When I was recently in the French Alps, hiking I might add, my friend Erin replied to my email, “Stop emailing and keep your eyes on the path!” I had sent her this picture stating, “If you never hear from me again well….”.
OK, I like to stay connect when travelling to France. Who doesn’t? Emailing friends and family, looking up directions, searching for a great restaurant for dinner, or sharing photos and experiences through social media is all part of travelling for many of us and it’s much easier when we have easy access to the internet. But what’s even better is when you can do it without going broke.
Avoid Enormous Roaming Bills
There are scary stories of travellers using data on a trip and being surprised by enormous roaming bills. Even the international roaming plans from your mobile phone provider can be extremely expensive. With my home provider, a Europe Passport Plan (800MB data + 300 minutes voice + unlimited texts) costs $150. And if you go over, it becomes very costly. (ie. $5.00/30MB for data).
Why LeFrenchMobile?
Yet for the past 4 years I have purchased a local (France) SIM card for my unlocked iPhone and it has been much cheaper (€20 or $28 for 1GB data. Calls within France would be €0.20 per minute and €0.38 for calls to North America). I did a lot of research and found the prices from the company Le French Mobile to have the best rates. I also liked how they would mail me my SIM card so I would have it upon arrival in France. It provided me with excellent phone and data service and was very easy to use.
BUT, I don’t like to do everything with my iPhone. The screen is too small for my blogging and I prefer to use my tablet or laptop. The solution? A mobile Wi-Fi hotspot (also known as a Mobile Wireless Device). It’s an incredibly lightweight, battery-powered Wi-Fi router that can fit in your pocket (75 grams or 2-5/8 ounces). It’s just like providing Wi-Fi to you when you are at home.
LeFrenchMobile Hotspot
The company offered to provide me with a hotspot for my recent trip to France in exchange for a review. While I already liked the company’s products, I wanted to see if it would make my life easier “on the road”.
Here’s how I used it and how it helped me. As always my opinions and reviews are my own.
How I Used It
- The Huawei brand Mobile Hotspot arrived quickly and came with:
- a SIM card already inserted (1 GB for 30 days)
- a battery, charging cable and instructions in English
- I activated the SIM/Hotspot immediately upon arriving in France
- It was very convenient. Not all my hotels had free Wi-Fi and to be honest I don’t trust hotel Wi-Fi. With the hotspot, my internet connection was always secure as it was password protected. This is a major point when using hotel wifi which is not always encrypted. Hackers can create fake networks (ie. “Guest WiFi”) and if you sign in, all your data and communication becomes vulnerable.
- When I did connect my laptop to the regular hotel Wi-Fi, the internet was dreadfully slow and spotty. Sitting outside on the terrace with my hotspot however, I had excellent reception (mainly 3G) and sites loaded quickly.
- When I was high up in the French Alps I could easily connect with friends using social media and email. I really wanted to send a picture of the beautiful views.
- In 11 days I used up almost 1GB of data.
- If I needed more data, it would be “pay as you go”. As it is prepaid, there would be no “surprises”.
- LeFrenchMobile’s website is in English and their customer service was very helpful when I had a few questions
- I was actually surprised how long the battery lasted, averaging 6 hours. Recharging was fast through a USB cord (provided).
Verdict
I loved it. It made connecting to the internet easy and reliable once I figured out how to initially connect and set up my account.
Few More Advantages of LeFrenchMobile Hotspot:
- You OWN the hotspot. You don’t have the nuisance of returning it. It is delivered free of charge with the SIM card already inserted and configured. Many companies offer hotspots but through a rental program (ie. 5 Euros a day with a small daily allowance of data). I can use this hotspot again on a future trip.
- With travel companions, up to 10 devices can be connected to this one hotspot, so the savings for everyone are even higher
- The data SIM card that comes with the hot spot is transferable. I could put it in an iPhone or iPad.
The information I have provided is accurate as of July 2016; however, you need to check out the LeFrenchMobile website to read about their plans and terms and conditions.
Website: LeFrenchMobile
24 Comments
Bola
July 30, 2016 at 11:13 amHi Jan,
I have an older version of Huawei and I’m just about to upgrade it. Thanks for the heads up. Not going to rely heavily on hotel WIFI in the future.
Jan
July 30, 2016 at 11:23 amThat hotel wifi and being hacked is scary. Nowadays everyone needs to be careful about identity theft.
Donna Janke
August 1, 2016 at 1:01 pmI have not used mobile hotspots in my travels to date, but am certainly looking at them for the future. I have the same concerns about hotel wifi that you do. LeFrenchMobile looks like a good option for travel in France.
Jan
August 1, 2016 at 1:32 pmIt certainly is one of the cheapest!
Billie
August 1, 2016 at 2:09 pmInteresting about the hot spot. Will check into it if we travel to France.
Jan
August 1, 2016 at 2:33 pmHopefully you’ll go there sooner than later!
Anita
August 2, 2016 at 4:22 amGreat info, Jan! We just returned from 10 days in France, and although we had WiFi most of the time in our hotels, it was a bummer not to be able to sit in the garden and upload photos and such. For next time, will certainly check out LeFrenchMobile Hotspot.
Jan
August 2, 2016 at 9:01 amThat’s what I liked most, that I could be away from the hotel and be outside…..on my computer!
Kay Dougherty
August 2, 2016 at 10:22 amWow – that sounds great! Is it limited to use in France? The fact that it’s also safer than hotel wi-fi is a good selling point on top of the massive convenience factor.
Jan
August 2, 2016 at 12:27 pmYou can use it anywhere but the SIM card that you get with your order would only be for France. It’s more expensive and not as cheap outside of France.
Karen Warren
August 2, 2016 at 11:50 amI always depend upon a mixture of hotel wifi (if available) and data packages from my normal provider. But as you say, hotel wifi can be unreliable and data packages can be expensive. So I like the idea of a personal hotspot – something for me to look out for.
Jan
August 2, 2016 at 12:27 pmSo glad I have it now, particularly when I travel with friends.
Jo ~ Lifestyle Fifty
August 2, 2016 at 3:53 pmWow, this sounds fabulous. Is it only available in France? Travelling as we are at the moment on a cruise it would be soo useful. And in Australia internet is very expensive … I wonder if we’ll ever get it there. Loved the pic you took by the cliff’s edge 😉
Jan
August 2, 2016 at 5:11 pmThank you. I like that picture too! You can order a hotspot from many companies. What applies to France is the SIM card…so data/voice only in France. They do have a SIM card that covers Europe (excl Switzerland) but the cost is high.
Marcelle
August 4, 2016 at 3:01 amGreat post and just in the right time for me. We are travelling to France for about a month and we won’t have internet in some of the houses. I was wondering how to manage these internet gaps. I will check out LeFrenchMobile Hotspot’s website. Thank you!
Jan
August 4, 2016 at 7:35 amLucky you for going to France for a month! Too bad your houses don’t have wifi! This could be the solution.
alison abbott
August 4, 2016 at 11:13 amI am constantly amazed by the upgrades appearing to keep us connected. LeFrenchMobile is an excellent solution and you were certainly in a remote location getting it to work. I am about to try a service in Alaska. Will be interesting to see if I can connect in our off the grid location!
Jan
August 4, 2016 at 11:26 amThat’s the most disappointing part of staying connected…poor service when one is in a remote area. Good luck!
Susan Reddel
August 5, 2016 at 1:47 pmWe frequently use these type of hot spots when we travel. I love that you keep the unit I’m always worried it’s not gonna get to you on time or get lost during shipping. We’ll check it out for our next trip.
Jan
August 5, 2016 at 3:17 pmThat’s certainly what I loved…that I can reuse it!
Rossana
August 5, 2016 at 11:08 pmThanks for sharing this, it is exactly what I need for travel. I like that it is something you keep and can use again and is more secure than the hotel wifi!
Jan
August 6, 2016 at 11:38 amThat’s certainly what I like—the security.
Patti Morrow
August 17, 2016 at 6:22 pmMifi’s can be such a pain. The LeFrenchMobile Hotspot sounds like a good option — thanks for doing the research for me!
Jan
August 17, 2016 at 6:42 pmYou’re welcome! I love to research.