The Airave is a femtocell that is being offered by Sprint and its technology partner Samsung. The basic idea is to improve cellular coverage in your home or office. Is that what it does?
Before we dive into our experience with the Airave, let’s talk a little about how this bit of magic works. A femtocell is essentially a tiny little cell tower that creates a wireless cell about the size of an average house. It is large enough to cover 5000 square feet. Though the hardware itself is the same size (and appearance) as any garden variety Wi-Fi router, it acts a little bit differently.
When you buy the Airave, it will be configured and set up at a Sprint store so that it will work when you get it home. You’ll have to register the main cellular account you’d like it tied to, and you can permit up to three other Sprint wireless lines to access the Airave.
With the Airave up and running, it uses your broadband Internet connection (required) to communicate with Sprint’s network. Unlike T-Mobile’s HotSpot @Home service, which uses Wi-Fi and a different technology called UMA, the Airave emits standard cellular signals. When in range, your cell phone latches onto the Airave instead of the local cell towers (if there are any), and uses your broadband to pass calls and data to Sprint’s network. Calls will be automatically transferred to Sprint’s regular cellular network once the cell phone ranges away from the Airave’s coverage area.
