FreedomPop $ZERO/month plan works with RaceCapture telemetry

Post by **brentp** » Sat Oct 28, 2017 7:50 pm

Kind of a big deal. Details in our blog post:

https://www.autosportlabs.com/freedompo ... telemetry/

gizmodo · Post by **gizmodo** » Mon Oct 30, 2017 6:09 pm

Somewhat related, but I use FreedomPop for my cell phone. I have had it for nearly two years now and it has been a pretty good service. The one thing I will caution is that if you ever need support from them, good luck. But, you get what you pay for!

PopKorn78 · Post by **PopKorn78** » Wed Jan 10, 2018 5:42 pm

Will it work with an older 2.5g Mk2 unit?

Post by **brentp** » Wed Jan 10, 2018 5:50 pm

It will not, because Freedom Pop uses the AT&T network, and they dropped 2.5G quite a while ago. T-Mobile is your best option for 2.5G.

ppressle · Post by **ppressle** » Sat May 05, 2018 3:46 am

One other option to consider is the XFinity mobile for $12/MB if you already have a Comcast account of any type.
I did have to mess with the APN settings a bit to get it to connect, but it seems to work in my Nexus 7 tablet. I also had to have an old IPhone to get them to give me the Sim card.

Freedom pop did not have any signal at Thunderhill which makes is a non starter. XFinity is using the Verizon network, which is the carrier of choice at Thunderhill.

Anyway, the $12/gm only when I use it seems to be a good option for the race car telemetry.

Pete

kwenzel · Post by **kwenzel** » Tue Mar 26, 2019 4:15 pm

I just tried to get a GSM SIM from Freedom Pop, and it doesn't look like they offer them any more - they all show out of stock (as opposed to the LTE 0.01 SIM deal, which is still active). I pinged them to ask about it and got back:

"We really wish we could offer them, however, we no longer offer Global SIM cards after our transition to the 4G LTE network. "

So I guess I'll head to an AT&T store!

Post by **brentp** » Tue Mar 26, 2019 5:44 pm

Hi,

Thanks for the note. The freedomPop solution was for domestic markets only; the SIM card works on the AT&T network which is compatible with 4G and 3G systems. You should be able to use the standard freedompop SIM: https://www.freedompop.com/sim-card

And then just downgrade to 'Basic/Free' after activating.

kwenzel · Post by **kwenzel** » Tue Mar 26, 2019 6:04 pm

Thanks Brent - so to clarify, you're saying the LTE SIM that they still offer will work in the RCP3? I'm slightly confused by the Telemetry wiki page which reads:

"Let them know that your device does not support 4G LTE (it's a 3.5G module)"

...or am I confused about the cell terminology, and 4G (non-LTE) is what you mean by 3.5G? The coverage map on the FP page you linked to shows both types of coverage.

Post by **brentp** » Tue Mar 26, 2019 6:30 pm

Sorry for the confusion. Yes, it should support both. It's a function of what the network supports - in this case, FP is a MVNO for AT&T.

kwenzel · Post by **kwenzel** » Tue Mar 26, 2019 7:35 pm

Ok - thanks for the fast replies, Brent! I've ordered one. You might want to update the Telemetry page to point out more explicitly that even though FP won't give you a GSM SIM any more, their 4G SIM works.

Post by **brentp** » Tue Mar 26, 2019 8:03 pm

Sure. I struck that from the guide since it was confusing. Can you update here when you get your FP sim to confirm?

Also, when you register, be sure to downgrade to 'basic $0' (if that's what you want) - clicking through the warning messages. Your total monthly bill should be $0/month under their invoices page.

mikesmith · Post by **mikesmith** » Sat Nov 09, 2019 4:30 am

brentp wrote:Also, when you register, be sure to downgrade to 'basic $0' (if that's what you want) - clicking through the warning messages. Your total monthly bill should be $0/month under their invoices page.

It looks like they want you to cough up $20 to do this now.

Post by **brentp** » Fri Dec 06, 2019 6:39 pm

That's right. They described it to me, and it makes sense, although complicated. There is a condition where a data overage could happen, and due to their relationship with AT&T as the MVNO, they could not catch it fast enough to bill for that overage. So they need a buffer in the customer's account to catch that.

Without this buffer, they were losing money in an unacceptable rate.

Still, having the $20 account buffer in there and then $0/month thereafter still seems like a good deal.

a351cobra · Post by **a351cobra** » Sun Jun 28, 2020 6:25 pm

So, if reading this correctly, Freedom Pop Sim card will not work for MK2. T-Mobile still best bet?

Post by **brentp** » Mon Jun 29, 2020 5:34 pm

RCP MK2 came with two cellular variants. 2G and 33, later on.

The 3G will currently work with FreedomPop, as it is based on AT&T. Eventually AT&T will stop supporting 3G.

AT&T no longer supports 2G, so the only option for 2G is T-Mobile, until T-Mobile drops 2G support.

You can check your cellular modem type by looking at the log under Setup / Telemetry.

If you see a mention of SIM900 - that is 2G. "ublox SARA.." - that is 3G.

Hope this helps,

Autosport Labs

FreedomPop $ZERO/month plan works with RaceCapture telemetry

FreedomPop $ZERO/month plan works with RaceCapture telemetry

$12/GB and $0/month sim option using XFinity/Verizon.