Multi-country Prepaid Mifi/Wireless Hotspot Solution
Sep 9, 2015, 6:05 am
#61
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: SPG Gold, Hyatt Plat, PC Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 612
The T-Mobile data-only option is a good one. Even better if you know someone on a T-Mobile Simple Choice plan already so you can just add on to their lines - there's a current promotion with a data-only plan for only $10/month that matches the voice data up to 5Gb LTE per month in North America. This is a pretty inexpensive way to have 2G International data in 100+ countries for frequent travelers (and you can always add a high-speed data pass as needed).
You could buy their ZTE 915 hotspot (seems to have decent LTE bands for international support) for another $5/month x 24 months (or just buy it outright for $110) - so for $15/month total, you could have a good choice to "hit the ground running" as wco81 said.
You could buy their ZTE 915 hotspot (seems to have decent LTE bands for international support) for another $5/month x 24 months (or just buy it outright for $110) - so for $15/month total, you could have a good choice to "hit the ground running" as wco81 said.
Sep 10, 2015, 9:31 pm
#62
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Sweet Home Chicago
Programs: Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 646
Sep 11, 2015, 1:12 am
#64
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Detroit; Formerly Dubai
Posts: 3,652
I have a data-only T-mobile SIM, which is 1 GB in the US for $20 a month.
I can roam with their Simple Choice plan which gives 128 kbps. Slow but still lets you hit the ground running. It will take awhile for Google Maps to first load the tiles for your location.
But this is what I use for shorter stays in a country, if I'm moving to 2 or more countries every few days.
For longer stays, I will find a local prepaid SIM, usually spend €20 or less, for 1 or 2 GB of data.
I can roam with their Simple Choice plan which gives 128 kbps. Slow but still lets you hit the ground running. It will take awhile for Google Maps to first load the tiles for your location.
But this is what I use for shorter stays in a country, if I'm moving to 2 or more countries every few days.
For longer stays, I will find a local prepaid SIM, usually spend €20 or less, for 1 or 2 GB of data.
Sep 11, 2015, 10:49 am
#65
Moderator: Information Desk, Women Travelers, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 15,653
I bought the Novatel Mifi device (unlocked) on eBay for about $65. Heading to Morocco via Spain today, will post my experiences once I've given it a try.
Sep 14, 2015, 10:16 pm
#66
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Comfort, TX, United States
Posts: 55
We are traveling to Switzerland for five days late September, then to Germany, France and Netherlands. Our hotels have WIFI but i like convenience of WiFi on the go too for maps etc. I am considering a Huawei HotSpot where I have to buy a SIM card. Is there a universal SIM card that will cover all of Europe? Primary usage is Google Maps How much data does that require. Also should I buy a 4G or just 3G? Was thinking about the future travel where 3G may not be supported.
Sep 19, 2015, 7:11 pm
#67
Moderator: Information Desk, Women Travelers, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 15,653
Quick update: After a few fits and starts, The Novatel Mifi 2 worked well in Morocco. It was a great solution for two of us who were traveling with phones and iPads.
Sep 20, 2015, 5:40 am
#68
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: DCA's home, AA hubs and spokes are where you'll usually find me
Programs: AA EXP, SPG Plat
Posts: 367
We are traveling to Switzerland for five days late September, then to Germany, France and Netherlands. Our hotels have WIFI but i like convenience of WiFi on the go too for maps etc. I am considering a Huawei HotSpot where I have to buy a SIM card. Is there a universal SIM card that will cover all of Europe? Primary usage is Google Maps How much data does that require. Also should I buy a 4G or just 3G? Was thinking about the future travel where 3G may not be supported.
Sep 22, 2015, 6:56 am
#69
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Detroit; Formerly Dubai
Posts: 3,652
Sep 22, 2015, 11:15 am
#70
Moderator: Information Desk, Women Travelers, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 15,653
No APN configuration necessary, I think
That said, I made a mistake and bought a SIM card from a convenience store, then couldn't get it to work in my MIFI or an unlocked phone. Finally took it into a Maroc Telecom store and they fiddled with some computer settings then got it working. I don't know what they did -- and don't know if APNs can be configured remotely, hence my qualified response to that question -- but it worked like a charm after that. Unfortunately, the SIM card I bought was only 3G, so that slowed us down.
Sep 22, 2015, 12:14 pm
#71
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,470
Is there any other source to get the Novatel MiFi from a "more legitimate source" than E-Bay at a similar price? I am thinking someplace which will assist if it does not work as promised.
Sep 22, 2015, 6:09 pm
#72
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Sweet Home Chicago
Programs: Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 646
Sep 22, 2015, 6:29 pm
#73
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Detroit; Formerly Dubai
Posts: 3,652
Sep 23, 2015, 10:01 am
#74
Moderator: Information Desk, Women Travelers, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 15,653
Sep 23, 2015, 1:04 pm
#75
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 189
We are traveling to Switzerland for five days late September, then to Germany, France and Netherlands. Our hotels have WIFI but i like convenience of WiFi on the go too for maps etc. I am considering a Huawei HotSpot where I have to buy a SIM card. Is there a universal SIM card that will cover all of Europe? Primary usage is Google Maps How much data does that require. Also should I buy a 4G or just 3G? Was thinking about the future travel where 3G may not be supported.
If you are buying new, I'd definitely spend the extra $50 or so and get a model that has 4g/lte, just to cover yourself in the future. Probably need to check in advance also with providers, as not all let prepaid customers use 4g/lte.
Google maps doesn't require much bandwidth in map mode, if you use satellite view, that requires a fair amount more. You can reduce it even more if you pre-cache maps for your destinations in advance.