Skyroam

Forums › New Zealand Mobile and Wireless › Skyroam - data while travelling.

Technofreak

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#165565 13-Feb-2015 14:08

This looks interesting. Has anyone tried one?

http://www.skyroam.com/

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BDFL - Memuneh
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Geekzone

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#1237331 13-Feb-2015 14:10

No map with coverage or how to find hotspots?

sep11guy

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#1237335 13-Feb-2015 14:14

freitasm: No map with coverage or how to find hotspots?

Coverage here :

http://www.skyroam.com/How_3Gmate_Works

3g

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#1237640 13-Feb-2015 21:46

freitasm: No map with coverage or how to find hotspots?

Like you Mauricio, I was like "How useless is this - no mention of where the hotspots are!".

But then I looked at the tech specs which refer to HSDPA technologies and the following text:

"Leveraging our patented virtual SIM technology, Skyroam provides fast and cost-effective 3G/4G mobile internet service around the globe to power Internet of Things (IoT) applications, including wearables, M2M, telematics and other cellular-connected devices…all without the need for a physical SIM."

So it sounds like it's a MiFi type device with a virtual SIM.

Could be interesting.

freitasm

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#1237687 13-Feb-2015 23:40

Ok, looked again. Yes, it's a mobile WiFi hotspot - it uses mobile data 3G/4G for roaming.

khull

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#1237767 14-Feb-2015 09:19

Possibly some agreement like how Amazon kindle 3G works around the world?

LennonNZ

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#1238825 14-Feb-2015 12:00

Most Likely its just a normal openroam based sim in a 3G to WIFI unit set to roaming to be on.

Nothing new really. Many companies are doing it these days.

In the States it roamed on various providers as far as I could tell.

I have a knowroaming sticker (Basically a really thin sim card) attached to my standard 2Degrees sim card in my iPhone 6+ and worked 100% whilst I was overseas in SFO and Hawaii.

Data via the knowroaming was US $7.50/Day unlimited data compared to NZ $512/Gb with 2Degrees :-( Why is 2D sooo expensive when roaming....

Yes my number changed but I could have applied for a NZ number on the knowroaming and then forwarded my normal number to that one.

It works in NZ as well but didn't check what provider it roamed on , most likely Vodafone.

sep11guy

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#1238828 14-Feb-2015 12:15

LennonNZ: Most Likely its just a normal openroam based sim in a 3G to WIFI unit set to roaming to be on.

Nothing new really. Many companies are doing it these days.

In the States it roamed on various providers as far as I could tell.

I have a knowroaming sticker (Basically a really thin sim card) attached to my standard 2Degrees sim card in my iPhone 6+ and worked 100% whilst I was overseas in SFO and Hawaii.

Data via the knowroaming was US $7.50/Day unlimited data compared to NZ $512/Gb with 2Degrees :-( Why is 2D sooo expensive when roaming....

Yes my number changed but I could have applied for a NZ number on the knowroaming and then forwarded my normal number to that one.

It works in NZ as well but didn't check what provider it roamed on , most likely Vodafone.

with vodafone roaming is even cheaper - $5 a day, I used it last dec and it worked like a charm !!

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LennonNZ

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#1238831 14-Feb-2015 12:27

Telecom (Spark) was even better when I was on a Postpaid account 2 years ago when I went to the States.

Data was basically free a long as you used it reasonably (ie the same as you would use it in NZ)

Between the 3 mobile carriers in NZ there is quite a huge difference if you want to go overseas to roam and still use your existing number and data.

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#1238930 14-Feb-2015 15:35

LennonNZ: Yes my number changed but I could have applied for a NZ number on the knowroaming and then forwarded my normal number to that one.

Do you happen to know how much a NZ number costs?

It seems you need to go through the app to see their pricing as I can't see anything obvious on the Web. My mobile provider doesn't support call forwarding, and 2Talk doesn't support SMS forwarding, so another solution would be needed.

LennonNZ

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#1238933 14-Feb-2015 15:54

Seems knowroaming updated a couple of things in the last 2 weeks

US $7.99 - Unlimited Data - 1 Day
US $23.97 - Unlimited Data - 3 Days
US $55.93 - Unlimited Data - 7 Days

New Zealand Number is US $4.82/Month

Free SMS incoming, Outgoing costs US $0.18 (New Zealand)

Niel

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#1238950 14-Feb-2015 16:23

You do get a SIM that is part of a 3G modem, not specific to a carrier. It is not a removable card, it is programmed into the modem chipset.

You can never have enough Volvos!

LennonNZ

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#1238975 14-Feb-2015 16:34

Each Device has its own pros and cons.

Skyroam is just a WIFI Device which any device can connect to and then the device itselfs connects via the cellular network where ever you are.
Knowroaming is a stick on 3G card (which you place on your existing card) which you can tell your phone to swap to and then acts like a normal sim card (but with a different number)

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skyroam

#1242828 20-Feb-2015 09:21

Hi thanks for the discussion on Skyroam!

We are a bit different than a roaming SIM -- we have built our patented virtual SIM (vSIM) technology into the hotspot. This allows us to switch carriers on the device on the fly to deliver a local 3G/4G data connection. The advantages are lower cost and better performance. Better performance is due to the fact that we break out data locally to the internet. Roaming with your carrier or a via a global data SIM usually means data is being piped all the way back to the home country before breaking out to the internet.

Suggest you try it for yourself!

Best regards, Eric

www.skyroam.com

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#1242835 20-Feb-2015 09:29

skyroam: Hi thanks for the discussion on Skyroam!
...
Suggest you try it for yourself!

Perhaps Skyroam would like to send a unit to Geekzone to trial?

I ended up purchasing a KnowRoaming SIM as a result of this discussion. I would have preferred Skyroam, as I'd rather have separate data than have to switch back and forth between SIMs while travelling (no call/SMS forwarding on Skinny - looking to change as a result).

The reason I didn't go with Skyroam came down purely to price. KnowRoaming has cheaper daily rates, and multi-day data packages. I will however be keeping an eye on Skyroam and if future pricing is closer to the competition, I'd certainly be keen to give it a go.

freitasm

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#1242837 20-Feb-2015 09:32

SirHumphreyAppleby:
skyroam: Hi thanks for the discussion on Skyroam!
...
Suggest you try it for yourself!

Perhaps Skyroam would like to send a unit to Geekzone to trial?

That would be interesting because, yes we know roaming pipes mobile data back to the home network. It would be interesting to compare both solutions. If that's the case hit me up via PM or the Contact page.

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