As we all know the Australian outback is a truly great touring destination however it can be a bit tough on your vehicle and RV and if you are unlucky enough to have a problem then the last thing you need is no communication options.
Mobile phones are very much part of everyday life but rely on a phone tower and signal and those connection items are all too often missing in most of the Australian Outback. To have that safety net and peace of mind when touring, then the best option has always been a Sat Phone but they can be expensive and require a certain amount of paper work to acquire. However, Optus now have a rather clever alternative, the Optus Thuraya Sat Sleeve+.
While on our recent Birdsville trip the OTR team were fortunate enough to be able to ‘test drive’ the Optus Thuraya SatSleeve+ and bring to you our readers the findings of our three weeks away outback.
The Optus Thuraya SatSleeve+ is a universal smartphone adaptor which turns your smartphone into a satellite smartphone at a reasonable price and gives you that very satisfying peace of mind when travelling beyond the black stump.
Firstly, it is very important to download the ‘SatSleeve+ Hotspot’ app to your smartphone before you travel or whilst you have a very strong communication signal.
Once this was done and making sure that the SatSleeve+ was fully charged we were ready to head off on the road. (pardon the pun!)
There were many occasions on this trip when there was no mobile reception where we had a need to call home/office hence we ‘test drove’ the SatSleeve+. It was easy, simply sliding the smartphone into the SatSleeve+ and connecting phone and sleeve together and then call away. We could also retrieve emails, messages, check social media and upload data just by using the SatSleeve+ and smartphone technology.
Finding and connecting to the satellite sometimes took a few minutes but we always found our ‘bird’ and once connected it worked a treat. We also found it better to connect when we were not driving however we did complete a number of calls whilst travelling.
The Optus Thuraya SatSleeve+ is compatible with iPhone and Android devices and retails for only $888. Our team would happily recommend the Optus Thuraya SatSleeve+ as a useful communication tool for staying in touch with family, friends or work colleagues when travelling in the outback and a safety device that is well worth considering.
For more information visit OptusSatelliteSales@optus.com.au or call 1800 500 269
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