OTT reviews the Text Anywhere satellite communication system

[haven]

Jonathan Hanson of Overland Tech and Travel reviews the Text Anywhere communicator. The Text Anywhere gateway device connects to the Internet via the Iridium satellite system, allowing you to send and receive text and email just about anywhere on Planet Earth. Included software allows updates to Facebook and Twitter, too.

The Text Anywhere gadget links to your smart phone, tablet or laptop. If someone sends you a message while your Text Anywhere is switched off, the message is stored for up to 5 days. Note that Text Anywhere does not allow web browsing. Nor can the system send email attachments like photos

http://overlandexpo.squarespace.com...ot-proof-two-way-satellite-communication.html

By the numbers:
The universal Text Anywhere gadget costs $399
The one time activation fee for your account is $35
When you need to use Text Anywhere, the monthly fee is $30 a month, including 100 messages sent or received.
When you don't need to use the service, there's a $5 fee each month to maintain your account in suspended status.
There is no annual contract, and no cancellation fee.

A few other notes:
There's a version of Text Anywhere called iSE. It costs $335, but only works with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch
The Text Anywhere gadget measures 4 x 4 x 1.5 inches
Power is via four AA cells. An A/C power adapter is available for $33.
The Text Anywhere is not waterproof. A weather cover is available for $19 (or you could put it in a plastic sandwich bag)
The device doesn't work well inside a vehicle with a metal roof.

Here's a link to the Text Anywhere web site
http://www.textanywhere.ca/

 

[taybrynn]

My father used this over the summer and it worked great.

We have one for sale (used) on Amazon, like new condition ... for $299 ... over $100 off the regular price... and on top of thay, buying new has an insane $26 shipping charge also.

Includes everything needed.

We used an old iphone at the interface for it. It basically shows up as a wifi hotspit, pick it ... go to the URL and send/receive text messages from anywhere that iridium works.

http://tinyurl.com/p6tgdlo

 

[AlbanyTom]

haven,

Thanks for the heads up on this. It sounds like it could be the killer app for iridium. Voice pricing for sat phone is crazy expensive, lots of people prefer text to voice anyway, and everybody has a smart phone that will do wi-fi. Really seems brilliant to me.

You could mount one on your truck, and be the only guy in your neighborhood that had a sat-com system!

 

[dwh]

Haven posted that a year ago. His original link to the OTT review no longer works, but the link to TextAnywhere still does work.

 

[AlbanyTom]

and I actually checked the original post date to make sure I wasn't responding to an old thread, and subtracted 1/15 from 1/2 and figured I was good. I just forgot it was 2015!!

 

[dwh]

Yea...I didn't check the post date until after I found the OTT review link didn't work...

 

[pugslyyy]

I'm not sure this compares that well against the DeLorme inReach.

 

[Matt_OCENS]

I'm not sure this compares that well against the Garmin inReach.

FYI, it's DeLorme that makes the inReach. I haven't tested the Text Anywhere product, but the inReach SE works great and runs about $299. A device that is Iridium-based is ideal because it is the only network with true 100% seamless global coverage.

 

[pugslyyy]

FYI, it's DeLorme that makes the inReach. I haven't tested the Text Anywhere product, but the inReach SE works great and runs about $299. A device that is Iridium-based is ideal because it is the only network with true 100% seamless global coverage.

Thanks, fixed it. Every other GPS device I own is a Garmin except for my inReach.

 

[carbon60]

I'm not sure this compares that well against the DeLorme inReach.

Same question here, what's the advantage?

I have the older InReach, which has no screen, but the newer and more expensive units will actually work without a smartphone.

A.

 

[AlbanyTom]

If you're backpacking, or carrying it in a bug-out bag, then the inreach probably has the advantage. Otherwise, I'd rather have the text anywhere, because it doesn't have a user interface built in. With the built in screen, you have to be standing where you can see the sky. With a wi-fi link from a computer or tablet or smart phone, you just have to be within wii-fi range of the device, and the device has to see the sky. You could rig up the text anywhere to be mounted on a truck or building in a waterproof box. Then you could access it with the phone you're already carrying. Another advantage would be that you could cut and paste messages to and from the text anywhere, and if you had a laptop you'd have a full sized keyboard.

Or in other words, inreach is a stand alone device, where text anywhere is an extension to other tools that you may or may not want to bring along.

update: I just did some searching on billing issues, and looked at the user agreements for both companies. Based on that, the agreements really, I honestly wouldn't take either one of them if they were offered to me for free. Now that we have a pretty free market in cell phones, I don't have any one sided contracts with anyone.

 

[Matt_OCENS]

If you're backpacking, or carrying it in a bug-out bag, then the inreach probably has the advantage. Otherwise, I'd rather have the text anywhere, because it doesn't have a user interface built in. With the built in screen, you have to be standing where you can see the sky. With a wi-fi link from a computer or tablet or smart phone, you just have to be within wii-fi range of the device, and the device has to see the sky. You could rig up the text anywhere to be mounted on a truck or building in a waterproof box. Then you could access it with the phone you're already carrying. Another advantage would be that you could cut and paste messages to and from the text anywhere, and if you had a laptop you'd have a full sized keyboard.

Or in other words, inreach is a stand alone device, where text anywhere is an extension to other tools that you may or may not want to bring along.

update: I just did some searching on billing issues, and looked at the user agreements for both companies. Based on that, the agreements really, I honestly wouldn't take either one of them if they were offered to me for free. Now that we have a pretty free market in cell phones, I don't have any one sided contracts with anyone.

You can also do this with the inReach, so they are the same in that respect.

 

[carbon60]

You can also do this with the inReach, so they are the same in that respect.

Took the words out from under my fingers.

 

[AlbanyTom]

Took the words out from under my fingers.

Very cool and good to know...thanks! If either ever comes up with a pre-pay plan that doesn't have automatic renewal, I'm might buy one. It would be a handy thing just for the wow factor.

 

[WU7X]

Will either of these devices be able to receive power from a built in USB port in the vehicle? I do a lot of "adventuring" alone, and it would be great to have some way to stay in contact with the family. Can one create several pre-typed text messages which can be sent via a single key stroke on the Text Anywhere. I believe this is possible with the inReach models. The inReach can also be used with Google Earth to allow interested parties to follow your trail, is that right? It looks like the monthly costs for either of these systems is equal or less than a single tank of gas. That sounds like pretty cheap insurance to me.