Airport Wi-Fi: how it works and why it lets you down
Free airport Wi-Fi is real, and it fails in a predictable way at exactly the moment you need it. Here is why, and what to do about the first hour after landing.
3 min read
Editorial team
eSIM Net Editorial
We build and run eSIM Net, which means we spend our days inside the unglamorous details of travel connectivity: why a profile will not install, what a carrier really charges per megabyte, which settings break data the moment you land. These guides are the version of that we wish someone had written for us.
Articles by eSIM Net Editorial
A connectivity setup that survives working abroad
Working remotely changes the requirement from "can I look things up" to "can I be on a call in ninety minutes, guaranteed". That needs redundancy.
3 min read
Does my phone support eSIM? How to check in under a minute
There is a reliable way to find out that does not involve trusting a compatibility list, and it takes about thirty seconds on the phone in your hand.
3 min read
eSIM not working? Work through it in this order
Nine times out of ten this is a setting, not a broken eSIM. Here is the order to check things in, and the one thing not to do.
4 min read
eSIM vs physical SIM: what actually differs
They do the same job. The differences are in how you get one, how fast you can switch, and what happens when something goes wrong.
3 min read
What happens between paying and having a working eSIM
A short, unglamorous account of what the platform does in the minute after you pay, and what to do if any of it goes wrong.
3 min read
How much mobile data you actually need for a trip
Most travellers buy either far too much data or far too little, because nobody tells them what a day of normal use costs. Here are the real numbers.
3 min read
How to install and activate an eSIM on an iPhone
Installing takes about a minute and should be done at home. Activating is a separate step, and doing it in the wrong order is the usual cause of trouble.
3 min read
How to get internet in Italy
Italy is easy to stay connected in and easy to get wrong, usually by relying on café Wi-Fi in towns designed before street numbering.
3 min read
How to install an eSIM on Android
The steps are the same on every Android phone. Only the names of the menus change, and manufacturers change them often.
3 min read
The first hour after you land: getting online without the queue
The gap between the aircraft door and working data is where trips go wrong. It is entirely avoidable, and it is decided before you fly.
3 min read
Pocket Wi-Fi vs eSIM: which one is worth the hassle
Pocket Wi-Fi makes sense for exactly one situation. For everything else it is a second device to charge, carry, and give back on time.
3 min read
What public Wi-Fi actually exposes, and what it does not
Most advice about hotel and airport Wi-Fi was written for an internet that no longer exists. Here is what changed, and what still deserves your caution.
4 min read
Staying connected across Europe on one trip
A European trip crosses borders faster than any other kind. Here is how to set up connectivity once and stop thinking about it.
3 min read
Running low mid-trip: how topping up works
Running out of data is not a restart. You can add more to the eSIM already on your phone, without scanning anything again.
3 min read
What is an eSIM, and why does it matter when you travel?
An eSIM is a SIM card built into your phone that you load over the internet instead of sliding into a tray. Here is what actually changes when you use one.
4 min read
What data roaming is, and when to leave it switched off
Data roaming is your phone borrowing somebody else's network. Whether that is free, expensive or ruinous depends entirely on your plan and where you are.
4 min read
Why roaming is losing to eSIMs
Roaming did not get worse. It stayed the same while the thing it was priced against — the cost of moving a gigabyte — collapsed around it.
3 min read
eSIM Net vs Airalo: how to compare them properly
We are not going to quote a competitor's prices at you, because they change weekly and a stale table helps nobody. Here is what to compare instead, and how we answer each point.
3 min read
Choosing an eSIM for Europe: regional or country plan?
The real decision is not which brand. It is whether one regional plan covers your trip or whether a single-country plan does the same job for less.
3 min read
Choosing an eSIM for the USA: what actually matters
American coverage is excellent in cities and genuinely patchy in between. Which network your plan rides on matters more here than almost anywhere else.
3 min read
eSIM vs roaming: what a week abroad actually costs
Both connect to the same towers. One is priced per day of travel, the other per gigabyte — and over a week that gap is most of a nice dinner.
3 min read
How to get internet abroad: every option, honestly compared
There are five ways to get online in another country. Each trades money for convenience differently, and only one of them is right for a short trip.
3 min read