Pokefi or other WiFi Modems as alternatives to StarHub Happy Prepaid/Roam?

I've got a friend who was telling me about how he's been using Pokefi.

He managed to get it for a one-off fee of ~$700 HKD (~$120) including 5GB of data with no expiry for use in 60+ countries. Now of course, per GB, this is obviously not cheap. Also - the listed price is actually $1318HKD (~$227). He has a mate who managed to get him mate's rates.

What was attractive was the ongoing cost of 5GB for $120 HKD (~$20), again with no expiry and again valid for use in the same 60+ countries.

The advantages of this over StarHub Happy Roam:

• Can have multiple devices connected, as opposed to one SIM in one phone. I suppose you could argue that you could just tether with StarHub's Happy Roam
• Works in more countries
• Cheaper per GB rate
• No expiry on data usage
• Doesn't occupy a SIM slot in your phone - an advantage whether you're using a dual SIM or single SIM phone!

Disadvantages:

• High upfront cost in the form of the device, which would only make this worthwhile for those who travel frequently, or are travelling to countries not covered by Happy Roam with no other decently priced alternatives
• Additional device - that means you need to consider the possibility of losing it, the need to recharge it, and the need to carry an additional device with you
• It's not a SIM card - no number attached to it, and that means you can't receive SMS/calls - admittedly a small disadvantage
• Unlikely to be able to find discounted ways to top this up - whereas there are some promotional ways of topping up StarHub (e.g. free local data, bonus credit for local calls)
• Still seems like you'd need a VPN to use in China. From their coverage page, "China (No VPN)" - although I can't tell if this means "you won't need VPN" or "this is not VPN". Friend tells me it still requires VPN in China to load stuff like Google, Facebook, Youtube though.

Does anyone know much about Pokefi, or know of any other similar alternatives? It's actually quite an attractive alternative and I'd say it's arguably better than StarHub. I feel the advantages generally outweigh the disadvantages. The high upfront cost is quite unfortunate though!