karma

#SQLPass #Summit15 Gear: My KarmaGo

Just a quick post as I’m packing up for the Professional Association for SQL Server Summit 2015; this year, I’m carrying a mobile hotspot with me: my Karma Go.  Just to state the obvious, yes, I am aware that the Washington State Conference Center has free wifi. I also know that wifi gets horribly overloaded in certain areas (like the keynote rooms) when thousands of device-carrying database people begin tweeting at once.  I also know that most people have hotspots on their phone, but I don’t (corporate phone; unlimited data, no sharing).

So why the Go?  Besides the fact that I want to stay connected with more than just my phone, I also like the fact that it offers a reward for sharing.  You see, Karma’s data plan consists of two parts:

  1. Pay-as-you-go data.  I filled up with a bunch of data (mostly to use when my home internet goes down), and I refill when I run out.  No monthly subscription,  so I’m not paying twice for unused Internet.
  2. Sharing earns data.  If a new user connects to my hotspot, they get 100MB of free data, and I get 100MB of data added to my account.  Easy-peasy (my SSID is “Free Karma By @codegumbo”) .

Checking the coverage maps (Karma runs on Sprint LTE), it looks like I’ll have great coverage.   Let’s see if I can stay connected through the keynote this year 🙂