I’ve been walking around London all last week with a hot pocket…literally. I’ve been carrying my Tep wireless hotspot device in my pocket as I ride the tube, visit Greenwich, the London Eye, Borough Market, Brick Lane, museums, and friends. The Tep device was a life-saver providing me a constant dose of internet access, which for a blogger is as necessary as blood flowing through your body.
Tep provided my Mongol Rally teammates and I these tiny little devices for our week in London to utilize as we moved around the city prepping for the Mongol Rally, as well as while working in our London Apartment . The Tep Pocket WIFI device is small and basically works through mobile signals. It sends out a wireless signal and allows me to connect multiple devices (laptops, phones, ipads) and utilize internet via 3G. This helps me get around the issue of not being able to use my American locked cell phone without becoming bankrupt form international roaming charges.
I used the pocket WIFI all week in London and it allowed me to communicate with friends who I was meeting, to find my way around the tube, make skype calls, and use the GPS maps on my phone to not get lost in the packed London streets. But most of all it allowed me to stay connected and update my social networks during my stay in London while I was touring the city. This was a luxury I don’t often get when I travel with my locked US cell phone. When I got back to the apartment it was my on-ramp to the internet and allowed me to write posts, upload pictures, and search the internet for the various gear we needed.
The Tep pocket wifi was the most useful device I have used for working and traveling abroad even while planing my Paris Holidays while in London.
In addition to loving the connectivity and freedom it provided me in London, they were simple to pick up and return. We picked the devices up at the airport and we easily return the devices by mailing them back in a provided envelope – sort of like NetFlix. The devices came with the proper charges and plug adapters too…so honestly you don’t have to bring anything with you but your laptop and phone…turn it on and you are good to go!
We are happy to have Tep as a Mongol Rally team sponsor. They are also providing us pocket wifis for all of Europe with limited data so that we can stay connected as we drive towards Mongolia!
Disclosure: Tep is a sponsor of our Mongol Rally team and provided our team with pocket wifis in London and Europe. However, all of the opinions expressed here though are my own – as you know how I love to speak my mind!
By AJ - Fantastic Travels July 27, 2011 - 3:37 am
Hope you enjoyed your stay. At least the weather “wasn’t bad”. Never heard of Tep pocket WiFi, will have to look it up.
By Magic Travel Tanya May 31, 2012 - 9:53 pm
Interesting. I hadn’t heard of these things until now. Have you heard anything more about these? Just wondering if they are only for the UK… even so, a brilliant device for travellers who are in the UK for a short period of time and can’t be bothered picking up a 3G sim card etc. Quite enjoyed this review 🙂
By Sherry June 2, 2012 - 2:39 am
You can find them in many countries now. TEP covered beyond the UK – but the coverage was spotty. I’m going to be testing another one soon hopefully in Turkey. They are quite useful for traveling!
By Cheesie October 29, 2013 - 1:42 am
DO NOT USE TEP WIRELESS.
My own very long and frustrating horrible experience with Tep Wireless is all documented in this blog post: cheeserland.com/2013/…
To cut the long story short, the device hardly ever works, and once i made a complaint, they promised a refund, i waited and chased for FIVE MONTHS without ever seeing my money ever again.
They ignore you and just disappear.
A total fraud.
By Frank N May 13, 2014 - 1:42 pm
Tried to rent a device but could not get confirmation of delivery date. Tried for 2 days to get a human by email and some 15 phone calls with many messages left and finally got one on a call. They told me that their logistics team was “unresponsive” and that they woulds call back in 30 minutes. No call back. left several more messages and gave up. Pretty much confirms the shoddy reviews that I saw. Leaves you totally wondering about the authenticity or frequency of the glowing reviews that are showcased on the web site.
By Sherry May 13, 2014 - 6:31 pm
Sorry you had a bad experience with Tep. I can only say that my experience with them on the Mongol Rally passing was good. We didn’t have any issues.
By Jamie November 6, 2014 - 1:58 pm
Nice review, but the rental rates of global companies like Xcom and Tep are higher than local ones, so I always stick to local rental companies.
When I was in Turkey, I rented from Alldaywifi.com and in Hungaria from Wi4go.com, and both worked perfect for me. Check out them, if you travel any of these countries.
Best
Jamie