Skyroam Portable Router Review

When you travel carry-on there’s a high bar for what makes the backpack.
In our case, we bring only the bare essentials for working and living abroad. But we’ve come across a new possession that has rapidly become our favourite and most indispensable item.

Say hello to the Sykroam and say adios to multiple SIM cards, tracking down recharging codes, and having your credit run out at the least convenient time.

The Skyroam has been great for us. We love:
– Having 24/7 access to the internet, regardless of what time we arrive in the country and whether or not we have a local SIM
– Google translate at our disposal
– Switching between countries with ease
– And the best feature is that we are able to save hundreds of dollars in accommodation. (More on that below)

What is the Skyroam?

The Skyroam is a portable router that lets you connect to WiFi in over 100 countries around the world.
Slightly larger than a cell phone it comes with two rechargeable batteries, and a usb cable so you never need to worry about finding an outlet.

How Does It Work?

As long as you are in an area with cell reception, you’ll be able to connect to the internet with Skyroam. The Skyroam has partnerships around the world and automatically connects you to the nearest towers as soon as you hit “start”.

In fact, we were able to connect to a WiFi network within 3 minutes of opening the package.

Simply
1) Turn it on (using the button on the side)
2) Select that you’d like to connect
3) Confirm using a 24 hour pass

That’s it — you’re online! So easy, so intuitive.

Digital nomads, gap year travelers, and anyone who travels internationally will love the Skyroam.

According to Skyroam the service is not optimised for video streaming but I’ve had success holding multiple Skype calls (some with video), and we’ve also streamed a little John Oliver here and there.
If you’re like me and dread tracking down SIM cards in foreign countries, charging and recharging balances, and swapping out sims like a blackjack dealer you are going to love the Skyroam.

When & Where does it work best?

So far we’ve tried the Skyroam in France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and
Germany.

The Skyroam in the Netherlands was lightning fast – faster than fiber optic in Madrid and worked smoothly without interruptions. From Amsterdam we took a bus that passed through Belgium and arrived in Lille, France.
The Skyroam automatically disconnected from the Netherlands towers and reconnected itself to the network in Belgium with only a 45 second lapse in service. Again when we crossed the border from Belgium to France it switched networks automagically without me having to prompt it or restart.
Service in France was not as quick as we were used to, but it certainly saved us in a few pinches. There’s nothing like needing to send an email and being “stuck” in rural France.
In Germany we had good WiFi in our apartments but also took advantage to use the Skyroam to keep our GPS and WhatsApp flowing while we explored Cologne.

Are There Any Downsides?

No product is perfect. The only drawback of Skyroam is they’re only able to offer a limited amount of bandwidth and once that’s surpassed your speeds will drop – but not stop – and you’ll still be able to use email and social media. In that sense I found it to be a great motivator to get the important work done for the day and then use the slower speeds to navigate on social media — or go outside and explore.
After 24 hours your speed is reset and you’re back at the standard bandwidth.
If I could change anything about the system it would be to have the ability to pay extra to keep up the speeds for a full 24 hour period.
Sometimes it loses the tether – even when we weren’t moving – but it automatically searches again and reconnects within a matter of minutes.

What I love the most about the Skyroam is that it’s constantly available, 24/7 — no matter which of their covered countries I am in.

How the Skyroam saved us over $500 in one month

Places with WiFi on Airbnb tend to be more costly. For instance, we were doing a search for a condo in the Regalia complex in Kuala Lumpur — that rooftop infinity pool is calling our name — and were able to find a unit with WiFi that was $45 per night. We found the same unit in the building with no WiFi for $27. For a one month stay that’s a savings of $540!

How Much Does the Skyroam Cost?

The Skyroam has rental options for various prices listed here but I’d recommend purchasing the unit for $99 right now  since they’re gifting 3 day passes with purchase.
Skyroam delivers internationally and were even able to deliver it to my Madrid mailing address without me having to deal with the notorious customs department.

The Bottom Line 

If you rely on internet and travel internationally you need the Skyroam on your packing list. It’s been the best product for staying connected we’ve found so far, and we’re not looking back! To get your very own Skyroam and check in from fabulous places all around the world, click here and purchase now.

Please note that we’ve partnered with Skyroam for this review and are affiliates of the product. If you use the links in the above review we’ll get a percentage of the sale and you pay nothing extra. As always, we only recommend and work with products we believe in and use ourselves.