Can I swap a SIM card from an old to a new hotspot?
March 5, 2019 9:30 AM Subscribe
I have a Franklin R850 4G Hotspot through the Calyx Institute, which has been totally awesome. But the battery has swollen, and when I called technical support, it is out of warranty so they won't replace it, but they suggested getting a new battery or just using the USB charger.
Which is fine, I can get a new battery, but the USB charger has a funky connection to the hotspot and always needs to be jiggled around, so between the two issues it just seems like a good idea to purchase a new hotspot from Best Buy. They sell the Franklin R850 4G Hotspot. And then just move the SIM card from the old hotspot to the new one. Is that possible? Can you just move the SIM card?
Which is fine, I can get a new battery, but the USB charger has a funky connection to the hotspot and always needs to be jiggled around, so between the two issues it just seems like a good idea to purchase a new hotspot from Best Buy. They sell the Franklin R850 4G Hotspot. And then just move the SIM card from the old hotspot to the new one. Is that possible? Can you just move the SIM card?
Best answer: I had questions about renewal of my r910 with calyx. This is the reply I got. It might make sense to just renew with new hotspot.
Hi there!
These are great questions. If you renew your membership and keep your current device, your membership renewal is discounted by $100. We're working to update the renewal page so that the discounted rates are clearer, so hopefully it'll be a little more straightforward in the future.
As for swapping the SIM card into a new piece of hardware, our hardware and service provider, Mobile Citizen, has said that we are not allowed to provide or authorize any use of third party hardware. Therefore, I can't tell you to go out and buy hardware from Best Buy and switch the SIM card out, but I also can't physically stop you from doing that. Just be aware that Mobile Citizen WILL terminate your service if you are discovered to be using hardware other than what they have provided. Additionally, if hypothetically you were to do that, you might encounter issues with Sprint's proprietary firmware when moving the SIM card from your current device to the new hardware.
Alternatively, you can order a replacement hotspot from us by logging into your Calyx Institute account and visiting this page: https://www.calyxinstitute.org/member/device. A replacement R850 is included with your membership for a donation of $100 to cover device costs and shipping, and a replacement R910 is included with your membership for a donation of $200. All hardware that comes from the Calyx Institute is provided by Mobile Citizen and comes with a 1 year warranty and a new SIM card.
Sorry it's such a lengthy response: there are a lot of factors involved. Feel free to share my response and my email in case anyone has more questions I can help with.
Thanks for your membership!
Catie
catie@calyxinstitute.org
posted by H21 at 1:27 PM on March 5, 2019
Hi there!
These are great questions. If you renew your membership and keep your current device, your membership renewal is discounted by $100. We're working to update the renewal page so that the discounted rates are clearer, so hopefully it'll be a little more straightforward in the future.
As for swapping the SIM card into a new piece of hardware, our hardware and service provider, Mobile Citizen, has said that we are not allowed to provide or authorize any use of third party hardware. Therefore, I can't tell you to go out and buy hardware from Best Buy and switch the SIM card out, but I also can't physically stop you from doing that. Just be aware that Mobile Citizen WILL terminate your service if you are discovered to be using hardware other than what they have provided. Additionally, if hypothetically you were to do that, you might encounter issues with Sprint's proprietary firmware when moving the SIM card from your current device to the new hardware.
Alternatively, you can order a replacement hotspot from us by logging into your Calyx Institute account and visiting this page: https://www.calyxinstitute.org/member/device. A replacement R850 is included with your membership for a donation of $100 to cover device costs and shipping, and a replacement R910 is included with your membership for a donation of $200. All hardware that comes from the Calyx Institute is provided by Mobile Citizen and comes with a 1 year warranty and a new SIM card.
Sorry it's such a lengthy response: there are a lot of factors involved. Feel free to share my response and my email in case anyone has more questions I can help with.
Thanks for your membership!
Catie
catie@calyxinstitute.org
posted by H21 at 1:27 PM on March 5, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by irisclara at 10:03 AM on March 5, 2019