Is The Wireie Pro better then a cell phone hot spot?

[a64pilot]

So if I understand, functionally the only thing the Wirie Pro gives you for cell data over a cell phone is range, and cell phone range can be extended up to what the Pro will have with cell phone extenders?

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

So if I understand, functionally the only thing the Wirie Pro gives you for cell data over a cell phone is range, and cell phone range can be extended up to what the Pro will have with cell phone extenders?

Hi A64,

A qualified Yes in response to your question.

We have both the WiriePro and Wilson Sleek 4G cell booster. Both have add-on special antennas to optimize cellular range. [Not the stock antennas that each came with... details available via link provided, below...]

I don't have precise range comparison data for you, but I suspect it is about the same for both given their specialized antennas are mounted at the same height on our boat.

Because we boat in a mountainous region, I have no good line-of-site distance info to share. It is more about signals deflecting, and sometimes high tide makes a difference in some anchorages...

I can say that many times when a cell phone shows 'No Signal' or a weak, unusable signal, when we put it in the booster cradle the a signal will become viable.

Likewise when traveling through Canadian waters, the WiriePro will get a usable cell signal when the phones cannot pick it up until mounted in the booster...

[When we transit through Canada, we will use a Canadian SIM card in the WiriePro as the cost is less than roaming with our current cell phone plan.]

However, our use cases may be different from those of others.

We have a very good and large data plan on our cell phones [40GB/Mo for US$150] so we use those as hot spots whenever possible [assuming we don't have WiFi access...]

When using a cell phone in the booster cradle, we share it on our boat WiFi via the WiriePro router [not the cell phone modem in the WiriePro, just the WiFi router...] That way all devices can securely connect to the internet as needed.

[It works the same way if we are using a SIM in the WiriePro; all devices can access the internet via the boat's WiFi router.]

Another option: We also have a couple of unlocked GSM phones we could use with a data only SIM in the booster cradle for similar results, but since the SIM cost is the same, and since we have a WiriePro with cell data modem, we reserve the cradle for one of our active cell phones for back-up communications.

Where the difference comes in is if you can find an open WiFi network with the Wirie, you can toggle between cell or WiFi for the connection- automatically [not for us- see following note] or manually [fewer surprises...]

Note regarding Canadian cell data rates: We don't like surprise cell phone charges. Canada is less generous cell data compared to the US, and the US is less so than many other countries.

e.g., I had a friend rack-up over US$2,400 during his 3 week transit through Canada not being aware of this [or more likely not paying attention] the summer of 2014...

My earlier post in this thread had a link to our blog page with more details and links to external resources for those wanting more info.

I hope this helps answer your question.

Cheers!

Bill

[a64pilot]

Bill,
It helps me tremendously, I don't know of course about onemoreproject his needs may be different.
But on our boat, I'm 95% of the internet use, and if only one of us can be online at a time, that's not a problem.
It sounds like I can get by with a cell phone and booster, thanks

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Bill,
It helps me tremendously, I don't know of course about onemoreproject his needs may be different.
But on our boat, I'm 95% of the internet use, and if only one of us can be online at a time, that's not a problem.
It sounds like I can get by with a cell phone and booster, thanks

I'm glad our experience was helpful.

I also wanted to reiterate that the antenna that comes with the cell booster we have is not very good. You need something like one of the two antennas I linked in our blog post on this topic. [The US$18 antenna in SS is very good.... And needs a small diameter ground plane to optimize transmission... e.g., 12 inch pizza pan or the like. The marine antenna won't require the ground plane- or at least ours doesn't seem to suffer from lack of one...]

Cheers!

Bill

[BrettB]

Is there any other product that combines Wi-Fi & LTE? I don't see anything out there to compare to.

I like the idea of having everything combined, in addition to GPS integration, which is definitely an added bonus.