Review Smart LTE Pocket WiFi
The Smart LTE Pocket WiFi has been out in the market for two months now. We’ve tested it pretty thoroughly and we’ve come to one solid conclusion: if you have LTE coverage you will get blazing fast download and upload speeds. If there’s no LTE then it’s basically your usual 3G/HSPA+ router. The ultimate challenge really is how many more LTE sites Smart can put up to make the offering more attractive.
In places with good LTE signals we reached over 20Mbps DL speeds. We were fortunate enough to have LTE signal at home in Greenhills and we averaged around 15-20Mbps DL consistently. Check out the speedtest screenshots below.
Out of the house the Smart LTE Pocket WiFi is also a great out-of-the-house-or-office companion. It can support multiple devices at once so there were several instances wherein it was giving LTE to my devices as well (it can connect up to 6 devices max) as those of my officemates or friends. Note though that it only becomes really good IF you have LTE signal.
Smart has invested heavily in putting up many LTE cell sites all over Metro Manila. The ones that we’ve tested are the ones in Makati, Fort, and Greenhills. All of them tested pretty good with download and upload speeds hitting 30Mbps ceiling and 2.5Mbps floor (not so good signal). For a full list of LTE sites of Smart, click here.
SEE ALSO: Unboxing the Smart LTE Pocket WiFi
When it comes to pricing and data cap, the Smart LTE Pocket WiFi comes in two postpaid plans. There’s Plan 1749 which offers 10GB allowance and Plan 3500 which gives you 21GB allowance. If you will use this as your main connection and you’re a heavy downloader (you torrent loads of stuff) then this is obviously not for you. At this stage with just 10GB/21GB caps this is really more for people who just want crazy fast internet wherever they go. Personally though I use this to compliment my PLDT DSL at home. If I really want something fast I turn on the LTE device. If not then I’m good with just DSL.
The Smart LTE Pocket WiFi is now available in Smart Stores. 🙂