Wifi hotspot portable: Buy Portable WiFi Hotspots, IoT & Connected Devices

Nov 14, 2020 alexxlab

AT&T Hotspot – Portable WiFi Hotspot Devices & Routers

What’s a portable WiFi Hotspot? And how can it help my business stay connected?

It’s more important than ever to stay connected. Business tools like email, document storage, customer relationship management, video conferencing—even payroll and human resources—are moving to cloud-based solutions. Work demands requires a fast, reliable internet connection wherever business takes you.

But how do you know what networking technology is right for your business? What is an affordable, reliable solution for small business? A robust network for a medium to large company? Business owners don’t have time to take a deep dive into what’s the latest technology.

AT&T is here to help. This product page offers valuable information on our AT&T Wireless Broadband and why it may make sense for your business.

In this guide, you will learn:

What is a portable WiFi hotspot?
Where can portable WiFi hotspot devices be used?
How is a portable WiFi hotspot different from phone tethering?
What devices are available from AT&T?

What is a portable WiFi hotspot?

A portable hotspot router enables a business to connect multiple laptops and mobile devices to the Internet —whether a solution is needed to log on from a small business store, remotely from a home office, customer site or on-the-go. We make it simple – whatever enabled device your business demands —with our solution your employees are automatically connected to the AT&T mobile broadband network. The hotspot device acts as a portable Internet access point that connects your team to web-based business tools and valuable company information. Plus, security features offer the opportunity to monitoring web traffic and secure business devices from cyber threats, with better reliability than public connections at an affordable price.

Where can portable WiFi hotspot devices be used?

Portable WiFi hotspot devices can be used within the vast AT&T high-speed wireless coverage area. The devices are especially useful to teams traveling as a group to a conference, a customer site or other work event because your workforce is essentially taking a secure connection with them —including access to your company’s networking and security policies. Business WiFi hotspots also make great primary connections for fully-mobile businesses like food trucks, pop-up shops, events and trade booths, construction sites, disaster recovery teams, insurance adjusters, and so many more.

How is a portable WiFi hotspot different than phone tethering?

Phone tethering (sharing your mobile device’s internet connection with another device via cord, BlueTooth, or a localized WiFi connection) is a good option when connecting a single device to the Internet, while our business WiFi hotspots allow you to connect up to 20 devices at a time. Portable WiFi hotspot devices are single purpose devices that are designed specifically to connect a group of people to the Internet when and where it is convenient. They take up minimal space for portability, and compared to cellphones include larger internal antennae for optimal reception and a large battery for long life. AT&T mobile broadband routers can connect laptops, smartphones, tablets, point of sales systems, or even function as remote backup failovers for critical systems in the event of power outages. Read more about how portable wireless broadband devices are different than phone tethering or learn about our Cradlepoint LTE failover solution.

What devices are available from AT&T?

There are several options that fit various connectivity needs, including LTE, and LTE Advanced enabled devices. AT&T offers several WiFi hotspot devices.

The Newest Wireless Hotspot Routers

Netgear Nighthawk® Mobile Hotspot Router

Netgear’s Nighthawk Mobile Hotspot Router is the world’s first commercial Gigabit Class LTE Mobile Hotspot Router to achieve maximum download speeds of 1 Gbps on the AT&T 5G millimeter network*, bringing the fastest possible internet connection to businesses on the go. Combining ultrafast download speeds, and support for the latest networks into one device, this premium mobile hotspot router provides the best internet connection experience possible whether it is used on-the-go, at home, or during your travels. With a very large 5,040mAh battery, the Nighthawk boasts all-day battery life, so businesses are always connected, even when away from the office.

*5G+ millimeter mobile network where available with compatible plan, powered by AT&T.

Compact 4G LTE Wireless Hotspots

AT&T United Express 2

The affordable, pocketable business WiFi hotspot from AT&T features 11 hours of battery life to get you through the work day while connecting up to 15 devices on the AT&T high speed LTE network. A sleek design and color display make it a breeze to use virtually wherever your business takes you.

The bottom line

Portable WiFi hotspot devices from AT&T allow a business to connect teams and mobile workforce to the Internet in a safe, reliable network.
They are great for conferences, customer sites, worksites or an impromptu meeting at the local coffee shop with a prospective client.
AT&T portable WiFi hotspot devices provide the speed, reliability and security you need to collaborate, engage with customers and operate at the speed for any size of business.

NETGEAR Nighthawk M6 Pro

$12.78/mo.

Franklin A50

$5.84/mo.

^{After the applicable plan usage threshold (100GB for the AT&T Wireless Broadband Core plan, 125GB for the AT&T Wireless Broadband Pro plan and 175GB for the AT&T Wireless Broadband Ultra plan), AT&T may temporarily slow data speeds if the network is busy.}
^{Taxes and fees extra.}

^{Advertised monthly pricing is only for new plans currently offered to customers as of February 15, 2023, and does not reflect retired plans available prior to that date. What you will see on your bill: Advertised monthly pricing includes (a) a monthly plan charge for data service ($70, $80 or $100, depending on the plan) and (b) a $5 monthly discount when enrolled in both AutoPay & paperless billing, which starts within 2 bills after enrollment.}

^{Data throughput speeds are capped at a maximum available data speed, which may not provide you with the highest speed available in a location at a specific point in time. Each plan’s “up to” data speed is not guaranteed to be your actual speed. Actual speeds vary and may be affected by a number of factors, including your proximity to a cell site, the capacity of the cell site, the number of other users connected to the same cell site, the surrounding terrain, AT&T network management practices, the applications you use, and your in-building coverage.}

The Best Wifi Hotspot For Travel

Looking to find the best WiFi for travelers? In this portable WiFi box travel review, I’ve found the best WIFI hotspots to accompany you on your next trip.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will already know that my number one requirement for traveling anywhere is strong WiFi.

As a Digital Nomad, having weak-ass WiFi is a dealbreaker for me. Unless of course, I’m on a planned adventure like disappearing into the jungle for four days in search of a lost city in Colombia or going off the grid in Cuba for nine days.

So I decided it was time to test out some of the best WiFi hotspots for international travel.

What is a mobile WiFi hotspot?

A mobile hotspot for international travel is a battery-powered wireless router that travels with you. These portable WiFi hotspots are designed to be lightweight and compact enough to slip into your pocket or backpack.

With the ability to connect to multiple smart WiFi devices, these WiFi hotspots bring the internet to your mobile phone, laptop, and tablet, no matter where in the world you are.

How Mobile WiFi hotspots work?

A mobile hotspot for international travel works in a way that they have tie-ups with 4G wireless carriers across the globe.

This allows for easy transition from one carrier network to another as travel the world. Meaning you don’t have to buy a new local sim card to use in the country you are in as these mobile WiFi hotspot companies let you update your network as you change countries.

Some services require you to pay a flat fee for internet connectivity. In other cases, you pay for what you use. That means you can get internet connectivity for a day, a week, or even a month based on your requirements.

Mobile WiFi hotspots can be a bit of an investment if you want to buy one. But there is an alternative, you can rent one for your trip. which can save you a lot of money if you are planning a short trip and don’t want to invest in a traveling WiFi hotspot yet. Several of the hotspots mentioned in this review have rental options where you can rent out a mobile hotspot data plans for international travel for a small fee.

Why do you need a mobile hotspot when traveling?

A portable WiFi travel hotspot is a big bonus for those looking for a secure connection while traveling or those traveling away from public WiFi.

Similar to a cellular device, portable WiFi devices for travel give you access to uninterrupted internet connectivity, enabling you to live your nomadic lifestyle, upload pics, send documents, receive emails, and more on the move.

They can also give you peace of mind when traveling to a new place where you may not have mobile phone coverage. I can’t even tell you the number of stressful situations in airports I could have avoided if I’d had a mobile WiFi device with me so I could get an Uber, pull up a map, or contact my hotel to ask for directions.

Design and Build Quality

When looking for the best international wifi hotspot, design and build quality are the two most important factors to consider.

As you are already traveling, you do not need anything bulky or fragile. WiFi hotspots for travel are designed to be carried anywhere with you so you really do need to make sure they are robust, lightweight, and that they don’t take up too much precious space in your backpack.

So, choose one that suits your traveling needs and pay close attention to size and weight.

Portable Wifi Travel Reviews

#1 Skyroam Solis

With a powerful 4700 mAh battery and a patented vSIM Technology, Skyroam Solis proves to be the best WiFi hotspot for international travel.

Skyroam lets you stay connected wherever you are in the world, on any smart device.

My favorite feature of Skyroam though is that it’s a lot more than just a travel hotspot WiFi. It has multiple functionalities, including doubling up as a power bank and a camera. This in itself is a space saver which as a backpacker is always a bonus.

Skyroam Solis is a personal wifi hotspot with superfast 4G LTE embedded. Plus as I already mentioned with this device you also get a power bank and a 720p remote camera built-in. This is not your regular WiFi hotspot for travel.

As well as being the perfect travel companion the Skyroam portable wifi hotspot is ideal for home use too. You can actually see through its remote camera, which could come in handy for checking in on pets of teenagers!

Skyroam Solis offers the best of both worlds. You get a high-performance portable wifi hotspot and a quality camera/ video recorder, plus a power bank at the same time. So if you are wanting to save space in your backpack this could be your best option.

Features & Benefits

It comes with an 8MP, wide-angle camera for live stream and recording
Can connect up to 10 devices
The 4700 mAh power bank keeps your devices charged throughout the day
4G LTE wifi offers blazing fast speeds
SignalScan feature allows you to reset your signal anytime

How to use this device?

Download the Skyroam mobile app on your iOS or Android device, choose your WiFi plan, and connect with your devices. It’s that easy.

You can manage your data directly in the Skyroam app.

Cost/ plans

You have a few different options here. If you don’t think you will need to use it much and prefer to pay as you go then you can do this for $12 per GB. The bonus of this is no throttling! You always get fast WiFi. The downside is $12 per GB is pretty expensive.

At the other end of the spectrum, you can get unlimited WiFi for $99 per month. This will give you high-speed WiFi for up to 20GB for 30 days. After that, it will be much slower. You can get this cheaper by pre-paying for 3 months or 6 months. So this is perfect if you are planning on traveling long term.

Another option is to pay per day. For $9 USD per day, you can get high-speed internet for 24 hours. You will need to pre-pay for so many days upfront. When you want to use a day pass then you can activate it in the app. There is throttling but this changes depending on the country.

Then the final option is to pre-pay for 1Gb per month for 3 months at a cost of $9 USD for 1GB. So you basically pay $27 USD for 3 months. This is a good option if you are just planning on using this mobile WiFi device as a backup for when you can’t find local WiFi.

Coverage

You can use this mobile hotspots for international travel across 135 countries.

Speed Throttles

On the monthly unlimited plan, you can get high-speed data up to 20 GB for 30 days, slower after that.

On the day pass, you will need to check the limits on the country that you are in as each country has a different limit.

Includes a speaker and microphone
Secure connection
Works well with local and international plans
Can connect up to 10 devices
Has a number of different plans depending on your budget
You can rent or buy a device

Has network issues when used in very remote areas
Available in only a single color
The unlimited plan is expensive unless you book a few months to get the discount
Unclear what the speed throttles are on the day passes.

Want 15% off Skyroam?

Use code: CLAIRESITCHYFEET

#2 KeepGo

The next on my list is the KeepGo hotspot that connects up to 15 smart devices in one go. This is one of my favorite portable hotspots (and the one I am personally using when I travel right now) as it gives unlimited access to internet connectivity on the go. You just top up when you run out of data.

It’s an ideal portable WiFi for road trips. If you are carrying multiple smart devices with you you can connect your laptop, tablets, and mobile phones to the internet all at the same time. It’s also incredibly easy to use. Just turn it on by pushing a button and enter the password printed on the inside cover and you are good to go.

KeepGo is one of the smallest global wifi hotspots in the world that easily fits in your pocket. It’s very lightweight and the slimline design makes it easily transportable. All you have to do is buy prepaid data and enjoy uninterrupted internet.

The KeepGo offers a high-speed 4G internet connection in over 100 countries with no throttle. You can travel the world without inducing expensive data roaming charges.

Each lifetime line comes with 1 GB of unlimited data with a 2 GB bonus data coupon.