provider for (non-phone) hotspot device

[PaulCrawhorne]

Thanks for clarifying - my experience with TMo and "just works" in hotspot have been restricted to Tello and Mint because internet research indicates they don't care if you use your high speed data for hotspot - I now understand that with other cell networks with extra overhead like whitelisted IMEI I would need to do more work and perhaps worry if spoofing a whitelisted IMEI would be enough to run hotpot data under the permissions and in the amounts allowed for on device cellular data.

Dan

I have a few Google Fi lines, and they are always my baseline for testing a new cell router, works every time.

Basically any provider that PAYG charges a lot by the GB is happy to let you hotspot as much as you want. gFi is $10/GB on my plans.

It's when they advertise "unlimited" that they set rules to keep the customer average down.

Have a look at Mint's different plans' allowances

[bsammon]

So I've discovered that Boost has(*) a promo for a hotspot-plus-plan package. Poking around their website makes me think that they don't really have a hotspot-specific plan, and this deal is just the hotspot along with one of their standard voice/text/data cellphone-oriented plans.

This makes me wonder:
1) would any of their plans work with a hotspot device?
2) If i got this promo and then moved the SIM into my other hotspot, would the plan still work?

(*) - Or "had" -- when I tried to order it, the website errored out. I'm thinking they may have already sold off all their inventory of hotspots for this promo, and I've missed the window of opportunity.

So... apparently, the error was because the boost website didn't like the email address I was using. Probably because it had a ".fm" suffix(*) instead of a 3-letter suffix (.com/.org/etc...) When I switched to using a .com email address I was able to sign up.

Got the hotspot (a Alcatel Linkzone) soon after, and finally got around to setting it up a while after that. After verifying that the service worked, I switched the sim-card over to the hotspot that I had when I started this thread--a GL-iNet GL-XE300--and it worked without any trouble. The administrator-screen on the GL-XE300 indicated that the network was T-Mobile.

Now, Boost doesn't really meet the criteria from my original post of being a high-quality company. I had to make a request in chat support to have Auto-pay turned off (it's possible I could have used their android app to do it, but it can't be done via their website), and I couldn't remove my credit-card info from their website, but I was able to replace it with the number from a low-balance giftcard I had sitting around.

So for around $13, I was able to test out my good router/hotspot, and acquire a (presumably carrier-locked-to-boost) spare router which can double as a USB power-pack for charging my phone. Eh...

(*) if you've seen that suffix before, you probably know who my email provider is.

[PaulCrawhorne]

What do they charge for top-up, add-on GBs ?

[robbyrobby]

So... apparently, the error was because the boost website didn't like the email address I was using. Probably because it had a ".fm" suffix(*) instead of a 3-letter suffix (.com/.org/etc...) When I switched to using a .com email address I was able to sign up.

Got the hotspot (a Alcatel Linkzone) soon after, and finally got around to setting it up a while after that. After verifying that the service worked, I switched the sim-card over to the hotspot that I had when I started this thread--a GL-iNet GL-XE300--and it worked without any trouble. The administrator-screen on the GL-XE300 indicated that the network was T-Mobile.

Now, Boost doesn't really meet the criteria from my original post of being a high-quality company. I had to make a request in chat support to have Auto-pay turned off (it's possible I could have used their android app to do it, but it can't be done via their website), and I couldn't remove my credit-card info from their website, but I was able to replace it with the number from a low-balance giftcard I had sitting around.

So for around $13, I was able to test out my good router/hotspot, and acquire a (presumably carrier-locked-to-boost) spare router which can double as a USB power-pack for charging my phone. Eh...

(*) if you've seen that suffix before, you probably know who my email provider is.

FYI. Autopay on by default once a card is used for any purpose is policy not a bug or glitch. The corporate side is very proud of this when they talk about it on calls with dealers, apparently its in the terms and condition of making the initial payment. Once turned off though it should stay off unless explicitly turned back on. I believe only way to turn off Autopay is to call or chat, cannot be done from the website, the app or in dealers.

Also i have not personally had any issues but have heard they do not accept all email address, particularly ones that they cannot confirm are 'real' email address. most email address return a response if queried if they are real but not all providers do that and those i am told are being rejected intentionally. Policy is also that all email address should be in use for at least 30 days to qualify for any promotional handset or plans. I believe form some providers they can confirm if the email address age and will reject any that were created in the last 30 days. i know this does not work for all providers and gmail address will work immiediatly after creation. A big deal is being made to dealers to collect a 'real' email address that we are confident the customer will receive communications on.

Both of these are efforts to discourage 'high churn' customers who do not remain with Boost at least several month.

Probably the best way to use Boost as a 'Burner' or temporary service would be to buy SIMs, top cards, etc. at a walmart or target. you can still activate those without an email address and without ever providing a credit card to them.

[PaulCrawhorne]

Any progress reports? Again, forget about your "quality company" criteria, basically does not exist except for paying a premium like Consumer Cellular, and I doubt they offer much in the way of hotspotting oriented plans. Also now serve AT&T only no longer TMO so the whitelisting issues comes in.

That Boost $10/2GB plan you linked to, did you ever learn what they charge to top up more GB when needed in a given month?

[bsammon]

Any progress reports?

The Boost SIM worked in my GL-Inet device. After the $10 allotment ran out, I didn't renew/top-up. As they're not the "quality company" I was looking for (not that I expected them to be), I haven't made up my mind about future plans. I'm still open to suggestions (MVNO only -- already made up my mind about Verizon/T-Mo/AT&T)

That Boost $10/2GB plan you linked to, did you ever learn what they charge to top up more GB when needed in a given month?

I seem to remember that it was easy to find on their website, but not remarkable enough that I remember the number.

[bsammon]

As far as "quality company" goes, I'm thinking there's a good chance I'll end up with Calyx, but their plans require you to purchase a device from them. I suspect their SIM might be swappable into my GL-Inet device, but there'd be no point if the Calyx device was higher/equal quality.

[PaulCrawhorne]

As far as "quality company" goes, I'm thinking there's a good chance I'll end up with Calyx, but their plans require you to purchase a device from them. I suspect their SIM might be swappable into my GL-Inet device, but there'd be no point if the Calyx device was higher/equal quality.

Was your Boost SIM TMO or ATT? Did you do any TTL / IMEI magic?

Usually the GL-iNet devices are portable?

No harm in having a backup.

Calyx is TMO correct ?

[sillyette]

As far as "quality company" goes, I'm thinking there's a good chance I'll end up with Calyx, but their plans require you to purchase a device from them. I suspect their SIM might be swappable into my GL-Inet device, but there'd be no point if the Calyx device was higher/equal quality.

Had bad experience with Calyx, so a word of caution about them.
A few years ago, my roommates and I had all chipped in to sign up with them for Sprint hotspot. Those guys sold us a Franklin hotspot device that was scheduled to be end-of-life'd within some 5 months of when we bought it. Our speeds were horribly, horribly slow!

[PaulCrawhorne]

that of course is location dependent

[bobdevnul]

Had bad experience with Calyx, so a word of caution about them.
A few years ago, my roommates and I had all chipped in to sign up with them for Sprint hotspot. Those guys sold us a Franklin hotspot device that was scheduled to be end-of-life'd within some 5 months of when we bought it. Our speeds were horribly, horribly slow!

Slow speed and Sprint went together. Sprint was a horrible network overall with pockets of ok.

Calyx runs on T-Mobile now. T-Mo has their slow/bad signal areas, but nothing as bad as Sprint was overall.

Yeah, that is unfortunate that Calyx sold you a soon to become obsolete hotspot device. That is no longer a problem.

[sillyette]

Yes, location is important, but our slow speeds were directly tied to the end-of-life of the device that Calyx sold us. Spent precious $$$ on the "membership fee" that Calyx charges for the device+service. Even after so long, I still think about that money I had to waste, so I'm not at all happy with Calyx for deliberately selling a dud device!

[PaulCrawhorne]

Well that is a personal grudge and although a valid bias based on that historical experience, not relevant to what they are doing today.

All the reseller / providers in that market niche are dishonest scammers, by definition, so best any prospect needing such service can do is educate themselves, crowdsource knowledge on the current realities to get as good a deal as possible.

Plus learn the required Magic programming needed to get what they want - the details not allowed to be discussed here

[bsammon]

Was your Boost SIM TMO or ATT? Did you do any TTL / IMEI magic?

My Boost SIM is T-Mobile, and is reported by my unlocked router as T-Mobile. I used it on the GL-Inet without any TTL/IMEI hackery, and it worked decently. I have not researched TTL/IMEI hacking, and I'm not sure if it would improve my results.

My (cursory) undestanding of TTL/IMEI hacks is that they are for when your provider/plan doesn't allow hotspot use, and since the Boost SIM came with a hotspot, I didn't expect (or hoped not) that it would be necessary.

[bsammon]

Round 2: I've signed up for the $45/3-month Mint Mobile promo (and opted for the 20GB plan). I'll see if the Mint SIM works in my router. Since they're T-Mobile also, I'm looking forward to a thoroughly boring outcome.