What is a good Sat Phone Plan? (1 Viewer)

[Fisher23]

Looking for one that I one need to receive some daily VPN codes to login to work.

i.e. Digital Nomad Life.

 

[peesalot]

I landed on Road Post.

 

[Deathvalleypaul]

Most plans, ONLY if you pay by the year, allow you to carry forward unused time, otherwise you lose it at the end of the month. You still lose it at the end of the year! It is worth paying my the year, but phooey, the cost is outrageous no matter what plan.

 

[clrussell]

Would a garmin inreach work? Are you just needing to receive a text?

 

[florida95fzj]

Looking for one that I one need to receive some daily VPN codes to login to work.

i.e. Digital Nomad Life.

The inreach probably won't work for OTP codes because they don't give you a dedicated phone number. It can change and you likely have to define that number from your VPN's MFA system in advance.

For the continental US, the Globalstar plans will be low cost and their network is not bad since they relaunched their satellites. They will also give you a US phone number.

Be aware that some Iridium resellers will give you a US phone number for phone calls but it may not work for SMS/TXT. This means your multi-factor authentication system would need to be able to send very expensive text messages to the international Iridium country code. I would be skeptical of that working. An Iridium phone or Iridium Go plan is also the most expensive option.

I think the Zoleo messenger device gives you a US phone number and might be the cheapest all around solution. They use the Iridium network and emphasize SMS support. I used them in the past.

With anything, be sure you have a good return policy in the event your VPN codes cannot actually be delivered to the phone number you are assigned.

So, do you have internet access good enough for a VPN but no cell phone coverage options at all?

 

[Fisher23]

I use StarLink for internet using VPN. The VPN-Citrix authorization method wants a code sent to a phone via text.

 

[florida95fzj]

I use StarLink for internet using VPN. The VPN-Citrix authorization method wants a code sent to a phone via text.

A free and easier solution might be to enable the wifi calling feature on your phone if your phone and carrier support it.

AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile support it and maybe some of the other brands that ride those networks support it as well. For the iPhone at least, it's just an "on" switch to enable and it just works.

If enabled and if you are connected to Starlink's wifi, your regular phone calls and regular text messages will work. You won't need any cellular coverage at all and it's free.

 

[BadReligion]

i.e. Digital Nomad Life.

^Starlink.

If remote hunting or off-roading and you need basic voice/text, then Sat phone. For text only, the In Reach is much more affordable.

I've had both Globalstar and Iridium. Both are expensive and regularly drop calls. Iridium is slightly cheaper long term if you buy their phone.