Last Updated on October 21, 2022 by Rose Morah
When looking for a portable WiFi hotspot, instead of just searching online for the best portable wifi for travel, you also need to find out the experiences of other travelers who have used the devices.
No one wants to spend their money on a crappy device.
I was inspired to write this article from the challenges that I experienced working while traveling full-time. Getting a reliable mobile and wifi hotspot while traveling is a major challenge faced by many people, especially digital nomads.
This article discusses some of the best portable mobile wifi hotspots that will help you travel full-time and work conveniently with minimal to no internet disruptions.
Here’s a summary of the best portable wifi hotspots for travel:
- Huawei E5577Cs-321 4G LTE Mobile WiFi Hotspot
- GlocalMe G4 Pro 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot Router
- Huawei E5576-320 Unlocked Mobile WiFi Hotspot
- RoamWiFi R10 Mobile WiFi Hotspot
- GlocalMe U3 Mobile Hotspot, Wireless Portable WiFi
The following table shows a summary of the best mobile hotspot routers/portable wifi boxes for travel and their features.
| Portable WI-FI Hotspot | Battery Life | Connection | Weight & Size | Best Features |
Huawei E5577Cs-321 4G LTE Mobile WiFi Hotspot  Check the latest price on Amazon. | It gives you up to 6 hours of working time & up to 300 hours of standby. | Can connect up to 10 devices | 82 g (including the battery) | – Unlocked to all networks. Therefore, can use any SIM Card. – When using this portable WiFi in places where WiFi is available it switches automatically to the WiFi connection thus saving your LTE/3G network traffic fees. |
GlocalMe G4 Pro 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot Router  Check the current price on Amazon | Gives you up to 12 hours of continuous connectivity & use | Can connect up to 10 devices | 190g | – It has Global coverage in over 140 countries and regions. – No contract. – No sim card is needed. – Supports a SIM card slot. – No roaming charges. |
Huawei E5576-320 Unlocked Mobile WiFi Hotspot  Check the current price on Amazon | It gives you up to 6 hours of working time | Can connect up to 16 devices | 75g (including the battery) | – It supports a Wi-Fi repeater function. This means that it can switch to repeating the existing free WiFi hotspot. – Lightweight router. – Easy to use and convenient. |
RoamWiFi R10 Mobile WiFi Hotspot  Check the latest price on Amazon | It can be used for over 18 hours | It can connect up to 5 devices | 6.3 ounces | – It has global coverage in over 160 countries and regions. – It offers you convenient internet service while traveling. – Pay as you go. |
GlocalMe U3 Mobile Hotspot, Wireless Portable WiFi  Check out the current price on Amazon | You enjoy Up to 13 hours of use. | It can connect up to 10 devices | Approx. 125g / 4.4oz | – It works in over 140 countries around the world. – Has no roaming fees. |
Related: How to get high-speed internet while traveling.
Three things to know about mobile and wifi hotspots
- What’s the difference between a mobile hotspot and a wifi hotspot?
Mobile hotspot is mostly provided by phone/cellular corporations and usually provides lower internet speed compared to WIFI hotspot.
On the other hand, WIFI is usually provided by the local area internet service provider and offers a higher internet speed compared to mobile hotspots.
Therefore, for users who are torn between purchasing WiFi from a local area internet service provider vs unlimited hotspot data from mobile providers while abroad, these are the two key differences between WIFI and hotspot that you need to know.
2. What is the best at&t mobile hotspot plan?
It solely depends on the user. Personally, I prefer the AT&T DataConnect plan because of its 5G network and it allows me to connect all my devices. (Laptop, tablet, mobile hotspot, LTE camera e.t.c)
You can check out other AT&T Wireless data-only plans, to know which plan best suits your needs.
See also: List of Countries Included in AT&T International Calling.
N/B: Before purchasing any data plan, ensure that you understand the limitations. These can be;
- Caps on hotspot use.
- Video throttling.
- Network management.
3. How to get an at&t hotspot for free
AT&T WiFi hotspots are available nationwide and you can easily access them for free if you have an AT&T account.
Follow the following steps to access AT&T WiFi hotspots:
- Turn on WiFi on your device. This can be your laptop.
- Look for the WiFi Network with the name “attwifi” or select the SSID ( Service Set Identifiers).
- Next, open the web browser and select the option, “I have an AT&T Account”. You may also see the option to “Sign in with your AT&T WiFi username and password”.
- Sign in with the username and password that you use on your primary AT&T account.
- A drop-down menu will appear. Select your AT&T Network name.
- You will then be connected for free on the AT&T hotspot.
