile isses you a separate SIM card. The Linksys router (that you *must* purchase to get the service) has a slot in it for 2 SIM cards, as the router can handle 2 separate phone lines. I only use one, hence I have the one SIM card in there. The Tmobile rep installed it for me at the store, however I took a look at it after I got it home.

2. What has been your experience with the @home service so far?

   Generally, excellent. Actually, let me be more specific – I’ve had the service for about one month now. I myself am NOT a big phone guy. I’m a geek. I prefer email whenever possible. I have experienced only one issue with the TMobile@Home service – while speaking with my wife this morning on the phone (I called her from work), all of a sudden after a minute or two of talking, I couldn’t hear her. She could, however, hear me, as I found out when I eventually hung up and called her back. My wife uses the phone like 20 times a day. She loves talking on the phone. And she has one of those mother’s who call 4 times a day for no good reason, just to chat and to “just seein what you’re up to!” During the month of use my wife has reported that she did have 2 dropped calls (in addition to the one today that I was on with her). The second one was with a cell phone user who was driving, so she thinks it was on the other person’s end and not the @home service.I had a conference call using the phone with a client. I do freelance web development (need a website? Anything web? Help me out and hire me : ) I often use a service called Adobe Connect, which allows me to share my computer screen with others in a virtual meeting room. During these calls, even though Adobe Connect has a VOIP feature, I always use a regular phone/conference call to communicate audibly. I have done 2 such conference calls in the past month with clients, lasting over 2 hours each, in which I’ve been sharing my PC’s desktop through the Connect service to the other participant’s computer, and all the while blabbing away on the phone (via speakerphone). The @home service has worked flawlessly during these calls. And the VTECH phone’s speakerphone feature is excellent.

   Now, is the service perfect? No. It was the first 2 weeks we had it. But like I said, my wife has now reported 2 dropped calls, I experienced one. That number may or may not be satisfactory to you. I look at it this way – we each have cell phones if an emergency arised. Your mileage may vary.

3. Do you work for Tmobile? Are you getting paid by Tmobile? Are you a Tmobile Fanboy?

   I jumped on the mobile phone bandwagon quite late in life. Even though I’m a HUGE technology junkie, I didn’t get a mobile phone until February of 2007. Well, I take that back – I originally did get an AT&T cell phone back in 1999. After a week or two of static, dropped calls, and no cell coverage no matter where I went, I returned the phones (my wife’s too as she had the same complaints) to the Circuit City we purchased them from. It took almost 8 years later to try again. The Tmobile cell phones have worked flawlessly wherever I’ve been (I travel for work on occasion), with good reception. No complaints. Would I change carriers if I got a better/cheaper rate from someone else? If it was cheaper I would certainly look into it. I have loyalty to no company. As they have none to me. But unless it was significantly cheaper I wouldn’t change. So…after all that…no, I don’t think I’m a fanboy and I can definitely tell you I am NOT getting paid by Tmobile or anyone for writing these blog posts. I wish I could. If you work for Tmobile and are willing to bribe me, there is a PayPal donation button at the bottom of all my posts! : )

4. If you’re not a Tmobile fanboy or employee or agent, then why are you bothering writing these posts?

   A few reasions:- When I first looked into buying the @home service there was literally no good info on the web. To this day there still isn’t, other than the comments/discussion that my posts have generated.

   - I believe in giving back to the web community. I make a lot of purchases based on user reviews, blog recommendations, etc. So why not give back in some way?

   - I *do* make a little money (maybe a dollar a day, but usually less) from the number of times that people click on the ad links I have included in the posts/on my site. It helps defray my hosting costs. It doesn’t make me any money though. I wish it did, and I will be looking into how to try to make some more money that way. If I did, I would write more, so everyone would win.

   - On occasion, if people have emailed me directly asking questions about the service, I *have* asked them to include me as a referrer when they purchase the Tmobile@Home service. When this happens, I get a $25 credit on my TMobile bill. I only ask people to do this after they have told me they are definitely going to go and purchase the service. I do not push people or beg. I have a *little* dignity.

5. Do you need to have a Tmobile wireless account to get the @Home service?

   Yes. You can’t get the @home service unless you have a Tmobile mobile phone plan already, and there are further restrictions – has to be $39.95 or more a month for a single line, or $49.95 or more per month if on a family plan. Incidentally, I have a family plan for my wife and I (so 2 phones), with 1000 anytime minutes. I pay $49.95 per month (~$60 total with taxes), plus of course now the $10 for the TMobile@Home service.

6. Will my mobile phone automatically use the @Home service when in range/in my house?

   No. This is unfortunately something that I’m hearing that TMobile reps are telling people, and it just isn’t true. You need to purchase the separate HotSpot service to get automatic VOIP switching. I do not have it, nor see any need for it, so I can’t offer any review/guidance on the HotSpot service.

7. What do you think of the Linksys router that Tmobile sells?

   It’s of very high quallity. It looks cool (for what that’s worth!). I’ve had LinkSys products in the past and they were great routers. I’ve had other brand routers that were terrible. The wifi coverage is good on the LinkSys and my wife’s Ubuntu linux laptop that I set up for her seems to connect almost instantaneously to the LinkSys router. It was fine but slower in connecting to the D-Link I had previously. But I have one major gripe/disappointment with the LinkSys router – why are manufacturers still making/selling 802.11g routers? Shouldn’t it be an 802.11n router? I had to downgrade from my D-Link Wireless N to to the Tmobile/Linksys Wireless G router, which I didn’t like having to do. Not a huge deal for me though.

8. What do you think of the VTECH Dect 6.0 phones that TMobile sells?

   I like them – the sound quality is awesome, and the speakerphone feature works fabulous. The reason I bought the base/phone set from TMobile when I purchased the @Home service was because it included a flashing voicemail button feature, which works great. It *does* take a few minutes after someone leaves a voicemail for it to start flashing though, which sucks. Also, the phones themselves are pretty light and feel like they could break if dropped too much. I have two young kids, a 3 year old and a 4 year old, so I assure you within the next few months I’ll find out how durable the phones are. I have since purchased an extra handset phone of the same model# directly from VTECH, since, in Tmobile’s infinite wisdom, they currently won’t sell you an extra handset! And as of a month ago the only place to buy an extra handset was direct from VTECH. Fortunately, shipping was quite fast.All that said….would I buy the phones again? No. Because from reader reports, any DECT 6.0 phone with a voicemail indicator seems to work with the @home router, and you can get better deals by buying the phone plus extra handsets all at once instead of buying the base/handset combo from TMobile and then buying extra handsets directly from the manufacturer. I posted a review of the VTECH phones here.

If you don’t want to go with the VTECH phone, check out the other DECT 6.0 phones that Amazon.com sells.

9. Do I have to buy new phones to use the @home service?

   No. In fact, numerous readers report/confirm that you don’t have to use a wireless phone at all! You can route the line from the Linksys router back into your phone jack and it’ll feed the rest of the phones in your house connected the internal phone jacks of your home. That’s pretty cool. I haven’t tried it myself though, and my house is fairly small and I’ve already purchased the VTECH phones so no need for me to try. Read the user comments on the posts and you’ll learn how this is all done.

10. Does T-Mobile provide the DSL service? (faq  contributed by B Woodman – thanks!)

    No. T-Mobile only provides mobile phone service (which you must have or else you can’t get the @home service), the Tmobile HotSpot@Home service, and the @Home service. No DSL or broadband. If you have DSL currently then odds are you also have a landline phone through the same provider who is providing your DSL service. If so, then you need to figure out your strategy BEFORE committing to the T-Mobile@Home service. You MUST have broadband internet service in order to use T-Mobile@Home, and in some places I’m told that if you cancel your DSL then you also lose your phone. In my area, Verizon switched me automatically to “Dry Loop DSL” (basically DSL without the phone service) automatically once I ported my landline phone # to the @Home phone. But the price went up $12 per month for the DSL. I wrote a post about this here.

11. When T-Mobile says $10/month “plus taxes & fees”, how much are those add-ons? Or, in other words, what is your total monthly bill? (faq  contributed by B Woodman – thanks!)

    I haven’t gotten my first bill yet. But I’m confident it won’t be more than a dollar or two tax on the $10 @Home service. Considering I was paying >$60 per month for my landline, I’ll take it!

Well, that’s all for now. I’ll continue to update this as questions come up and I find/have answers. If you have anything you think I should add please leave a comment.