International event coverages can be a daunting task to the unprepared. Aside from lugging around huge sets of equipment like your laptop, cameras, smartphones, drones, tripods and gimbals, you need to ensure that wherever it is you’re working has good to decent internet. Spotty internet connections could mean delaying of breaking news announcements and sharing instant content. Not only does it hinder your content delivery (posting of articles or videos) it also interrupts your content creation process. Suddenly the breaking news you’d want to put out become an In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) material – which mean the material you wrote and produced need to be re-edited *groan*. This is where Smart’s Travel WiFi comes in to play.
After covering the 2016’s Tokyo Game Show (also our first international event coverage), we valued the importance of having a localized WiFi dongle. More people can connect to it and it can throw a bigger number of bandwidth per person. There was this one instance that the entire Media Room didn’t have any internet connection and various media outfits were stuck with stories they couldn’t out. Luckily, we were fortunate enough to have the good sense of bringing WiFi dongles we rented at the airport for a hefty price, unfortunately (around Php 5000+ for 7 days). Coverage saved, but wallet was a bit lighter.
Ever since then, we sought out to try and book a Travel WiFi before we even fly out of the country. For the past couple of international con (last Tokyo Game Show and the 2018 Taipei Game Show) Smart Communications was kind enough to lend u a couple of Travel WiFi to help us with our coverage.
The Smart Travel WiFi offers you and up to 5 other devices constant and reliable mobile internet connection (LTE) of up to 42Mbs. The device currently has a 1G daily cap allowance that throttles your speed down once consumed…which is still crazy fast. Remember, the mobile internet standards outside the country is amazingly good! To illustrate, Taiwan’s average global mobile internet speed is around 22Mbps download and 8.9 Mbps upload. Even if your mobile internet speed drops by half because you consumed your daily allowance, that’s still pretty good!
Aside from uploading articles and videos, we were even able to stream a couple of Overwatch League Match in one of our downtime at night!
Charging is easy and the Travel WiFi can last a day and a half with constant use before being completely depleted. The most prudent thing is to hook the device to a USB charging station (or your laptop) when you sleep at night.
In my past travels abroad, I use to buy local sims and constantly had to switch sim cards again and again but with a Travel WiFi, I simply turn on the device and leave it at that. Coverage of the travel WiFi is fairly decent a well – like maybe more than 10 meters from the source? But, it’s best to keep the device handy at all times. Personally, I place it inside a small travelling bag that I carry with me. All in all, though, the Travel WiFi has been instrumental in our various international coverage and we’d have to thank Smart Communications for that! They’re the sole reason why we were able to out materials and give you guys live updates of the Taipei Game Show 2018! Like this uninterrupted live stream of the Taipei Game Show 2018 Indie Game Awards.
https://www.facebook.com/ungeekph/videos/788900647960824/
For those traveling abroad, even if it’ just for a quick family (or friendly) vacation, invest in a Travel WiFi just so you can be connected to people on the net at all time. Smart Travel WiFi starts at Php 290/ day and with fast, reliable internet that can be shared by 5 other people, that price alone is super worth it! For more info on Smart Travel WiFi, please visit their official site.