A way to have Internet always with you while you are visiting a new country is to buy a SIM card that you can insert in your smartphone and browse, but an interesting alternative is the use of Pocket Wifi !
I remember when I was traveling years ago and the only way to be able to send an email and be connected to the net was to find an Internet cafe hoping to have a decent connection. Now we all have a portable device that can be connected to a Wi-Fi that is usually readily available … and all those stores have become coin laundries or convenience stores.
What is a Pocket Wifi?
Being online 24 hours a day, with all its pros and cons, has become customary and even when you are traveling you often try to send a message from Whatsapp or share on some social media the latest shot of some spectacular panorama. One of the gadgets that technology makes available to us is the Pocket Wifi , a small device that will allow you to connect to the web and that you can easily carry in your pocket, backpack or handbag.
The Pocket Wifi is a sort of mini router to which you can connect laptops, smartphones, tablets and any other device that you will need to connect to the Internet. Moreover you will have the possibility to have more than one person simultaneously using the same data line to access the network at the same time.
It works with a SIM card that you can change every time you need and is a safe way to have a personal line always available and protected.
Why and when to choose a Pocket Wifi and not the SIM card?
You cannot insert a SIM card in your computer, but you must first connect it to your phone or tablet and then share the signal with the other devices via “a Hotspot”.
The most interesting feature of Pocket Wifi is that you can simultaneously connect more than one of your electronic gadgets and multiple users at the same time, so while you’re sending a message to your friend your travel companions or members of your family with whom you are sharing the experience will be able to do the same thing, as long as they remain within a few meters of the router. You can also do this with a “hotspot” connection from a mobile phone with a local SIM card.
It is not always possible to insert a card in a mobile phone, unless your device is “unlocked”, ie it can use any mobile phone provider in any country. And if it is not a new generation mobile, it may not be compatible with the 4G or 5G technologies.
The signal is usually stronger with a Pocket Wifi than a SIM card inserted in a cell phone and therefore navigation is faster.
Where to find Pocket Wifi
The Pocket Wifi is a device that you can buy but which is often convenient to rent in the various airports upon arrival in a new country.
Usually you pay a weekly, fortnightly or monthly prepaid rate (depending on the various telephone companies) and you can request it online to find it when you reach the airport, which can be convenient if you’re in a hurry or don’t want to queue, check that the store where you will pick it up is open when you arrive and all the rental conditions.
