I talked to my college dormmates one weekend and we decided to travel to Singapore to watch the Backstreet Boys in concert. It was a rather impulsive decision on our part but I'm glad we indulged our impulsiveness and pushed through with our trip a couple of weeks ago. I took charge of booking our plane ticket and plotting our itinerary and we asked our friend who works in Singapore to source our concert tickets. Some plans out of haste almost always happen. 

Everything was falling into place until a situation happened that made me decide to bring my daughter with me to our trip. My friends also started worrying about how we are going to stay connected to our family while there. I then remembered an offer which I was not able to take advantage of when I flew to Europe for the summer and which I came home with a very hefty roaming phone charges as well. I emailed my contact at iVideo for the blogger collaboration and a few days before we left for Singapore they sent me a pocket wifi with an unlimited Singtel data service. Great! It was another item crossed out of my worry list. 

iVideo is a company based in Taiwan that offers wireless internet access rental for travelers. They offer cheap rental rents for travelers going to Taiwan and Japan and the rest of Asia, North America, Australia and Europe. Rates are multiplied by the flat daily rate thus you don't have to fear about overages. Currently, iVideo offers delivery service in Taiwan, Japan, and the USA. All global WiFi items can be picked up in Japan and USA. Only Taiwan WiFi units can be picked up from  Taiwan. 

You can view the ful list of iVideo FAQs by clicking this link. 

iVIDEO POCKET WIFI PACKAGE

Like I mentioned above, the package sent by iVideo arrived a couple of days in my Philippines address before our trip to Singapore. It was shipped to me by Wavethink Technology Inc as I am not able to pick the package personally at the designated pick-up location as indicated in the pickup notification I received through my email one week before our trip.



The package contained an instruction sheet which detailed the parts of the device and operation instruction, accessories and compensation for damages and loss, iVideo contact information (customer service telephone number, Line ID, QR codes, and iVideo email address). The instruction sheet was written in English and Taiwanese.

The package I received contained an iVideo-branded pouch, the pocket wifi with Singtel SIM inserted inside, 2 batteries, USB cable, charger and back cover.

For the complete process on how to sign-up for an account on the iVideo website should you decide to rent, you may click this link. I signed up for an account, paid a very minimal deposit, and the package arrived at my address without any glitch.

Use my email - kessathea26@gmail.com - when you sign-up as your referrer. Make sure to use promo code ANGZZZMYGDULMWLN  to get additional $1 discount on your order. The coupon can be combined with any other existing offer. 



OUR iVIDEO POCKET WIFI EXPERIENCE IN SINGAPORE

We stayed in Singapore for 5 days and we connected 4 mobile phones and 1 laptop while there. We mainly used the pocket wifi while outside roaming the sites and streets of Singapore so that means 4 mobile phones (it can support up to 10 devices) were connected at any given time. Yes, there were a lot of free public Wifis in Singapore but I wanted uninterrupted connection and I got that from having my own hotspot wherever I go. I was already connected to the SingTel network even before stepping out of the airplane.

It was quick and easy to operate the device, just power on and search for the specific Wifi network on my phone to connect. Et voila! No more #FOMO (fear of missing out).

I did not bother checking the internet speed because I really did not experience slowness in my connection while browsing my phone. I also was not able to use the spare battery as I had a power bank with me all the time. We were always on the move and I could not remember losing internet connection even when we were in subways and building basements.

SOMETHING TO NOTE: The pocket wifi model I used in Singapore was almost the same as the model I used in Denmark serviced by Telenor. The big difference however was the cost to use the device. For renting the iVideo pocket wifi device, I could have paid only a few dollars without signing up for a lock-in period while I had to sign-up for a minimum of 6 months contract in Denmark which costed me so much. It was the best option I had though at that time because I have not done any research about the pocket wifi services offered in Europe. I plan to rent an iVideo device when I go back though because I'll save money for sure. 

The best thing about renting out an iVideo pocket wifi was I did not have to activate data roaming on my phone and for that I saved Php3600 (around USD70). 

If you are like me that needs to be online all the time, I would highly recomment for you to rent one for your next travel. It is cheap, fuss-free and offers a very reliable service.