When we were in Ireland last year, the rental car company offered a portable WiFi unit that turned out to be incredibly valuable, especially for GPS. We're going to be all over Italy from May 1 - May 16 and we're not renting a car, but we would very much like to have a unit like that again, so does anyone know if that option is available at other facilities? We're starting in Venice and ending in Rome.
Posted by
Washington DC
27166 posts
I have no experience with portable Wi-Fi units, but I want to be sure you're aware that there are cellphone and tablet mapping apps that work without Wi-Fi and without a cellular signal, once you have downloaded the appropriate maps for your trip. The apps use GPS data. If you're not driving, there's an excellent chance that Ulmon's CityMaps2GoPro (which I think costs $6) or offline Google Maps would be perfectly adequate.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
792 posts
an affiliate of autoeurope.com offers a WiFi unit: https://www.cellhire.com/autoeurope/
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Thank you for the info. It was very helpful.
Posted by
Boston, MA
1829 posts
I rented for Italy from Expresso Wifi
Everything was perfect and I thought quite inexpensive.
I had compared other services and they were much higher cost.
Picked up at a hotel in Florence and left with the front desk at my hotel in Venice as we were departing for the airport.
Device worked great, better than any phone since it switched from carrier to carrier depending on best signal in the area
I used for GPS driving all around, my daughter watched videos with it and we even facetimed in calls with video from the grandparents back home. We had 3 connected devices at all times using the same signal and syncing large inboxes of email from our work seamlessly. The signal strength ability to facetime did not always work but was strong enough to do that in the major cities.
It was one of the best things I spent money on for our trip
There were no hidden charges, I paid exactly what I was quoted via their website.
The only downside I thought is that they are for Italy only, other providers offer options for multiple countries but if staying within Italy I think they are your best answer.
Posted by
Boston, MA, United States
353 posts
I've wondered about renting a mifi before - we had one in Iceland that belonged to our Airbnb host and it was super nice to have.
So I visited cellhire and asked what carrier they connect to in the UK - the answer is Vodafone.
I recall that there were two cell carriers I could see from our cottage on Islay, one of which had a 3G signal and the other didn't - E at best. Do you think I can remember either of the carriers? Nope! :-D But at least I can try to find out what sort of coverage Vodafone might have in other areas.
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Again great info, thanks. The breadth of experience and knowledge of the travelers here is unmatched!
Posted by
US
131 posts
I used https://www.skyroam.com/ in Europe last year and loved it. I had about 8 hours of power on it without needing a charge, and it connects to multiple devices and acts as a mobile hotspot for Wi-Fi. The price is affordable, too. I kept it turned on in my purse and we easily connected to it whenever we needed it.
Posted by
343 posts
I have been renting a mifi from cellomobile for about 6 years now for our travels to Europe based on reviews on this forum I read at the time. I have traveled abroad every month this past year for work (Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean), and use it every month to keep up with my work (which is primarily online). Cellomobile has been awesome. You can connect up to five devices to the device at a time, which is also a smartphone. Check them out at cellomobile.com.
Posted by
3 posts
I used Expressowifi for my italian holidays and it worked wonderfully. Expressowifi was the best priced and their service was incredible. You can take the device at the airport or your hotel and you turn it back in the same way. Love it!!!