Free wifi hotspot on Boost Mobile

[chuckh1958]

Not sure if anyone is interested in this but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway.

I've bought two used LG G3's on ebay from different sellers in the past 6 months. Both were originally sold for use on Sprint but with a Boost Mobile SIM card they could both be activated on Boost Mobile. The kicker is that both also had free wi-fi hotspot without having to root! Bluetooth and USB tethering worked out of the box too. I must say it was a very nice surprise.

YMMV but it seems like this holds true for this model phone regardless of where it comes from. Just be sure the phone you buy is compatible with Boost and comes with a Boost SIM card. Most sellers advertise it as able to be activated on either carrier.

 

[MLSS]

Ummmm..... You get free Hotspot on Boost Mobile now. Been that way for a while now.

 

[chuckh1958]

Not according to the boost mobile web site. Its $25/month for 1.5gb and $50/month for 10gb. On the phone I just swapped out last week if I tried to use wifi hotspot I got a message saying I hadn't purchased a hotspot plan.

There's been a number of hacks published that allowed you to do it but all involved rooting. With the G3 it works without root or any hacks.

 

[kate]

MLSS is correct, current Boost plans let you use hotspot from your data amount, or limited to 8GB if on the $50 unlimited plan.

Not according to the boost mobile web site. Its $25/month for 1.5gb and $50/month for 10gb.

That's for a separate hotspot device. Using your phone as a hotspot is now included:
https://www.boostmobile.com/#!/shop/plans/monthly-phone-plans/

If one of your other phones doesn't have hotspot it might be on an older plan, or might need an update.

 

[mydian]

MLSS is correct, current Boost plans let you use hotspot from your data amount, or limited to 8GB if on the $50 unlimited plan.


That's for a separate hotspot device. Using your phone as a hotspot is now included:
https://www.boostmobile.com/#!/shop/plans/monthly-phone-plans/

If one of your other phones doesn't have hotspot it might be on an older plan, or might need an update.

Yep. We have 3 Boost phones in my family. 2 Galaxy S4's and my Galaxy S5. We all get hotspot included in our monthly plans. It's been that way for around a year now. I did have to update plans for 2 of us awhile back as our old plans didn't include hotspot.

 

[munguse]

For those who are on one of the old plans that don't have hotspot included and have the S7 with the PK1 baseband, restarting your device and immediately turning on hotspot allows you to use it.

Came across this tip when searching up info on the new PL6 update that was pushed out to my S7 and I was able to connect my laptop to hotspot.

https://forum.xda-developers.com/sp...ate-pl6-remove-restart-phone-hotspot-t3541915

 

[chuckh1958]

I don't know where people get the idea that Boost Mobile offers free Wi-Fi hotspot for "newer plans". Their current website is quite clear that they only offer it for an additional charge. Just read their site. Its $5/month for 1GB and $10/month for 2GB. If you think you are getting it for free with your plan, you are probably paying extra for it without realizing it. I am paying $35/month for the "grow plan". I pay nothing additional for the mobile hotspot add-on, yet it works on my Sprint LG G3 that was activated on Boost Mobile with a Boost Mobile SIM card without rooting. On my old boost phone (LG Volt) - same account - I had to root and apply a hack to get it for free.

https://www.boostmobile.com/#!/support/faq/plans-services/mobile-hotspot-add-on/

 

[kate]

I don't know where people get the idea that Boost Mobile offers free Wi-Fi hotspot for "newer plans".

It says hotspot is now included right on the Boost plans page:
https://www.boostmobile.com/#!/shop/plans/monthly-phone-plans/

Just read their site. Its $5/month for 1GB and $10/month for 2GB.
https://www.boostmobile.com/#!/support/faq/plans-services/mobile-hotspot-add-on/

Those prices are for additional high speed data after you used the included amount.

From the Unlimited Plans FAQ page:

• If you’re on $35/mo. Unlimited data, talk & text with 2GB of 4G LTE High-Speed Data plan your hotspot data usage is drawn from your overall data bucket including the 2GB 4GLTE high-speed data. All data usage is throttled to 2G speeds after consumption of the high-speed data allotment. If you want more high-speed data for your own consumption or mobile hotspot you can add more 4G LTE data anytime with 1GB for $5/mo. or 2GB for $10/mo.
• If you’re on $50/mo. Unlimited GIGs plan, 8GB of hotspot usage is included in the plan but there is no option to buy more hotspot usage.

The page you linked to contains similar info:
Is Mobile Hotspot available for all plans?

Mobile Hotspot is included in our $35/$50 Boost Mobile Unlimited plans, on hotspot capable phones. This means you can turn your phone into a hotspot and allow others to use your data services when in a coverage area. On the $35/mo. plan hotspot usage will draw from the high-speed data allotments of that plan so if you want more high-speed data before your next monthly plan starts, you can purchase more high-speed data for $5/mo. 1GB or $10/mo. 2GB. Learn more. Up to 8GB of mobile hotspot data is included in the $50/mo. plan.

As a note, the 8GB $50/mo. plan includes 8GB of Mobile Hotspot, VPN and P2P access per month. You can turn on the hotspot functionality on your device by accessing your phone Settings.

 

[munguse]

I don't know where people get the idea that Boost Mobile offers free Wi-Fi hotspot for "newer plans".

It's been free for over a year now for those who switched to the newer plans.

Free mobile hotspot: Mobile hotspot is now included on all plans. The data is drawn from the monthly plan’s high-speed data allotment, making it easy to turn a customer’s phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot. Customers may connect up to 10 Wi-Fi enabled devices.

http://newsroom.boostmobile.com/pre...ers-unmatched-value-enhanced-no-contract-plan