Sapphire is a global hotspot device used mostly by people who travel internationally. Sapphire provides a powerful pocket-sized 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot. It is available in over 130 countries globally. It was initially designed for the US Military but has now become an essential gadget for travellers. We will review Sapphire hotspot in this article.
If you travel a lot you will realize how difficult it can be to get online. If you are a world traveller then Sapphire hotspot is going to be worth investing in. The Sapphire Touch hotspot is the size of an older model cell phone. Its maximum theoretical downward down speed is 150 megabytes per second and up speed is 50 megabytes a second. It also includes a 3500 milliamp-hour battery, which means you can use it for a day or two and you can use the USB port on the bottom to charge your smartphone or other similar devices. It supports up to five devices that can be connected simultaneously. When you get the device it comes with some data after which you’ll be required to buy data plans as you go. You can also insert a sim or two sims if you want to use the dual sim system that is inbuilt.
So how does Sapphire Hotspot work? There is a smartphone app for either the Android or iPhone that is called Sapphire which lets you review your usage history, purchase a data bundle and more. They are able to serve over 130 countries through what is called a Call cloud sims. There are over 2000 preloaded sims that let the device connect locally to a wide variety of different networks that allow you to access wireless networks or cellular networks as if you were a local of the region you are visiting. It simulates having to purchase a sim for a data plan in the country you are in. It can get you online in many parts of the world, for example, South Africa, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Libya, Italy etc.
There are two different payment options it offers. Prepaid runs at about five cents (dollars) per megabyte. Pay-as-you-go which you can select from a range of data bundles from the mobile app. The data bundles are fairly priced and give you lots of data however it depends on which country you are in. If you are in somewhere like China or in the Middle East where the local options are pretty expensive, the Sapphire Hotspot is not equally as expensive. It is reviewed as a secure and economical way for you to get online without using any of their telecom infrastructures.
The connectivity is great and if you are overseas you don’t have to rely on anyone else or any other service in order to get you connected online. To get you started, Sapphire comes preloaded with 500 megabytes of international data. The downside to this device is that when charging it doesn’t show you how much charge it has gotten (per cent or bars), it just charges until it’s full. The Sapphire Hotspot devices retail between $150 – $200 at Sapphirego.com.
How to use Sapphire Hotspot
Firstly, you download the Sapphire Global Wi-Fi app from Google PlayStore or Apple Store. Register your account, so you can log in to use the app. After setting up your account, log in to review your current data plans, link a Sapphire device, buy data plans and more. Select your destination and view the data plans available for your region. You can also buy global plans which means you don’t need to select a region, you just have access to data internationally on the device. You can pay via PayPal and add your coupon codes to get a discount on your data plan. To link the device on a Sapphire 2 hotspot device, there is a barcode on the back of the device that you will need to scan after clicking the Link Sapphire Device button on the app. This will connect your Sapphire hotspot device to the app on your phone. It is important to contact your home current mobile carrier and request that they pause your service, or you can manually do it on your phone. When you land at your destination, keep your phone on airplane mode to avoid expensive roaming fees. Turn on your Wi-Fi connect to Sapphire’s secure signal and enjoy 4G network speeds.
