mobile hotspot recommendation

[Skilly McRailnob]

Will be flying into England from the states in a couple weeks (flying into Manchester and out of London). I struggled getting good wifi when I visited last year except when in pubs and hotels, so I'm looking for a mobile/personal hotspot. Only have a work cell phone, so I can't use a SIM card.

Any recommendations? Looks like you can rent mobile hotspot units (such as tep: https://www.tepwireless.com), but for the price of renting one for a week, I can probably buy one for the same price.

Any recommendations? Cheers...

 

[FantasyIreland]

Will be flying into England from the states in a couple weeks

Really? I'm surprised you havent mentioned this previously......

 

[dickie davies]

Will be flying into England from the states in a couple weeks (flying into Manchester and out of London). I struggled getting good wifi when I visited last year except when in pubs and hotels, so I'm looking for a mobile/personal hotspot. Only have a work cell phone, so I can't use a SIM card.

Any recommendations? Looks like you can rent mobile hotspot units (such as tep: https://www.tepwireless.com), but for the price of renting one for a week, I can probably buy one for the same price.

Any recommendations? Cheers...

Find a local car phone warehouse store, take your phone in and ask for a compatible pay as you go sim
If you're staying in any urban area, all the major networks will be good

 

[denislawsbackheel]

I thought US mobiles would not work in the UK and vice versa being totally incompatible systems.

 

[SebastianBlue]

Depending on your mobile service provider there may be international service packages you can purchase which give you calling minutes, a block of data (that can be used with no out-of-network charges), and an app that allows you to connect to partnered Wi-Fi hotspots provided by UK mobile providers. It’s obviously only really the way to go if you plan to be in urban areas most of your trip.

I’ve used it in the past—sticking mainly to the Wi-Fi hotspots—to good effect and will be doing the same next week (via AT&T’s Passport package) when the missus and I are in Dublin, Manchester, and Edinburgh.

 

[SebastianBlue]

I thought US mobiles would not work in the UK and vice versa being totally incompatible systems.

That was the case awhile ago but the phone technology/network integration has progressed and most mobile service providers now partner with providers in other countries to allow for voice/data coverage whilst abroad.