Gongzuokuang

I am a regular visitor to Hong Kong and Mainland China. I'm looking for mobile data solutions for HK.

I have a China Mobile account. Works great in Shenzhen for voice and data. I can set it for roaming in HK, and voice works fine. I apparently need to make some changes to the account in order to have the data work in HK. But I've been told it is not worth the effort because the cost of roaming data in HK is crazy.

Sometimes I say at HK hotels that will provide free devices, such as the Handy Phone, and they are GREAT! I just tether to them and all is good. But not all hotels provide them.

I'd like to buy some sort of pocket wifi device. I could then just open a HK data account, or buy sims, and be set.

Anyone have any suggestions on a product that works good?

Marschel

Get a device from Huawei. (not the E589 = crap)

• https://www.hkcsl.com/gadgets/en/pro...ageno=2&where=
• http://www.smartone.com/en/mobile_an..._usb_modem.jsp

HKtraveller

If you make a contract with Chinamobile HK you can have HK data and free China data roaming at 4g speed (if your device allows).
In addition there is no censorship on roaming data in China.

moondog

+1. The new plans are very attractive (eg 11g data that can be used in the mainland, a dual number, lots of included voiice minutes, $600/month).

But, I roam on Unicom (Shanghai) myself. Registration requires a 2 minute call to 10100. Roaming data isn't that expensive as long as you don't go nuts. And, yes you need a VPN even when roaming, but my VPN works really well in HK.

HKtraveller

But there is no need you spend that much.

I am on an old contract and pay 200 HK$ for 5G shared data plus 2000 min HK voice.

New contracts: 1G Data plus 2000 min. HK voice cost just a little over 160HK$ per month on a 2 year contract. 3G data will be around 220. You can get additional SIM cards, 40$ per month data only and 80$ per month voice and data, where data will be shared through all the SIMs. If you exceed the contract volume, China roaming gets insanely expensive though.

With Chinamobile HK there is no need for a VPN. All is open when roaming in China.

moondog

The $600 plan sounded like a pretty good deal to me because it is cheaper than Unicom's best plan, and the data can be shared between HK and the mainland. If I spent a lot of time in HK, I would make the switch. I don't think I would ever drop my VPN service though because if I tethered all the time, I would quickly burn through those 11g...and then be "in the bonus", which as you noted, gets expensive.

I do have a huawei mifi, and I must say that it does tether better than any of my phone's (after all, that's it's only " job"), but I honestly only tote it around for situations in which I need to make a presentation at a client site that doesn't offer guest WiFi (surprisingly common actually) and on train trips.

JordanWalker

Any reason why you don't want a separate HK sim card and wish to use a tethering device instead? Lazy to switch cards? Or require the China # to be on standby?

Gongzuokuang

I don't know if I would call it "lazy". :-)

Switching sims, and not losing them, is an annoyance I would rather skip.

But yeah, that's it. :-)

I'm reluctant to switch plans now because my China Mobile number is printed on all of my business cards, and has been in my email signature for years.

It would just be easier to have a Mifi device.

My worry is that some of them are not so fast or reliable. I'd want to work in the city, on the Airport Express, and the train to SZ.

tentseller

Switching SIMs is a way of life in business travel around E Asia. You see it on flights and cross-border trains all the time.

moondog

Phone numbers are pretty much meaningless these days ime; people may still call you, but the number itself might as well be inside a black box.

ChrisLi

I personally keep 2 SIMs running, 1 is my HKG plan, while the other is my mainland China SIM on prepaid card.

I keep 2 SIMs in 2 phones so I don't loose them and tethered off one-another as needed (though the China SIM is mostly for calls only in HK), when cross the border I just turn on the tethering function of the China SIM and turn off data mode on my HK phone.

See if that works for you.

Or, you can check this out
http://www.hk.chinamobile.com/en/cor...t-wifi_hk.html

HKtraveller

The biggest advantage of using data roaming with a HK SIM is to stay outside the great firewall. China Mobile numbers may be ported at least in HK.