TravlFi JourneyGo 4G Hotspot ZDNET's key takeaways The TravelFi JourneyGo 4G Hotspot normally retails for $199. Roughly the size of a hockey puck, this is an easy-to-use device that provides stable Wi-Fi connections away from home. It does, however, struggle in high traffic areas. View now at Travlfi View now at Amazon more buying choices Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been testing an interesting little gadget called the JourneyGo 4G Hotspot. It's about the size of a hockey puck (and even looks like one), with a simple purpose: to provide a strong, reliable Wi-Fi hotspot connection for personal devices when away from home. You won't have to gamble on spotty local networks or pay those outrageous roaming fees while traveling. Also: Ookla launches Wi-Fi Speedtest Certified program to help prove network quality Yes, smartphones can do the same thing via hotspot tethering, but this is better than a smartphone. It is a pocket-sized device that ensures you're always connected to the wider internet, be it for work, school, or streaming. That is, at least for the most part. There are a few scenarios where the JourneyGo falters. Allow me to explain. Setting up the JourneyGo Setting up the JourneyGo Hotspot is straightforward. Once you turn it on, scan the QR code at the bottom to activate the device. Then, you have to purchase a service plan with TravelFi so you can use the JourneyGo as intended. I'll list out the subscription details later because they relate to the device's overall cost. The JourneyGo supports up to 10 simultaneous connections from smartphones, laptops, desktop PCs, and even handheld gaming consoles like the Lenovo Legion Go S. It operates by scanning and connecting to cellphone towers, automatically choosing the strongest signal. Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET Performance Before I discuss what's good about JourneyGo, I want to quickly review the challenges I faced because I believe they'll be quite common. The biggest challenge was outside interference. I live near a busy intersection, which means dozens of smartphones, laptops, and other devices compete for access to the same local wireless network. Under these conditions, the JourneyGo struggled. Also: Slow or spotty Wi-Fi at home? Try my 10 go-to fixes to optimize your internet - fast Internet speeds fluctuated wildly. At its worst, everything slowed to a crawl with simple web pages taking forever to load. When connected to my desktop (which has Wi-Fi antennas), download and upload speeds plummeted to just 2.3 Mbps and 1.39 Mbps, respectively. There were even times when the connection would drop altogether, leaving only a red LED indicator. Outside of these suboptimal scenarios, performance was totally fine; in fact, it was great. Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET The JourneyGo 4G shines in low-traffic environments. At night, when fewer people competed for bandwidth, the hotspot connection felt nearly indistinguishable from my home Wi-Fi. Web pages loaded quickly, streaming Netflix shows was smooth, and everyday browsing felt seamless. For example, I managed to purchase new gym shorts, an aux cord, hair pomade, and streamed a lo-fi hip hop station on YouTube in 1080p without a hitch. Every video I watched ran steadily in high resolution (a few were in 4K), and the audio came through crystal clear. Also: Finally, I found a portable charger that checks all of my boxes for traveling TravlFi's gadget isn't limited to casual browsing and streaming video; it also supports steady online gaming. I was impressed that I could play Helldivers 2 online with other people. To be totally honest, I was fully expecting the connection to crash, or at least stutter a little. Not only was the experience smooth, but I didn't suffer a single disconnect. Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET However, even under optimal conditions, the JourneyGo still didn't have the best download and upload speeds. I ran the Ookla internet speed test on an Acer Aspire 16 AI while connected to the hotspot gadget, and the best download and upload speeds it got were 11.11 Mbps and 15.92 Mbps, respectively. Those speeds are perfectly fine for streaming HD video, but not for downloading large files. As part of another test, I installed the Brave browser on the Aspire 16 to see how long it would take. Over the JourneyGo, the process of downloading and installing Brave took nearly three minutes. Over my house Wi-Fi, it took roughly 50 seconds. I should also note that the JourneyGo can heat up during extended use -- the amount of heat it radiates depends on what you do. I connected my PC for a full day's work, and it got pretty toasty. When I connected the JourneyGo to the Acer Aspire 16 and ran a continuous livestream, it barely got warm. Double duty An interesting feature of the JourneyGo is that it doubles as a power bank, making an already helpful device even more useful. That said, it's not the fastest charger in the world. I plugged in my OnePlus Nord N20 at 15%, and after about 30 minutes, it only climbed up to 30% charge. According to a company rep, the JourneyGo has a power capacity of 17.4 Wh. So, using the watt-hour to watt conversation formula, that means the gadget has a power output of about 34.8 watts. The JourneyGo isn't the fastest charger, but in a pinch, it comes in handy. Also: The best power banks you can buy in 2025: Expert tested For its own battery, the JourneyGo's longevity depends on its workload. TravlFi says its hotspot puck can last up to 16 hours on a single charge. I had different times. While it was connected to my desktop, the JourneyGo only lasted about 13 hours. However, while connected to the Aspire 16 running a livestream, it lasted much longer -- about 20 hours. ZDNET's buying advice The JourneyGo 4G Hotspot normally retails for $199, but at the time of this writing, it's on sale for $159. Once you purchase the device, you'll also need to subscribe to one of the company's Pay-As-You-Go internet plans. Pricing starts at $19 per month for 2GB of data and scales up to $129 a month for unlimited data. For testing, I had the Unlimited plan, which is how I was able to stream videos, work, and everything mentioned in the review without issue. One of the nice things about TravlFi's plans is their flexibility. They're commitment-free. You only have to pay for the months you intend to use the JourneyGo 4G, and you can cancel at any time, making it very travel-friendly.