Unlimited Sprint LTE for $14 a month.

[Goshawk]

The first year it is $250 for the service and device. The second year it is $164 for just the service.  They do have another service now that includes 3G and the ability to use multiple towers but it works out to $25 a month. The LTE only is fast enough for me and the 3G is pretty slow considering I have other devices.

So sprint LTE or not worth it via them. Understood. Speculate but not a lot of sprint customers. So easy to get non competing cell tower connection.


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[ToyotaEscaper]

I found this on Howardforums. 4GCommunity.org has a service that for $250 the first year and $168 a year ($14 a month) after that you get unlimited Sprint LTE. The first year includes the hotspot and service but they have shorter term deals to.

http://www.4gcommunity.org/community-store/[/SIZE]

There are no low income requirements and it's not on the shady side like the Verizon 3G. A pretty good deal for unlimited IF you have Sprint coverage.

Hmm so is this like the one you get from CalyxInstitute.com where they also give you a unlimited Sprint 4G LTE because non-profits get it cheap, and also is it true unlimited no throttling?

 

[ToyotaEscaper]

Ah ok seems pretty much same as Calyx Institute hotspot, not sure if that group got it for being non-profit as well or not but still same price of $400 a year for service. The Cheaper is 4g only so if you go out into the fringe a little you lose connection.

 

[jimindenver]

TE

I hadn't noticed you replied here before the 3G thread.

I got the LTE only because I have other devices that get Sprint 3G and were I in a area that that was my only connection, it would be for email and light internet, no streaming. Sprint 3G is the slowest of the lower bands but it does give them a larger footprint than people assume. I also get carrier aggregation and have seen a device connect to more than one band but out here in the boonies you are lucky to get one band on a tower. The chance that C.A. will improve things is pretty slim. The chance the $400 hotspot would give me a better experience is slim.

I do enjoy the Franklin 850 even on just LTE. Also Sprints 3G gives them a better footprint than T-mobile has but AT&T and Verizon blow it away. The $400 version would be better as my only device out here in the boonies but in town it wouldn't be needed.

 

[Goshawk]

Jimindenver -- if I got this and used it for heavy streaming in town with good sprint. Would it work well enough? I have att hard wired internet for $60 a month. Use about 100gb with Netflix and YouTube typical.


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[jimindenver]

Goshawk

With a good signal to a uncongested tower it would work great. It can easily see speeds ion the 30s and I was seeing over 27 Mbps down out in the middle of no where. The great thing is it is truly unlimited and not subject to de-prioritizing or throttling like my Mobley can see over 22 gigs. It has no SD restriction like my T-Mobile binge on service either.

 

[Goshawk]

Ordered the three month plan with the hotspot device. If it does not work for me, or my son ( two different areas of the city) then will send it back for refund. The membership price is now $35 and not even close to original a year ago.


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[Goshawk]

Received the sprint hotspot from 4GCommunity. So far so good. Have a seven day test and mailman dropped it off in box on Friday. First day I could fire it up was today. Got 3mbps download so can live with that for video streaming at home. Sprint seems to be effective. Will continue test all week.


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[Goshawk]

Reading documentation it says the device needs to have the battery removed after it is charged up. At least for this kind of hotspot. So charging the battery up first then removing the battery.


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[jimindenver]

I have the Franklin 850 and have never removed the battery.

Right now my 4Gcommunity is the fastest of all my devices but I think it is only because it is roaming on Verizon LTE making it faster than the Verizon 3G. The 850 has a big R on it and my other sprint devices that do not roam have no signal at all.

 

[Goshawk]

I have the franklin 850 also. It's just that you might have overcharged the battery and it will not do a full charge cycle like original. Still may work. It's a thing with lithium batteries. That some charge circuits are poorly designed and they keep pushing current even after the battery is fully charged.

In other news the hotspot went down to 500 Kbps yesterday Sunday at 6pm. Likely a heavy traffic time for sprint 4g data traffic on the cell towers. But did some PRL updating and VPN PASSTHROUGH setting got the hotspot back to at least 1mbps speed. That is at least functional for video streaming. This morning at 3:30 to 4am I am getting 10 Mbps speed. So I know it's traffic on the towers.

So now am debating sticking with my land line which always gets 10mbps at $60 a month. Or this 4GCommunity hotspot and doing $20 a month. And just doing some self throttling and internet usage control. Don't need to be online constantly.


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[NeedAnEscape]

I got the more expensive ZTE pocket WiFi hotspot, since the R850 doesn't seem to support USB tethering. At my house the speeds blow my at&t hotspot out of the water, http://beta.speedtest.net/result/6480418882 if I put it in just the right spot. I loaded openwrt on my home router to get 4 ethernet ports and more wifi range out of it. Like my AT&T hotspot, using USB tethering instead of WiFi seems to improve the speeds if there's strong signal and low traffic on the tower.

 

[Goshawk]

I got the more expensive ZTE pocket WiFi hotspot, since the R850 doesn't seem to support USB tethering. At my house the speeds blow my at&t hotspot out of the water, http://beta.speedtest.net/result/6480418882 if I put it in just the right spot. I loaded openwrt on my home router to get 4 ethernet ports and more wifi range out of it. Like my AT&T hotspot, using USB tethering instead of WiFi seems to improve the speeds if there's strong signal and low traffic on the tower.

I see the R850 does support tethering via a HIDDEN menu. But the discussion says it's not very fast. Have not read anything from anyone who is continuing to use USB tethering on R850. You can buy a TRAVEL ROUTER to connect something that is wired Ethernet to a wifi signal.

Also testing tuning on and off certain bands in the HIDDEN menu. They worked but did not help with speed. This morning at 7am got 6mbps or as low as 3mpbs. Still very functional.

Turned off my home wired AT&T router and will use the 4GCOMMUNITY router now instead for a few days exclusive while in my trail period.


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[TexasTuff]

Just for what it's worth report. I've been using 4gCommunity.org for about 6 months now. I happen to live in an area where Sprint gives me the best signal even though it is only 2 bars. 4gCommunity has been my main supplier of data. I've tested the major suppliers except T-Mobile and sprint works best for me.
I now have Mobley for when I travel and I ordered Verizon 3g also. Should be here later this week. Not a bad lineup for $39.00 per month.

 

[jimindenver]

Sprint can actually be really fast. A single strong signal on band 41 can easily produce 50+ Mbps. I would have no issues recommending them if I knew a person was in a good city for Sprint. Add in that their 3G foot print is much larger than T-Mobile and is usable in a lot of areas people do not think about and that their roaming partner is Verizon, it becomes a lot more viable for the cost.

 

[VanKitten]

Only question I have is...how is sprint in BLM land?
Since I plan to spend close to no time anywhere near a city...strong signal out in Timbuktu is what counts for me.

 

[[email protected]]

I'm sorry I missed this but yes I have used it a number of times out here on the road. When it gets the best signal it is so much faster than the rest it isn't even a contest as it can pull down twice as fast as Tmo, four time as fast as cricket and tens time as fast as Verizon 3G. Two weeks ago in the casino parking lot it felt like I was on high speed cable as nothing even buffered at all. It just started playing.

Jimindenver, I just found this post and I really need a lower cost internet source. Are you still using this service and is it still performing well?. Thanks Jeff B.

 

[jimindenver]

.how is sprint in BLM land?

Kat

The answer to that depends on just where you are. I have had areas where each carrier sucks or is none existent. I have had Sprint work wonderful between Cottonwood and Sedona, both locations in Flagstaff, and even out on Gooseberry mesa in Utah. All of those were pretty far from a town. There are times it gets no signal at all but I have seen that on all of the carriers. The best low cost internet option right now is the Mobley on AT&T unlimited for $20 a month. It is rare that I have Verizon but no AT&T. The 3G Verizon at $5 a month is next but not high speed.

 

[jimindenver]

Jimindenver, I just found this post and I really need a lower cost internet source. Are you still using this service and is it still performing well?. Thanks Jeff B.

Jeff

I still use this along with my other hotspots. I turn them all on when I reach a spot and first see which gets a signal, followed by which gets the fastest signal. I know that when my 4Gcommunity Sprint hotspot sees 3 to 4 bars of signal that streaming with it will not be a issue. So if you are in a area with a good Sprint signal, I say go for it. I will be happily paying for another years service when it comes due.

 

[Goshawk]

Only question I have is...how is sprint in BLM land?
Since I plan to spend close to no time anywhere near a city...strong signal out in Timbuktu is what counts for me.

Sprint is URBAN. Don't expect rural functionality. There are lots of heat map coverage map tools to tell you if you might get a signal. Choose your camp spot wisely.


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