Zoleo Satellite Communicator Review
2023 Top Pick | Best Value, Performance, & Ease of Use
The ZOLEO Satellite Communicator is our Top Pick for backcountry communication and emergency SOS. Compared to the competition, the ZOLEO has the best combination of value, features, and ease of use. As such we feel it is by a fair margin the best Satellite Communicator for most people. And of course it costs less than competition — actually 1/2 the price of its closest competitor.
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Read our Best Satellite Communicator Guide to see how the ZOLEO stacks up against the competition.
Quick Look | ZOLEO Satellite Communicator
The ZOLEO Satellite Communicator is our messaging ease of use Champ. And the ZOLEO is also the most capable and fully featured Satellite Communicator. Especially since ZOLEO recently added trip tracking (Location Share+) and their innovative “Progressive SOS Alerting” . And while the ZOLEO is a smidge heavier than some Satellite Communicators, we feel its features, performance, and ease of use put it at the head of the pack. As such, we feel the ZOLEO is the best choice for most hikers, backpackers, and backcountry travelers.
ZOLEO Features
The ZOLEO has dedicated phone number for fully transparent text messaging — a big deal! This makes it the only unit that friends can send text to without ever knowing that they are sending to you via satellite. In other words, there are no extra hoops to jump thru. And it seamlessly sends/receives messages via cellular, WiFi and satellite (no message charge for cell and WiFi).
For a non-display unit, you can still do a lot with ZOLEO without using your phone. The physical ZOLEO unit has four color LEDs and audible alerts from the unit that give you info its operation and status without having to look at your phone. There is a dedicated button to send OK/location messages and turn tracking on and off. And of course it does have that all-important SOS Button! And multiple users can also connect to the same ZOLEO device!
ZOLEO Satellite Communicator Review: Pros & Cons
ZOLEO Satellite Communicator
$200 | 149.3 g (5.3 oz)
PROS Low Cost. Full feature set. Easy to use modern App. Good battery life. Reasonable cost data plan (no charge for WiFi & Cellular messages). Best SOS Activation going. Easy to send and receive messages. Tri-network messaging (WiFi -> Cellular -> Satellite). Dedicated phone number for messaging transparency. Leds and buttons provide decent operation of the unit without a phone. Uses Iridium, the best satellite network.
CONS A bit on the heavy side. No display on unit. No group messaging. Tracking functionality is basic.
Full Review | ZOLEO Satellite Communicator
This review is based on a head-to-head backcountry field test and years of field use both on personal trips and professional guiding. This includes guiding in remote locations in Alaska, the Sierras, the canyons of Utah, and the Appalachians and Alleghenies. And recently a month in sub-Saharan Africa. We tested the ZOLEO against the competition on message send reliability, location (waypoints), tracking accuracy, weather reports, phone app features, physical unit features and ease of use, battery life, size/weight/ease of carry, and cost of data plans.
Read our Best Satellite Communicator Guide to see how the ZOLEO stacks up against the competition.
ZOLEO Progressive SOS Activation
Takes SOS to the Next Level
Arguably, the most important thing you can do with your Satellite Communicator is successfully send out an SOS. But until now, this has not been the most sophisticated process for Satellite Communicators. It’s mostly been pressing the SOS button, hoping your SOS was received, and then waiting for help to arrive. Compare this to the far more advanced and careful, step by step instructions that a modern emergency device gives you like an AED (automated external defibrillator). And to be honest, in an emergency you are likely not thinking all that clearly. So you really need the help of step by step instructions and status to make sure everything goes right.
ZOLEO Progressive SOS Activation, takes sending out an SOS to the next level — up to modern emergency equipment standards. Like an AED, the ZOLEO clearly walks you step by step through the SOS process — assuring that you know exactly what to do and that each step of the process goes correctly. It gives you confirmation that the SOS was sent, was received, an that the Emergency Response Center has your location. It then opens a chat with the Emergency Response Team so you can send them any additional information, and to receive advice from the Team. And you get immediate feedback and status of every step in the SOS process so you know what is going on at all times. This gives you peace of mind when you most need it.
Tri-Network Communication
ZOLEO Satellite Communicator takes advantage of a full Tri-Network Communication for all its features. That is, it communicates (messaging, tracking, and SOS) via the fastest communication available — WiFi, the Cellular and finally via Satellite. This has two advantages. First, when available WiFi, the Cellular are nearly instantaneous vs. much longer com wait times via Satellite. And second, messages sent via WiFi, the Cellular are free and do not count against your data plan!
Finally, with full Tri-Network Communication you can use a single App (the ZOLEO App) for all your communication. In the past, with Satellite Only devices (like the Garmin inReach). We used at least two and possibly three Apps to communicate. In our case a message (SMS) App like Apple Messages for when we had WiFi or Cell data, and then we’d need to switch to the Satellite Communicator’s App for backcountry messaging. The ZOLEO’s Tri-Network Communication was a huge asset in Africa where we were constantly in and out of areas with WiFi or Cell data. That is, it was a blessing to have all our daily communication in a single place/App regardless of what land based network or satellite communications we were using.
Dedicated ZOLEO Phone Number
This is a big deal and matters! Yeah we know, when you “text” your friend’s Satellite Communicator it looks like it is a phone number but it actually is not. The deal is that it only works if you reply in that message chain. If you were to start a new message with that “phone number” it would fail. We’ve seen this “apparently minor” difference cause a ton of confusion and problems in difficult and emergency situations.
But the ZOELO Satellite Communicator comes with its own unique and dedicated phone number and solves all of these problems. Anybody from any device/App can send an SMS message to your ZOLEO — without having you start a thread with them!
Oh, and of course you can also send email to the ZOLEO. The format is [email protected] (you get to pick your own ID).
Trip Tracking | ZOLEO Location Share+
Trip Tracking was the last feature that ZOLEO lacked vs the competition. Mid-2021 ZOLEO closed that gap by adding Location Share+, their version of trip tracking. ZOLEO says: “you can automatically share your location and breadcrumb trail with up to five check-in contacts on an interval that you choose! Let your close contacts follow your tracks as you progress on your journey — an added peace of mind for both you and them!” In a nutshell up 5 contacts of your choosing can see your breadcrumb track on a map in real time.
We’ve tested the ZOLEO Location Share+ feature with a ZOLEO satellite Communicator and it does exactly what it is supposed to do. And we’d guess that it’s functionally will suit most users just fine. And we like that the basic tracking plan includes tracking intervals as low as every 6 minutes! That being said a couple of competing units offer more advanced features like downloading your trip tracks to GPX file for personal use and exporting to other Apps. But you’ll be giving up a lot of ZOLEO great features in exchange.
Other ZOLEO Satellite Communicator Features
In addition to the key features we covered in-depth above, the ZOLEO has more features and capabilities.
- At any point during your trip you can share your location with your contacts. This is likely the most used function.
- Local Weather Forecasts with a good level of detail
- Good battery life | Approximately 200+ hours with a message check every 12 minutes
Messaging
Note that all messages sent through WiFi and Cell Data do not count against your data plan.
- SMS messages are limited to 160 characters (and the total characters including those in the phone numbers of the recipients cannot exceed 160).
- An email message can support +200 characters (but varies depending on the number of characters in the recipient’s email address)
- An app-to-app message can support +950 characters but only count as one message from your satellite plan offering you the best value.
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