Travelling overseas while staying connected can often be challenging. On the upside, there are many roaming services offered by your own telecom operator plus you can always buy a local e-SIM these days from online stores.
Sometimes, you want a data connection for the whole family without paying for every device, especially when the kids want to watch their YouTube videos on a road trip.
The GlocalMe Global Portal Wi-Fi RoamPlug is a good solution when you want Internet access in your car or hotel room without using the less-secure Wi-Fi access in the hotel. Like good old mobile Wi-Fi gadgets, it lets everyone around you get hooked up wirelessly.
First, however, you have to buy a data plan from GlocalMe’s online store and register the RoamPlug through the GlocalMe app using the QR code printed on the device before you travel.
When you’re overseas, power up the device using any hotel power sockets, log in using the Wi-Fi access point name and rassword, and you are connected.
The RoamPlug is useful because it doubles as an international power adaptor. As a 70W GaN charger, it juices up your electronic devices while being connected to the network, which is helpful because you have one less thing to pack for your trip.
The RoamPlug allows internet access while on the road if it is attached to a power bank or used with the car’s USB power port, thus expanding its usefulness.
During my travels recently, my experience with GlocalMe was uneventful, which was a good thing. The RoamPlug hooked up to the Internet without much fuss, and the connection to five devices in a car was excellent. Okay, that’s as long as the RoamPlug, like any smartphone, had a good link to a mobile network.
The cost of a data connection depends on your destination. For a 5G package, I would have spent US$29 (S$38) on a one-week trip to Western Australia. Compared to buying an eSIM service for the same duration with a daily limit of 1GB at S$21, the RoamPlug can seem expensive for a single user.
It works great for a family with young children, as the cost is shared. However, the RoamPlug will not be as useful if friends and family are separated to do their own shopping or have fun at a theme park, as they will be disconnected. For that, it’s still useful to have data services for each user.
In other words, the GlocalMe RoamPlug is a great device for connecting to the Internet in a car, train, or hotel room, when a group of travellers are close by.
It is a good backup, especially when local Wi-Fi services are spotty or non-existent. However, the RoamPlug takes up space in the bag. It doubles up as an international charger but for it to be used on the go, you’d need a power bank.
At US$99.99 (S$132), the GlocalMe RoamPlug does not come cheap, either, and it requires additional purchase of data plan for your destination. So, whether it’s a good deal depends on how you’d be travelling.
Don’t forget you can also bring an old phone to work as a Wi-Fi router and plug in a local SIM card, which might work out to be cheaper for a family travelling overseas.
