Skyroam Solis X Smartspot | 4G LTE WiFi Mobile Hotspot and Power Bank | Global Coverage | Up to 10 Connected Devices | Built in VPN | Remote Camera | vSIM Technology, No SIM Card Needed | Make a WLAN

Before my trip to Italy and Greece I decided to buy the Solis mobile hotspot unit instead of gambling on the frequently-reported unreliability of SIM cards. It turned out to be a good decision. It worked very well throughout and even during an Italy-Greece cruise whenever we were within 2-3 miles or so from shore (i.e., near ports). Plus it has the capability (for the Europe data package) to connect up to 5 devices.The automatic reconnections to various data sources were seamless as we traveled around. There were a few brief connection quirks in some places, probably in the more remote rural locales, but in short time (in Italy, at least) it would always find a new connection source without much delay.Some specific things to be aware of:-- the battery lasts around 8 hours so if you're out and about longer it pays to have an external battery for a recharge.-- the battery can get uncomfortably warm--apparently this is normal--so be aware if you should carry it in a pants pocket.-- in the first few days of usage I noticed that my available data got eaten up much more quickly than I expected. Since I was taking many photos and these were syncing with my cloud storage service I turned that feature off on my phone (same for the wife), but even then it dwindled quickly and I never figured out what other apps were eating it up. A 1 GB data purchase lasted only a day or so. Then 5 GB lasted only 4-5 days. So I bought the unlimited 30-day plan and was good for the remainder of the 4-week trip. BUT I didn't read the fine print that only the first 20 GB of the unlimited data is high-speed. After that it's throttled down to 3G speed. 3G was sufficient for most things like messaging, buying train tickets, live directions on Google Maps, etc. I commented to the Skyroam/Solis company that they should give user tips on how to conserve data (other than turning the unit off!). This would be helpful for SIM card buyers as well.

Used it on my trip to the Philippines. I suggest making an account and downloading the app before hand in your country.Turned it on at the airport and took 4-5 minutes to acquire a signal. Had some trouble purchasing a plan/data. You have to be connected to the Skyroam Hotspot itself to purchase data through the app but the problem was there was no internet for it to connect to, so it wouldn't load anything. I had to disconnect from it and go to their website to purchase data then go back and connect to the hotspot and it worked.I suggest purchasing a "per gig" plan so you will have unrestricted 4G LTE speeds. The plans/data are a bit pricey, but you pay for convenience.Battery lasted very long since this has the power bank in it. I'd say 6+ hours. Could've been longer but wanted all my devices charged every chance I got. I did not charge my phone with this but it does come with a cord for you to do so.Camera. I took one picture to test with and it was good. Did not use it on my trip though. Covered it up actually.If you travel frequently to various countries I recommend this because of it's ease of use. Data is a bit pricey so if you intend to stay long in one country I'd go with a local cell phone company and getting a prepaid sim like I eventually did.

The most important thing to know before purchasing this device is it has a built-in video camera and microphone that defaults to ALWAYS ON. It is absolutely creepy.The built in camera can only be accessed through the Skyroam app. Opening the app, you can see exactly what Skyroam sees. There is no switch or cover for the camera- you can only "turn it off" remotely through the app, but my partner and I couldn't shake the fact that at any moment, a Skyroam employee could just as easily remotely turn it back on.This is not the type of device you want in your hotel room when traveling. You can only access the photos or videos you capture with this device through a Skyroam cloud account, so it's no question that this company is storing a copy of anything the camera collects.Ask yourself- do you know Skyroam? Do you trust this company?By the way, by setting up an account, Skyroam automatically enrolls you in a $99 / month recurring payment. They intentionally don't make this clear. I caught this on the second month, within hours of being charged, and was treated to absolutely unsympathetic customer service when trying to get the charge refunded.Their misuse of my billing information gives me zero incentive to trust them with my privacy. An always-on camera is a deal-breaker. Buy elsewhere.

I've had my Solis X for a few days now and absolutely LOVE IT! We traveled to Europe for 22 days last year using the Solis Lite and having WiFi without having to purchase an international cellular plan was invaluable! Being able to use Google Maps in Venice alone was worth the rental cost! It's super easy to set up - just use the free Solis app, connect to the device, purchase a data pass (or for rentals the data starts the first day of your trip) and GO! The Solis X battery lasts a full day (hasn't run out on me yet). The ability to have a power bank handy for phone charging is also a plus in my book. The camera is a cute feature - handy for group selfies. The smart assistant might be nice for frequent travelers but we haven't used it yet. For solo travelers with one device, might be cheaper to purchase an international cell plan. But if you're traveling with more than 1 device (phone, laptop) or multiple family members - the Solis X is an economical option for mobile WiFi. I also have found it helpful traveling domestically when I need a private WiFi network for work stuff. I will never travel without it again!!