Setting up 4G LTE Cellspot

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I

Hi, Marissa

Just a point of info:   I know biochemist's issues were before the Spectrum outages I mentioned.  However, when I was having trouble a few weeks ago - I accidentally disconnected my power - the original unit failed to ever get past the blinking green/blinking Internet after 15 or more hours.   And maybe a few weeks before that incident, the unit just restarted initialization due to power failure in our area.   It took about 15 hours for it to come back to full green status, but I was told back then that T-Mobile and Spectrum/BrightHouse do not play well together for whatever reason.   The  tech immediately asked if Spectrum was my ISP and said just let it go.  Forget a 2 hour install.  I guess it's true.  No issues with any other ISP, like Verizon FIOS.    But biochemist should consider swapping out the unit.   It's frustrating to say the least.

tmo_marissa
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Userlevel 3

Thank you for sharing that experience -- I have to say, although we don't have any kind of official document that calls out consistent compatibility troubles with Spectrum/CellSpot, and definitely that's not good news, I trust our Tech team when they pass along information that they've picked up by noting patterns over the course of their workday. I appreciate the input.

B

On your advice I did contact the customer service and ordered a replacement.

I should arrive by next Monday.

I will document my efforts from there.

Again, Spectrum Cable into a Arris CM820 cable modem (only one port output) Spectrum says all ports are open and that modem cannot block any traffic.

From there into the Personal Cellspot V2 via yellow supplied cable.

From the Personal Cellspot V2 to a wireless router and an ethernet switch. Everything downstream from the personal cellspot is working normally.

When I receive the replacement unit I will replace it and the yellow cable just to be sure. I will post when it is done and started.

I

Glad you ordered a replacement and hopefully you will have better luck!

One thing I should have asked you:  Did you ever call the T-Mobile Cellspot  team, I'm not sure what they're called, but it was definitely a knowledgeable technician for Cellspot.   When my power and Internet lights were blinking for hours on end, I was on the phone with a Cellspot tech  who asked for my serial number on the Cellspot and then he checked at his end to see if he saw that my Internet was attempting to connect.  And he did.  He said there was definitely nothing wrong with the device, as he was able to see the Cellspot was activated and attempting setup.  That's when he again asked if I had Spectrum and since he saw the Internet attempting access on his side, he said to be patient.  But you said your Internet light was solid.  Mine was blinking. That might indicate some other issue in your hardware.  However,  I would try to call the Cellspot team again and ask if they see anything happening with your Internet, if they didn't deactivate your device yet, which I'm thinking they did now, because that's what they did to me when they ordered the replacement.

tmo_amanda
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Userlevel 3

Hey, @biochemist​!

Fingers crossed that the replacement does the trick. I'm hoping that we'll here back from you today that all is well! 😊

B

The unit did arrive today. It is a V1 instead of a V2 like the last unit.

It was connected and powered up at 14:15 Central time and has now been running for 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Same indications as the last unit with a flashing power light and a solid Internet light.

At least I don't have to wait the 72 hours called for in the V2 unit as this one said up to two hours may be required. Oops missed that one.

B

Still nothing. over 24 hours since last boot up with Tech Support driving. Trouble ticket is open.

Wishing everyone a great Forth of July

tmo_amanda
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Userlevel 3

Darn!! I was hoping this would be the answer. Thanks for the update on the filing of a trouble ticket. We'll check back in a few days if we haven't heard back from you on your replacement Cellspot.

B

I am very close to being whipped on this problem.

Tech Support can't see the CellSpot box because the ports on the cable modem are not open. Support gave me the Arris telephone number.

Arris won't talk to a customer if the device came from a provider (Spectrum)

Spectrum says they can't access the modem web site to configure because the screen says that function is unavailble.

I have tried to connect directly to the cable modem to access it's internal web site but it is not connecting at all (timeouts)

I have not found anything on UDP ports on the CM820 out in the Webiverse,

So if nobody has an idea I guess I will call tomorrow and ask to send this unit back and end my misery.

As festive as a flashing green power light seems to be I think I can do without it. After three weeks I really don't want to develop an addiction to it.

tmo_amanda
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Userlevel 3

Wow! We've been working with you on the Support site for a few weeks and you've clearly spent a good amount of time doing your research, following up with each company, and continuing to keep us updated; thank you. I'm not sure if you already returned your signal booster or not, but from re-reading every post of yours, it honestly sounds like the combination of the cell spot, Spectrum, and Arris isn't playing well together. We do our absolute best to be compatible with as many networks/providers/modems as possible, but we can't hit 'em all. 😥 I wish we had a better answer for you, @biochemist​.

smplyunprdctble
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Userlevel 4

...and I just saw you tried connecting to the cablemodem without luck -- try connecting to the cablemodem directly (means finding a laptop or PC with an Ethernet port and connecting directly to the cablemodem where your router would normally be).

You should then be able to use the address the manual tells you to use to connect to the modem.

B

I do appreciate all the suggestions.

The Cellspot is before the router. The problem does seem to  be with the necessary UDP ports on the Arris CM820 Cable Modem not being open. T-Mobile Tech Support cannot "see" the Cellspot from their lofty perch so the Arris CM820 Cable Modem is blocking those ports

I am able to get to the setup screen on the Arris CM820 cable modem but cannot get to the advanced features screen because it is password protected.

Where I currently stand is. I have sent an email to Arris requesting help on accessing the modem and setting up the ports. It has been several days and no response back from them. For all I know there is no easy way to do this on this cable modem but experience says there is. I have to believe the techs at Spectrum when they say they cannot access the internal screens via the cable port. There should be but perhaps that "feature" was left out.

My only hope now is that someone at Arris gets in touch with me by the end of the week. One would think that a simple phone call would be better than all these negative posts, then again, what do I know? If they do and they give me a fix I will certainly  post it  here for the community, If I hear nothing or nothing of value then I will post that it is all going back in the box and back to the store.

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion.

B

Well, here is the conclusion, sorry it is not more exciting.

The response from Arris Technical Support is

"As first instance, we apologize for the inconvenience you're currently experiencing with your CM820. We are sorry to inform you that the advance configuration you're trying to perform is not available on the CM820 because it is a standalone modem. Port Forwarding is only available in devices with firewall security settings, such as routers or gateways."

Had I known all this weeks ago I wouldn't be under the care of health professionals now. Being from Texas I know when to get off the horse and walk. In this case I am going to walk to the storage unit to retrieve the box then spend the afternoon trying to pry the antenna off the window glass...into the box and on with what's left of my life.

Thanks to the community for all the help and suggestions.

smplyunprdctble
Rank
Userlevel 4

I had noticed that late last night, but I was way too tired to reply (sorry, I got home late after Pokemon Gym fighting 😀).

This means that the modem isn't doing anything to block anything.  It should also mean that the cellspot should be getting a public IP address (not starting with 192.168).

In my opinion, if the Cellspot has the WAN port plugged in to the cablemodem and the router has the WAN port plugged in to the LAN port of the Cellspot, everything should be fine.

So, I'd suggest checking one last time:

Unplug [power] modem, router, Cellspot, and all Ethernet cables.

Plug the WAN port of the Cellspot to the WAN port of the modem (should be only one port on the modem).

Plug the WAN port of the router in to the LAN port of the Cellspot.

Plug the power cables in.  First on the router, awaiting all lights to turn on.  Then the Cellspot (I'd wager about a minute for that to turn on), then the router.

In most cases, the WAN port is the YELLOW one, I think, but do check to make sure.

Another pair configuration you can try if the above doesn't work:

Plug the WAN port of the router in to the WAN port of the modem.

Plug the WAN port of the Cellspot to the LAN port of the router.

Or

Plug the WAN port of the router to the WAN port of the modem.

Plug the LAN port of the Cellspot to the LAN port of the router.

Knowing that you have a basic modem (I TOTALLY suggest this, and am happy that's the type you have), the first configuration should work without a hitch.  The annoying part is knowing which port to connect where.

B

Thanks for the input, What you describe is exactly what I have now.

I agree that it should not be blocking anything at all but I learned from dealing with Cisco and Xyplex routers that things are not always as they seem or should be. If the modem does not have port forwarding then changing the port forwarding settings on anything downstream will have no effect whatsoever.

Nope, Just gonna go lick my wounds and carry on, Thanks. Got the box now, just need the machete to chop the antenna off the window glass. T-Mobile uses some really good adhesive.

J

im very confused the power light blinks and internet is solid but the manual says

Device connection issue with the Wi-Fi router or Wi-Fi cable

modem router.

Check Wi-Fi router or Wi-Fi cable modem router connection.

Flashing green light above 4G LTE CellSpot WAN port means

good Internet connection and traffic in progress.

what does this mean, the ethernet port works in other devices though, what should i do besides returning the device?

smplyunprdctble
Rank
Userlevel 4

This is interesting.

Cellspot incompatible with Spectrum (Charter, Brighthouse, TW)

A post came in today with the same thing.

P

tha

thanks, I've been waiting bout 12 hours. and green light power and amber on internet,, i'm going to let it sit all weekend

perolason

I recommend rebooting all the units. Powering up your cable modem first, then the router and lastly the CellSpot. Each unit fully started before the next one is plugged in. I got my CellSpot yesterday and followed the installation instructions, that does not say anything about unplugging your cable modem and router as a first step. I just plugged in the CellSpot to the router, that is connected to the cable modem, as instructed and it was sitting there with flashing green power and orange internet LEDs, and would not go any further. After 10 hours I shut everything down and rebooted everything starting from the cable modem, then the router+switch and lastly the CellSpot. It came up just fine and after about 20 min I got all green lights. Now I got 4 bars in the whole house (2 floors, 3870 sqf), and outside on our back patio. The unit is placed on the first floor in the center of the house in a small storage room under the stairs where I have the router and modem.

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