Tag Archives: Wi-fi

Tips for traveling with a Wi-Fi only Apple iPad or Android tablet

2016-06-17

Having returned from a three-day road trip last night, a timely story published on Cnet caught my eye. Matt Elliott provides a few tips on traveling with a tablet that comes only with Wi-Fi connectivity. He has some good advice, but since the topic is fresh on my mind just now, I am going to add a few more tips.
navigation app on Apple iPad
Here are tips for traveling with a tablet (Android or iPad) that has Wi-Fi connectivity, but doesn’t have 3G or 4G mobile network access.

Five tips from Cnet:

1. Download books, music and movies you believe you need during the trip to the tablet before you leave. A 16GB or 32GB memory card provides plenty of extra space for Android tablets, whereas the Apple iPad doesn’t have a memory card slot at all.

2. Make maps available offline. Cnet recommends Google Maps, but I recommend Maps.me. It is the only navigation app that really works without an Internet connection. It really works. Before leaving, you have to download the maps for regions you are going to visit. All the other navigation apps that promise offline usage, like Google Maps and Here have always failed me – without an exception.

3. Turn off Wi-Fi if there is no signal available to preserve battery. Otherwise, your tablet constantly seeks for signal.

4. Turn on find my tablet -feature if your tablet comes with it.

5. Pack a protective case and a keyboard along with your tablet. Protective case is an essential accessory. If you are going to write anything longer than Twitter messages, get a Bluetooth keyboard – they are light and slim.

acer tablet with BLuetooth keyboard
Additional tips for traveling with a Wi-Fi only tablet from Klaava travel writers:

Learn how to use your smartphone as a Wi-Fi hotspot. An Android phone can be turned into a hotspot in Settings-Tethering. Beware though, your phone’s battery will drain pretty quickly. We use this method for brief Internet access sessions only.

If you need regular Internet access, get a dedicated battery-powered Wi-Fi/4G router. We are using Huawei E5377Ts-32 that hasn’t failed us yet. It can also provide Internet access for your laptop.

A portable power pack is small and low-cost accessory to ensure your phone and tablet can be charged even in a situation when there is no power available.

If you will be driving, acquire a micro-USB charger that can take its power from the cigarette lighter. Both your phone and tablet can be recharged with this.

Before booking a hotel room for your next trip, check out its Wi-Fi speed

2015-07-14

Practically every hotel and hostel advertises that they have a wireless Internet connection (Wi-Fi, WLAN) available for free or for a small fee. Sure, but does the wireless access really work? Is it fast enough for web browsing, watching news from home, or even for games? Now, there is a way to find it out in advance.

hotelwifitest screen shot

We have been disappointed so many times to the speed of our Wi-Fi connection in a hotel or apartment we have rented during our journey. Any information or service that hares information about the real in-house situation will increase competition among hotels and improve connection speeds with time.

Here is a story what happened to us two years ago. We were staying in a hotel by the Mediterranean Sea in Catalonia, Spain. Wi-Fi worked pretty well in the morning and in the afternoon, but at five o’clock, the signal almost died. On the second day, when it happened again, we realized that something had to be wrong. We decided to find out where the Wi-Fi hotspot was. We learned that the hotel’s broadband connection was in the back office, and that’s where nearest Wi-Fi access point was supposed to be as well.

The back office was closed, and we had to wait until next morning before we could talk to the people working in the office. Sure enough, we discovered the Wi-Fi access point in the office. The wireless connection worked fine. Why? Because the back office door was open during the day. It was a metal door.

We managed to convince hotel management to move the Wi-Fi access point outside the metal door. In addition to us, many other hotel guests were happy about that small change in hotel’s network configuration.

In any case, you can check out the speed of wireless connection in a hotel you are planning book here: Hotelwifitest.

Travel guides that show you the essential sights, cultural destinations and activities in your destination available for download here.