

Many, if not most, global mobile hotspots work surprisingly poorly in the United States. Best for Extra Features: Huawei E5885īest Unlocked Mobile Hotspot: Netgear Nighthawk M1 Best for Fast Downloads on a Budget: Huawei E5787 Best Unlocked Mobile Hotspot: Netgear Nighthawk M1 This can mean you get slower speeds, or no data at all, in some parts of the world. Just like smartphones, not every device supports the different cellular frequencies used in each country.

Note: We recommend carefully checking the regions supported by the specific mobile hotspot model you plan to purchase. These are the best mobile hotspots unlocked for travel in 2022.

You’ll pay less (often, a lot less) per day with one of these, in exchange for having to seek out a prepaid SIM when you arrive in a country. Just like smartphones, though, you can also buy unlocked versions that let you pop in a local SIM card to take advantage of cheap data rates anywhere in the world. They’re convenient, but while typically cheaper than roaming, the cost can still mount up on longer trips. Many companies rent or sell prepaid hotspot devices like these for international travel, where you buy a certain amount of data or time in advance. You get online by connecting all your other devices to that private Wi-Fi network. Typically a small gadget around the size of a deck of cards, the device shares cellular data over its own private wireless network. Whatever you call them, though, they all work in much the same way. Mobile hotspots are known by a range of other names, including portable Wi-Fi routers, pocket Wi-Fi, mobile Wi-Fi devices, portable hotspots, Mi-Fis, and more. Buy on Amazon Last updated: at 18:30 What Is Mi-Fi, Anyway?
