walmart's internet-to-go: cheap cellular data in america

i have become addicted to my iphone over the years, and one of the things that i've learned that i can't live without these days is my cellular data. it's easy enough to find in canada, but i learned a few years back how expensive it was to roam when i'm in america. most of my leisure destinations, after all, is in america.

my wireless carrier, rogers, would offer me a 60$ package that would give me 50MB of roaming data while in the states. i don't actually need text or voice, as i can do both of those now with data (iphone apps: talkatone for gmail chat's telephone service, whatsapp / imessage for texting). if i was going to use more than 50MB, there was a 10$ monthly option where they'd charge just 1$ for every MB. one week in hawaii a few years ago set me back 80$. i asked rogers for the ability to upgrade the data portion of my cell phone plan so that it would be usable in the states as well. that option is available to all new subscribers for 10$ more a month. they refused to do so. i'm glad they did -- it made me research my options.

roam mobility came by and offered its own mifi (mobile wifi hotspot) device which gave you a small device that you could carry that would grab signal in america and let your various wireless devices latch onto it for a fee. roam mobility's data-only option started at a base price of 29.95 for 500MB that would expire after a month. alternatively, you could do the talk-text-data version for 3.95$ a day, or 11.95$ for 3 days, or 27.95$ for a week. still very, very expensive! and even if you had an unlocked iphone, the signal that they use is not compatible with the iphone. not ideal at all.

t-mobile and verizon offered their own mifi devices and rates. they have great coverage, 3 to 4G speeds, and are reliable. i'm not going to cover them here because i think that they're still a really bad deal -- you put in money (no contract) and you can buy data, but that data still expires. however, by accident, i had stumbled upon "internet to go," sold at walmart in america. and it is my go-to device for all my travels. (if you use a rebate site like bigcrumbs to access walmart, you will get an additional 2.8% back).

internet-to-go is a 3G device that works off of the sprint network. to be honest, it probably isn't as fast as 3G, but i still get the majority of what i want to get done done. it is reliable, and covers the major metropolitan centers. if you're expecting to get good service while camping in the middle of nowhere, well, you have been warned. it is small, easily fits in your pocket. i used a starbucks gift card below as a size comparator. the speed in seattle was 0.92Mbps for downloads. in comparison, my wifi at home gets me 15.80Mbps. but it still works well, even with youtube videos.

there are two payment options, both pay-as-you-go, both only available for purchase at walmart. 10$ gives you 500MB, and 45$ gives you 4GB. that works out to just 1.1 cents per MB. but here's the best part of the deal: the value does not expire as long as you use the device at least once a year. so if you use 10 MB a day, and you go to the states one or two days a month, you would not have to reload for years. if you used verizon, t-mobile, or roam mobility, you'd have to fork over more money each month you use it. that is very expensive. the actual unit itself is quite affordable compared to the others as well. walmart recently reduced the price to 79.99$. i bought mine at 99.99$.

other specifications: it comes with a password located on the back so that not just anyone can use it. you can change the ssid and password to whatever you want. it supports 5 devices at any one time. while it doesn't specify a range, i've left the device in one corner of my hotel room, and was able to use it in a completely different room (20 feet or so). it takes 4 hours to load, and can withstand ~2-3 hours of continuous use, and maybe 5 hours of standby. it can only be charged using a wall plug though, not usb.

this is how i get affordable internet in the states. it would be a poor choice as someone's primary internet source (e.g., if you were living there), but it's perfect for the occasional traveler like myself.