Welcome to the Calyx Institute

We are excited to announce that Sustainer memberships will now come with a brand new device: the Inseego Mifi X PRO 5G (M3000B)! Like the Mifi M2000, this hotspot supports 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 6, Advanced Carrier Aggregation, USB tethering, and has an internal 4x4 MIMO antenna. In addition, this new device features a 1 Gbps ethernet port and a battery preservation mode that allows the device to stay plugged in for longer. As with all Calyx Membership hotspots, wifi data is unlimited and unthrottled.

Sign up for a new Sustainer membership to get a Mifi X Pro 5G hotspot + a year of unlimited data. A new Sustainer membership is $750 for the first year and $500 to renew every following year.

If you are in the middle of your membership period, you also have the option to order the Mifi X Pro 5G as a replacement device for a $400 donation. Just log in to your account with us, click Devices, and then click Order Replacement Device.

Before you decide if a Sustainer membership is right for you, check your area on T Mobile’s map to make sure you have adequate 5G coverage. As with all our memberships, the Calyx Institute cannot offer test hotspots or offer refunds if service is inadequate or non-existent. Our wireless hotspots and data plans are offered as a thank you gift to member donors who support our research into privacy protecting communications technology, and are not a commercial transaction.

You can read more about the Mifi X Pro 5G hotspot here. If there are any other questions we can answer for you about our memberships or the hotspots we offer as membership premiums, please let us know at help@calyxinstitute.org.

The Calyx Institute is excited to announce an open call for applications for grants up to $10,000 from our Fusion Center Microgrants Fund. Details can be found here.

We are interested in supporting projects focused on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to: the disproportionate impact of fusion center surveillance; gang databases and other watchlists used by fusion centers; public records focused research to illuminate fusion center policies and practices; research on one specific fusion center or on fusion centers nationally; or other ideas we haven't even considered yet. You and/or your colleagues are the experts on this, so tell us what research needs doing!

The application deadline is March 17th, 2023. Please share with any colleagues or allied organizations that might be interested. We are prioritizing applications from smaller organizations that aren't receiving regular support from traditional funders in this space. Fusion Centers do a lot, but this fund is focused on online privacy and surveillance specifically.

Because our funding comes from our small donor members, we are not beholden to the reporting requirements of a larger funder upstream for this fund. That means that while there is paperwork and a final grant report required, we've tried really hard to minimize the amount of time spent on administering the grant. A list of previously funded projects is available here.

We are excited to announce a generous $1,000,000 grant from #startsmall, Jack Dorsey's philanthropic initiative, to support our work in 2023 and beyond.

We will be sharing more info soon. Have a great rest of 2022 and a Happy New Year everyone!

Attention Calyx Institute Members,

Do you know someone thinking about joining the Calyx Institute? Tell your family, friends, and neighbors because the Calyx referral program is now live!

Starting today, every person you refer to the Calyx Institute gets a free extra month of membership benefits - one more month to enjoy unlimited and unthrottled internet!

Even better, you also get one extra month per referral. If you refer three people, that’s three extra months! With no caps on the number of people you refer, you can help spread the word on unlimited and unthrottled internet while helping yourself to some extra membership time.

We are very grateful to our membership community who have greatly increased our membership base through word of mouth. Your support has allowed us to continue building CalyxOS, developing free digital privacy services, hiring more staff, and more! Make sure you take advantage of the referral program today!

To get started on referring future members, sign into your account and follow the instructions here: members.calyxinstitute.org/referrals

Thank you for your membership and support,

The Calyx Institute

Give the gift of privacy this season! Calyx Institute phone and hotspot memberships make amazing gifts, so don't wait. Complete your order by December 12 to make sure your gifts arrive by December 25, and check out our Holiday Shipping FAQs below.

Looking for the perfect gift this holiday season? Give the gift of privacy with a CalyxOS Pixel phone or Calyx Institute hotspot membership!

Our memberships are perfect for anyone who enjoys staying connected through the internet, and deserves the best digital privacy experience possible.

We have big news: the Pixel 6a with CalyxOS is now available as a membership premium with our Privacy Champion membership. CalyxOS phone memberships are a great way to invest in a more private phone experience, as well as support our nonprofit mission to develop and distribute free online privacy tools. Plus, they make great gifts! You can learn more and sign up here

As a Calyx Institute member, you get the first opportunity to sign up for a new Privacy Champion membership and receive your new Pixel 6a with CalyxOS. A new Privacy Champion membership is $700 for the first year, and $10 to renew if you'd like to continue supporting our work maintaining and improving CalyxOS.

CalyxOS offers a suite of features inspired by our core principles of Privacy By Design, like encrypted backups, secure communications, control over when and how your apps communicate, and more. These pair perfectly with the Pixel 6a's excellent technological capabilities, including Google's Tensor chip--the same chip that powers Google's 2021 flagship 6 Pro--plus the Titan M2 security chip; 6.1-inch 1080p OLED HDR display with slim bezels-- the same display size as the Apple iPhone 13; and 18W Fast Charging Support.

Want to make your CalyxOS phone membership even better? Combine it with our unlimited wifi hotspot membership! Our CalyxOS phone memberships do not come with any wifi or data benefits included, and can be used with any phone or data carrier.

Thank you for your membership and support,

The Calyx Institute

We are thrilled to announce that our Contributor Plus membership is back, now with a new 5G-capable device: the Quanta 5G hotspot for T-Mobile. Like the 5G Mifi M2000, this hotspot supports 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 6, Advanced Carrier Aggregation, and has an internal 4x4 MIMO antenna. It has max theoretical speeds of 1.2 Gbps Down / 316 Mbps Up, can support up to 32 connected devices, and has USB tethering capability. As with all Calyx Membership hotspots, wifi data is unlimited and unthrottled.

Sign up for a new Contributor Plus membership to get a Quanta 5G hotspot + a year of unlimited data: members.calyxinstitute.org/enroll. A new Contributor Plus membership is $600 for the first year and $500 to renew every following year.

If you are in the middle of your membership period, you also have the option to order the Quanta 5G as a replacement device for a $250 donation. Just log in to your account with us, click Devices, and then click Order Replacement Device. Get yours today: members.calyxinstitute.org

Before deciding if a Contributor Plus membership is right for you, we strongly recommend calling T Mobile for an up-to-date, personalized coverage assessment of your local 5G infrastructure here: 1-800-937-8997.

As with all our memberships, The Calyx Institute cannot offer test hotspots, or offer refunds if service is inadequate or non-existent. Our wireless hotspots and data plans are offered as a thank-you to member donors who support our research into privacy protecting communications technology, and are not a commercial transaction.

5G is a relatively new technology, and we want to be transparent about the fact that 5G capability may not be a "silver bullet" for all connectivity and service issues. This device may not be right for everyone. 5G service is still not available in all areas where our other hotspots operate, because 5G infrastructure is still being built and refined throughout the US. Service, speed, and performance depend on many factors which The Calyx Institute does not control, including carrier network capabilities, device configuration and capabilities, network traffic, location, signal strength, signal obstruction, and more. Actual results may vary.

You can read more about the Quanta 5G hotspot here: rvmobileinternet.com/gear/t-mobile-quanta-5g-hotspot. If there are any other questions we can answer for you about our memberships or the hotspots we offer as membership premiums, please let us know at help@calyxinstitute.org.

Unfortunately, our hardware provider will no longer be carrying the Linkzone 2 hotspot. Therefore, the Linkzone 2 will no longer be available as a membership benefit for new Contributor memberships after June 27th. We apologize for any inconvenience!

Members with an existing Linkzone 2 will not experience any changes in their hotspot's wifi service in relation to this change. The Linkzone 2 will be supported on the T-Mobile Network for the forseeable future. If your hotspot is experiencing any technical issues, please contact our hardware provider, Mobile Citizen, at 877-216-9603.