ZOLEO Two-way Satellite Communicator

As I will be doing a lot of solo back country hiking / camping in Arizona shortly, I was looking for a product that would keep me in touch with love ones when out of cell phone signal, as well as giving me the assurance of calling for assistance should I injure myself etc. I done a lot of research and chose the Zoleo GPS Communicator over all the other brands as this gave me everything I needed at a reasonable cost. The set up was so easy and after making some test SMS and emails was confident that I will be able to keep in touch with people back home. The unit itself is small and feels high quality. This item will take some knocks in its stride. You do need to sign up for a monthly subscription but out of all the others on the market this one gave more buck for my money and also gave me the option to suspend or cancel after 3months which will suit me just fine. I obviously have not tested the SOS function and hope I never have to So far happy with the purchase Update….. Have just got back from almost a month off grid in the US backcountry. It would not be right to not of give an update. This tiny little box was fantastic! It kept me in touch, not only with mt SOS buddies, but anyone else I wanted to (upto 5 additional people). There was never a time I had any concerns while out solo. It sent out OK updates to all my contacts along with a breadcrumb trail. It never let me down once. Another great thing was, it held its charge for just over 7 days. Fantastic piece of kit. Can not recommend this enough if you do solo trips where there is no mobile signal or patchy. I am now using this in the windscreen of my car driving around the U.K. as a back up for when mobile signal drops

When looking to buy a satellite communicator I had narrowed the choice down to two devices. The other wasn’t in stock and so that made my final decision, and I’m glad it did. The device was easy to set up on my phone, and I let one or two loved ones know to download the matching app on their phone so I could use that to send them messages (they can receive them as normal text messages, bits it's a bit smoother and easier if you both have the dedicated app). I had opted for the basic satellite plan giving a limited number of messages that could be sent, and also opted for the “location share plus” addon which meant I could send an unlimited number of location markers and “I’m OK” messages with family. The best praise I could give the Zoleo is that I’m happy to say it did everything just as it was expected to do, with no hassle or drama. I tested it by sending a few messages through the Zoleo app as I was in the car traveling to the area I would be camping in, and then again along the first part of the trail. All of these were “free” as I was still within mobile network coverage so they just sent through the normal mobile network and didn't count towards the subscription plan, but it was handy to have them within the Zoleo app anyway so it could be one complete conversation during the trip rather than jumping between different apps. Once on the trail I was able to turn on the location markers. While each marker would normally use up one of your allocated satellite messages, as I had purchased the location share plus bundle they were also “free”, and so I set it to broadcast my location every 12 minutes. As this was a solo trip and I was on my own a fair distance from civilisation, my partner found it very reassuring being able to track my progress and see that I was OK, and follow my path on the map each time it sent my location to her. Once I got to my camping location I was able to send/receive a few messages to let people know I was safe and well and say goodnight, this time by satellite as I was well out of network coverage now, and they sent just like any other message, with no issue. My only slight gripe was that I found I used the battery quicker than expected, by the end of the first day I was down around half way with the battery. However I am sure this was because I had all of the settings turned up full, with it “always” checking for satellite messages and broadcasting my location every 12 mins. If I had dialled these back a little I’m sure it would have lasted a lot longer and I would be able to use it on a more extended trip without having to recharge. Overall the Zoleo performed great. I note below that some older reviews seem to complain about undelivered messages or things not working reliably, but the company seem to have ironed out any bugs they were having in the past and it worked flawlessly for me. It’ll now just be a standard part of my kit for any trips I’m going on, whether that is specifically “outdoors” trips, or even just more traditional holidays or work trips, just to make sure I always have a way to contact people even if I’m in a place with less than reliable mobile network coverage.

Enough of my fishing sites are in cellphone blackspots to matter. Since the Zoleo seems to have a decent price I pulled the trigger. Getting up and running was easy enough. Charges up quickly and doesn’t seem to use much power over the 3 days we first took it out. The app though is where the Zoleo really shines. If you’ve used WhatsApp -you know already how to send sat messages. My guys back home can message me first which is a big plus for the Zoleo. I can send a message via sat, get a reply later once I’m back at home on Wi-Fi, it all still updates in the same message thread, so I’m not flicking between apps and devices with bits of conversations between them. Very convenient. Progressive SOS is probably exactly what you want in an emergency. The app updates SOS status in real time and you can type to the rescue guys if needed. All in all very pleased. Works well, easy to use and I’m glad to own one.

Does exactly what it says it does. Battery life is fab. No issues with sending texts or check in’s. The app on my phone is simple and easy to use. Peace of mind for myself and my family when I am out in the hills alone for multiple days at a time. Sturdy piece of kit that sits quietly on the shoulder strap of my rucksack just incase I ever need it. £199 is a lot of money but it tends to come down in price to £149 every six months or so and I think that’s a bargain. Especially if my life depends on it one day. No nonsense set up, quick and easy.

I live in a rural part of the world, and the mobile signal can drop once away from the M6. This simple device works as long it has charge, and I have power for it, and a Smartphone; I don't need service as long as there are satellites. As with many things that lean on a Smartphone, the story is of two halves - one being the app, which is okay (the description has images) and allows general messaging, a location ping and the emergency message to my chosen people. The device appears robust in the rubber-plastic case, is water resistant, and comes with a good quality carabiner-style clip, but at the asking price of £199, it should. One gripe is the Micro-USB PowerPoint is a bit old school; it's been several years since I had a Smartphone with this port. So, if I anticipate having to charge this away from home, I need two leads or an adaptor. It's early days, and while I am not using the device frequently, it is a helpful addition to my coms network.

When considering this unit, it was a toss up between this and a Motorola Defy. I’m very glad that I chose this rather than the Defy unit, as the company behind it have gone bust (as of feb 24). So I avoided the potential of being left with an expansive paperweight. Not particularly cheap, but cheaper than a Garmin Inreach. I’ve tested this whilst out and about, and it works fine! Messages take a little while to make their way to the destination and back via satellite, but that’s to be expected. Just be aware that if you’re out and about and your mobile phone signal is marginal, you may need to switch on Airplane mode to force it to use a satellite link, as otherwise it will default to using your phone which may not be functional. Hopefully I’ll never near to use this, but it’s reassuring to have it and makes the family happy when I’m out and about by myself.

Tip, bluetooth connecting turn your phone bluetooth on then go into the app and choose the bottom middle Zoleo icon that’ll connect them both together instantly. I was trying to connect from my phone bluetooth settings which didn’t work. My first foray into satellite communicators. Once you sign up it’s working straight away. The experience is slightly different to mobile phone. A little slower over satellite, takes a minute or two though way better than no messages at all. We’ve tried it in no phone reception and it did what it said on the tin. I don’t use text much any more so we’ve all got the app installed and use that when out and about. Daughter has used it also and with the location share gps info we can see where she is and where she’s been during her trip out. I can lend it out to other people though still me paying the bill. I did wonder about no screen or buttons to type messages on but with the app we’re more than OK. The Zoleo for us has been one of those pick up and you know how to use it situations. Decent bit of kit for where we live and get out to.

Don't try to activate this thing if you have a Mac. It will only work with Google Chrome and once you are stuck in the activation loop, you cannot go back. You only find this out when you to go the support section of the website. I wasted an hour of my life trying to set this up and eventually gave up. Customer service is in the USA and does not appear to answer emails or respond to requests for assistance. In the end I totally gave up and returned it.

Definitely was careless to not pick up a GPS unit years ago given the amount of time I spend off the grid, but I finally opted out of peace of mind to get one this year. I’ve read reviews for a while now and really the options boil down to if you want a built in keyboard or not (I.e. ZOLEO vs garmin Inreach) being they’re both on the same satellite network coverage should be roughly the same. Ultimately I opted for the ZOLEO for several reasons. The unit is a simple beacon, it’s rugged, weighs hardly anything, about the same size as a phone (slightly thicker) and holds up against water. I spend a lot of time in backcountry especially on waterways so I didn’t need anything fancy. Next, I’ve read some terrible reviews about garmins software and UX, the need to download multiple apps to manage service and messaging and ZOLEO was just their app for messaging and if you want to use a pairing GPS app (I passed on this). Subscription runs $5/month when idle or $20/month when in use which I believe is slightly cheaper than Garmin and I don’t know if there’s an idle option in Garmins terms. So bad UI and pricing was another strike against InReach devices. In terms of usage, have had minor issues, happened only a couple times where on parts of trips my location ie coordinates were not available when a ping was sent. Again this happened a few times but typically the next interval ping had my location shared. No issues with exposure to elements at all. Messages usually take a 3-4 minutes to relay (when it’s not perfectly clear of obstructions above you) but it’s been as fast as under a minute when you’re in open view of the sky. Haven’t tested the full limits of the battery but no issues running up to a week so far, with battery life stated around 240 hours. For peace of mind, functionality, subscription costs and not needing anything overly complex IMO this is a better buy than the Garmin Inreachs or other GPS units on the market. You get same satellite network as Garmin which is the best one available.

Me ha gustado mucho. Funciona fenomenal con una relación calidad precio excelente. Fácil de poner en marcha, vincular al móvil y contratar plan satelital. Servicio postventa eficiente(eso si en ingles porque te atienden desde EEUU aunque puedes hacerlo vía SMS con la ayuda de la IA). Una tranquilidad ir con él a zonas sin cobertura porque no solo tienes el SOS sino que puedes contactar vía SMS satelital.

Totalmente confiable para la transmisión de mensajes. De fácil configuración y con un app muy sencilla de usar. Mis amigos y familia en cualquier momento pueden ubixarme y comunicarse conmigo.

Easy to set up. Worked first time. Affordable. Will save your life. No brainier

What works: Does exactly what it promises - reliable satellite messaging when you're off-grid Battery life is solid - I got 3 days with 3-4 messages per day and still had 50% left The app actually doesn't suck (rare for this kind of device) Way cheaper than a Garmin inReach if you just need communication, not full GPS features The catch: You still need your phone to send texts, which feels redundant. I'm carrying two devices to do one job. It's convenient enough, but not ideal. Why I bought it anyway: This is currently the best bang-for-buck option if you need reliable backcountry communication. But let's be real - this whole product category has maybe 3-5 years left. Apple already added satellite SOS to iPhones, and it's only a matter of time before full satellite texting is just another phone feature. Think of the Zoleo like a good interim solution. It works, it's reliable, and it's reasonably priced for what it does. I am expecting this feature to be built into my phone by my next upgrade in a year or two. For now though? It's exactly what I needed, and it does the job well. If you need satellite communication today and don't want to drop Garmin money, this is your best bet.