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.

Please do not spend your money on the Solis X. I brought it to use while doing ministry in Africa, and it never worked. It would come on but never turn off, and when it did turn off, it took a while to turn back on. The device would only vibrate after a 3-hour charge without the indicator lights on. It never picked up a wifi signal. I contacted customer service through email while in Africa and told them the device did not work. It was defective. I also told them I needed to return the item for a complete refund, but I could not make it back to the US before the 30 days were up. On my return to the US, I contacted them, and no one would help resolve the matter. They would not even consider replacing the item. If they did not want to give me my money back, they could have given me a new device and not a refurbished device. I hope Amazon removes this item from their site. Keep your money. Even after I read the bad reviews for this item, I took a chance because the other person who went with us to Africa had one, and his device worked well, but my device was defective. The people who did write a review about the solis X not working please believe them and me this is a bad product it do not work. I should have brought the GlocalMe device.

I purchased this for month long a trip to Ireland and the UK. I first tested it at my home in NC and at several airports on the east coast. It worked fine. I used the unit in the UK from London, to Brighton, to Edinburg and Glasgow. In Ireland from Dublin to Galway to Limerick. It worked everytime I turned it it on and gave me great signal everywhere you would expect to have cell phone coverage. The speed is generally good, I was able to stream stock quotes, check email, general web surfing, a few you tube videos all were no problem. The only complaint I have is the unit has a proprietary charging cord. This creates two issues, one more cord to keep track of while traveling taking up space in your carry on and if you loose it, you are not able to get a replacement easily. I wish the company would get on board with micro USB to be interchangeable with the cord most people already have or could get at any computer or mobile phone store if you needed one. Otherwise I am very happy and looking forward to see how it works when I visit other countries in Europe.