Author Topic: FreedomPop vs. Republic Wireless?  (Read 6459 times)

kmb501

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FreedomPop vs. Republic Wireless?
« on: June 26, 2016, 05:19:43 AM »
Hi,

Um, does anyone know the difference between FreedomPop and Republic Wireless? Both are available in my area, if I'm not mistaken, and of course I have no plans to give up my internet service just yet, so I can use WI-FI to make calls without spending all of my minutes or data.

I know that Freedom Pop even offers a completely free version of itself, but the free version doesn't do as much.

Right now I have:

$50 per month wireless internet through Comcast cable. I could eliminate this expense by moving to a place that already provides Wi-Fi, but I haven't been able to find a place with rent as low as what I pay. I guess I'll keep looking, though.

$35 per month cell phone service through a cheap version of T-Mobile.

Together, that is $85 per month that I pay for phone and internet service. I could get phone service for free through Wi-Fi calling, but I don't know if it would be sufficient to take care of all of my needs.

I could also eliminate my use of home internet and use internet cafes and the local library, but that would mean I couldn't do a lot of the things I do now, like surf the internet first thing in the morning, rent movies at home, take free classes at home, or shop online at home. I also sometimes use the internet to check on my students' progress when I'm away from the classroom, but I rarely do this while I'm at home.

 
« Last Edit: June 26, 2016, 05:21:37 AM by kmb501 »

Daley

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Re: FreedomPop vs. Republic Wireless?
« Reply #1 on: June 26, 2016, 07:00:43 AM »
First, are you familiar with the guide (unabridged and less dated) yet? It deals with cell phones plans and ISPs, among other things.

Second, it helps to know what you need in the way of average calling and texting when shopping for plans.

Third, FreedomPop is a datamining Sprint MVNO, and they use a more open-standards form of mVoIP for their voice services - similar setup to RingPlus (also a datamining Sprint MVNO), but without RingPlus' customer support. Republic is/was a datamining Sprint MVNO for their first three "generations" of service using a terrible, bastardized hybrid mVoIP implementation desperately trying to reinvent GSM UMA VoIP calling on CDMA with no proper technical support and locked down, proprietary handsets. Now, they're just another T-Mobile MVNO offering UMA calling on select handsets with extra datamining. It also means that although Republic now supports "BYOD", it's still limited to only support T-Mobile handsets that already supports T-Mo's UMA WiFi calling. All three options are likely going to require you to replace your current handset to use. Shop instead for a mobile plan that lets you keep your existing phone.

Personally, I don't recommend RingPlus, FreedomPop, or Republic - but if I had only those three to choose from, they'd be recommended in that exact order, from best to worst.

Instead, I'd be more likely to recommend US Mobile (T-Mobile), Ting (T-Mobile - if you need roaming and UMA WiFi calling), Ultra Mobile (T-Mobile), Airvoice (AT&T - unlock your phone first), H2O Wireless/EasyGo (AT&T - again, unlock your phone), or Puretalk USA (AT&T - same phone unlocking proviso).

Again, though... it's hard to know what to suggest without knowing what you actually need. And it's always best to pay for what you need.

kmb501

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Re: FreedomPop vs. Republic Wireless?
« Reply #2 on: June 26, 2016, 08:05:30 AM »
Okay, well, I could probably do most of my calling on a Wi-Fi service, like Google Hangouts, Magic Jack, or other free or nearly free calling apps. The cell phone could be saved for emergencies or unexpected calls only.

Daley

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Re: FreedomPop vs. Republic Wireless?
« Reply #3 on: June 26, 2016, 08:17:36 AM »
Okay, well, I could probably do most of my calling on a Wi-Fi service, like Google Hangouts, Magic Jack, or other free or nearly free calling apps. The cell phone could be saved for emergencies or unexpected calls only.

Look into Truphone SIM, then. This also might be of interest.

Also, don't bother with Magic Jack. There's better for the money.