Sprint just released their Airave box, which works like a miniature cell tower (covering 5000 sq ft) anywhere you have a broadband connection, with the added advantage that all calls that go through the Airave box can be completely unlimited. It requires an existing Sprint voice plan plus a DSL/cable modem connection, but it supports up to three calls at one time, with a charge of $100 for the box and unlimited calling using the Airave for $15/month for one line or $25/month for multiple lines. It even will automatically transfer a call from the Airave box to the Sprint network (if available) when you leave the Airave coverage area.

They don't point this out, but I also don't see a reason that you can't take this with you when you travel and have unlimited calling wherever broadband is available (Edit: it may work only in the US/Puerto Rico, see scoobydooby's post below). It's basically VoIP that uses your existing Sprint wireless phone.

Alternately, if you just want the box to provide Sprint coverage where it's either nonexistent or spotty but you don't want to have unlimited calling, it's only $5/month.

Edit: This works with ANY existing Sprint wireless phones, unlike T-Mobile @Home which requires a landline phone, or T-Mobile Hotspot calling which requires special wireless phones.

It will be available at Sprint stores starting August 17.

Intro video

More info

I wonder if this would give Rev A speeds where it's unavailable.

KayK said:I wonder if this would give Rev A speeds where it's unavailable.

No.

Nice, instead of adding towers, they do this While making you pay for it. Monthly.

Wait... what advantage does this give me over a cell tower again? If I'm under my plan minutes every month, how does this benefit me?

I remember reading about this in the news several months ago. Glad it is being released.

1. Its too bad that there isnt an option to just pay one time fee and own the box upfront. I have poor sprint reception at home and I have been a sprint customer for 10 years(other service providers excluding ATT also have poor reception in my area). Sprint shouldnt ask me to pay $5 per month just to get decent reception at home. Or at the very least - give me an option of paying $50 - $100 upfront and no monthly charges.

2. what would be cool is if this device could be carried when i travel international - giving me unlimited sprint coverage where there is an internet access point in hotels abroad - but I believe I read in the article that they may restrict the usage of this device to US only by looking at the IP address of the internet connection - to block if the IP address is international. We will find out. But it is only going to be a matter of time before a clever person comes up with a way of hosting a proxy router in US that will accept these devices that are traveling internationally. fun begins!

Besides Vonage ($25 per month), what are the other least expensive VoIP providers?

Redbeard25 said:Wait... what advantage does this give me over a cell tower again? If I'm under my plan minutes every month, how does this benefit me?

Um, how does VoIP benefit someone? This is VoIP with the advantage that you don't have to have two phone numbers/voicemails/etc to be reachable, plus allowing you to use your wireless phone where wireless service isn't otherwise available. Alternately, if you use a significant number of your anytime minutes at home (or office, or wherever you want to put the box), you can use this to reduce your plan minutes. It actually seems pretty self-explanatory to me.

The device has a GPS antenna, and will only work where Sprint is allowed to broadcast, which means it won't work abroad.. The reason T-Mobile can work anywhere is because they just use Wi-Fi. The Airave uses CDMA, which is not approved for use in all countries. Since the box is just another part of the Sprint network, they can only let you use it where Sprint has a license.

FWIW; I have not tested this myself, but I read through the user manual. Without a GPS signal, the thing won't even work.
Good point, but there's no reason that it won't work in the US/Puerto Rico, right?

Putting GPS on it seems a bit odd since it is inherently designed to work indoors and GPS doesn't work well in buildings. I wonder how this works.

hpmax said:Putting GPS on it seems a bit odd since it is inherently designed to work indoors and GPS doesn't work well in buildings. I wonder how this works.
I believe the cabling for the gps antenna is pretty long, so you can place the transmitter wherever and string the gps antenna over to a window.