On my last trip to Ireland, I decided to give Tep Wireless a go for my roaming cellular data needs. The results were mixed, so much so that I chose not to write a Tep Wireless 2018 review and not to share this product on my site. Only the best here!
With a return to Europe and a route that took me through Los Angeles for a few days, I decided to give Tep Wireless another go. Why the change of heart? For the same price as one country or continent, Tep offers global coverage.
The results? In short, amazing. Read on for my Tep Wireless 2018 review, take two.
Meet Teppy
First off, what is “Teppy?“ Simply put, it is the cute name Tep Wireless gives it’s personal Wi-Fi hotspots. They come preloaded with unlimited data coverage for your selected destinations. No need to change Sim cards or rack up roaming fees. On top of that, because it is a hotspot, multiple people (up to five at a time) can connect and use it.
How great is that?
Selecting a Teppy
You have two options when picking a Tep Wireless device, renting or buying. On my first attempt at a Tep Wireless 2018 Review, I decided to buy a device as I thought I would get the most value out of it that way. Shipping, although fast, is not cheap to Canada.
This ownership was short lived as I left it in a British Airways Premium Economy seat pocket on my way home.
On this go around I opted to rent for two reasons:
- I was going to the USA first. Tep offers free shipping there so I had it sent to my hotel.
- I wasn’t sold on my first Tep Wireless review so I did not want to dive in again on the purchase.
Teppy has you Covered
With coverage in over 100 countries, Tep Wireless is well connected. You can pick the country (or countries) you are visiting or, alternatively, select a region. This includes Asia, Europe, North America, Cruise, South America, and Global. Since I was visiting the USA, Portugal, and then Denmark on my trip I selected Global. To my pleasant surprise, the price ($8.95 USD per day) was the same head I only selected Europe or North America.
Teppy Extras
With your countries or region selected you then have the options to add extras. This includes things like a power bank, (recommend it if you don’t own one already!) insurance, and “Superfast 4G speed“. I opted for the latter for the extra $1.95 USD per day.
In retrospect, insurance would have been a good choice on my first Tep Wireless 2018 review…Tep Wireless also offers Call and Text options (although obsolete with iMessage and FaceTime), Tep Guru – a connection with a local to offer tips (interesting) and Kite String – a free option that automatically pings you so your loved ones know you are safe. Think virtual mother checking in.
Shipping/Pick up
You have two options to collect your Teppy, delivery or pick up. Currently (and curiously) picking up is only available in the UK and Venezuela(?) I was passing through London on my way to Porto so considered pickup (as it is cheaper than shipping to Canada) however I was flying through Gatwick. Picking up is only available (at present time) through Heathrow or Paddington station, both at a cost of $7.95 USD.
As mentioned, I had my Teppy shipped directly to my hotel in the USA. This was free versus $21.95 USD had I shipped it to my home in Canada. Since I live close to the USA border I choose to return from there, costing me just $5.95 USD, as opposed to a whopping $39.95 USD, had I shipped it from Canada!
Using Teppy
Teppy ships in a convenient case that includes the device, universal power adapter, info cards, and return shipping packaging and papers if you chose to rent it.
To my surprise, the global Teppy I received for this Tep Wireless 2018 review was different from the one I bought and lost. Gone are the visual displays. It is not sexy to look at but did the trick and with better results.
To use your Tep Wireless device you simply turn it on and connect to the Wi-Fi hotspot. The SSID and password are on a sticker on the device.
How did it fair?
As noted, my previous Tep Wireless review experience was not great. The device was spotty and spent significant time with their tech-support troubleshooting. Not how you want while visiting somewhere new. More so when the very device you are trying to troubleshoot is there to save you time and money.
On the second time around I’m happy to report that there was no need to contact tech support. The device worked flawlessly, connecting upon wheels down in each new location and providing fast coverage on the go.
One thing to note, the device can take some time to boot up and connect to a new cell network. I clocked it between three and five minutes at its longest.
TEP Wireless Review – Show me the Money
So the big question that many of you want to know in this Tep Wireless review is what are the savings and is it worth it? For my 14 day trip had I gone with my carrier (Rogers Canada) charges $7 a day in the US and $12 a day in Europe. Altogether that would’ve cost me $143.
Not terrible but that would’ve been using my own data which I surely would have gone over incurring ridiculous overage charges is in the process.
Now with Tep Wireless, it cost me $5.95 USD in return shipping (free delivery in the USA), $8.95 USD a day with the USA and Europe coverage plus $1.95/day for 4G service. In total my Tep Wireless rental came to $147.65 but it included unlimited data.
At first glance, the savings aren’t there.
What sets it apart is that Teppy is a wireless hotspot and you can connect up to 5 devices meaning you can share the cost with friends and fellow travellers. In my case, the cost was split in two and because I was not using my plans data, I was not charged any data overages that month. Win-win.
New Travel Companion?
After a rocky start with my Tep Wireless 2018 review, I am sold on Teppy to the point of buying another device for future use. I will be taking Teppy to India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Turkey, and Switzerland this fall so I expect to really put its global coverage to good use!
I have also signed up for their affiliate program so be sure to use this link if you order or rent one for yourself! It sends a little commision back my way which helps me provide content on this site!
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Although I was provided a discount to test and write this Tep Wireless 2018 review, the fast coverage and change of heart are my own.
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