[Lee Ann Hamerski]

Well, I actually needed this satellite hot spot the other day driving out of Homer, Alaska. We were in a cell phone dead zone and the traffic was backed up. Word came down the line we were going to be there for 2 hours and I had a caregiver with my son that I needed to notify. I got out my trusty hot spot and connected my cell phone to it and texted the caregiver and even texted a few more people. It gave me great peace of mind.

My worry is that it is only as good as the whole cell phone network so it may not be the best thing if cell towers are not working, correct? It was half the price of an Iridium Satellite phone and says it connects up to 5 cell phones at one time. Has anyone else been using an Iridium go hotspot?

[Komando Community]

Hi Lee Ann,

The Iridium GO!® hotspot still uses satellites to communicate, not cell towers. This allows you to send texts and make calls without a cellular connection, just like their satellite phone. No need to worry about cell towers not working or being in range with the Iridium GO!® hotspot. As long as the satellite is still orbiting Earth and you have a clear view of the sky you should be good to go!

[Lee Ann Hamerski]

I was trying to say that I need cell towers to be working so that my messages will get out and the people I want to text can receive my messages. If I pay a lot more per month I can make phone calls to people. This system is still relying on the cell signals for communication so in order to be able to call people a real satellite phone might have been a better purchase.

I am now having problems with my phone connecting to it. I can’t get the Iridium Go wifi to show up when I am looking for it. The guy at the store has the exact same iPhone 7 as I do and can get the signal to show up on his phone with no problems and he can even connect to it but my phone won’t. It used to but now it won’t. I guess I have to go to Verizon or maybe the Apple store to figure it all out. Arg.

[Komando Community]

Thanks for the clarification!

From what I see, the Iridium Go will allow you to send texts without any cell towers (on your side). You are correct in that the recipient will need cell or another active service to receive the texts on their end. However, along the same lines… If the recipient does not have active service for some reason to receive the text, they also could not receive your call to their cell phone even if you had a satellite phone. The exception would be if you were calling a landline.

If there was a situation where cell towers around the world were down, you would not be able to text anyone. You could use a satellite phone to call another satellite phone or a landline. The Iridium Go is not really designed for this type of situation. It is intended to be used when you yourself are unable to access cellular service, but your recipients are.

[Lee Ann Hamerski]

Yep, that’s what I understand. I have been traveling a lot this summer and there is limited cell phone service in most places I have gone. It’s nice to be able to contact my family to let them know I am ok and that they are doing ok as well.

[Author]

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