I am not an internet/connectivity tech. nor I.T. trained. I keep reasonably informed (I believe). You may wish to follow along my thoughts, ideas I share here after my own research; partly my own personal opinions & conclusions. Your own thinking & conclusions are also necessary. Hopefully I can save you some time by sending some of your thoughts in helpful directions & towards useful questions.

An option mentioned previously in this blog: traveling with a small Mi-Fi type of gadget – e.g. your own portable hotspot (approx. size of a deck of cards). When using one, I believe you will often (always?) have your own private wireless network. These gadgets are known by various other names too: portable WiFi router, pocket WiFi, mobile WiFi device (& more). An unlocked one might have extra benefit(s).

New Gadget: SIMO company (specializes in mobile connectivity solutions) has me intrigued with one of their newest connectivity devices. Called the Solis Tag, it’s a small USB adapter (e.g. plugs into a travel laptop as a dongle that connects to a port). Said to provide “seamless internet access …in areas without Wi-Fi coverage”. It is Plug & Play; said to provide no-fuss connection to the Internet “within minutes”. No installation; software or apps.; just plug it in. Doesn’t need charging. Will keep switching “to the best 4G carrier available, regardless of location”. This device was shown at the recent Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona. Coverage for this device with SIMO’s network can include 135+ countries. I am waiting to hear the costs involved; would like to try one, especially if sounding economical. Might be one of the simplest travel connectivity solutions from SIMO yet.

Portable hotspot devices: let’s look at two of them. In an article “The Best Portable Wi-Fi Hotspots of 2024, According to Tech Experts” the following 2 brands were some of the highest rated. A reviewer recently compared: SIMO’S Skyroam Solis & GlocalMe’s portable hotspots. Their hotspot hardware(s) may be at similar price point. They have several similarities & probably worth their price, each in their own way(s). Both brands of hotspot double as a PowerBank; battery life in them is good (15, 16 hrs. of use). Both provide connectivity for multiple devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops) from one hotspot. Both say that their own network is relatively secure. Re the companies: Trustpilot website today attributed an average 4.7 stars to GlocalMe (per 1,847 reviews); & an average 4.2 stars to [SIMO Skyroam] Solis (per 2,270 reviews). Both companies sounding solid there.

I have used (2 different models) of Skyroam Solis for several years. I found: easy to use & reliably connected my travel laptop to the internet (for ~$6 USD a day the way I used the time). I used them in, variously: Alaska ports, Honolulu, Iceland, Norway.

I have not (yet) tried the GlocalMe product, was interested to read a comparison of it with the SIMO/Skyroam Solis product that I’ve used.

The GlocalMe product(s): company’s in Hong Kong. Can get a hotspot “with 2 SIM slots”. So if not wanting to use their own global network (works in 140+ countries), can buy a local SIM card to insert in the hotspot & use. On company’s own network, reportedly can sign up for a day pass for as low as ~$1.5 USD. With different hotspot models, apparently their GlocalMe G3 has “a screen … on the device [so] you can manage & operate all the functions from the device itself”. I noticed that their website has a quite extensive Support/FAQ section. After data threshold point(s) reached, the “data speed significantly slows down”.

SIMO company: offices in San Francisco, Berlin & Shenzhen. Their (newer model) Skyroam Solis 5G Hotspots: currently priced $399.99USD with “Included Lifetime Data”. Also rentable, for trying one out. Their Solis Lite model & Solis 5G model hotspots can connect up to 10 & up to 16 (respectively) devices to each hotspot. I read that the San Francisco airport has installed a Solis vending machine. It is said: phone need not be unlocked for “AT&T & iPhone users/travelers”. Said: can access Google Maps for travel navigation. Upon crossing a border, the device “automatically changes frequencies / automatically switches” to the next country’s local service.

Both sound like solid choices to me. Of course, you need to do your own research to confirm the comparison points.