We military families are always on the go. We relocate, we work, we shuttle kids around, and we travel. Our constant motion amplifies when our spouse is deployed and we have to take care of everything on our own. Is there a way, through all this rushing around, to stay connected?

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Why I Need To Be Connected

Take me for example. I am an Army wife and mother of two, who works from home as a writer. I rely on the Internet to communicate with my editor, receive assignments, submit and share articles, and manage my cash flow. Because of our busy lifestyle, I am not always at home. Deadlines and last-minute opportunities come no matter where I am, and it isn’t always easy to seek out a coffeehouse or restaurant with free WiFi. I also love the Internet’s convenience of online banking, recipe sites, video chatting, and sharing our family’s latest adventures via social media. Wouldn’t it be great if I could just take WiFi with me? You know, have my very own mobile hotspot?

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Why Your Military Lifestyle Needs a Mobile Hotspot

Just think, with your very own mobile WiFi, you gain freedom and control while on the go. You don’t have to stay at home or be limited to your phone to do things like this:

  • Stay connected with your home-based business / telecommuter work
  • Knock out your degree while on breaks from work
  • Answer emails between appointments and shuttling kids around
  • Pay bills and manage online banking
  • Complete homework during after school activities
  • Entertain your children on road trips
  • Stream workouts while traveling
  • View hair, makeup or cooking tutorials while out and about
  • Stay connected when enjoying a day at the beach or exploring the woods
  • Video chat with your family, friends or deployed spouse on a laptop
  • Have Internet access when traveling abroad (Hello, Space A!)
  • Be prepared with backup Internet in case of outages

Enter the AT&T Unite Explore by NETGEAR. This mobile hotspot device provides you with secure, mobile WiFi with perks. When compared to public WiFi or smartphone hotspots, the AT&T Unite Explore offers a longer range, is shareable (connects up to 15 WiFi enabled devices — wow), has a long-lasting battery life of 22 hours (better than my cell phone), added security, parental controls with content filtering, faster speeds, secure access to safeguard private info, and a battery boost for your mobile phone.

Sounds too good to be true? It isn’t. I tried it and am happy to share my thoughts.

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My Personal Mobile Hotspot

Setup was super easy. I followed the guide and in a couple of easy steps and I was up and running! The device came partially charged, and its screen was covered by a removable film with introductions to the buttons, which was informative.

I was given a WiFi network name and password, which I then customized. I simply named it “myhotspot.” If you worry you may forget your information, you can opt to have your network name and password displayed on the homescreen for easy access.

I first tried this in my home and it worked like a piece of cake. That lacked excitement, however, as I usually have WiFi in my house, so I then did three things: 1) Hooked my phone up to it for a quick battery boost while outside; 2) Enjoyed WiFi while riding around in my car (I was the passenger, not the driver); and 3) Took the hotspot and my laptop into the woods. I think that sharing a hotspot in the car with friends would be really fun, and employing this tactic while on a road trip with kids would be smart. Either way, the AT&T Unite Explore can connect up to 15 WiFi enabled devices at once! Bus trip perhaps?

Each time I turned the device on, connection was quick, simple and my signal strength was identified as “good.” I was worried that I would accidentally leave it running and drain the data or battery, until I realized that I can choose to set WiFI standby time for 5, 15, or 60 minutes. I also made sure to turn the device off when not in use.

The AT&T Unite Explore makes it simple to share the Internet with a friend. He or she is given a guest name and password, (which can be reset each time), and you have the option to limit usage with a timer. I shared with my husband’s tablet and it was quick and easy to get connected. If you decide to prevent someone from using your mobile hotspot in the future, you can add their device to your blocked list. Each step was fast, user-friendly and simple.

Enjoy a #MilLifeConnected with AT&T Unite Explore

Ready to learn more? The device boasts these features:

  • Rugged, dust proof, water and shock resistant
  • Connect to the Internet with up to 15 WiFi devices
  • Up to 22 hours of battery life
  • Secure Internet access
  • Global 4G LTE roaming where available
  • Content filtering/parental controls
  • Guest WiFi with optional timer
  • Battery boost to keep your smartphone charged
  • 4G LTE Advanced where available
  • Dual-band WiFi for maximum reliability and speed
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If you’re ready for your own reliable, global, secure, mobile WiFi, the AT&T Unite Explore is available at AT&T stores for $49.99 with a two year contract. Current customers can either add it to their AT&T Mobile Share account for $20/month and share the family data pool, or set the device up on its own account.

The AT&T Unite Explore is your answer to enjoy a #MilLifeConnected while on the go. No longer do you need to worry about speed, privacy or battery concerns that you’ll find with public WiFi and smart phone hotspots. You are in charge with the AT&T Unite Explore by NETGEAR, and it goes where you (or the military) takes you. Learn more and get yours here.

Don’t forget to join us for a Twitter Party Tuesday September 27, 2016.

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of AT&T/Netgear. The opinions and text are all mine.

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Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market. She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.

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