ZOLEO: SATELLITE COMMUNICATION USING YOUR PHONE
You can contact anyone from anywhere on the planet.
If your addiction to the backcountry takes you into spotty cell coverage on a regular basis, having a communication system more reliable than your mobile phone will add an extra layer of convenience and safety to your trip. Especially if you like to explore on your own.
Most serious off-road and overland enthusiasts will have a radio in their vehicle, either FRS (more popular in the USA), CB or Ham. Great choices if you are near your vehicle and you can reach the person you need to talk to for emergencies or to find out what’s for dinner.
That’s why we carry cell phones in our pockets not radios. We can reach the contact of our choice directly. Not broadcast to whoever may be on the frequency in the hopes they have the information we need or are able to help.
One of our challenges is we often drive our 4x4’s to the trail head and start hiking. No more radio. Here in beautiful British Columbia the mountainous terrain means spectacular views, and waterfalls, but also valleys and canyons that cut off cell reception (if there happens to be a tower in range). Life can get a little sketchy when you’re injured and have to wait until someone realizes you’re missing and the search parties start, well … searching. Sometimes we actually make the right choice and miss an adventure because it is the safe, smart thing to do.
We left our homes on a balmy spring day and started climbing the forest service roads into the mountains. Dry pavement became packed gravel, packed gravel became run-off filled heavily rutted snow and finally slippery wet snow up to 1.5 metres (4.5 ft) deep.
Like the changing surface conditions, so did our communication needs. Wi-Fi in the driveway to good cell service, then spotty cell service to the dreaded ‘no bars’.
Thank goodness for satellites. Technology has delivered consumer affordable global communicators. In the past we’ve examined the Spot X and the inReach Mini, which were both welcome options. And now we have ZOLEO, which uses familiar technology to deliver an even better (and cheaper) solution to safer exploration and communication.
The strength of this tool is that it seamlessly switches between WiFi, cell and satellite services through the ZOLEO app on your cell phone, maintaining the same message thread. Functionality no other affordable communicator offers.
What if – Worst case scenario
SOS messaging is often the prime reason for carrying a satellite communicator. In this case, you can use the device or the app to send an SOS. ZOLEO uses the reliable Iridium network of cross-linked low earth orbit satellites that surround the globe from Pole to Pole. Your SOS message goes to GEOS Inc., a global private provider of 24/7 travel safety and security services. Through ZOLEO, GEOS receives your I.D., location, emergency contacts and contacts local emergency responders.
What if – it’s not so bad
Non-emergency messaging is where the ZOLEO is fitter than the competitors. The device allows you to send a pre-programmed ‘I’m OK’ message that includes your location. Unfortunately, you can’t compose and view a message on the device. If it has one missing feature – this is it. However, we prefer the smaller package it delivers and using our cell phone for messaging. What if – something happens to our phone? Not really likely.
We’ve learned the hard way to use hardy protective cases (we use Urban Armor Gear and Otterbox) and carry back-up portable battery power. Regardless, if your phone stops functioning you can still rely on SOS and Check-in directly from the device.
By using the app we were able to start a conversation when we left using WiFi, let ‘homebase’ know we had to change our planned route over cell signal, and finally that we had arrived safely, but we would be late getting back - using the satellite network.
From civilization to secluded snow-covered mountain trails we had seamless contact when we wanted it.
The device weighed in at 149 g (5.25 oz) on our scale but the spec sheet says 150 g (5.3 oz). It’s in a rugged, shock-resistant, rubberized case (MIL-STD 810G) with an IP68 rating (dust and water-resistant to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) for 30 minutes), with a battery life of 200 hours checking for messages every 12 minutes. It easily fits in the palm of your hand at 90.9 x 66.0 x 26.9 mm (3.58 x 2.6 x 1.06 in) in size. Inside the box you get a small carabiner, the device, a USB cable and a Quick Start guide to get your ZOLEO connected to the network.
The app is a free download sourced from traditional Apple and Android app stores. The intuitive layout functions like any other text messaging app with clear, easy instructions on setting up your account, connecting to your ZOLEO and accessing your contacts. You are assigned your own SMS number and email address. Make sure your first message to a contact has your name in it so they know who it’s from. They don’t need the app to receive messages from you , but if they do, you can send each other app-to-app messages using up to 950 characters (much longer than SMS and email messages) and even see delivery receipts to confirm your message has been delivered.
The device costs roughly $270 CAD, there’s a $25 account activation fee and you can cancel any time after three months. Plans start at $25/month with 25 satellite messages included with additional messages at $0.70. Your WiFi and cell messages are unlimited, and your cost is dependent on your existing data plan – no fees from ZOLEO. The top plan is $70/month and has unlimited satellite messages. You can change your plans online anytime (big trip coming up?). We also like the fact that you can suspend your account if you know you won’t be using it, in which case
your monthly fee drops to $5, allowing you to keep your ZOLEO SMS and email address until you are ready to begin exploring off-grid again.
As futuristic as communicating through space sounds, this is not a Star Trek communicator able to beam you out from the inside of a volcano. The device should ideally have a clear view to the sky, be held or mounted so the ZOLEO name and flashing lights face upward, and for the best satellite strength and transmission speed be clear of tall buildings, your body, tree canopies and landforms. In other words, it works best if you take it out of your pocket and aren’t standing under cover to get out of the rain.
We’ve explored off-road across Canada, the USA, Mexico, Cuba, and a hundred points in between. The ability to send and receive SMS, email and app-to-app messages from anywhere to anywhere else on earth makes satellite communicators a valuable piece of kit. We choose the ZOLEO over other satellite communicators we’ve tested because of its affordability, simplicity, and the continuous on- and off-grid coverage across WiFi, cell and satellite using our mobile devices.
You don’t have to explore the whole planet to appreciate it, but wouldn’t you like to try?