So, check the FreedomPop coverage map and make sure they cover the areas you would like to use it. The one big downside is that this does only work on Clear’s WiMax network - there is no 3G/2G network as backup if you get out of the coverage area. It’s cheap, works well, and if you want a real 4G service plan, they are less than the mobile carrier’s alternatives. With my testing so far, I’d certainly recommend this service. With my first round of testing at my office, my download speeds were generally between 8-11mbit and my upload speeds were between 1375kbps and 1511kbps. Performance is actually better than what I expected. I have read that port 80 won’t work – so don’t plan on hosting a web server behind one of these. I validated that they allow incoming connections too - port forwarded the SSH port to my laptop, and then SSH’d to a machine on the internet, then back to the hotspot’s public IP. When it is connected to a computer via USB, you can also elect to turn off the wifi connection, or leave it on to share with others. Nice bonus, as this means with most modern operating systems you can connect it up and use it without needing drivers (it works out of the box on Linux too!) In addition, it supports “standard” NAT gateway features - you can set up static DHCP leases for certain devices, set up port forwards to an internal device (the device does get a public IPv4 address on the WAN side, hurray!), etc. It’s trivial to change the SSID and password in addition, if you plug the device into a computer via a MicroUSB cable, it exposes a USB network device, which puts you in the same network as the devices connected via wifi. The setup of the device is simple – turn it on, and connect to it with the SSID and password printed on the back. NetZero is also offering cheap 4G service via Clear, and they sell their hotspot for $50. It’s interesting that FreedomPop charges a $89 deposit for a device that is sold to Clear customers for $50. The device I got is on Clear’s network (apparently FreedomPop will add support for Sprint’s LTE network in the future), and appears to be identical to Clear’s Clear Spot Voyager, except with some custom firmware.
I decided to try the hotspot, and elected for the overnight shipping ($15 vs $5 for standard shipping.) I also decided to turn on the “FreedomPop Speed Plus” service ($2.99/mo), which according to their site, gives you “up to” 50% faster speeds (up to 12Mbps down and 1.5 Mbps up), prioritizes your data, and guarantees no speed caps or throttling. Note that you do not need to add the users to your gmail account instead, on the FreedomPop page, you can go to “Earn Free” -> “Freedom Friends”, and below where it asks for your email address and password, there is an “Invite by Email Address” option, which lets you enter comma-separated email addresses. In addition, the good people at Slickdeals have set up an email exchange, with a list of tons of other people to invite details here, or just go directly to the form. freedompophome (at) natecarlson _dt_ com.freedompop (at) natecarlson *perid* com.
and yes, the type-o’s in the email separators are intentional, darn spambots): I now have two accounts – so send a friend request to both of the following addresses (note that I don’t always check the freedompop home page frequently if you want to make sure you get your extra data quickly, feel free to comment and ask me to go confirm you. (Updated ): First of all - if you sign up for freedompop, feel free to add me as a friend for an extra 20MB of free data. More data is reasonably priced, and if you ever want to get rid of it, you can send it back and they will refund your deposit. Basically, you pay a deposit for a USB or HotSpot device, and they will give you 500mb of free data on that device each month. On details page, look a tiny downgrade link ("To downgrade your plan, click here") at the bottom.I heard about FreedomPop’s new service offering on the radio the other day. Downgrade data plan: Go to My Account > Plans and click on link for your current plan in the "My Plan" section.Cancel Premier trial: You might opt-out at sign-up, if not go to "My Account" (password in your email) > Services > Premier service > Deactivate near bottom right corner.How to cancel following non-free stuff services: 2.4” Color LCD touchscreen with data usage meter.Connect up to 10 devices via WiFi including smartphones, laptops, tablets.