Get FreedomPop

FreedomPop Reviews - Freedom Stick Bolt

  • "@FreedomPop4G Today installed and using #Freedomstickbolt free 500MB/m 4G free internet. Thanks to CS Rep Mr Miguel for great Cus service." -Basudeb D View Tweet
  • "I was not to sure at first, so I took a chance and it truly paid off. I use this freedom stick bolt where even cellphones won't get a signal, and it works fine. I only have the basic free service and I recommend it. Tony in the windy city of Chicago. If you are on the fence, buy it!" -Anthony C Read 5 Star Review
  • "I have an overdrive pro with Virgin Mobile. There is only 3gl in this market. Virgin's service is also on Sprint, but it's painfully slow -- the speed I got with NetZero on a wired connection was faster! Your service is night and day to theirs. Yours is smooth, reliable and fast enough to stream You Tube videos, and yours is so much less expensive. I will be continuing with FreedomPop from now on! The only minor negative is the overdrive unit doesn't feel as solid as the overdrive pro. I like the physical strength and smaller form factor of that unit. Wish I could swap that modem to use on your service. Way to go! You are awesome!" -Melvin J
  • "I have a job that allows me to work from anywhere. However, many places (airports, cafes) have unusably slow WIFI, including my favorite coffee shop in Boston... The FreedomPop has high quality WIFI. I don't watch movies or anything like that, but for normal web surfing it's totally fine. Also, unless you're watching movies or downloading huge files the 500MB gets you pretty far. I use mine a couple times a week for a few hours at a time and come close to the 500MB limit but don't go over. However, even if I did the $20/GB is a really excellent rate, considering that the alternative is to spend $30 with Verizon or AT&T on a data plan that you might never use... If you're at all mobile this is a no brainer. Just get it. -Rob G Read 5 Star Review
  • "These are great. You pay for what you use as far as time on the internet. It is really easy to plug into a computer or laptop and you are online without any wires or satellite dishes or battery backup devices. I wanted a wire free way to connect to the internet and this is it. Their customer service is good, and will help you set up if you need it." -C. Calvert Read 5 Star Review
  • "Bought this stick on special and it works just fine for me as a backup when my regular internet connection goes down. They have charged me nothing other than an initial $1.99 fee. I definitely use less than 500 mb a month. Advice: 1- check WiMax availability. It IS limited. 2- read the fine print carefully on their website regarding usage and fees. 3- disable any add-ons in your Freedom POP account. They DO add them in. 4- use a Firefox browser with the No Script add-on (this will definitely cut down on the amount of data that is loaded from a website). 5- use a long USB extension cable with the stick for ease in finding the best reception. 6- the NAT option in the stick configuration may need to be enabled for the stick to work with some Linux operating systems." -Poe Read 5 Star Review
  • "I purchased freedom pop for traveling and out door access, it's effective and very reasonably priced. The added features are excellent. You can add up your free minutes if you desire. As a computer tech it is ideal for remote servicing of drivers and updates. This all depends where you are located and if 4G is available at your location. Overall I give Freedom Pop an A++ for value and service. My mom loves it too, she has no internet service at her place and with freedom pop she can surf and find the information she needs with her home computer. I may have to get another unit for her because she is enjoying it so much. The freedom of internet access anywhere when you need it. It's a great product and I fully recommend it." -C. Rodriguez Read 5 Star Review
  • "I use the stick occasionally for temporary Internet access where access via wifi isn't available. It works well, and has saved me multiple times in work-related situations. I haven't paid a dollar for the service (other than the initial deposit for the stick), and I wholeheartedly recommend it." -Yogesh A Read 5 Star Review
  • "I got the USB stick for occasional airport use to avoid the slow and sometimes costly WiFi and it is perfect! I usually use it for email and company VPN connectivity and it is a fast and inexpensive solution. I highly recommend FreedomPop!" -Chris B. Read 5 Star Review
  • "I've been using the Freedom Pop USB-Bolt for nearly a year now. I live in Seattle and have 4G coverage almost everywhere. And when I travel to other major cities I have found 4G service available as well. No software or complicated installs needed. If you have a full-size USB slot open on your computer or laptop just plug in the Bolt and wait several seconds while it searches for 4G service. The blue lights will show you the strength of signal and you can move around to find greater signal strength if needed.

    It is certainly capable of streaming video, but be advised that 500MB will only be about 30 minutes of video time. If you use it for browsing the web, or reading/sending email, or facebooking, it will take a few hours to use up your free data. Recently Freedompop has added a .99 monthly charge if you DON'T use it in any given month. You must be sure to at least check your email, or surf a few minutes each month or they charge you .99. The other recent restriction they have added is you only get 400MB of data free each month if you don't elect to have "automatic top off" when you reach 400MB. You can choose not to have them automatically charge you $10 to add to your "bank account" but then they cut you off completely at 400MB. So now the ad says, "up to 500MB free each month" and that means if you want to use the full 500MB you have to keep money in your account and allow them to top it off when it gets below $2.00. Minimum charge to "top off" is $10 so if you never go over 500MB you will always have $10 sitting in your account "just because" they want a cushion in case you ever do go over 500MB. Both of those items, .99 charge if you don't use it, and only 400MB if you don't add extra money to your account, are recent additions and changes. If they keep adding this type of thing the service may eventually become to complicated and expensive. So you must know how to play the game (according to their rules) to get the free data.

    The device works well and download speeds are the same as you would get from a 4G phone internet connection. 400MB are absolutely free each month and if you allow them to add $10 to your account as a deposit, then you can use all 500MB of data. Be sure you use some data EVERY month, or you get .99 charged to your credit card. All in all it's a decent deal as a backup/travel connection when you are in 4G coverage areas. If you live outside 4G I wouldn't bother with it as it will not use 3G to connect. It ONLY works on 4G networks and there is a lot of areas outside of 4G coverage. They also have options to "role over unused data amounts" for a fee. They also sell upgrade plans that would give you 2GB for 17.99 or 4GB for 28.99 each month. Their website keeps track of your data usage and is pretty quick and easy to get updates as to how much you have used. There is a lag in their reporting time, so it is usually 2 or 3 hours before you recent use shows up on your account. This is why they claim they must stop your data at 400MB if you don't elect automatic top off of minutes.

    Another good point is that the Bolt can be used with different computers. Just plug it into whatever computer you want to use as the software is in the Bolt. Pretty convenient overall as the Bolt is pretty easily transported and plugs directly into any full-size USB slot. I like it and I use it each month, but it is not my main connection to the internet. As a backup or extra when I'm away from my regular connection it is great." -Cruiznbye Read 4 Star Review
  • "At the start of September, 2013, I purchased this product for a client without Internet service who found pricing from the major providers prohibitive. Freedom Stick Bolt connectivity was unstable (losing signal every 30 minutes or so) until I selected NAT Mode in the settings. Typically 5 bars (signal strength) at his location in a business district in Gardena CA. Other locations in the South Bay (LA) have been 2-3 bars. It's been working well with an Acer C710-2457 Chromebook. After the Chromebook is put to sleep, the Bolt's connection must be resync'd." - J.P. Healy Read 4 Star Review
  • "Hi everyone, I'd like to give a feedback on my experience with FreedomPop customer service and product. First, I'm going to describe what my concern was before I contacted FreedomPop representatives. I purchased a Freedom Stick - Bolt with a 2GB free data plan for the first month. When I got the device(brand new) and tried to see in my account what the options for data plans I would be available to downgrade to and found out that I did not have the 500 MBs free data monthly service option (I felt disappointed). I only had options to downgrade to 1 GB and other higher ones which of course I had to pay for :( (I was even more disappointed) This is when my worries began and wanted to return the device. In order to be able to do this I needed to contact Customer Service. Here are the steps I followed:
    1.- I went to: My Account - My Device and clicked where it says To return this device, click here. A small window titled "Device Returns & Exchanges" popped up.
    2.- I clicked Proceed. Then, I filled out a form:
    Name:  E-mail:  Reason:  Device Type:  Message:
    And finally sent the request. I sent it on a Thrusday around 6:30 PM PDT and got a response back on the next day around 11:30 AM. That was fantastic!!. I love getting solutions quickly. I mean, that's most likely what we all love whenever contacting any Customer Service. Miguel from FreedomPop was able to help me!. Yay!!!. He mentioned to me that there shouldn't be a reason why I shouldn't be able to downgrade to the free 500 MBs data monthly plan. I just needed to contact them before my first free trial would expire and request for the downgrade. I was so relieved when I read his response! I didn't need to go through all of that tedious process whenever you go through when returning items, getting off work early, paying for the return, etc., but most importantly having the horrible experience of buying something you thought was going to be and turned out to be something else. This is not the case with FreedomPop. 500 MBs monthly data plan on 4G is free. If you have any questions just contact FreedomPop. Hopefully, representatives just like Miguel will answer your questions. Miguel not only answered my questions but also proceeded with the downgrade of my data plan to 500MB upon my request. I really can't be happier with the service I was provided (Miguel, thank you for making a difference with this purchase, you turned it 180 degrees, it went from 0 to 100 all way!) and I hope you all experience the same.

    My experience with the Freedom Stick - Bolt - just wonderful!!!. I get 4G coverage where I live. Have used the stick on my laptop and it works perfectly!!! The setup is so quickly. In no time you're connected to the internet :)!!! I look forward on switching my cell phone service from AT&T to FreedomPop in the very near future once my contract with AT&T expires which will be in a couple of months. Can't wait!!! FreedomPop is right: "The internet is a right not a privilege" Don't we all love this!!!???" -Gleddy (5 Stars)
  • "Thank you so much to create this kind of technology...^^* Finally, I can use internet anyplace and anytime... Good luck to your company to expand business more...!! Rara J. Read 5 Star Review
  • "The $22 monthly price tag for the 2GB Casual plan is okay, but the customer service is fantastic and few companies can boast that. 500MB service is free, and while not the greatest, the company is competitive and worth a spin." -Openshaw Read 3 Star Review
  • "I got this for my wife. I was hesitant at first because this company is pretty new, but I am very satisfied. My wife rides the bus to work in Houston and wanted to be able to access her work files and e-mail while riding. She has been using it about every other day for a couple of months, and she says it works very well.

    In order to keep the usage low, I disabled all automatic updates on her laptop. Every couple of weeks, I will install any updates at home. So far, my wife's usage has been less than 100 MB per month. FreedomPop's web site is very good for showing usage data. I have her on the $10 per month plan for 1 GB. I should probably downgrade to the free plan, but $10 per month is pretty much free.

    UPDATE 8/14/2014: I am downgrading to 3 stars due to problems with a weak or no signal. In most city areas, the Bolt works okay, but inside buildings, there will often be a weak or no signal even though cell phones are working fine. We recently took a road trip, and we also had problems with no signal on the highway. The cell phones were working fine, and we were driving right by cell phone towers, but the Bolt could not find a signal. It can be a little frustrating. Due to the occasional difficulty in getting a signal, I am going to try a cell phone plan with tethering to provide a Wi-Fi hotspot for the laptop." -Fred Read 3 Star Review
  • "Freedom Pop 4G USB Modem. Free internet is great. Works great. Better than expected. will recommend to all my friends." -P. Anderson Read 4 Star Review
  • "I don't use this often, but it is a great backup source. Easy to connect and no contract. 500GB to use with my PC when I need to send that email and can't find WiFi. Great concept. Coverage is great in most major cities." -Joe C. Read 5 Star Review
  • "This item is great for those who want freedom pop service for their laptop. So far it works like a charm in situations that call for emergency Internet access." -Raymond D. Read 5 Star Review
  • "It works beautifully. Nice to be able to use my laptop even where there is no Wi-Fi . I would recommend it." -Thelma V. Read 5 Star Review
  • "I bought this device and has been using it for a few months. No connectivity issues, provides detail usages logs on the website. Internet service provided by Clearwire.

    Pros: Easy installation, decent speed (3.3Mbps download/1.4 Mbps upload) at my location. Cons: 500 MB free limit" -Amazon Customer Read 5 Star Review
  • "Found this for use with a small laptop during vacation as we are not smartphone/data plan users. FreedomPop is simple to sign up for, USB modem is very easy to use, with what we found to be OK coverage; never had great/full signal strength but had a connection most times we wanted. We are on the free 1st month allowance of 2GB. After that, 0.5GB is free (for very light use only), 2GB will be about $18 and 4GB $29. Good product - good price." -paulitzer Read 4 Star Review
  • "Great emergency line with 500mb free!!
    Pros: 500mbs of free WiMax internet! Other than the adapter (which was on sale) it's free! Who can say anything bad about that? Installation of the adapter drivers under Win7 x64 and x86 was not even noticable as it uses generic RNDIS drivers. Plug in sign up and play! Reception within the coverage area wasn't too bad as my house wasn't in a coverage area but still got a signal.

    Cons: They do use the Clearwire (now Sprint) WiMax network which still has alot of holes so you should research before you purchase. They also do ask for a credit card to sign up (obviously for age verification etc...) and try to sell you stuff thus you should be careful if you want to keep your monthly charge totally free.

    Other Thoughts: Not something you should totally rely on for all your internet needs, but does give you a good amount free mobile internet for e-mail or light web browsing during travel or on the go. Great if you can't find a free hotspot which happens from time to time. Great if you need a relatively secure line compared to a free hotspot which has no security at all. Great for emergencies such as an outage during a black out. Best of all it's free! (except for the adapter)" - Anonymous Read 5 Egg Review
  • "I use it on the go. the coverage of the device is fairly good in my area. I can not complain about free internet. Easily earn more data capacity for the account." -khus Read 5 Star Review