Unlike most hotspots, Karma’s devices require no contract and users only pay for the data they use. That makes them a great alternative to local cable and phone monopolists, especially when traveling or working away from home.
Unfortunately, the initial hardware cost and slow connection speed made the original Karma device less than ideal. The company has just unveiled a new version, called the Karma Go, that will run on Sprint’s 4G LTE network and promises much faster Internet speeds. Average speeds should be 6-8Mbps and can even spike to 25Mbps in areas with good coverage.
The Karma Go also features a novel approach to social bandwidth sharing. Like its predecessor, it will be open for anyone to hop on, but users who do so are given 100MB of bonus data that doesn’t expire or get rolled over, unlike other free Wi-Fi networks such as FreedomPop. The extra data isn’t available for streaming, gaming or large downloads, but it will allow users to stay online for longer, particularly when they have a small amount of data remaining and their mobile data connections begin to throttle.
The Karma Go is due to be released in December and will start at $149 with no paid data, although customers can buy additional data at a discounted rate of just under $10 per gigabyte. Up to eight devices can connect at a time, and each has its own separate data pool. That means you can share the signal with family and friends without risk of them eating into your personal reserve of data.
