WIFI brick rental

kk20 · 10 Jan 22, 02:47 PM

We usually rent a WIFI brick (or take our own if it is europe). We havent been to the US for a while and the last time I borrowed a WIFI brick from a colleague.

Does anyone have any experience of a decent rental provider? We wont be using it for streaming services, merely for daily use when out and about (we arent going to trust the WIFI totally).

A brick usually works out better for us (has done in the past and is usually more efficient than WIFI sharing via a roaming phone) when we have teenagers and their devices...

**NewtoOrlando** · 10 Jan 22, 06:15 PM

Literally never heard of a WIFI brick rental lol. What is it?

Orlando 2004 · 10 Jan 22, 06:16 PM

Originally Posted by NewtoOrlando

Literally never heard of a WIFI brick rental lol. What is it?

Same, I'm glad you asked. 🤣

dan223 · 10 Jan 22, 06:21 PM

There is plenty of WiFi around these days, in the parks, hotels etc, personally don't see the need, but I also have data on my phone.

Rental seems a bit odd, you would either buy something out there with a certain amount of data, or buy something here that has some sort of roaming included, though the latter is probably harder to find. I'd be surprised if anyone rents them out as they aren't that expensive to purchase.

Originally Posted by NewtoOrlando

Literally never heard of a WIFI brick rental lol. What is it?

I assume they mean a hotspot device, a mini wifi router with a cellular data plan.

Rac20 · 10 Jan 22, 06:28 PM

I�m presuming a wifi brick is like the wifi buddy we used in Japan. It actually worked really well for us. Sorry no advice on how/where you get one in the states. But I�m going to use an esim that was suggested by another dibber.

**Dr.JumbaJookiba** · 10 Jan 22, 06:41 PM

For $90 you can buy the simple mobile MiFi and a 40gb top up card from Best Buy.

bestbuy/site/simple-...?skuId=6412518

**swintonowl** · 10 Jan 22, 07:47 PM

We're just back from a trip and used Truphone which is great if your device supports e-sim.

For �8 you can get 2GB of data that lasts 30 days. The newest iphones allow you to add a second line so you can just turn data roaming off on your UK SIM and add a truphone e-sim then set that as the data plan.

It does allow you to hotspot share so you can share between the family.

We only used just over 1GB in 10 days between us as we were mostly on hotel / theme park wifi so it was only if we were in a black spot that we would need it, or if out and about travelling in taxis / idrive etc.

kk20 · 11 Jan 22, 05:45 PM

yep, portable hotspot. we have one like this:

amazon/E5576-320-P... 919427&sr=8-3

and take it everywhere with us on holidays. It is far cheaper to run on holidays as you need one sim card for all of us especially with the kids and their devices. It also means you can run your phone in airplane mode with only wifi enabled, the battery lasts much longer.

I say rental because you sometimes get packages, In the far east it was common to rent, pick up from the airport and return. Japan was the same. I wondered if the US did this but it seems not. I will investigate getting a US sim card for our unit instead.

**swintonowl** · 11 Jan 22, 06:22 PM

Originally Posted by kk20

yep, portable hotspot. we have one like this:

amazon/E5576-320-P... 919427&sr=8-3

and take it everywhere with us on holidays. It is far cheaper to run on holidays as you need one sim card for all of us especially with the kids and their devices. It also means you can run your phone in airplane mode with only wifi enabled, the battery lasts much longer.

I say rental because you sometimes get packages, In the far east it was common to rent, pick up from the airport and return. Japan was the same. I wondered if the US did this but it seems not. I will investigate getting a US sim card for our unit instead.

With a physical sim you will have to go into a US store to purchase one and the prices are quite high (around $35). Otherwise you can buy online a worldwide SIM but that will be closer to $50. I did the physical AT&T sim a few years back and found it a hassle to setup and activate (I purchased from Walmart).

Since the time you usually need the data plan is when your plane lands and you want to get a taxi and where you are going then it's hassle if you have to visit a physical store first.

If you do have an iphone 11, SE (2020 model) or above then its really easy to add an eSIM and much cheaper. You simply put the truphone app on your phone and either buy a package when you arrive or before you depart. Then setup the hotspot mode on your phone and auto allow family members. As long as they are in range of you then they'll connect through the data plan.

Your iphone battery will run out quicker but rather than carry a 'brick' device just carry a USB power pack and keep your phone on charge.

If you do purchase a local SIM in the US then it needs to be on either the T-Mobile or AT&T network as European devices do not support the network technology that Verizon or Sprint use.

dan223 · 11 Jan 22, 06:26 PM

I agree e-sim is often the best way to go these days.

Airalo have one of the most competitive prices
airalo/united-states-esim

10 Jan 22, 02:47 PM	#1
	10 Jan 22, 02:47 PM kk20 Imagineer
kk20 Imagineer Join Date: Jan 13	WIFI brick rental We usually rent a WIFI brick (or take our own if it is europe). We havent been to the US for a while and the last time I borrowed a WIFI brick from a colleague. Does anyone have any experience of a decent rental provider? We wont be using it for streaming services, merely for daily use when out and about (we arent going to trust the WIFI totally). A brick usually works out better for us (has done in the past and is usually more efficient than WIFI sharing via a roaming phone) when we have teenagers and their devices...

10 Jan 22, 06:41 PM	#6
	10 Jan 22, 06:41 PM Dr.JumbaJookiba VIP Dibber ✓Premium Member
Dr.JumbaJookiba VIP Dibber Join Date: Mar 07	For $90 you can buy the simple mobile MiFi and a 40gb top up card from Best Buy. bestbuy/site/simple-...?skuId=6412518 __________________ Dining Report Jan/Feb '19 Dining Report July '19 Dining Report Nov/Dec '21 Dining Report March �22 Dining Report April/May '23 Dining Report Jan/Feb '24

10 Jan 22, 07:47 PM	#7
	10 Jan 22, 07:47 PM swintonowl VIP Dibber ✓Premium Member
swintonowl VIP Dibber Join Date: Jul 16	We're just back from a trip and used Truphone which is great if your device supports e-sim. For �8 you can get 2GB of data that lasts 30 days. The newest iphones allow you to add a second line so you can just turn data roaming off on your UK SIM and add a truphone e-sim then set that as the data plan. It does allow you to hotspot share so you can share between the family. We only used just over 1GB in 10 days between us as we were mostly on hotel / theme park wifi so it was only if we were in a black spot that we would need it, or if out and about travelling in taxis / idrive etc.

11 Jan 22, 05:45 PM	#8
	11 Jan 22, 05:45 PM kk20 Imagineer Thread Starter
kk20 Thread Starter Imagineer Join Date: Jan 13	yep, portable hotspot. we have one like this: amazon/E5576-320-P... 919427&sr=8-3 and take it everywhere with us on holidays. It is far cheaper to run on holidays as you need one sim card for all of us especially with the kids and their devices. It also means you can run your phone in airplane mode with only wifi enabled, the battery lasts much longer. I say rental because you sometimes get packages, In the far east it was common to rent, pick up from the airport and return. Japan was the same. I wondered if the US did this but it seems not. I will investigate getting a US sim card for our unit instead. Edited at 05:47 PM.

11 Jan 22, 06:26 PM	#10
	11 Jan 22, 06:26 PM dan223 Imagineer
dan223 Imagineer Join Date: Sep 11	I agree e-sim is often the best way to go these days. Airalo have one of the most competitive prices airalo/united-states-esim