![]() ![]() ![]() I have access to the same data plan from one country to the next. One of the features that first drew me to Skyroam five years ago was that I could use the same device without changing any settings, opening up my phone, or buying anything new. I usually pass through multiple countries when I travel, sometimes relatively quickly. In addition to using the hotspot when I land, I have it with me whenever I’m away from a Wi-Fi connection. The cost of a local SIM card is typically way less than the Solis hotspot, but I need a connection most when I first arrive in order to arrange transportation, contact Airbnb hosts, check the weather, open messages, and troubleshoot any issues immediately, all of which I can do with the hotspot. I wasn’t able to use the device in the UAE or Cape Verde, an African island off the Atlantic coast. That said, most of my travel has been throughout Europe and the Americas. With coverage in so many countries, it’s rare that I travel somewhere that isn’t covered under Solis. Local SIM cards are cheaper, but for me, the Solis hotspot wins out because I, and whoever I’m traveling with, can get connected as soon as we arrive. Having immediate internet access whenever I travel internationally is the main reason I continue to use my Solis hotspot. Solis Wi-Fi Hotspot Benefits Instant Connection Without SIM Cards This gives 20GB of high-speed data to use each month, with slower service once you hit that threshold. There’s also an “unlimited” plan for $100-150 USD/month, depending on current discounts. You can buy 20GB in advance at a discounted price, or 1GB at a time. The day pass gives unlimited coverage for 24 hours at $9 USD, while the pay-per-GB option lets you buy a certain amount of data to use whenever you want. That’s also how you charge the Solis Lite itself.ĭepending on your connection needs, the company offers a few different plans. The 4700mAh battery inside the device can keep it running for up to 18 hours, and in a pinch, you can also use it as a power bank to top up your phone via the USB C socket on the back. You can connect up to ten devices to the private Wi-Fi network at once, although because you’re sharing one 4G/LTE connection among them all, speeds will suffer towards the higher end of that limit. ![]() The Solis Lite is small enough to fit into a (large) pocket, weighs just under five ounces, and is less than an inch high. This means that you can get connected in any covered country where you have cell service (so it excludes remote areas, out at sea, in the air on a plane, or in space). Five years ago, that number was around 120 countries, so I’d expect it to keep slowly climbing over time. Solis currently provides internet access in 135+ countries. Below, I outline the pros and cons of the device (and the underlying service) based on my experience. I’ve used a Skyroam/Solis hotspot for several years across multiple trips, starting with the original X model, and now the newer Solis Lite. We’ve mentioned the company’s devices several times over the years, including when it was called Skyroam before a rebrand a few years back. The Solis Lite Wi-Fi hotspotis a small, pocket-sized device that gives you access to Wi-Fi in over 135 countries. You just connect your device to that network in the same way you usually would, and browse, stream, or do whatever else you need to online. They all work in a similar way, connecting to a local cell provider in the same way as a smartphone, and then sharing cellular data over a private Wi-Fi network. One that we keep coming back to is portable Wi-Fi devices, which are often the easiest way of providing internet access to multiple people (or multiple devices) when you’re on the road. There are a few ways of dealing with these problems, and we’ve talked about them all over the years. Unless you have a great roaming deal, it can be very expensive to use cell data with your usual provider while you’re overseas, especially when you’re traveling as a couple or group. The same goes for mobile data when you’re traveling internationally. It’s often harder to find, less reliable, and depending on where you are in the world and how you’re traveling, unreasonably expensive as well. When we travel, though, it’s something we tend to think about a lot more. At home, having constant access to Wi-Fi is something we take for granted. ![]()
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