(Part 2) Top products from r/NoContract

You might want to get a MC7455, a router that supports either mpcie with a SIM card slot or USB (in which case you would need a USB to mpcie adapter that has a SIM card slot), directional antennas, pigtails to attach them and some sort of mount like others are doing:

http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1875694-quot-Unlimitedville-Unlimited-Sprint-Hotspot-Plans-for-42-99-month-quot-2-year-contract-Bus/page115?p=16764470#post16764470

People are seeing speeds of 40Mbps to 80Mbps using the MC7455 on band 41, but your mileage will vary. The hotspots that they provide are reportedly unreliable for anything other than light usage, so for a home internet connection, you will want to use the MC7455.

I imagine that directional arenas meant for 2.4GHz wifi would work because band 41 is on 2.5GHz. you need to be careful with those because many of the cheap high gain yagis on eBay are fake:

https://asdfghjkl.me.uk/blog/antennas/

You would probably have beat results with a parabolic reflector made by a reputable company such as this:

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-RD-2G-24-RocketDish-AirMax-Antenna/dp/B00HXT8NPK

If you buy that, you only need one because it is able to do two signals with polarizations 90 degrees out of phase, just like the cell towers do. That is actually the only way to make an antenna that supports two signals on the same frequency at once as far as I know.

By the way, 4GCommunity has a PAYITFORWARD coupon code that saves $5 on the initial order. Also, you should check this tip with a tax professional, but I believe payments to non-profits are tax deductible. 4GCommunity is a non-profit.

Edit: I asked someone I know who has a PhD in electrical engineering and does research in radio transmissions. He said that the parabolic reflector should work inoptimally since the frequencies are close, but one really ought to look at spec sheets to know actual gain and watch out for impedance mismatch. I imagine that there will not be any public information on operating a parabolic reflector outside the FCC approved frequency range from its manufacturer, but you could at least check that impedance matches what the radio expects. That is something that you might want to keep in mind when looking at antennas.

Not inexpensive, but your problem will be solved on all future phones. I put one in my house. Works great.

weBoost Home 4G Cell Phone Signal Booster for Home and Office – Ideal for 1,500-Square-Foot Area https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RHMFQSA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_DmkNzb3NH2RKV

Not a permanent replacement. It's 2G. And it doesn't support these new VoLTE functionalities. Consider it disposable after 2020 when they shut the 2G system gown.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009IRGQPO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Holds two Sims. These were once popular in South America where owners attached them to Yagi antennas so they could reach cell towers 50 miles away :) Battery lasts a long time. I charge our glovebox phones once per year and they always have charge. Good sounding phone - especially outgoing voice.

Really cheap if you can find any.

Does anyone know if this One M8 will work Cricket in the US? It seems like a great deal at $500 off contract.

Thanks!

A regular tablet or an LTE tablet? It would be much easier to get a $50-200 phone.

Moto G is probably the best phone out there under $100 if you don't need any service. Calls won't need bluetooth or be awkward if you need to use the device http://www.amazon.com/Moto-Boost-Mobile-Prepaid-Phone/dp/B00HPP3VW2/

The ZTE ZMax from T-mobile is also available if you want something bigger (5.7 inch screen) for $200 at bestbuy. Not any insane specs but good for the price. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/t-mobile-prepaid-zte-zmax-4g-no-contract-cell-phone-black/9574094.p

Not that I know of. But this hotspot looks pretty good. https://www.amazon.com/Netgear-Sprint-Zing-Mobile-Hotspot/dp/B00EFAA2D6

It's got the ability to connect external TS-9 antenna for poor coverage areas.

if you don't want mess around with dd-wrt, your router probably has a wifi repeater feature that will accomplish the same thing. I just don't know what model you have so I'm not sure.

I'd personally go with the Moto E. It's a good phone for the price. Plus you can get it on Amazon unlocked for $130. It's not waterproof and I don't know if there are waterproof cases, but Motorola does spray a water resistant coating on the innards of the phone, so it is better off than most phones (except for the ones that are made waterproof) if it gets wet.

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Moto-GSM-Unlocked-Black/dp/B00K0NRVNG/ref=sr_1_3?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1407954907&sr=1-3&keywords=moto+e

If you go on swappa you can buy an ATT phone which I believe works on cricket. The s4 is a great phone for 85 dollars, and buy an otterbox after. https://swappa.com/listing/UMC012/view http://www.amazon.com/OtterBox-Defender-Case-Samsung-Galaxy/dp/B00GB39IJE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462669319&sr=8-1&keywords=s4+otterbox

Just check Amazon used. That's a really good gauge.

Here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B005SSB0YO/ref=sr_1_3_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1393720598&sr=8-3&keywords=at%26t+iphone+4s&condition=used

Moto G http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HPP3QD6/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_Q5K3tb0HYAE59 with Verizon prepaid $45/no + tax. Unlimited minutes, text, 1GB data with auto pay. I suggest Verizon, because they have the best network for coverage. If you know T-Mobile works, there are a lot of options.

You could also look into paying more for a Moto X used that would be a bit more than your $200 budget.

What about this sort of thing? I have an old cell phone that I could hook-up to it for them? Seems like it would work with any phone or plan that way, right?

https://www.amazon.com/VTech-DS6621-2-Expandable-Bluetooth-Answering/dp/B00KJJCL9K/ref=pd_sbs_107_t_1/135-0766618-2293469?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00KJJCL9K&pd_rd_r=ca81653e-babc-4e46-b789-ece757397218&pd_rd_w=uMbkA&pd_rd_wg=CQmkR&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=R7QJTECZJ125SYGXQD07&psc=1&refRID=R7QJTECZJ125SYGXQD07

This might be straying a little off topic, but this
http://www.amazon.com/OBi100-Telephone-Adapter-Service-Bridge/dp/B004LO098O
might be kinda nice if you need to keep in touch with friends/family with a google voice account.

First off keep in mind you can't use Boost, Virgin, or Republic Wireless phones on any other Sprint MVNO.

If you insist on staying with Virgin Mobile then you might consider a used Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE or used LG Optimus F3. If you want to move to Sprint Framily or Ting (EDIT: you can still keep your number for any service) then I would suggest the Galaxy Nexus which can be used on any Sprint-based service except those three above.

Make sure to try a software update when you get the phone so you're running the latest Android available for that phone.

Both moto z play and e 2015 doesn't have band 17. But I still doubt getting a new phone may help. Your area may not even support band 17.

Oh, I'm sorry for some reason when you mentioned staggered sign up I thought you were switching phones each 60 day. I guess you could look into the weboost.

One penny shipped for this sim
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IUQEHDW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can just buy a sim card cutter. This one for example:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009ERXEDK?pc_redir=1413169293&robot_redir=1

Look for a combo of devices / solutions.

Something like this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CVT6ELW/ref=dp_cerb_1
for alerts.

Plus different plans; as u/petrolly called out, devices like the Moto G series do work on all carriers, but only single sim at a time.

Or the iPhone X onwards with eSIM + physical sim; you can enable two different plans from 2 different providers.

Or if you have multiple phones in your household - get plans from different providers, so that you can use whichever still works.

Couple it with a hotspot if you want, with a spare sim that can be activated as required (on a different provider, if you don't have all in the same family).

Add a simple AM/FM radio that's battery operated.

Keep in mind that cellular networks are probably the least effective way of tracking alerts; short range cells mean that if your nearest cell goes down (or there's a break in the network linkages) - you lose connectivity. You need to have alternate sources like the GPS network or public radio in addition.

What are your thoughts on this one? It's unlocked, so I could easily drop cricket if I didn't like it and go with a carrier like T mobile, is that correct?

https://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPhone-Unlocked-Cellphone-Silver/dp/B00F3J4HCA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474508492&sr=8-1&keywords=apple+iphone+5s+unlocked+cellphone+16gb+silver