The M1 Nighthawk / AT&T Loophole Method
Worth every penny!
Last updated
Worth every penny!
Last updated
This method is crazy, and I personally think everyone who has any use for it should get it. It takes advantage of a hidden AT&T plan for a discontinued tablet for totally unlimited and unthrottled data, for only $20/month.
You'll need a Netgear Nighthawk M1, which typically costs under $200 refurbished, and at the time of writing, is on sale for $114 with free shipping. The Nighthawk M1 is one of the best mobile routers on the market, and also has a single ethernet port. The connections supported are wifi, ethernet, and USB-C. They have since released the Netgear Nighthawk M6, which supports 5G, but I've never owned one, and I know several people like myself who are still using the M1 and loving it. The device is so good, I used it solely as my home internet connection for about 6 months and never had an issue with it. For extended use, remove the battery and power via USB-C, as it is prone to overheating specifically when the battery is inserted.
After you have the M1, head on over to the SwapShop007 Ebay store. There you will see a ton of identical looking listings about unlimited hotspot plans. Choose the one that says something like 'Unlimited Data AT&T Plan Hotspot - $20 / month! Your Own Account!' They're going to provide you with a valid IMEI number for an old Samsung tablet, an official AT&T phone number, and a script to read to the person who answers. At the end of the call, you will have an AT&T unlimited sim card on the way to you in the mail, that costs $20/month forever. I did it, it really works, and I've been using it for years. You pay the bill on the official AT&T website. You will need a sim card adapter, because they're going to send you a nano sim, and you need a micro sim, but these are literally just pieces of plastic. The cheapest way to get one is to go to any store and buy a very cheap 'bring your own phone' sim card to some random prepaid provider, and just use the piece of plastic from that, as those come in adapters already.
Included is a screenshot from my bill, showing my included data usage being 999.00 GB/month.
If you happen to not have an AT&T wireless plan already and this is going to be your only one, you can get a $20/month discount on AT&T fiber for having an active wireless plan, and this counts as a wireless plan, making it essentially free if you're also paying for AT&T fiber.
