Difference Among WiFi Router, SIM Card, Roaming and Free WiFi

When it comes to choosing an internet solution while traveling abroad, you basically have these four options: WiFi router, SIM card, roaming and free public WiFi. It’s a no brainer why internet is so crucial now. Nobody takes guide books whilst traveling anymore. There are some places where public WiFi is fast and free, like Seoul. While in Japan Free WiFi can be surprisingly difficult to find. In this article, we are going to tell you why you should think twice about connecting to free WiFi and which internet solution is the best for you. Different travelers will have different needs to stay connected. Some people might only require minimal data connection and others not.

WiFi router is straightforward and simple to use. It’s a device about the size of a normal portable charger, just like your family router, you just turn it on and it connects to your phone, tablet, or your laptop. If you are traveling with a group of friends, it will be the most cost-effective way, usually the quality of the internet is very on point if it’s connected to 4 devices or less. WiFi router is also great if you’re on a business trip, for that you might need to connect your laptop to the internet.
What about the cons of WiFi router? First of all, you can’t be away with your travel partner, otherwise you lose the internet connection. Secondly, the battery of a rental WiFi router can be not consistent. Because the devices rotate around customers, and they get old. Some people mind carrying a portable charger for the router if the battery can’t last more than 6 hours. Plus, the router itself weighs a little as well. It kind of does make a difference if you’re carrying your bag walking all day.

A sim card is a very popular option for shorter trips. You get your own data, you don’t have to carry an extra device, and you can make calls as well. But of course, there's some inconvenience attached. First, your phone must be unlocked. The practice of SIM locking is more common in the United States. Many phone carriers SIM-lock their smartphones so that they only work with that particular carrier. If you have enabled the SIM Lock feature and don’t know the PIN, don’t guess. Most cards allow three mistakes and then require you to enter a PUK code. Secondly, your phone might not be compatible with the local network, especially if your phone is a Chinese brand.

It’s pretty clear how much data you’re getting with the SIM card you bought. Be sure to turn off the data of the apps that you’re not using. Also, erase your data tracking record and start from zero, so you know exactly how much data you have used. Here’s an idea about how what you can do with 500mb: 4 minutes of youtube video, using Google Maps 135 times, 15 minutes of Skype video call, 150 minutes of Skype phone call, 250,000 text messages of Whatsapp or Line, 2000 pages of browsing or sending 1,000 e-mails.

1 GB is 1,024mb, so you can do your math.

Out of all available options, data roaming is the most convenient one. I mean, if you don’t mind the bill shock. The latter can get pretty expensive if you don’t know what you are doing. Most cases, people who have roaming on just because they forgot to turn it off. And because you’ll have your same phone number, if anyone back home calls you, they’ll get socked with a fat bill.

Here are the pros of roaming, you don’t need to take your SIM card out, can still receive calls to your number, with purchasing things online, you get to receive SMS message from your bank as well. For some countries, roaming is not that expensive. Some carriers provide a bit of megabytes which can be enough to shoot some important e-mails. So, if you’re only staying one or two days abroad and you need internet connection badly to deal with business, roaming is for you.

 Free WiFi is sweet for budget travelers, plus they do very much enjoy staying off -line anyway. If you’re traveling to Japan, good news, Tokyo offer their own free WiFi networks which have been rapidly improved toward the Olympic games in 2020. For backpackers, getting lost in a foreign country can be quite romantic, why bother with having internet access all the time? Connect to WiFi that restaurants or hostels provide is okay, but with free public WiFi we have to nag a lot, so bear with us. When you’re connected to public WiFi, hacker can easily have access to every piece of information you're sending out, credit card information is sure the most common target.

To avoid becoming a victim of identity theft, make sure to turn on VPN app before connecting to public WiFi. FYI, VPN stands for virtual private network. Businesses use VPNs to connect remote datacenters, and individuals can use VPNs to get access to network resources when they’re not physically on the same local area network.

While using free public WiFi, please do not reveal any of your personal information. And lastly, turn off WiFi connection on your device after using public WiFi.

The decision on which option to choose comes down to your budget, how bad you need internet access, group size, how many days of traveling and whether or not you will be needing internet access on the go for your devices other than your phone.

Seriously, having a smooth internet connection can save a lot of fights while traveling. No more getting lost after you walk a ton on a hot, humid day. No need to face your partner if he or she is being annoying (you can just scroll on Instagram). But make sure you plan your internet solution out in advance for your upcoming trips. For WiFi router rental, it can be hard to get your hands on during peak-tourist season. 

For portable WiFi router rental, visit https://visionglobalwifi.com/