If you are looking for a way to get unlimited internet wherever you go, you should definitely check out this Skyroam review. As a digital nomad or remote worker, you cannot live without the internet. No internet, no work, no money. Especially when you are moving places quite frequently and visit regions of the world without a decent network, it can be a nightmare to get WIFI access.
That’s when the portable hotspot Skyroam Solis comes into play. I have been using it for a few years now and want to share my experience with you.
Table of Contents
What is Skyroam?
The portable internet device Skyroam Solis is a global internet hotspot and provides fast and secure WIFI access wherever you are in the world. There are no subscriptions, instead, you pay a flat daily rate for the days you need it.
How Does Skyroam Work?
It is super easy to use! Simply press start on the Skyroam hotspot and connect your phone, laptop, or tablet with the device. You can buy and activate your day passes anytime and thus get unlimited internet anywhere for 24 hours.
*Update: Skyroam now also offers monthly passes and Pay-Per-GB GoData at fantastic rates! This saves you a lot of money if you need to use it frequently.
And the best part: There are no long-term contracts or any of that!
Where Can I Buy Skyroam Day Passes?
You can buy your preferred plan online at any time on your account site. All you need to do is log in, go to your plan details and pick whatever pass you prefer.
What Makes The Skyroam Mobile Hotspot So Special?
The special feature of the Skyroam mobile hotspot is the patented virtual SIM technology, which works as followed: Skyroam has huge racks of SIM cards in offices around the world. Once you get to your destination country, your device picks a free card over the air and connects with it. The built-in GPS allows us to identify its location and lets you benefit immediately from new Skyroam partnerships.
There is no need to carry local SIM cards around with you anymore. It’s a bit of a revolution, so to say. Kudos to the Skyroam team for this brilliant idea!
Where Does Skyroam Work?
Skyroam works in more than 130 countries all around the world. If you are looking for a specific country you plan to travel to, check out the list below. You can get Skyroam in China, in the USA, Skyroam in Greece, and many other countries.
These are the places where you can definitely get mobile WIFI access with the global hotspot:
Region | Countries |
The Americas | Barbados, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saipan, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Marteen, St. Vincent & the Grenadines,Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Island, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela |
Europe | Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican |
South Pacific | Australia, Christmas Island, Fiji, Guam, New Zealand |
Africa | Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia, South Africa, Zambia |
Asia | Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Vietnam |
Middle East | Bahrain, Dubai, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey |
Keep in mind that they constantly add new countries. So if you can’t find the country you want to go to in the list above, check with Skyroam’s website directly to see the up-to-date version.
Skyroam Solis Review: Technical Details
Ok, now that you know the basics, let’s look at the review of Skyroam’s technical details and features and my experience with it.
1. Skyroam Global Hotspot
The Skyroam global hotspot device itself is quite small, about the size of a deck of cards but round.
The Skyroam global hotspot box comes with a battery, micro USB cable, and instructions.
2. SIM Card
That’s the great thing about Skyroam: You don’t need to worry about SIM cards at all. No need to constantly buy local cards and change them. The device is all set up and ready to go wherever you are. So simple!
3. Skyroam Power
The fully-charged battery lasts up to 8 hours according to Skyroam. It also charges really quickly via USB cable, so that has never been a problem for me.
I have heard of people where it lasted even a bit longer than that. I guess that depends on factors like how many devices are connected and such.
4. Skyroam Power Bank
Believe it or not but the Skyroam Solis comes with an integrated power bank! The embedded 4700 mAhv battery charges your phone, ebook reader, or any other gadget when you don’t have any electricity around. Super handy!
5. Wi-Fi Connection
You can connect up to 10 devices to Skyroam. I usually use it for my smartphone and my laptop and it works perfectly fine. Occasionally, I share it with a friend or travel buddy – whoever is in need of WIFI access ;) I haven’t had any problem with multiple connections so far.
6. Skyroam Speed
Skyroam provides WIFI access to the fastest network globally and speeds up to 4G LTE. This can vary slightly depending on the country you are in and the local data network.
You have unlimited data, no cutoffs, and no speed reductions.
My personal experience is that the connection is very fast. I’ve never encountered any problems with the speed, nowhere. I don’t play online games but only do emails, social media, Skype, YouTube, etc. For that, it works perfectly fine.
If you are still looking for ways to improve your internet speed while traveling, check out the linked article with tips.
7. Skyroam Solis VPN
When using your phone or laptop online while traveling it is important to stay safe and secure your data. When using Skyroam Solis, you are definitely on the safe side.
Because you need an extra password to access the Skyroam WIFI. This password can only be found in the settings of your Skyroam device. This closed connection helps prevent malware infections and data loss. Much better than the free connections you can get in any cafés, bars, or shopping malls.
On top of that, you can also get the Solis VPN. This works at military-grade encryption and will protect you from hackers and malware on the internet. Check out this review on my favorite VPN service outside of Skyroam!
How Can I Contact the Skyroam Customer Support?
You can contact Skyroam customer support via live chat or submit a request via their contact form. Also, check out the Skyroam support page where you can plenty of answers to the most common questions in their FAQs and articles.
Skyroam Global Hotspot Rates and Skyroam Rental
With the Skyroam Solis you have two options:
1. Option: Skyroam for Sale
- Buy the Skyroam global hotspot device for only USD 119.99.
- Pick your plan: Monthly subscription (USD 99/month), Unlimited Global Daypass (USD 9/day), or Pay-Per-GB (USD 6/month)
2. Option: Skyroam Rental
- You can also rent the Skyroam global hotspot device for free.
- Pay USD 8.99 per rental day
If you only go on a short trip and will never need it again after that, you will surely be ok with the Skyroam rental. I personally, wouldn’t want to deal with shipping and return and things like that. When you travel quite a bit (or have a fairly long trip planned) it is surely worth buying the device.
Who Needs the Skyroam Mobile Hotspot?
If you are planning to go to one country, let’s say Indonesia, and you want to stay there for the next couple of months, and won’t be traveling any time soon after that, then the answer is NO. You don’t need the Skyroam mobile hotspot. It is probably cheaper to get a local SIM card in Indonesia and pay for your data to the local provider.
If you are planning to travel to several countries, let’s say a trip around Europe or Southeast Asia, then the answer is a big fat YES you should get the Skyroam mobile hotspot. It is so much easier if you don’t have to deal with different SIM cards all the time. All you have to do is switch on your Skyroam global hotspot and you have instant WIFI access. This will save you time, nerves, and money.
Even if you are currently not planning too many trips it might be worth getting. You only pay for the days you need it so it’s a great idea to have it as a backup plan for spontaneous trips.
Skyroam Review: The Pros
I love the fact that I don’t have to worry about getting local SIM cards and finding out which provider has better deals and stuff. No special accessories, permission, or anything like that is needed. You simply activate a day pass and on you go. It is so easy to use!
Moreover, I love that you don’t have to pay for the days when you don’t need it. I don’t need a global hotspot every day so an expensive subscription or membership would not be a waste of money for me.
What’s more, the unlimited data volume without reductions is a great feature. You can definitely make the most of your 24-hour pass.
Skyroam Review: The Cons
Since Skyroam connects to local service providers in each country, the quality of the connectivity depends on these providers, too. Means: If your destination country has only terrible internet providers, your WIFI access via Skyroam won’t be great either.
The only country where I’ve had a fairly slow connection was Venezuela. It was still alright to do emails and social media but surely not top speed. (I believe I went there just after they started operating in Venezuela. So maybe it improved there by now.)
Skyroam Alternatives
The alternative to a Skyroam global hotspot is to buy local SIM cards in each of your destination countries to get mobile WIFI access. These cards can be used on your phone or in another portable hotspot.
- Here you can find a list of the 5 best mobile hotspots on the market right now.
Please keep in mind, that it is not always that easy to find prepaid or pay-as-you-go SIM cards. Sometimes you only get little data and it can be way more expensive than Skyroam, which has unlimited data.
Another downside is that when you want to use local SIM cards in your phone, your phone needs to be unlocked. Sometimes you will have to reconfigure settings on your phone, e.g. set up apps, like WhatsApp, for your new number etc. That can be super annoying.
Skyroam Review Conclusion: Is Skyroam Worth It?
In my opinion: Yes, Skyroam is worth it. As you can probably tell from my Skyroam review, I’m in love with this device. The idea of having a global hotspot is just genius. No need to buy local SIM cards anymore and deal with the setup.
The WIFI access via Skyroam is super easy, secure, and hassle-free. Sure, it might get a bit pricy if you wanted to use it every day. But if you only use it on special occasions or in emergencies, it’s a great gadget that can save you a lot of money.
So YES, to me the Skyroam Solis global hotspot is absolutely worth the money and I couldn’t imagine a trip without it anymore.
I hoped this Skyroam review helped you figure out if you should buy it, too. If so, head over to their website now and enjoy the limited-time offer of a free day pass! Don’t miss this deal!
What is your favorite way to get mobile WIFI access while traveling? Have you had any experiences with the Skyroam global hotspot, yet?
Hi Susan, you can use Skyroam by ports or on land where there is cell reception, but not far out at sea since only satellite technology is available far from land. That means you could use it when you get off the ship. But when you are out at sea, I’m afraid, you have to use the cruise line internet. Have a great trip! :)
How would I use Skyroam on a cruise ship? for example a group of us are traveling on a lengthy cruise to Europe. We want to keep in touch onboard the ship via text and also off the ship in case we get lost from each other. Would we still have to purchase the cruise line internet package in order for Skyroam to work since we will be out in the open ocean?