By Adam Dachis, Lifehacker – October 10, 2012 at 05:00PM
FreedomPop offers free internet access over Sprint’s WiMax network. You’re limited to 500MB per month, and you have to cough up a refundable deposite for a mobile hotspot or USB adapter, but it costs you nothing when all is said and done.
Of course, if you want more than 500MB of data per month you can pay for it. Excess data costs $0.02 per megabyte and you can purchase a 2GB or 4GB plan for $18 or $28 a month (respectively). Whether you’re using the free plan or the paid plan, it’s cheap all around. That all sounds great, but how well does it work? Developer Lee Fyock tried it out and concluded it worked well in some cases but not in others:
The FreedomPop performs as advertised. It provides a fast internet connection, in areas of coverage. Sadly, the coverage is definitely lacking, at least in my stomping grounds. Also, the amount of data I used came as a surprise. Also, I was unable to use the hotspot for the one task I was most interested in: VoIP calls. Don’t forget though, that the FreedomPop service is free. “Free” goes a long way.
For more information, read Lee’s full review. He achieved pretty good speeds despite inconsistent coverage. While FreedomPop may not be a great way to replace your existing internet access, it looks like a great supplement for emergencies and travel purposes.
FreedomPop (Free) | via Lee Fyock via MacLife