TEP Wireless Review: Using TEP Wireless as an Affordable Alternative for Roaming
12:47 PMPost by: Rebecca Esposito
If you already went through other TEP Wireless reviews and weren’t sure whether you should use this service for Wi-Fi access abroad, I can definitely put your worries to rest by recounting my own experience hunting for a practical, efficient, and affordable travel Wi-Fi hotspot to use on business trips and family holidays.
As an active entrepreneur and frequent traveler, I always need to be online – either receiving emails,
syncing my calendar, keeping up with prospects on social media, or just looking for adequate accommodations, sometimes in remote areas.
After trying out several data plans and MiFi solutions, I've found that TEP Wireless is the most
effective option that also provides you with speed and value for the money.
Roaming Costs for Internet Access
When traveling through Europe, you generally have to rely on companies like O2 to give you enough data for browsing the web outside your country at a decent price – which they normally don't… In fact, some offers are quite laughable, providing you with less than 50-100 MB of Internet access per day, which is basically useless in this day and age.
Roaming can also be extremely costly. If you want a data plan that gives you a decent amount of GBs for your money, you may have to reach pretty deep into your pockets. 1 GB of data can sometimes cost you as much as 200 Euros in some countries, and most companies don't offer any freebies or viable discounts whatsoever. And keep in mind that’s just 1 device!
Considering the fact that most photos are well over 1 MB in size, short videos can exceed 100 MB, and your browser tends to download at least 50-60 Mb of data each time you check your email or browse through basic websites, 1 GB of data likely won't even last you more than a day or two.
You can understand my desire to try out something like TEP Wireless, even if it meant taking a pretty big leap and a considerable risk. Under the circumstances, however – and considering what I had to gain – it was totally worth it!
TEP Wireless – A More Practical Portable Wi-Fi Solution
When it comes to Wi-Fi access, portability is key. This isn't just about keeping your mobile devices portable, and avoiding the need to carry around a bulky modem, but also about being able to go anywhere you want, and carry your Internet connection with you.
That's precisely what TEP allows us to do. The idea is that you can rent your own pocket Wi-Fi device, and configure it to give you unlimited Internet access through 3G and 4G connection on the spot, no matter where on the globe you may be. The process is entirely simple, involving a few basic steps for renting the modem online, having it delivered to your doorstep, and no special software or gimmicks.
There's only one word that can be used to describe this process: practical!
According to other TEP Wireless review posts, the prospect of accessing a connection so conveniently from another country and having a device that gives you unlimited Internet access for about half the price charged by most roaming services is quite unheard of. Not even other MiFi companies offering travel Wi-Fi hotspot solutions can compete with TEP.
A Travel Internet Hotspot You Can Count on
What I love about TEP Wireless is that you get this amazing little gadget that works for up to 8 hours on a single charge, charges quickly, and rarely, if ever, loses its connection.
I've taken the modem with me when I went on holiday to the French Alps last year, and I've also brought it with me on numerous business trips to Europe, the US, and Canada. It's quite well-constructed, compact, durable, and easy to use.
Here are a few of its main features that you can look forward to:
The Wi-Fi hotspot allows you to set up a network consisting of up to five Wi-Fi connections
activated together at any given time (that means five phones, tablets or laptops)
The modem can support speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps for downloads and 5.6 Mbps for uploads over a 3G network (with 4G speeds reaching even higher)
You can also track how much data you've used in case you’re curious.
The standard plan from TEP offers you unlimited data for a specified amount of time – you pay only for the number of days you'll be using it
It's already set up with a password, so you can start using it straight out of the box
With the speed and efficiency of the device offered by TEP, you can download music, watch streaming video, enjoy your social media streams, and blogs without any restrictions
Also, from what I've noticed, even though the Wi-Fi connection it generates is quite strong, you can't access the TEP device if you're farther away than about 15 meters. This may sound like a drawback to some, but it actually helps you avoid nosy tenants who might want to steal your connection when you're in a hotel or public place.
What You Get as Part of the Deal
As you will see from TEP Wireless review posts, TEP offers you everything you need on your trip abroad, and much more. As soon as you rent the device, it will be sent to your doorstep along with a soft carry case, the TEP manual, USB cable, and the charger fitted with regional adapter.
Even though I've only used it on my own and I don;t really know how it behaves when you connect more than one or two devices to it, I can attest to the quality and value offered by TEP from my own experience.
TEP Wireless is the ultimate wireless Internet hotspot you can use almost anywhere in the world, and the best thing about it is you can rent it for a remarkably affordable price.
1 comments
Thanks for this in depth review of TEP. We will be traveling to France soon, and I was debating buying or renting a device with TEP. With how much we travel abroad, renting seems like the wisest choice for us - but hopefully in the future we will travel overseas enough to justify purchasing a device.
ReplyDelete