GlobLinker promises free data for life. The math tells a more complicated story.
In mid-February, I purchased the GlobLinker 4G LTE Mobile hotspot. It promises 10 GB of free USA data to start and 2 GB of data every month for life. Reviews were sparse, but what I could find (largely on Reddit) were fairly positive.
With my own phone’s data limited, especially when I need to use it as a hotspot device, I decided to give this device a go, especially with the supposedly limited time offer of 2 GB of data free per month.
For persons with phones that can hotspot and offer unlimited data, this device may seem redundant and entirely unnecessary, especially with it being limited to 4G LTE speeds. However, there is an appeal for those who travel internationally or travel to areas where their native phone network may be limited. The device promises to be carrier agnostic and will attach itself to the strongest network with the fastest speeds, which may be useful if say T-Mobile is your carrier but has no service but Verizon does.
Does the Math Make Sense?
The math: On their purchase page, they mention US data averages $1.40 per GB (less if you buy more). Assuming the free 2 GB data is $1.40 per GB, that’s only a $2.80 value. Added up per month, it would take me nearly 4 and a half years to make back the initial investment. Slightly less if you count the 10 GB starter data. Keep this in mind if you decide to purchase.
Further, the 2 GB of Data is based on US data rates. If you wish to travel internationally, you need to reach out to their customer service who can convert it to the rate of the nation you are visiting. It is not a 1:1 rate – Africa will be less data, Europe is close to 1:1, while Asia will be more data.
Some Caveats Apply
GlobLinker also noted that when you turn on the device, it will automatically start the timer/use of the blocks of data. If you have multiple data blocks, it will use one at a time until it is used up or expired before activating the next.
The 2 GB data for life is also not added automatically, I had to message their customer service to activate it. They give you two options: automatic activation every month or bank it until you need it. However, they noted that regardless of which option I picked, unused data would roll over month to month. I opted to do automatic activation. The 2 GB data for life gets added automatically every month on the first of every month after this, so I should not have to reach out to customer service again to use it.
Another note is that the 2 GB is added as two 1 GB blocks of data. If you decide to use your free allotment but only need a little data, this makes sense, allowing you to carry over the remaining 1 GB to the next month.
It is helpful to register on their customer portal to keep track of your data and how much you accrue if you do not use it every month. All you need for that is your name, phone, email, password, and serial number (which is on a sticker on the side of the unit). My portal accurately reflected the free 10 GB one time data and after speaking with customer service, my two 1 GB data allotments for the month.
Speaking of Customer Service
I reached out to their customer service via email on a Saturday morning and they responded in 8 minutes. That is seriously impressive. I replied with my pick of data options, and in 4 minutes they had activated my 2 GB of data a month (now showing in online dashboard) and replied stating as such.
First Impressions
After turning the device on, I was greeted by Japanese. As far as I can tell, there is no way to change the language manually. However, the device eventually converted to English after about 5 minutes. After a couple more minutes the device automatically registered and was ready for use.
After the device was ready, pushing the center button toggles through pages on the screen. It shows the current data allotment and how much you have used, the SSID and Password, a QR code to connect your phone if you don’t want to mess with the SSID, and then another QR code which takes you to the store to purchase more data if you desire.
I did not need to have any payment method on file to use the device. Once you run out of data, you are out, but you can purchase more through their store at any time.
Initial speed impressions, which I discuss more below, seem suitable for web use and maybe even a video call, but I could tell it was a bit slower than my phone’s hotspot.
Price
The device is listed on their website for $165. While it is listed as a limited time sale, it has been at this price since I first discovered it back in late December. However, you can find it for sale for $129 on Amazon, though it has been noted that the free 2 GB data for life offer is only if you purchase the device through the GlobLinker website. However, it has been noted by several other reviewers that if you reach out to customer service, they will give you the data for life offer if you send them the device serial number. While I did purchase the device direct through their website, I used a discount code which dropped the total out the door price for me to about $149.
Their data plans, which are listed here, have been noted by some as being either competitively priced (at least for the US) or more expensive than local offerings (noted for Europe). Personally, I find the options suitably priced for my location.
For me, my carrier plan is actually more expensive to buy more data than to go through GlobLinker. Granted, there are other companies out there, but the promise of being carrier agnostic and not having to buy a new sim every time is a benefit.
Speed
When I turned the device on, it searched for a carrier and automatically attached to T-Mobile.
While not the greatest speeds, keep in mind this device is a 4G LTE device. Some reviews have noted better speeds and others have noticed worse speeds. It will likely come down to carrier, tower, location, and environment.
That said, I was able to browse the web without any real frustrations, but page loads were noticeably slower than I’m used to.
I was able to watch a YouTube video at 1080p at these speeds without buffering, and a video call I did worked fine. However, more intense situations such as streaming 4K content and gaming may not be a good idea (never mind how fast you’d go through your data).
Update: I did some traveling today and set up at a coffee shop. Connecting the hotspot yielded even better results. It seems upload is capped at about 15 Mbps, but the download speeds hit just shy of 31 Mbps.
Technical Notes
The default admin portal for the GlobLinker is 192.168.100.1 and the login is admin/admin. Keep this in mind if you decide to share the hotspot with anyone, as they will have the ability to login and make changes to your device which can cause the device to be permanently bricked. I suggest you either only allow trusted people (up to 8 devices can be connected at a time), or use this as an opportunity to change the password.
The admin portal is fairly basic and most of the configuration here you will not want to change. The Wireless and Router tabs, however, are useful.
The Wireless tab allows you to configure the SSID to something you can remember and change the password to something you know.
The router tab allows you to change the default password to something other than ‘admin’.
Conclusion
As someone who doesn’t travel much, or use a lot of data, this device may not make sense or have any benefits over competitors. The free data would take between 4 and 5 years, price depending, to make back your initial investment. Like any new company, longevity can be a deciding factor.
However, it works and it works well. I’ve not had any issues while using the hotspot, the speed is fine for my uses, and customer service has been incredibly responsive to my emails. We will be trialing the unit further during a trip to Japan and South Korea later this year, with a follow up post near the end of May of 2026.
Who is this for? Travelers, people who could use the free data as an emergency backup, people with capped mobile data plans who need a cheaper alternative, or perhaps business people who need a dedicated and carrier agnostic hotspot.
Notice: This review was on a GlobLinker 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot purchased through the GlobLinker.com website. Links to the website and device are strictly for ease for my readers and are not affiliate linked. I have received no compensation for this review.