FreedomPop is here to stay, without a doubt, an alternative telephone company, in fact it is the only one, that offers us a rate with a mobile data connection (internet), 100 minutes of VoIP calls and up to 300 messages. Definitely, the offer can become attractive, and not only this, it even has a good list of mobile rates that ´ could easily compete with the rest of the telephone companies in the market, but… Is everything as beautiful as they paint it? We've been testing Freedompop for quite a few daysIn fact, we have followed her closely since her arrival in August 2016, and these are our impressions about it.
From the beginning we decided to take advantage of the offer in which they give us 2GB of mobile data during the first month, one of their most interesting rates, however, the fly behind the ear comes with coverage problems and call cuts that have been discussed in the vast majority of internet forums. In fact, we ourselves have suffered this type of cuts with the free rate, which includes 200MB of mobile data, and from which little more can be asked, especially considering that we are facing a service with free mobile data, which could turn it from street to the best mobile rate.
Getting started with Freedompop
About two weeks after we requested our Freedompop card (taking advantage of an offer for which we only paid shipping costs, which translates to € 0,99), we received it in the mailbox for normal delivery. It should be noted that now Freedompop now allows you to port your number from any telephone company, from here you can request your Freedompop card.
The card has arrived at our house, It comes in a small blue "envelope" that after undoing it shows us the Freedompop card, this is included in the classic SIM adapter, in this way we can explode it and choose the option that is most interesting, SIM, microSIM or nanoSIM. Now it's time to follow the instructions, directed to the Freedompop website to activate the card or take advantage of the application for iOS and Android devices with which we can manage consumption and our plans. Taking advantage of many offers it is possible to get a free SIM card, paying nothing more than the shipping costs.
Previously, if we have requested a Freedompop card, we have already selected the plan that we are going to use later, as well as we have provided our information in the form of address and credit card, therefore, It is advisable that we be attentive when renewing the subscription, in case we only wanted to test the service and then we only want to have the free data rate available, because the charge will be transferred to the credit card and once we have paid the full month, we will not be able to go back easily either, so watch out for these kinds of issues.
The configuration, something that is not available to everyone
We are not going to say that it is complicated, since for us this type of configuration is our daily bread, we are lovers of technology and for us it is not an obstacle. However, for a significant number of users, inserting the card and note that it does not have a PIN code is going to be the first of the oddities. We will have to configure the APN, or what is different, add the Freedompop mobile network in the network settings of our iPhone, using the APN with "freedompop.foggmoible.com". It has been a peculiar movement, it does not have a download of network settings by default like the rest of the companies.
This move is not at all successful, and it will be the first obstacle for people who do not have a too tight contact with this type of technology, in fact, I would not be surprised to think that it could be the first of the reasons to stop using the service, or rather, not reach it to never use. Then we just download the Freedompop application from the iOS App Store, choose our plan and activate the card, and we can start enjoying the Freedompop service.
Sometimes we also encounter problems such as, for example, it stopped working without further ado, it told me that I had to log in, and when I did, it gave me an error. The symbol "!" Kept appearing to me, it was solved spontaneously.
How does mobile data and telephony work?
Let's make it clear to begin with that Freedompop does not have 4G, first disappointment. This means that we are not going to reach the connection speeds that we generally obtain with any other company, in fact even Spanish MVNOs like Pepephone have a 4G-LTE connection, well, Freedompop will not go beyond a 3G connection. But ... Are we really facing a 3G connection?
Let's start by remembering that mainly Freedompop uses the Yoigo connection, a company that years ago had already been dragging itself with connection speed and call stability problems, despite the fact that this has changed in recent years. Well, indeed, despite the fact that we will have 3G connection speeds, we are not going to get the most of them. In my case, the tests have been carried out in Madrid, a city with an important coverage network, so we have not suffered problems of low coverage almost anywhere. You should know that through its many rates, you could even hire unlimited calls at a really competitive price.
Ultimately, Freedompop coverage in cities like Madrid is quite stable and considerable, the problem comes with the speed of the connection, it is not the most pleasant to navigate (it does not exceed 3Mbps of upload and download in most cases), it is enough for little loaded web pages, however, it will be enough and plenty for instant messaging, but it could present slow problems when loading for example Instagram. However, we are facing a free service, designed for a low-cost customer and who would be happy to use WhatsApp without limits.
What are the conclusions after using Freedompop?
Ultimately, after using Freedompop for a few days, we realized that it offers exactly what you would expect from a company that offers a free service, if we take into account that we are firmly faced with a low-cost service, and our intention is to save money, we are facing the perfect company, especially if we are systematic and we are able to use only what the free rate offers us.
On the other handIf we plan to use Freedompop in a professional environment, things get extremely complicated. Perhaps Freedompop is not the preferred choice when it comes to providing reliability and stability to our data and call connection, especially considering the use of VoIP. As an extra card, or as a low-cost service, Freedompop is a good alternative, as long as we take into account the type of service we are dealing with.
Here you can order your Freedompop card if you want to try this service and draw your own conclusions.
I have used it in Spain and the cuts are constant ... but or curiosity! In Italy and Greece the connection was stable and very decent, not high speeds but without cuts or drops in service, it makes me think that Movistar and Yoigo mean that this company does not have good coverage.
I have been using Freedom pop for three months on my own mobile. Totally agree with the post. I think I'll go back to my previous company, the calls are really bad (and I'm in Madrid too). Another aspect that I am suffering is that the application eats the battery of my S6. At first I thought they were my prejudices but no, every two by three I get the alarm that an application is consuming excessively ... And it is messages, from Freedom pop.
I live in the Canary Islands, and here the signal for the last few months is quite bad. As an auxiliary company it is going well, but fair. Leaving all that aside, the company has made me get angry at the lengths, charging me for additional data or services that I had deactivated. And their way of apologizing is not to refund the money they mistakenly charged, but to give meg "free" for two days. To all this, the configuration of the account is meticulous in everything so that they do not charge "extras", and even with those they commit "mistakes".
It's been a long time since I bought 2 cards, and I neither have the cards nor the money.A scam
In my case I have two cards with the free rate, I use them for my children. The problem is that when the 200mb end of the cut line and the publicity that was made that you could use unlimited WhatsApp remains in between. It really is 1gb for WhatsApp ... but of course ... as long as you do not consume the 200mb of navigation, in that case neither navigation nor WhatsApp until they are renewed the following month.
It should also be noted that you must have the Freedompop app turned on, otherwise the calls will not arrive.
Conclusion: for pre-adolescent children and combined with a Wi-Fi connection or as a second line it can be valid.
It also uses Movistar which I have not seen in the post.
I just made the account and it looks good, if you want to get some extra mega when you open the account (they also give me) do it through this website fpop.co/jMCb
I bought a "REFURBISHED" terminal thinking it was new and cheap, but I did not find out that it was reconditioned until the day before the package arrived; I am now in the process of calling and calling and calling to get my money back.
Every time I call, the machine makes me key in the phone number THREE TIMES, lest I be wrong.
They say that I have to wait for the return package to arrive and wait up to two more weeks to return the money. I don't trust them anymore.
POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE at FrredomPop, nonexistent: no one ever answers the phone, no day at any time. And in the contact email en_comments@freedompop.com They do not respond, or after a few days I receive a generic reply that does not solve anything. VERY POOR TELEPHONE COVERAGE, it works badly or does not work at all in many central places in Barcelona; a lot but still outside the urban nucleus. I signed up for the free plan to try, with the idea of going to a Premium plan, but I discarded it 100%; It is not worth it or free, at most someone would be interested in having 200 MB of data for free