FreedomPop, Google Voice, and dropping Verizon.

I've been on Verizon for years. Almost a decade, I think. Great coverage, never had any customer service problems, and I get a 17% discount from work. A couple of years ago I decided to spring for a smartphone and I bought a Droid X from Costco, which meant I also had to sign up for a data plan. I got a discount on that monthly fee too, and it was unlimited data. Then about a year later I dropped my phone and of course the screen shattered. So I found a Droid Bionic on eBay. When I activated that, I was delighted to learn that this 4G phone would also have unlimited data. That was exciting, and it sure was fast! Good times were enjoyed for several months. Then last summer Verizon announced that they were getting rid of the unlimited data plan. When I was ready to upgrade my phone, I would have to choose a new plan. For the same price as unlimited data, now I would only get two gigs. That did not seem like a good deal to me at all. So I started looking around for other options. Also, I don't talk on my cell phone very much. I talk on the phone all day at work, so even though I'm an extrovert, I just don't spend a lot of time on the phone outside of work. So it irritated me that I was shelling out about $75 a month for a service that no longer fit my needs.

I signed up for a Google Voice account some time last year and enjoyed playing around with that. It seemed to work alright, but they explicitly stated that they are not a phone replacement service, just a call forwarding service. So its usefulness was limited, but it did save me some overages on my text plan because the friend who texted me the most would use that number instead of my cell phone number. The texting on GV is SMS only, so no MMS. And that means no photos or other attachments, and only one person at a time. No group messages. But hey, it's free!

I started looking around for a VOIP app that would let me make calls with GV, and I quickly found a great app called GrooVe IP. So that was exciting. As long as it has a solid data connection, it makes and receives calls via my GV account, and it works really well. 

And then I discovered a cool bonus when I went to Europe. I was able to use my Google Voice account over WiFi while I was there. I could text people back home just fine because it was not over a cell phone network, it was all just using the internet. I was also able to use my CDMA/LTE phone to call the US for free, because I was not using CDMA or LTE, I was using WiFi. I only ever called my work voicemail, so I don't know if it was lagging really badly or not. There was not a live person on the other end to complain. But it was exciting to learn that my phone could be operated exclusively with a WiFi connection.

So that just left one question remaining: How do I get a reliable, affordable mobile WiFi hotspot? I had looked at Clearwire in the past, and also hotspots from the major cell phone carriers. Most of them seemed to work out to about $50 per month. So that was a nice savings, but not worth the hassle. Plus the coverage was not always stellar. I had seen a service called FreedomPop which was reselling Sprint coverage, but only the 4G WiMax coverage, which has a lot of gaps. But coincidentally, while I was in Europe I received an email from FreedomPop promoting their new Overdrive Pro which has both 3G and 4G service. Their two gig plan is only $20 per month, and when you go over it's only one cent per meg. So I excitedly placed an order for on of them on April 30.

I guess a lot of other people excitedly placed an order. too. It went on backorder and I didn't receive it until May 17. When I did receive it, only the 4G data worked. It was not able to connect to the 3G. This was annoying because there was only one place in my home where it would get 4G. So I set it in the window and let it connect, and then signed in to the admin page. I had to update the 3G profile, or something like that. Once that had been done I could get 3G. Woo hoo! The Overdrive Pro device is pretty light. It contains a battery that charges via USB and then will last over 4 hours. You can also tether it to a laptop via USB, and the settings allow you to have WiFi turn off or stay on while it's tethered. The device measures 2.5 x 2.5 inches, and it just under 3/4 inch thick. It also has a physical switch that mutes the little beeps it emits when it is connecting and disconnecting to data signals. That is handy because I don't want it making noise when I'm at work.

Now that I had it working, I went to my Google Voice account the next day and signed up to have my cell phone number ported to them, which cost $20, and also resulted in my Verizon account being cancelled. I actually felt a little bit of anxiety as I clicked "Submit" and got rid of Verizon. This was all very exciting back when I was realizing that it might work, but then to jump in and try it was a bit scary. But I did it anyway, and the next day I received an email from Google which said it was all complete. On a Sunday even! 

So now I'm free. The FreedomPop account is not a contract, just a month by month arrangement. So if it does not work out, I can drop it and go sign up with AT&T, or whoever. It certainly seems affordable, but the reliability has yet to be seen. I tried to make a phone call from the cafeteria at work yesterday, and I could hear the person I called, but they could not hear me. Last night at home, when I was on my CenturyLink WiFi, I took a call and there were no problems. So I guess it just depends on signal strength. I also have GV forward to my office phone, so during the day I shouldn't need it anyway. The other negative comment I have is regarding the free first month of service. They active your account the day you place your order, and the clock starts ticking. So I only have 10 days or so to try it out before I get billed for the next month. So it's free, and it's still a good deal, but not as much as it seemed. And then there is a deal to pay $3.50 more per month to have unused data rolled over to next month, but at a max of 500 megs per month. So that's not actually a great deal after all. I need to cancel that piece. It's better to risk paying an extra penny per meg if you need it.

I will keep posting my thoughts and experience on here as time goes on. FreedomPop also has a free service for 4G only and only 500 megs per month. If it seems like that's all I need, then I will probably drop to that at some point. I guess we'll see how it goes.