GlocalMe RoamPlug hands-on: More than just a travel adapter, but is it worth the price?

Note: This feature was first published on 22 November 2024.

The humble universal travel adapter comes in many forms and sizes, but apart from the addition of USB ports over the last decade or so, it has stayed relatively unchanged. Need to plug your 3-pin UK laptop charger into a 2-pin socket in the US? Any travel adapter will do. Need a USB port for your Apple Watch charger? Most contemporary universal travel adapters should be able to do that job too.

But would you be surprised if I were to tell you there’s a universal travel adapter that also functions as a mobile hotspot? It's arguably a somewhat niche and specialised feature, given how easy and prevalent it is to access mobile data roaming through your local telco operator – especially in Singapore. That said, there are certainly some useful and practical use cases for such a device, and GlocalMe seems to think so too.

Its RoamPlug is, at a glance, atypical of the standard universal travel adapter. It comes in an elongated form factor rather than the usual squarish or cube shape. This is necessary to house the additional Wi-Fi router and 5G components. The RoamPlug could be useful if you want internet access in your hotel room but feel wary of the less secure Wi-Fi provided by the hotel, or perhaps if you happen to be in a place that doesn’t provide fast or stable Wi-Fi.

But there’s a catch: you will first have to buy a data plan from GlocalMe’s online store, register your RoamPlug through the GlocalMe app using the QR code printed on it, then power it up through an available socket and log in with the Wi-Fi network name and password. Then you’re all set. The fact that it also functions as a universal travel adapter with a 70W GaN charger is a bonus too.

I’ve used it for my last two overseas work trips to the US, and getting the RoamPlug connected to the internet was fuss-free. Although, I’d caution that one does need a wee bit of technological knowledge to get it set up with your mobile phone. The internet speed was not only faster but also way, way more stable than the hotel’s Wi-Fi. There’s a better sense of security too, knowing that the data on my device was less susceptible to being snooped on by cyber fiends.

That said, GlocalMe’s charges for its data packages are not what I would call “competitive.” The 10GB 7-Day package for North America, for example, costs US$39 for 4G LTE. By comparison, my local telco M1 allows me to data-roam in the US with my iPhone at 5G, at either 3GB for S$3.95 per day or 15GB at S$35 per month.

The GlocalMe RoamPlug at US$99 (or S$135 at KrisShop) isn’t cheap either. If you have no need for the mobile hotspot functionality, there are much more affordable universal travel plugs available. It’s a nice device, but from an economic standpoint, it’s hard to recommend.

However, GlocalMe does have another product that intrigued me more: the UniCord. Like the RoamPlug, the UniCord is essentially a USB-C cable that also doubles up as a mobile hotspot. Getting it connected to the internet uses the same process as the RoamPlug, but you’ll have to connect it to a power source, such as a portable battery bank or even your mobile phone. GlocalMe was retailing it for US$29.99 but has since slashed the price down to US$19.99, which is pretty attractive considering it also has a high-power charging output of 65W and comes with a good quality 1m-long braided cord – so you can even use it to charge your laptops or gaming handhelds. If you’re looking for a good USB-C power cord that also doubles up as a mobile hotspot device, the UniCord is easy to recommend.

The GlocalMe UniCord is available for purchase at GlocalMe’s e-store here. The RoamPlug is available at KrisShop

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