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FreedomPop's Home Broadband Goes Live
$90 Hub Burst Now Available to Users

Wireless upstart FreedomPop today announced that the company has officially entered the home broadband market with a new service that provides up to 1GB of usage, for free. FreedomPop says that their $90 FreedomPop Hub Burst (that's an awful lot of popping and bursting, no?) home modem is officially now available via the company website. The company already offers users mobile data plans with 500MB of bandwidth for free.

Click for full size
The new at-home service provides users with 1 GB of monthly data for free. Above and beyond that, users have the ability to obtain up to unlimited amounts of data by adding contacts to their network and engaging in partner promotions. FreedomPop says they're also offering heavier data users a number of usage plans starting at $10 a month for 10 GB (their mobile offering provides 1 GB of data for $10 a month, 5 GB for $35, and 10 GB for $60).

"Major broadband providers, including Time Warner Cable, AT&T, Verizon and Comcast, are pillaging consumers, charging in excess of $500 per year for home Internet,” said Stephen Stokols, FreedomPop’s CEO. "The median American household uses under 5.5 GB per month at home, yet spends over $50 for Internet service," said Stokols. "FreedomPop gives these users an opportunity to save hundreds of dollars per year at a fraction of the inconvenience, especially for more moderate internet users."

The FreedomPop Hub Burst modem and router supports up to ten devices and connects them all to the Clearwire WiMax network. The company has previously suggested they'll eventually support LTE once Clearwire launches their LTE network (or gets gobbled up by Sprint, whichever happens first).

The home service is only launching in the 80 biggest and most robust Clearwire markets (except, for some reason, San Diego and Phoenix), in order to ensure the service can exceed DSL quality. The company says connections should be somewhere between 9 and 12 Mbps downstream. FreedomPop doesn't much talk about network management, but as we noted recently Clearwire does throttle and boot the heaviest users from their network.

If you're signing up for service, we'd love to hear your impressions.
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topics flat nest 

Duramax08
To The Moon
Premium Member
join:2008-08-03
San Antonio, TX

Duramax08

Premium Member

hmmmm

very tempting...

AlphaOne
I see
Premium Member
join:2004-02-21

AlphaOne

Premium Member

Freedom Spot

The Freedom Spot looks delish.
Great for iPads, etc., if there's no Wifi available.

The question is ... if service is also widely available.
en103
join:2011-05-02

en103

Member

Re: Freedom Spot

quote:
The FreedomPop Hub Burst modem and router supports up to ten devices and connects them all to the Clearwire WiMax network
I'd say not widely available. I live 5 miles from Los Angeles city limits, and there's no WiMax here, or even in the north 1/2 of the San Fernando Valley
Chubbysumo
join:2009-12-01
Duluth, MN

Chubbysumo

Member

Re: Freedom Spot

we had wimax from clearwire up here where I live, but then they shuttered the service and shut down the towers, so, no wimax here. Also, i don't think im in their "median" figures, since I use 500+GB per month with only me and my wife.

Yucca Servic
join:2012-11-27
Rio Rancho, NM

Yucca Servic

Member

Overloading

It won't take much from a nearby neighborhood setup and use the devices to overload
the cell site it's coming from.

LTE or 3G has limits too.

By the way if you have weak signal or no signal it may not benefit the user.
Automate
join:2001-06-26
Atlanta, GA

Automate

Member

Does it support LTE?

Will this device support LTE when Clearwire makes it available or will you have to purchase another modem?

whfsdude
Premium Member
join:2003-04-05
Washington, DC

whfsdude

Premium Member

Re: Does it support LTE?

said by Automate:

Will this device support LTE when Clearwire makes it available or will you have to purchase another modem?

You will have to purchase a modem.

Eagles1221
join:2009-04-29
Vincentown, NJ

Eagles1221

Member

define median

I truly doubt 5.5 GB. Even checking FB every other day and playing a flash game or two would set you over that limit.

tshirt
Premium Member
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA

tshirt

Premium Member

Re: define median

You'd be surprised how many people are perfectly happy living without FB or flash games.

Eagles1221
join:2009-04-29
Vincentown, NJ

Eagles1221

Member

Re: define median

That was not the point I was trying to make. I block FB at work and saved gigabytes of traffic a day.

A single Farmville session can be 20MB just to load the flash. And don't forget the advertisements and data mining add up.

Even my grandma who checks her stocks and email every third day or so is ~20 GB a month.

True, you can keep it lower with constant vigilance but I don't see a lot of people doing that.
Crookshanks
join:2008-02-04
Binghamton, NY

Crookshanks to Eagles1221

Member

to Eagles1221
said by Eagles1221:

I truly doubt 5.5 GB. Even checking FB every other day and playing a flash game or two would set you over that limit.

Every other day? It does not consume 300+MB of data to check Facebook. If you discount Netflix and Pandora my average daily usage on the landline is around 200MB, and that's including the occasional big download.
Chubbysumo
join:2009-12-01
Duluth, MN
Ubee E31U2V1
(Software) pfSense
Netgear WNR3500L

Chubbysumo

Member

Re: define median

said by Crookshanks:

Every other day? It does not consume 300+MB of data to check Facebook. If you discount Netflix and Pandora my average daily usage on the landline is around 200MB, and that's including the occasional big download.

actually, Facebook has made some huge increases over the last year on how much data it loads onto your system at first, and then count in if you scroll down any. It initially loads about 3MB on my system, and then if I scroll down about 5 pages worth, its an additional 10-15MB. If you just checked facebook, 10 times, thats 300MB. Websites are getting huge, and ads also take up a chunk of data too. Remember, its a median not an average. A median is the middle number of all your data points that separates the higher half from the lower half. This means that there are significantly fewer heavy users in their data(or they cut some out) than there are light users, which means that light users get a bias. I think its junk numbers unless they post the data they used anyways, since I can attest that just checking facebook and email, along with general web browsing can run upwards of 15GB a month for a household of 2.
Crookshanks
join:2008-02-04
Binghamton, NY

1 edit

Crookshanks

Member

Re: define median

The GP didn't say checking FB ten times, he said checking it "every other day". The number I provided is real, I work in IT, and I've track every bit of data that passes across my pipe. The average usage (discounting Pandora and Netflix, which may be a cop-out, but there it is) is really right around 200MB. Some days I don't use the internet at all, other days I might bring home a laptop to work on and download 600MB of software updates.

Even with Pandora it's not that bad. IP Video is the real killer. Over the summer when we had better things to do than watch TV our total monthly count was always under 10GB, and that's for a household of two young people, one in IT, the other a fairly tech savvy teacher with a dawn to dusk Facebook addiction.

Would I willingly purchase a capped connection? No way in hell. I hold onto my unlimited cellular data plan for dear life even though I rarely exceed 1GB. I pay for a commercial internet account in part because of a 250GB cap on residential service, even though I have never exceeded that, or even come close to it (my record is 187GB). It's part principle, part peace of mind.

None of that means that there aren't lots of people who could save money from this service. Just checked their webpage, $18.99 for 8mbit/s and a 10GB cap. $14.99 for 3mbit/s and 10GB cap. $9.99 for 1.5mbit/s and a 10GB cap. How are you going to compete with those prices if those speeds and 10GB cap are ample for your needs?
TheRogueX
join:2003-03-26
Springfield, MO

TheRogueX

Member

Re: define median

"I work in IT"

"Some days I don't use the internet at all"

"young people"

"I rarely exceed 1GB (per month)"

You are, without a doubt, the most Luddite of a young IT person I've ever, ever seen then. In fact, it makes me question the validity of your statements. I'll leave it at that, though, because I have no way of knowing what statements you make are true or false, anyway.
Crookshanks
join:2008-02-04
Binghamton, NY

1 recommendation

Crookshanks

Member

Re: define median

Now you accuse me of lying? How very mature of you.

Did it occur to you that someone who works with computers ALL DAY might want to do OTHER THINGS when they get home?

Also, I didn't say "1GB", I said 10GB, and qualified that with it only happened over the summer when we had better things to do than watch TV. Try reading my posts in the future before you get uppity.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT

BiggA

Premium Member

Re: define median

Very few tech-savvy people use that little data. Without even trying, I'm at like 100-150GB/mo.
BiggA

BiggA to Eagles1221

Premium Member

to Eagles1221
Yeah, that's a little suspect. I use like 150GB average, and I'm one user. Granted, I use more than a "normal" user, but with Netflix and Steam, among others, that seems way too low.
IanR
join:2001-03-22
Fort Mill, SC

IanR

Member

Not exactly free

Beware. I have the prior unit and the regularly hit my credit card with a $6.95 monthly fee even if I do not use the devise....
cramer
Premium Member
join:2007-04-10
Raleigh, NC

cramer

Premium Member

Re: Not exactly free

It's $0.99 in any month where you don't use at least 5MB. I wouldn't say they're really up-front about it, but it's is documented in plain sight.

Probitas
@teksavvy.com

Probitas

Anon

pricing

Makes the 34.99 CAN and taxes I pay monthly for 6mb/s download and 300GB usage seem cheap, even at such a low speed. I ought to stop complaining.

Eddy120876
join:2009-02-16
Bronx, NY

Eddy120876

Member

can't wait for the ipad solution

I mean "5 GB for $35" is one heck of a deal none of the big telcos
montauk
join:2013-03-07
New York, NY

montauk

Member

Re: can't wait for the ipad solution

what?

Eddy120876
join:2009-02-16
Bronx, NY

Eddy120876

Member

Re: can't wait for the ipad solution

You mean you haven't heard of freedompops Ipad attachment for their service. 5GB for 35 is a steal since both VZ and ATT charge your 50 for that amount of GB's

TriedIn02888
@cox.net

TriedIn02888

Anon

Minor Annoyance

The prices on their mobile offering were too high IMO since I can legally tether/hotspot with TMO for a modest daily fee. But I kicked the tires of their 500MB offering anyway and was pleasantly surprised how well it worked (and it supported Linux out of the box with no black magic). I was not happy seeing $1 to $2 monthly charges when the device was sitting in the drawer for months. Seems like once I exceeded my free threshold they wanted to top me off every month, even if the device had not even been used. Rather than quibble I returned the device for a refund.
axus
join:2001-06-18
Washington, DC

axus

Member

Seems like the next NetZero

There was a short period where you could have free dialup internet from a few different companies; I guess this is something we'll see more of when "white space" broadband is available.

I don't expect a company offering free service to stick around, though; how much money are they paying Clearwire, and how are they going to make it back?

bemis
Premium Member
join:2008-07-18
united state

bemis

Premium Member

coverage maps

It would be lovely if they would show you a coverage map without asking for your email, then your street address, then asking you for a credit card number--all without showing you a coverage map or giving any real details about speeds.
Crookshanks
join:2008-02-04
Binghamton, NY

Crookshanks

Member

Re: coverage maps

Click for full size
FreedomPop
This is what I got when I clicked past the "We have no service at your address, but click here to sign up anyway...." box. Not sure why anyone would do that, but at least I got to see the plans!
cramer
Premium Member
join:2007-04-10
Raleigh, NC
Westell 6100
Cisco PIX 501

cramer to bemis

Premium Member

to bemis
Umm, it's CLEARWIRE. Go look at the clearwire coverage maps. This is top secret, or even difficult.

(Translation: the coverage is complete shit. Anywhere it'll work, you'll have much better options -- and sometimes for free (i.e. open wifi.) It's nice for "on the road", but their coverage is so spotty, it won't stay connected just driving across the city.)

bemis
Premium Member
join:2008-07-18
united state

bemis

Premium Member

Re: coverage maps

said by cramer:

Umm, it's CLEARWIRE. Go look at the clearwire coverage maps. This is top secret, or even difficult

I'm a consumer.

So I don't know what CLEARWIRE vs. WiMAX vs. LTE vs. EVDO vs. HSPA+ is. In fact, thanks to marketing spin the only thing I really know is that 4G is one more 'G' than 3G and that makes it faster (BTW I have no idea about ping, latency, etc, either... I just know more "mbps" is better, but I don't really know what an "mbps" is).

The point is I want to see a freaking map that says where they have coverage. If they can't do that without first selling me a plan then I know they are FoS.
pkorx8
join:2003-06-19
San Francisco, CA

pkorx8

Member

Clearwire's coverage map

Use clearwire.com coverage map.
Everyone who is on Wimax in this country is on Clearwire's network.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned)

Member

Re: Clearwire's coverage map

said by pkorx8:

Use clearwire.com coverage map.
Everyone who is on Wimax in this country is on Clearwire's network.

going to Clearwire's website an entering a zip code leads to a 404 page.
TBBroadband
join:2012-10-26
Fremont, OH

TBBroadband

Member

Re: Clearwire's coverage map

It states you need to enter your actual address too.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned)

Member

Re: Clearwire's coverage map

said by TBBroadband:

It states you need to enter your actual address too.

there is no place for an address just a zip code.
pkorx8
join:2003-06-19
San Francisco, CA

pkorx8

Member

Freedom Pop's version of throttle and cap

I'm on freedom pop's USB stick 2GB plan. I also have post-paid sprint with the HTC EVO 4G.
Both of these are on the same Clearwire Wimax network. But my freedom connection will only max out at ~5mbps down, whereas the sprint connection will seee ~10mbps down. This test was conducted at the same location, with the highest bars on both devices.

Freedom pop does have an option to pay $3 month for "faster speeds". I haven't tried it yet, but I think thats the "unthrottled" version. I'm a bit annoyed as they do advertise their normal service as unthrottled.

In regards to caps, freedom pop does not have cap per se. They have your credit on file and if you exceed the monthly allotment they will just charge overage. So this is different from the old "unlimited" clearwire accounts.

As for freedom pop's "click-thru, earn GB" scheme, it consists of installing spam and other malicious programs on your computer from "sponsors". It turns your computer into a ridiculously useless spam-bot. I wonder how long it takes freedom pop to realize this ad model ain't gonna work.
cramer
Premium Member
join:2007-04-10
Raleigh, NC
Westell 6100
Cisco PIX 501

cramer

Premium Member

Re: Freedom Pop's version of throttle and cap

As long as people are willing to whore themselves out for "free" bits, then it does, indeed, work. There are a few partner ads that don't require installing anything, or buying anything, but the payout is next to nothing.

(If you're going to milk that cow, use a throw-away VM)
watmore
join:2007-07-27
La Pointe, WI

watmore to pkorx8

Member

to pkorx8
I know off subject but looking for help. I had Freedom Pop's free plan. A salesmen from FP called and offered a free month of 5gbs or something. Like a fool I said yes. He said I can go back to my original plan anytime by going to the website.

Only thing is, the free plan is not listed on the website. So I requested a "cancel my service" via their emaill (the only way to contact them). No response for two weeks and continuing.

They have my credit card info and will start charging. Any thoughts on how I can extricate myself from Freedom Pop?
elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA

elray

Member

Low caps, High overages?

$10/GB on the "free" 1GB plan, $5/GB on the paid 10GB plans.

While I consider the usage rates to be competitive (assuming the service works as advertised) they are "steep" by definition.

Is Karl asleep at the switch?
Why does FP get a pass from the usual barbs?
Expand your moderator at work

TA1
@pnap.net

TA1

Anon

It is a scam

I pre ordered and was charged for the home unit back in December and as of today I have not received it. They have removed their contact phone number from their website. I had called them in late Jan and was told it would ship early Feb. I called in early Feb and was told it would ship in late Feb. Now the phone number is gone from their website. This is a scam, DO NOT order anything from this company.
brad152
join:2006-07-27
Chicago, IL

brad152

Member

Phoenix has no WiMax... that's why it did not launch here!

Neither Phoenix nor San Diego have any sizable WiMax coverage, they only have "Protection" sites in a few neighborhoods, so of course it's not gonna launch there.

I will say though, my Overdrive Pro rocks up at my friends house that has a protection site down the street since it actually picks up the WiMax.
kmand
join:2002-05-06
Decatur, GA

kmand

Member

Is it refundable?

I have the Photon where the deal was that the $90 charge was a deposit and refundable if you ever return the device.

Is it the same for the Hub Burst, or is the $90 a purchase and you are stuck with it even if you terminate the account?

AndyChi
@comcast.net

AndyChi

Anon

Mine Works Fine

I ordered mine in January and got it a couple of weeks later. I live in the Chicagoland area and it seems serviceable. I do wish the lights on the side of it were more obvious.

It's on an iPod Touch 4, combined with Talkatone and Google Voice to basically give me a nearly free cell phone. Happily, the whole shebang can also connect to the Entune in my Toyota, so I can even make hands-free calls with it.

Whodathunkit.