Originally Posted by
Doppy
I bought the Samsung Hotspot Pro for this (I'm in the early stages of a contract with Sprint) on the cheapest plan ($20/month). I've used it in Turkey, UAE, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and Germany and it has worked great. Haven't had to do any setup or change networks - I simply turn it on and wait for it to find a network. Speed is fine for Web, messaging, Google Maps. I even got a VOIP phone call and that worked fine too. Haven't done any speed tests, but I don't have any complaints.
The hotspot is a little large for what it is, but I do like that it can be used as a backup battery. Battery life has generally been good (good to me = lasts a whole day without being recharged) - most days I can turn it on in the morning and when I get back to the hotel I still have half the battery left, so I could also charge something else if necessary. Other days it seems to drain very quickly (I presume it must be searching for service a lot) and only makes it a few hours.
Overall this is an amazing deal!
You are using the free data at 128Kb?? Beware that TMO may cut you off once the IMEI on your device is recognized as a hotspot. The free data service is PURELY for Phones and Tablets NOT hotspots. Though you can use the paid per day/week/2 week plans which are LOW priced for using a US SIM (still cheaper to use a local prepaid in some markets) - those same plans when added to a phone DO also allow tethering from the phone