I live in the USA and have AT&T 3G on my iPad2. Has anyone travelled internationally with theirs (or other devices) and swapped SIMs to use it with foreign cell service? How is that done? Where do you get the SIM? Would appreciate hearing especially from those who have actually done it.
I normally travel to the EU (Sweden, DK, UK, Germany), Canada & Mexico, and China (Shanghai).
Are there any device security risks? I’ve heard rumors of this for China travel.
Thanks.
Unless you want to rack up some serious roaming charges, you’d have to get a SIM in every country, preferrably prepaid. It might be a lot easier to forgo cellular and just rely on WiFi unless you’re spending a really long time in one place. I doubt you want to get eight separate SIMs with money left on them, right?
I have active SIMs in 3 different European countries right now. Get a pay-as-you-go SIM in each country. You can find 'em at the airports, phone stores, electronic shops, and grocery stores (in some countries). Be sure to write down the PIN or put it in the iPad’s Notes. Some SIMs will ask to be unlocked every time you insert them or when you turn the iPad on after a full power down. I wish I knew how to remove that PIN. Use a Sharpie marker to mark the country on the SIM. The SIMs are very small and often all white. Keep a few paperclips around to open the SIM slot. That little tool that came with the iPad always seems to be somewhere else when I want to change SIMs.
Adding data to the SIM differs depending upon where you buy it. In England, you can add money to the SIM at almost any grocery store and convenience mart. Ask the cashier to “top up”. One caveat: some carriers require you to enter your voucher code via an app. The app you need will most likely be available only on the country’s app store. Apple does not let you use any app store other than the one in the country your Apple ID is registered. Even though that app is free, you will not be allowed to download it. It’s harder than you think to create an Apple ID in another country; the credit card has to be a local. Voice of experience speaking.
Finally, power down the iPad when there’s no 3G or WiFi signal. The iPad will drain the batteries quickly searching for the nonexistent signal. I’ve had it go from 100% to 45% in 6 hours in a complete dead zone.
The worst place to try and do that is the US. Buying a SIM was easy but signing up for a data plan required a credit card with a US address.
Settings > General > Network > turn off wifi and 3G.
Or just Settings > Airplane Mode, which will turn off all including bluetooth.
Or just hold down the power button for a few seconds and a swipe.
Rant: The iPad isn’t made for those of us with dry fingers. Maybe it’s the large fingers. I don’t know, maybe it’s the large dry fingers. The Settings screen is frustrating.
I see a lot of people trying to swipe the little on/off switches in the settings. You don’t have to do this, just touching the switch will change it. Is this what’s causing your problem?
Richard, thanks for the tip. I’d discovered that by accident. The problem is more of a “my finger’s so big it hits 2 sliders at once” thing or “my finger’s so dry the finger press doesn’t readily register.”
Well, you know you have to be Human or at least simian to use it, since we know Orangutangs enjoy them.
Maybe that’s your problem. 
2 things:
Ha ha!
Thanks to this thread, I picked up an AT&T $30/120 MB plan for Bermuda (it works in 140 countries or something). I’ll report back.
I already use AT&T for my iPad in the US, and it is the best thing ever.
I’d love something like that. Is it a monthly plan? Does that $30 last a month or until the 120 Mb is exhausted?
Thanks for all the good info. Let’s see, here’s my summary of what I will need to do:
[ul]
[li]Get pay-as-you-go, country-specific micro SIMs for data (not voice)[/li][li]Get 'em at airports, phone stores, electronic shops, some grocery stores[/li][li]Keep track of the SIM’s PIN # (iPad Notes)[/li][li]Write country on each SIM (Sharpie), or otherwise keep track of which SIM for which country[/li][li]Keep extra paperclips handy[/li][li]Turn off cell data or Airplane Mode On, to save iPad’s battery[/li][/ul]
Anything else? I’ll be in Canada in a few weeks and then in China at the end of October.I’ll give this a try. It’ll be cool if it works!
Maybe get a spare charger and cable? Keep it in your travel bag at all times. There’s nothing worse than running out of power on the road. iPad chargers overseas are a bit harder to find than iPod chargers. If you get a non-Apple charger, it’ll charge your iPod and any other USB-chargeable device. For some reason the Apple charger will only charge the iPad. Another lesson learned the hard way.
Sounds good. I actually have one I can plug into either the AC/wall, or a 12VDC car charger outlet. I travel with that.
What kind is it? I’d love to charge my iPad in the car.
Thanks.
Have you used the Internet in china before? Some sites don’t work, eg Facebook, YouTube.