Either you can’t stand being away from the internet or you REALLY can’t be away from the internet, that pretty much sums up 80% of people I know. It’s a sad reality that is pretty tough to avoid and that definitely applies to myself too. My partner and I have been working hard to break any reliance we have on mobile devices and social media, in our personal lives it tends to work quite well, unfortunately, we definitely need access to internet 24/7 for work, otherwise we can lose out on valuable projects. It’s worth noting that although we need access to internet 24/7, this doesn’t mean we constantly check emails, social media or phone messages, having good structures in place to minimise how much time is spent online can definitely maximise productivity, we’ll cover that aspect more in a future post. If you want to read about more Gadgets for Travellers, check out our other posts on the topic.
Photo Credit: RawPixel @ Unsplash
With that in mind, how do people travel the world whilst looking after their social media clients, hosting web seminars and getting all their emails replied to? If that’s something that’s stopped you from travelling in the past, then you will love portable routers, they work exactly like your home router, minus the cables and adding a sim card. At this point you might be asking, if I need a sim card, can’t I just use the internet on my phone? The answer is, you can, it just won’t be as reliable and depending on your circumstances, might just not cut it. A portable WiFi router lets you insert local sim cards, so you will always be paying the lowest rate possible, it also lets you set up your own private internet connection that multiple devices can connect up to and you can do this off the edge of a waterfall if you really wanted to. Most importantly, if you get the right device, you can get pretty nifty download speeds that will far out do what your mobile would generally be capable of. This can be a lifesaver, especially if your a digital nomad, really need internet for work or just want to catch up on the latest episode of Game Of Thrones whilst backpacking through India.
So, without any more rambling, nerdy references or boring details, here are three portable routers I would recommend checking out.
Huawei E5770 – £111
If you’re on a budget but want something that’s fast, portable, easy to use and tries to tick off as many boxes as possible, then this might be the portable router for you. Although they have newer versions of the product, we found this one did everything we needed and saved us money. It boasts download speeds of up to 150Mbps and upload speeds of 50Mbps and it can connect up to 10 separate devices including gaming consoles (in case you were in desperate need of taking your PS4 with you travelling). If these essentials weren’t enough, it also doubles up as a power bank and looks pretty damn stylish. You can find it on Amazon here.
Huawei E5330 – £32
Want something that just does the basics? If you need to send some emails (with no attachments), check Google Maps and do very, VERY, little else then this might be the device for you. Be prepared to become an incredibly patient person, I really hope there’s some magnificent views in front of you as you wait for that loading bar to fully fill. If you’re still not put off, then you will have saved a bunch of money and have a reliable device that might just be perfect for your needs (just not mine). Find it online here.
Huawei E5788 – £240
If you need the fastest, most reliable internet, if you’re taking a team abroad to work or if you’re a fancy pants who likes having the newest technology or if you just want to splash out, take a look at the E5788. It is a very fast device, with download speeds of up to 1Gbps you could be opening up 4K videos quicker than my home WiFi does. It also has power saving technology, which means more internet for longer and NFC technology, which means you can connect devices to the router by simply tapping them together (which is super useful if you find other people with NFC technology on their devices, not so much if you’re me). This device seems amazing, it does more than I currently need by a few miles, and I’m still pretty tempted to own it if for no other reason than how reliable and fast it is, the quicker you can upload those travel blogs whilst on holiday, the quicker you can get out to doing what you want on the trip. Find this beauty online here.
Never be put off travelling because you’re afraid you won’t be able to complete work due to internet, we’re incredibly lucky to live in a time where being location independent is actually becoming increasingly possible. Tried out any other portable routers? If so, let us know what you would recommend!
Co-founder @kitschinc and @wearefoodscouts. Musician and spoken word artist🎸@larkhilluk & Chicharrero. Podcast Host and Producer: Promote The Hell Out Of It!
