Are Portable 4g Hotspots Viable For Work Travel? My Verdict After Testing One In California

TravlFi JourneyGo 4G Hotspot

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The TravelFi JourneyGo 4G Hotspot usually retails for $199.
• Roughly nan size of a lucky puck, this is an easy-to-use instrumentality that provides unchangeable Wi-Fi connections distant from home.
• It does, however, struggle successful precocious postulation areas.

Follow ZDNET: Add america arsenic a preferred source on Google.

Over nan past mates of weeks, I've been testing an absorbing small gadget called nan JourneyGo 4G Hotspot. It's astir nan size of a lucky puck (and moreover looks for illustration one), pinch a elemental purpose: to supply a strong, reliable Wi-Fi hotspot relationship for individual devices erstwhile distant from home. You won't person to bet connected spotty section networks aliases salary those outrageous roaming fees while traveling.

Also: Ookla launches Wi-Fi Speedtest Certified programme to thief beryllium web quality

Yes, smartphones tin do nan aforesaid point via hotspot tethering, but this is amended than a smartphone. It is simply a pocket-sized instrumentality that ensures you're ever connected to nan wider internet, beryllium it for work, school, aliases streaming. That is, astatine slightest for nan astir part. There are a fewer scenarios wherever nan JourneyGo falters.

Allow maine to explain. 

Setting up nan JourneyGo

Setting up nan JourneyGo Hotspot is straightforward. Once you move it on, scan nan QR codification astatine nan bottommost to activate nan device. Then, you person to acquisition a work scheme pinch TravelFi truthful you tin usage nan JourneyGo arsenic intended. I'll database retired nan subscription specifications later because they subordinate to nan device's wide cost.

The JourneyGo supports up to 10 simultaneous connections from smartphones, laptops, desktop PCs, and moreover handheld gaming consoles for illustration nan Lenovo Legion Go S. It operates by scanning and connecting to cellphone towers, automatically choosing nan strongest signal.

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET

Performance

Before I talk what's bully astir JourneyGo, I want to quickly reappraisal nan challenges I faced because I judge they'll beryllium rather common. The biggest situation was extracurricular interference. I unrecorded adjacent a engaged intersection, which intends dozens of smartphones, laptops, and different devices compete for entree to nan aforesaid section wireless network. Under these conditions, nan JourneyGo struggled.

Also: Slow aliases spotty Wi-Fi astatine home? Try my 10 go-to fixes to optimize your net - fast

Internet speeds fluctuated wildly. At its worst, everything slowed to a crawl pinch elemental web pages taking everlastingly to load. When connected to my desktop (which has Wi-Fi antennas), download and upload speeds plummeted to conscionable 2.3 Mbps and 1.39 Mbps, respectively. There were moreover times erstwhile nan relationship would driblet altogether, leaving only a reddish LED indicator.

Outside of these suboptimal scenarios, capacity was wholly fine; successful fact, it was great.

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET

The JourneyGo 4G shines successful low-traffic environments. At night, erstwhile less group competed for bandwidth, nan hotspot relationship felt astir indistinguishable from my location Wi-Fi. Web pages loaded quickly, streaming Netflix shows was smooth, and mundane browsing felt seamless. 

For example, I managed to acquisition caller gym shorts, an aux cord, hairsbreadth pomade, and streamed a lo-fi hep hop position connected YouTube successful 1080p without a hitch. Every video I watched ran steadily successful precocious solution (a fewer were successful 4K), and nan audio came done crystal clear.

Also: Finally, I recovered a portable charger that checks each of my boxes for traveling

TravlFi's gadget isn't constricted to casual browsing and streaming video; it besides supports dependable online gaming. I was impressed that I could play Helldivers 2 online pinch different people. To beryllium wholly honest, I was afloat expecting nan relationship to crash, aliases astatine slightest stutter a little. Not only was nan acquisition smooth, but I didn't suffer a azygous disconnect.

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET

However, moreover nether optimal conditions, nan JourneyGo still didn't person nan champion download and upload speeds. I ran nan Ookla net velocity trial connected an Acer Aspire 16 AI while connected to nan hotspot gadget, and nan champion download and upload speeds it sewage were 11.11 Mbps and 15.92 Mbps, respectively. Those speeds are perfectly good for streaming HD video, but not for downloading ample files. 

As portion of different test, I installed nan Brave browser connected nan Aspire 16 to spot really agelong it would take. Over nan JourneyGo, nan process of downloading and installing Brave took astir 3 minutes. Over my location Wi-Fi, it took astir 50 seconds.

I should besides statement that nan JourneyGo tin power up during extended usage -- nan magnitude of power it radiates depends connected what you do. I connected my PC for a afloat day's work, and it sewage beautiful toasty. When I connected nan JourneyGo to nan Acer Aspire 16 and ran a continuous livestream, it hardly sewage warm.

Double duty

An absorbing characteristic of nan JourneyGo is that it doubles arsenic a powerfulness bank, making an already adjuvant instrumentality moreover much useful. That said, it's not nan fastest charger successful nan world. I plugged successful my OnePlus Nord N20 astatine 15%, and aft astir 30 minutes, it only climbed up to 30% charge. 

According to a institution rep, nan JourneyGo has a powerfulness capacity of 17.4 Wh. So, utilizing nan watt-hour to watt speech formula, that intends nan gadget has a powerfulness output of astir 34.8 watts. The JourneyGo isn't nan fastest charger, but successful a pinch, it comes successful handy.

Also: The champion powerfulness banks you tin bargain successful 2025: Expert tested

For its ain battery, nan JourneyGo's longevity depends connected its workload. TravlFi says its hotspot puck tin past up to 16 hours connected a azygous charge. I had different times. While it was connected to my desktop, nan JourneyGo only lasted astir 13 hours. However, while connected to nan Aspire 16 moving a livestream, it lasted overmuch longer -- astir 20 hours. 

ZDNET's buying advice

The JourneyGo 4G Hotspot usually retails for $199, but astatine nan clip of this writing, it's connected waste for $159. Once you acquisition nan device, you'll besides request to subscribe to 1 of nan company's Pay-As-You-Go net plans. Pricing starts astatine $19 per period for 2GB of information and scales up to $129 a period for unlimited data.

For testing, I had nan Unlimited plan, which is really I was capable to watercourse videos, work, and everything mentioned successful nan reappraisal without issue. One of nan bully things astir TravlFi's plans is their flexibility. They're commitment-free. You only person to salary for nan months you intend to usage nan JourneyGo 4G, and you tin cancel astatine immoderate time, making it very travel-friendly.