Originally Posted by
OliverB
I'm going to be driving up to the Eastern Sierra next month and the cabin that I'm renting has no internet or cellular service, which is not uncommon in the region (Plumas County). Due to some complicated family-health issues, I don't feel comfortable being completely unplugged and out of service for 3-4 days, and would like to be able to use my cell phone for texts and emergency phone calls. It would also be kind of nice to play music with Spotify (WiFi is needed even to access downloaded content). Anyhow, I'm looking at a website called travelwifi.com that rents Teppys for $8-12/day, depending on the data plan. Has anyone rented a pocket WiFi or hotspot for short travel to the mountains in Northern California and if so, what was your experience and is there a company you'd recommend? Has anyone used the website that I've linked to above and if so, did you find them reliable? Lastly, would I be able to use my cell phone for voice calls, even outside of reception coverage areas, with this Teppy device -- or would I only be able to text message and access online/music/video content?
Thanks for your help!
A pocket wifi device still needs to connect to a cell signal or data network. This is not a satellite device and won’t work if there is no cell service or data network where you are. If your cell phone won’t work, a pocket wifi won’t either. The only option I would think would work is a sat device. But no network service means this just won’t work either. Did you check out their page?
https://travelwifi.com/en/faq/rent
What is the coverage like?
Travelwifi connects to all cell towers in the area, and partners with the largest network operators worldwide to ensure the you recieve the best connection available. Coverage will always be great in "populated" areas, (i.e. cities and towns). If you are traveling to rural or uninhabited areas (such as the Alps), we recommend you get in touch with us in advance so we can verify the Wi-Fi coverage.If my cell phone can receive a signal, will Teppy as well?
Not necessarily – cell phones work off of different networks than your Teppy, meaning the two are not connecting to the same signal. This is because Teppy connects to data networks; e.g. 2G, 3G, LTE, 4G. On the other hand, cell phones connect to cellular networks.
Since cellular networks have been around a lot longer than data networks, coverage is better because there’s more infrastructure in place (i.e. cell towers), especially in rural areas. For this reason, you might be able to make calls in a rural area but still won’t be able to access the internet.What if there is no coverage where I am traveling to?
In the rare event that there is no coverage at your location, and you won’t be traveling to any other location where there may be coverage, you can cancel your rental (there is no cancellation fee).