"Pocket wifi" - anyone tried it?

Kor's iPad is wifi only

Okay, so you can easily tether that to the sim in an iphone, if you have one.

BTW I can see how pocket wifi would benefit those with a mix of devices ie from different manufacturers. I hadnt heard of these before, possibly because I wasnt looking. Interesting development.

I notice that CDR King market it as a "portable wireless router". Which I suppose is what it is.

You should also be able to use any cellphone that offers "tethering / mobile hotspot" to a WiFi-only iPad. For example, my Galaxy S5 phone offers Bluetooth and USB tethering as well as providing a WiFi "hotspot" for up to ten devices simultaneously.

I agree completely with what Yuna says about CD-R King. Their products are marginal, at best, in terms of actually working for more than a day or so. None of the staff have any technical knowledge whatsoever and everything is sold "as-is, as seen" and not tested.

I see. I have never tried mixing devices from different manufacturers, when tethering to an iphone sim

Well, if one can tether then I can certainly vouch for it, as it works like a dream.

Indeed so. But you would be well-advised to have your cellphone attached to its charger when using it as a hotspot as that mode is quite taxing on batteries.

Yes. Normally my wife and I are in s hotel with access to power sockets so it wasnt a problem. Having said that we havent done too badly on long car journeys either.

Not applicable in this case, but if you use a mobile WiFi hotspot for a laptop computer, all sorts of things will be set to auto-update.

This can take a lot of your data allowance.

So you should turn off items such as the Windows auto update.

Before the introduction of 4G it was possible to get 3G routers that converted a phone signal to WiFi. Never popular as 3G is slow, but useful in an emergency. 4G is now built into many high end Home/SOHO routers. 4G (particularly LTE) is much faster than 3G.

In the UK the 4G options on a home router are mainly there as a backup to a PSTN connection. In the Philippines the 4G option would be the norm.

That could prove very expensive and a good reason not to use a 4G router.

In the past I used a mobile WiFi hotspot with a prepaid data sim when I visited the UK.

Now I just connect to the neighbour's WiFi network

Any other option is just so complicated in the UK.

4G/LTE is not universally available throughout the Philippines from either of the major telcos. Metro Manila has good coverage and there is less comprehensive coverage in Cebu City, Davao and Cagayan de Oro, but in Zamboanga Del Sur - the "province" Andrew mentions in his OP - not at all. Coverage there will be 3G.

Update; she bought the top of the line Globe LTE "Tattoo". It works OK for email, is slow for surfing and does not really support the video application on Skype, but is OK for voice Skype.

I have an app for my Galaxy Tab called "WiFi Analyser", it shows the signal strength for all the available WiFi networks at the current location of the tablet.

Even moving my Tab, a few inches across the desk can show big changes in network strength, I use it to position my TP-Link TL-WN822N high gain wireless USB adaptor for optimum performance when staying in hotels.

Surely there must be something similar to determine the strength of 3G networks. I know when I have used 3G, the location of the device was very important, moving it a short distance can make a big difference.