Skyroam Solis X ‘smartspot’ portable hotspot
Now that we have Wi-Fi at home and at work, good options for global cellular roaming and (for times when neither of those are accessible) we also have Wi-Fi portable hotspots too.
One would imagine that we might stop there, but no.
Skyroam has already produced the Skyroam Solis, but has now tried to go one better with the Solis X… this is not a hotspot, this is a so-called ‘smartspot’.
What makes it smarter?
Well yes, it’s still a Wi-Fi hotspot and yes it’s still a power bank, but now (the new unit, Skyroam Solis X WiFi Smartspot ) is also a remote camera and smart assistant. That’s smarter, see?
In Skyroam’s trademark orange, the device still resembles a hockey puck and it is indeed no bigger than ‘pocket-sized’ as the promo material promises.
The power charge on this device is sensibly built longer-than-a-working-day to a full 16+ hours — when you want to suck some of that juice out, the Solis X has a 4700 mAh battery that works as a portable power bank to charge smartphones.
Virtual SIM
Skyroam’s Virtual SIM (vSIM) technology connects in over 130+ countries and is shareable on 10 different devices. The device offers 4G LTE speeds across a wide range global frequency bands.
The vSIM term stands for Virtual SIM technology and is the proprietary cornerstone of the Skyroam brand. Founder, Jing Liu spent years engineering this technology to enable a virtual connection between any Skyroam product and local mobile data networks, without a traditional SIM card.
We tested it in Greece, the United Kingdom and the United States — we got the same level of good performance in every location, so there’s no reason to suspect that it might be flaky elsewhere, unless you happen to be in some unknown corner of the planet.
Remote camera
The Solis X remote camera is 8MP with flash, wide angle view and self-timer to capture, record, monitor and live stream on-the-go. Users can control it through the Solis WiFi app.
There’s also the Solis X smart assistant, powered by built-in GPS and IFTTT, so users can control or automate of apps and services from the Solis WiFi App and Smartspot with a tap.
“The Solis X was designed to enhance social, family and travel experiences for anyone who wishes to do more from anywhere,” says Skyroam Founder and CEO, Jing Liu. “By expanding upon what Skyroam does best, we are enabling so many more consumers to stay connected with loved ones, stay powered on, stay socially engaged and stay integrated into their “smart” lifestyle with no geographic limits. We see Solis X as a platform and are excited to see how our customers will use their imagination to bring its possibilities to life in hundreds of new ways.”
Users need to download the Solis Wi-Fi App, which enables the use of the remote camera, smart assistant feature and allows users to buy Wi-Fi and manage their hotspot.
At the time of writing, users can purchase the Skyroam Solis X Wi-Fi Smartspot at £179.99. No SIM is needed, users will need to register and choose their Wi-Fi plan (pay-as-you-go or subscribe).