WiFi via satellite

Together with your Iridium satellite phone (9555 or Extreme), the Iridium AxcessPoint creates a Wi-Fi hotspot that works anywhere in the world.

Iridium's new AxcessPoint makes it possible to use your smartphone, tablet and laptop to send emails or update social media. You can stay in touch with the office, clients, family and friends while adventuring in the wilderness.

The included software accelerates email and browsing by removing images, pop-ups, and other things that take up space and time to load. Email is heavily compressed. These measures are necessary because the satellite system generally has very low bandwidth.

The small box is easy to carry, measuring 12.2 x 7.3 mm x 1.85 cm and weighing only 128 grams.

Considering the area of use, I think the manufacturer should have thought about making the Axcess Point more protected from the elements, which you now have to solve with a waterproof padded case or a plastic bag. It is also claimed to be plug and play but since it is an American solution, as usual, a little hands-on work is required the first time for it to work. The battery lasts for two hours of use and when it comes to charging, they should have thought about having a standardized cord solution or at least the same connectors as the phones.

However, it is a fully functional solution that opens up the possibility to communicate more broadly with any mobile, tablet or laptop, which was not possible before.