Most of us have to contend with searching for free wifi before we can get online, unless we go the hassle of buying a throwaway phone and a local network provider. This is never satisfactory because we’re given a new phone number which of course none of our friends or family have.
British company Cellhire has a very neat solution. Quite simply, they loan out a small portable 4G router pre-loaded with a data sim set up to work in the country you’re visiting.
I tried out the Cellhire package on a recent visit to the USA and it worked perfectly right out of the box.
In my case, I received a MIFI (a pre-charged AT&T Unite Netgear 4G mobile router) fitted with a 5 gig data sim. All I had to do when I arrived in the USA was switch it on, search for it on my phone and laptop and connect using the given password.
Also a USB cable was supplied with a US plug adapter so I could charge the MIFI each day.
I was driving around Colorado and in most cases I managed to get a 4G connection which provided good browsing speeds and excellent Skype or Whats App voice calls on multiple devices.
At the end of the hire period, I simply popped the MIFI back in its box and posted it back to Cellhire using the pre paid postage sticker and bag that came with my package.
The Cellhire MIFI is an excellent simple solution to using wifi on the go in the USA.
I recently used another Cellhire Mifi for a trip to the Languedoc_Rousillon region in south-west France with equally impressive results. The 4G signal was for the most part, a lot stronger than my roaming connection within Langeudoc’s more remote areas. of course, in the towns and cities, I had no connection issues and the unit battery juice lasted all day without having to recharge.
On a recent trip to South Africa, I tried out a 4G MiFi with a 10GB data SIM card which worked out at £50 for a month (approx. £1.67 per day). This was highly competitive with the O2 travel bundle at £4.99 per day. The best thing was I was able to use the MIFI as a mobile hotspot and connect multiple devices to it to use at the same time. Much like a home router system. It was more secure than public wifi and provided excellent speeds throughout my trip. I got full 4G service in Capetown and Durban.
Hire packages are £79.99 per month for 5 gb of 4G data.