Review: Skyroam Solis Portable Wifi Device

Hi Andrew - Interesting. I'm on T-Mobile, but I have many friends on Verizon who are always looking for advice. Can you use the Skyroam with Wifi calling on Verizon and are there any extra Verizon fees associated with that? I don't know how compelling the cost savings are for one person, but if you have two Verizon customers traveling together, that would be 20 USD a day to roam on Verizon so maybe the Skyroam is worth it if one can also make calls?

That is crazy expensive.. Understand the convenience, but I'd just pick up a project fi SIM for the time that you need it. It is really pretty easy to activate and cancel. Additionally you can get extra data only SIMs which are certified to work with iPhone, and you can have up to 10 of them. I've used them for all my family - it's just $10 per gb, no cost for the sims.

https://fi.google.com/about/plan/

If you are interested in getting $20 off your first bill (which may be your only bill if you are just using for a trip), feel free to use my referral code. I would appreciate it too: https://g.co/fi/r/RYR014

@Unhoeflich: Good question. Yes, wifi calling works with the device, and Verizon won't charge you extra for it. In the screenshots above, see how my phone says "VZW Wi-Fi?" That's what it says when wifi calling is available.

Do you think it's worth upgrading from the last SkyRoam device ? The new one seems to have better speed and battery ?

This is insanely bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! unlimited data scam.... its only 500mb which is worthless!! 2G speeds is like tmobile free data roaming. heck for extra $10 you can get tmobile one PLUS which comes with 3G speeds unlimited !

"But Google Fi requires an Android phone, and I’m a Verizon loyalist with an iPhone, so what options do I have for cellular data service when traveling abroad"
Google Fi just needs to be activated in a nexus device once, you can then remove the sim and use it in any phone, I suggest getting a SIM, activating when you have a friend nearby with a nexus and then freezing the account immediately till you need it and then popping it into your verizon iphone, it should work!

Insanely overpriced. Google Fi works fine with my iPhone. Not sure why anyone would ever buy this.

@Matt: It is faster, and the battery life is definitely way better (I think it's about twice as good -- 3000 mAh vs. 6000 mAh for the Solis). But keep in mind that it is also bigger and heavier than the old Skyroam. If you're interested, I think they have an upgrade program for people who have the old Skyroam. Check their website.

@Elias: Hmm, 500mb/day on a monthly basis would come to ~15gb/month. I tend to use less than half that, which leads me to believe that 500mb isn't a problem for me. But to each his own!

Expensive. I bought a portable WiFi spot on Cathay Pacific inflight duty free and it was around USD 130 with 5GB pre loaded. Works in 60+ countries and $15 to reload 5GB with the expiration. Much better value. FYI, it’s pokefi.

@david and @Fi User and @Andrew:

I'm an iPhone user on Project Fi. While I can't use the iPhone as a Hot Spot, which would solve this issue altogether rendering this article moot, I did buy a cheap, used Android phone on eBay for not much more than the cost of the SkyRoam. That allowed me to set up my "normal" SIM for use in my iPhone. Now I just use the Android phone with a data-only Project Fi SIM as a hotspot when I'm travelling internationally with friends who don't have international plans or when I'm working remotely and need my own hotspot. The Nexus line of phones are fairly slim and fit well in most backpack pockets to just carry around worry-free and you don't have to worry about another account to setup and maintain, or another bill to pay.

I haven't used the SkyRoam, but this seems cumbersome comparatively.

I pay GBP20 for "all you can eat" data and voice for 30 days use in the UK. I have an active SIM card and I add GBP20 every time I go there. Now that roaming is gone in Europe I can use that anywhere I go.

If you don't need 500 MB per day (but more like 1 GB or so over a week or two, which should be enough for basic web surfing, navigation, etc), this is way more expensive than Flexiroam ($30 for 1 GB over 90 days, plus $6 shipping). Flexiroam gives you a sticker to put on your phone's sim card, and you can switch between your normal network and Flexiroam's at will (requires rebooting the phone). Flexiroam only provides a data connection (not phone and text), and it allows you to use your phone as a wifi hotspot. It works in a long list of countries, and most reviews report very good connectivity and speed (which reflects my own experience). And it's much lighter than Skyroam, assuming you're also going to be carrying a phone around.

Wait, why is paying them $9 a day better than paying Verizon $10 a day?

I was excited until 9 dollars a day with 2g/3g boy speeds that’s extremely slow now adays and really expensive. Popping in a local or google fi sim will only cost 10-20 dollars for 2gb of data or more for a fifth of the price and faster speeds. I understand the conveniece, but local sim set up should only take 10 minutes max this is crazy prices.

I would take Verizon $10 option. You can turn on and off the Verizon roaming so it usually doesn't cost you 10 * days
I got burned by Verizon once though. I assume China was on the list but it wasn't at the time, my wife took an emergency call from one of her client, it cost us a little less than $100. Fortunately now China is on the list.

@David,

Thanks very much for explaining the freeze (fi calls it pause) feature on fi. I've been keeping my account open for ~$25 a month with taxes for the times during the year when I travel internationally. Good to know I can pause the account for up to 3 months at a time between uses. It's a fantastic 'feature' which will save me for those months where I'm not aboard.

Cheers!

The haters are funny....

Effectively, "You can get the same for a marginally lower price by just going somewhere and getting sim card for your phone assuming it's unlocked, for each of your phones unless you want to be tethered to your companion, and then you just need to do that in each country..."

Please... this looks like a nicely convenient option for those who want a consistent online experience abroad rather than having to reinvent the wheel and potentially overpay each time.

Surfroam is usually the best deal. You install their SIM card in your phone and pay by the MB. In most countries the rate is .02 euros per MB. If I stay more than a few days, I will usually purchase a local SIM but for short trips it works just fine. Customer service is via email but they always answer in less than an hour. I do not earn anything for recommending them, im just a satsified customer. I consider flexiroam but is is considerably more expensive. Do check their rates first. Some countries are prohibitively expensive like Vietnam.

Andrew, I like your writing style. You're funny. Thanks.

It's not remotely possible for me to understand how a hockey puck I have to carry is better than just paying Verizon $1/per day extra (no $150 startup fee, so I figure I'm ahead for the next decade or so).

I mean this might make sense if you're on a carrier that isn't T-Mobile and isn't Verizon and doesn't offer something similar to those two.

But a Verizon user? I don't see this as an option. At all.

We started using TEP as an alternative to AT&T because their plans are SO bad for international data. It works really well... and you don't have to buy the device, which I think is a bonus since technology changes so rapidly. You might check it out!

For me 500mb is simply not enough and 2g speeds after that are unusable, like the product but in my view not usable irrespective of price, It's a pain at times but local SIM card in my own MiFi for me, eg South Africa this week and $30 for a 5gb package that lasts up to a month (or until the 5gb has gone), great idea though and would buy if it was practical

I am a nomad, and my favorite connectivity hack is to pick up a very reasonably priced 3 UK sim that works in more than 20 countries for each my phone and tablet, plus two top ups for each, as they are only good for 90 days. That gives me 3 months of excellent data in the U.K. and 2G everywhere else.

When I go to a non-included country, such as Morocco, I just stop in to pick up a SIM, have the employee activate it, step outside and make sure it’s working, then return to the employee if it’s not. The one time I’ve had a problem, rebooting the device eliminated it.

I just don’t find buying a SIM that complicated. I’ve done it in multiple countries quickly and easily. Far more quickly than picking up a T-Mobile PayGo SIM in Las Vegas.

Bought it, bought everything with it, cases, day passes,.... can't even register, don't get ANY customer service. Had a text sent to me in Chinese! Give me a break, haven't had a chance to use but really dissatisfied

Appreciate the review and hearing the responses. I used the older Skyroam device in Japan, Singapore, and Angkor Wat area back fall 2016, and had a good experience. We do currently have AT & T and can pay a $10 per day international use fee, so I'm not totally sold on the new Solis yet in terms of cost saving.

Bought the Skyroam Solis based heavily on your review (and I did use your link/code). But I have to say, it was a complete and utter failure.

I was *super* excited when I first read about it here. As a frequent business traveler, it sounded like a dream come true. However, after using the product in areas both poorly-connected and richly-connected, I've learned that this device simply cannot connect reliably to the internet. After multiple days and many dollars spent on "day passes", I've never had connectivity that stayed up (*frequent drops* even from its own built-in gateway) or had anything better than 1998-style speeds (*terrible speed* even when it reports 3G/4G).

Because I'd been so excited about the product, I decided to reach out to support and let them know of my problems before posting any reviews. The only thing worse than the reliability of the connection or its speed is its *terrible support*. After some back-and-forth, they actually had the nerve to say, "our records say that you haven't used a day pass. You need to activate a day pass in order to connect." O-M-F-G. I was *sincerely* hoping that I had a defective device that they would determine was worth replacing, and that I'd then have the device I'd dreamed of. But clearly, this is going to be an orange spot in a landfill, which is a real pity.

Solis Skyroam I purchased it on board Emirates as I was doing a Road Trip in Europe, Germany, CZ, Austria. It is the worst choice I made, let me down almost every time I needed it to work, the only consistent thing it does is the LED going round and round. I wouldn't recommend it for those who really need to be connected at all times. I will return it and ask for a full refund. We are not even talking remote places here, if it doesn't work in Germany and Austria, forget China or India.

Solis Skyroam I purchased it on board Emirates as I was doing a Road Trip in Europe, Germany, CZ, Austria. It is the worst choice I made, let me down almost every time I needed it to work, the only consistent thing it does is the LED going round and round. I wouldn't recommend it for those who really need to be connected at all times. I will return it and ask for a full refund. We are not even talking remote places here, if it doesn't work in Germany and Austria, forget China or India.
Perhaps the network provider don't want this service to connect to them?!