WiFi on vacation

[RNCollins]

Hi! I’m going on a Tradewinds sailing around St Vincent and the Grenadines in May. I have found the cell/mobile service in the Caribbean to be pretty good, as long as you are near shore. I’m looking for a device that I could use to check email and use the internet just for a short time daily. I’m not sure of the terminology of what it’s called... maybe a WiFi hotspot? Could someone give me some recommendations for a device? I’ve been looking on Amazon but I’m not so sure I have the name of the device correct.

Thank you!

 

[tompalm]

If your phone will not work or get a signal, you will not be able to use a hot spot that connects to the internet. All hotspots use data from cell phone towers. You can look at ATT, TMobile and Verizon websites and see how good their service is where you are going. You will need to be in the right location and close to land to get reception. I recommend that you use a cell phone and use the wi-fi from that for internet.

I bought a hot spot from ATT a couple years ago and bought 2 MB’s to use in Alaska and found out that their service was really poor for that plan unless you have phone service with them and include the hotspot in that plan. I used ATT Gophone service that is a prepaid service and the coverage and speed is not good for data. Verizon or TMobile might be better, but I don’t know if they have a prepaid plan. Maybe there is a cell phone service provider in that area that works with hotspots. When we go to Japan, we rent a hotspot from a travel agency in Japan.

Call Tradewinds and ask them. They might have a satellite feed and charge you like cruise ships do.

 

[DrQ]

A mobile hotspot will work and what you describe should not take up much data. The question is, do you have to buy a SIM from a local carrier to avoid exorbitant roaming charges? If you do make sure the plan includes data and a hotspot capability.

 

[isisdave]

Usually you can't tether (make your private hotspot) when you're roaming.

If this is for just a few days, I'd just make do with your phone. To get better , you'd have to buy a SIM card for each country, or a rather expensive one that will work in more than one. T-mobile subscribers get free data in 140+ countries; it's fast enough for most uses including VoIP but probably not for video.

 

[tompalm]

Usually you can't tether (make your private hotspot) when you're roaming.

If this is for just a few days, I'd just make do with your phone. To get better , you'd have to buy a SIM card for each country, or a rather expensive one that will work in more than one. T-mobile subscribers get free data in 140+ countries; it's fast enough for most uses including VoIP but probably not for video.

That’s a good point. I forgot about that. Agree to just use your phone. I have TMobile and was in Mexico a few weeks ago and it worked great on my phone. Since we are on that subject, the new iPhones Xs and Xr have dual sim capability. If I understand it correct, all you have to do is go to a local carrier in a country that you are in, and scan a QR code to activate the other line. That might provide better range and data speed. The screen on the Xr is plenty big enough to travel with and surf the net.

 

[isisdave]

Yes on dual SIMs. On some phones, you choose which one is active; on others, they both are and so both will ring. You pick which one if you want to initiate a call, and which to use for data.

Also, on some dual SIM phones, the second one occupies the micro-SD card slot, so you can't have two SIMs AND your expansion cards. Shop carefully.