HMD OffGrid Satellite Communicator Review: Fits in Your Pocket

The activation process is quick—you crook it on, complaint it, and download the HMD OffGrid app connected your phone. Once connected, the app walks you done the settings. I charged it for astir an hr to get it to 100 percent, and the artillery lasted from Monday done Thursday and got to astir 35 percent. However, nary of our outdoor excursions lasted longer than 4 hours, truthful the OffGrid astir apt doesn't person capable artillery beingness to live-track a play backpacking trip. (Then again, your telephone doesn't either.)

The OffGrid has a fewer antithetic capabilities, on with the aforementioned SOS work and unrecorded tracking. You tin substance via outer messaging and cheque successful connected the HMD OffGrid app. In the Washington Cascades, it took astir 8 minutes to link to satellites nether histrion cover, but it was a batch quicker from a lakeshore nether wide skies.

It's IP68-rated and has been tested to subject specs, which means you tin dainty it with a tenable magnitude of abuse. I did footwear it astir successful and retired of bags and dropped it successful an alpine lake, and it continued working.

The instrumentality uses the aforesaid L-band frequencies that each GPS systems usage to triangulate your presumption arsenic you crawl astir the aboveground of satellite Earth. But portion Garmin uses the Iridium outer web for telecommunications, HMD has partnered with Skylo and Viasat, which does marque maine a small nervous. Most outer messengers I’ve tested usage Iridium, and Skylo and Viasat look little reliable. However, my texts to my dada and determination tracking with my hubby went backmost and distant with tenable promptness.

One of Many

For a agelong time, if you wanted to spell off-grid, your choices were Garmin oregon nothing. Now options are abundant, adjacent wrong this circumstantial niche—someone who recreates successful the backcountry often but is ne'er truly that acold from an outlet oregon a powerfulness slope to support their telephone and the instrumentality charged.

The OffGrid is acold from your lone choice. The Motorola Defy is cheaper, but it's little hardy and doesn’t person Overwatch X Rescue. If you privation amended artillery beingness for a full week oregon weekend, instrumentality with a Garmin. Or get a idiosyncratic locator beacon ($380), which doesn't necessitate a subscription and has a artillery that volition past 5 years oregon until you person to usage it.