For any digital nomad, consistent and reliable wifi is a necessity. It can make or break a productive work day and if you are working remotely for a company, you’ll probably need to prove decent wifi coverage. That’s where the Skyroam hotspot comes in. For the last week I’ve been testing out my new Skyroam Solis X in places where there’s guaranteed wifi, like coffee shops, and places without wifi, like on set as an actor. I want to tell you all about it.
Click here to purchase your Skyroam Solis X.
What is a Skyroam hotspot?
A Skyroam hotspot is one of the most popular wifi hotspot devices on the market. To be honest, they’re the only company I can name although I know for a fact that there are a few others. It’s a small handheld device that you can rent or purchase for use. Once you power it up and load your day passes or monthly plan, you can connect your laptop, cell phone, tablet, etc. and have internet access.
The fact that it doubles as a power bank is an additional bonus for me as my phone now decides to die after just a couple hours of use and I’m rarely near an outlet.
My favorite part about the Skyroam hotspot is that it works in over 130 countries which is an increase from the 100+ countries when I first began using my original Skyroam Solis. Another great perk is being able to connect up to 10 devices at once. I don’t think I’ve ever connected more than 3-4 devices at once but I love having the option.
How much is it?
You can rent a Skyroam Solis for $8.99 a day and it comes with the hotspot, the charging cable, a USB-C to USB Adapter, and a quick start guide. Optional insurance to protect you against damage, loss or theft (deductible applies) is just $19.95. And Rental hotspots include all of the day passes for your trip!
If you want to purchase your very own hotspot, and I highly recommend this as someone with TWO devices, you can buy a Skyroam Solis Lite for $119.99 or a Skyroam Solis X for 179.99. The Solis X, which I have, has the added 4700 mAh power bank, 8MP Remote Camera, Speaker, Microphone, Bluetooth, and Smart Assistant. I just wanted all the bells and whistles but that’s not entirely necessary depending on your needs.
You would then need to purchase either an unlimited global monthly subscription for $99/mo, global daypasses for $9/day, or a pay-per-GB GoData subscription for $6/mo. For both my Skyroam Solis and now my Skyroam Solis X I only ever rely on day passes. That’s because I can usually find wi-fi in the locations that I travel to. The day passes allow you to use the device as needed like those times when I check into an airbnb or hostel that guaranteed wifi but it doesn’t make it to my room, or when I’ll be on set.
Purchase a Skyroam Solis here.
Skyroam Solis X Review
Many don’t know that one of my 43 jobs is being an actor. Being on set requires a lot of sitting around and doing nothing while playing the “hurry up and wait” game. Often I’m left to my own devices for hours on end with zero entertainment and no wifi, not even a public one. So one of my first times using this device was on set where I decided to get some work done via laptop and a fellow actor connected via her phone and tablet. While the 4G connection wasn’t the strongest as we were literally up on a mountain in Los Angeles, it got the job done.
Other times I’ve utilized the hotspot is in places with perfectly decent wifi like a coffee shop. Sure that wifi worked just fine, but I like connecting to my own personal, secure wifi that doesn’t have 50 other people connected to it at the same time. I don’t have to worry about it slowing down due to the number of people using it or figuring out what wifi to connect to and possibly having to hunt down a password after I threw out my receipt.
Something of note that most people won’t have to go through, I hope, is having to contact the Skyroam customer service. Because I have another device which I left back home in DC, my day passes automatically loaded to that device. I was able to contact Skyroam and have them transfer those passes over to my new device almost instantly. They were extremely helpful and made my frustrating experience a breeze. I appreciated just being able to email them versus calling a number and dealing with a robot while pressing 0 until an actual human picked up.
Lastly, the power bank feature on my Solis X is a lifesaver. Technically the first time I took the device for a test run was a trip to Disneyland. Since I’m living in LA that quick drive can easily turn into a couple hours depending on traffic and then you have to remember that you’ll be spending hours in the park. Your phone battery is guaranteed to deplete and honestly, cellular service in the park can be abysmal. That’s where the Skyroam comes in handy and saves the day.
You don’t have to be a digital nomad to need a Skyroam hotspot. You can have a traditional 9-5, be a stay-at-home parent, a student, etc. and this device will make your life just a little easier. In today’s society, we sometimes all need some decent wifi from time to time. Why not rely on Skyroam to get it?
Also ready my original Skyroam Solis review.
DISCLOSURE: This post was sponsored by Skyroam but all opinions, as always, are 100% my own 😉
