Greek Comms 3G

[Mwinda]

Hello
Anyone have any thoughts on best option for 3G/4G access in Greece these days?
I wondered if the cap on EU Roaming charges might mean it was do-able sticking with a UK SIM, but Vodafone still quote their £3/day fee. Ouch.
We'll be using it for 3 months this Summer when going round the Pelle - I've read some previous threads on best connections etc, but these things clearly change.
If we buy a Greek PAYG SIM how easy is it to set up a good data deal (or are the standard PAYG rates ok for data?), and how easy to avoid running out / top up mid-way through a Poseidon (etc) check?!
Thanks
Jonathan

 

[[3889]]

Things change quickly but last year I found a Greek Wind sim offered the best deal, IIRC 10 euro for 2.5Gb data for 30 days using the various incentives for top ups etc. Apparently Wind coverage is not the best but I found it OK around Ionian & Pellops.

 

[Ravi]

A mate in the marina has a Vodafone monthly contract and seems happy with it. ( i think it is 10 euros for 1 GB). They also have the Vodafone dongle for the computer but say that this glitches occasionally.

I have a COSMOTE PAYG phone SIM and that does me to get weather, etc.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Back in Greece , and back with Cosmote , not the cheapers but at less it works . Wind is the cheapers but only works well in the Ionian , patches every where else .

 

[vyv_cox]

We had a PAYG data deal with Vodafone for about six years. Data can be bought at any kiosk, everywhere. Coverage was pretty good but patchy in some places in Aegean, mostly OK in Ionian. Last year we bought a Cosmote PAYG mifi, data cost the same but allowance bigger, 2GB against 5Gb but summer offer made it 10 Gb. Coverage definitely better.

The point needs to be made that coverage generally in Greece is a thousand times better than in UK. I don't even get a signal at home, rural but not remote. It's only in anchorages on small islands that there is any loss of signal.

 

[cynthia]

Currently using Wind - 15 euro bundle gives 5gig for 30 days. We purchased the sim in a Wind shop (it inluded an extra gig introductory offer) and use it in an unlocked dongle linked to a mobile modem to create a local hot spot. It is easy to top up if you download the Wind app and buy any amount of top up from a kiosk (or use pay pal). You do need to add tax to the price of whichever PAYG deal you select, as we bought 15€ to top up, then discovered it only gave us 13.40 € credit. Easily rectified as we bought a little extra and added it to our online Wind account prior to purchasing our next bundle.
Good co erage here in the Ionian. Wind shops in Preveza and Levkas, also Agostoli.

 

[Mwinda]

Very helpful, thanks all.
Good to see they have wind shops for those calm Ionian mornings as well

 

[charles_reed]

Been through a similar exercise and have bought a Cosmote 3/4G SIM with a free USB2 modem for €15/month for 5Gb/month.
Bought in Germanos. Kavala - when I break contract the last month I leave Greece I have to pay €25 (the true monthly charge) and €29 for the Alcatel modem.
Vodafone allegedly were advertiusing a similar deal, but tried to charge me €40/month for 5Gb.
I'd used them regularly for the last 4 years but am glad to have made the change as Cosmote coverage is far better than Vodafone and Vodafone better than WIND.

UK GiffGaff charges less per minute in Greece than any one else (includes Vodafone Gr) 14p/min, piggy-backs on Cosmote network, it's also cheaper in UK, using O2 network - coverage adequate rather than good in UK.

 

[truscott]

We did the Vodafone Mifi deal last year in Kos (with Eur 40 for 5GB) but switched at the beginning of this month to Cosmote in Symi. We did not have to buy a new Mifi device. Just changed the APN settings (Internet/*99#). 5GB for 30 Eur and coverage seems to be working really well so far (bought in Symi and now in Small Cyclades). I would suggest if you already have an unlocked Mifi or Dongle, that you try Cosmote rather than try and get by with your UK SIM.

Cheers, PT

 

[Tony Cross]

I don't think there is 4G anywhere in Greece at the moment, except possibly in Athens and Thessalonika? We've had a Wind MiFi on contract for many years now, it's true that 3G coverage can be patchy away from large towns but we found that we could get 2G coverage with it almost everywhere we went (except in very isolated places or sheltered coves with high and steep cliffs). 2G was good enough we found to get basic weather data (with zygrib) though it's rubbish if you want to browse the web.

 

[charles_reed]

I don't think there is 4G anywhere in Greece at the moment, except possibly in Athens and Thessalonika? We've had a Wind MiFi on contract for many years now, it's true that 3G coverage can be patchy away from large towns but we found that we could get 2G coverage with it almost everywhere we went (except in very isolated places or sheltered coves with high and steep cliffs). 2G was good enough we found to get basic weather data (with zygrib) though it's rubbish if you want to browse the web.

You're pretty comprehensively wrong, Tony, here's the Cosmote 4G coverage - which I've used a couple of times already.

https://www.cosmote.gr/mobile/cosmoportal/cosmote.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=T2

It's changing quite fast - haven't tried to look @ Vodafone, which is definitely less comprehensive or WIND which is definitely less coverage.

 

[Tony Cross]

You're pretty comprehensively wrong, Tony, here's the Cosmote 4G coverage - which I've used a couple of times already.

https://www.cosmote.gr/mobile/cosmoportal/cosmote.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=T2

It's changing quite fast - haven't tried to look @ Vodafone, which is definitely less comprehensive or WIND which is definitely less coverage.

Thanks for this. I am wrong, but perhaps not 'comprehensively'. At least not according to the Cosmote site you linked to. They're saying:

COSMOTE is currently providing 4G+ in selected areas in Athens like Kifisia, Halandri, Marousi, Alimos and also in areas in the rest of the Greece like Salonica, Xanthi, Arta, Preveza, Halkidiki, while is expanding very quickly the network all over Greece.

Whilst that's a long list, Kifisia, Halandri, Marousi and Alimos are all part of Athens, but I'll grant you that 4G is expanding faster that I'd appreciated.

 

[charles_reed]

Thanks for this. I am wrong, but perhaps not 'comprehensively'. At least not according to the Cosmote site you linked to. They're saying:



Whilst that's a long list, Kifisia, Halandri, Marousi and Alimos are all part of Athens, but I'll grant you that 4G is expanding faster that I'd appreciated.

I was picking up 4G in Nea Michaniona last week - not mentioned on the list - probably better, if more imprecise, to use the map.
However, here in Samothraki I'm only getting 3G.
Son 1, in Finland, is getting 83Gb/sec download on his 4G router. Meanwhile, when I left the UK I was getting 4.2/6.3 on wired ADSL.

 

[Tony Cross]

I was picking up 4G in Nea Michaniona last week - not mentioned on the list - probably better, if more imprecise, to use the map.
However, here in Samothraki I'm only getting 3G.
Son 1, in Finland, is getting 83Gb/sec download on his 4G router. Meanwhile, when I left the UK I was getting 4.2/6.3 on wired ADSL.

Ok, I surrender. :beaten:

 

[Ravi]

I am wondering why people are using mifi? Presumably to use a PC, rather than a phone. Is it not possible / cheaper / easier to use the phone as a wifi device and use bluetooth so that the PC can access the Internet? Just wondering.

 

[Tony Cross]

I am wondering why people are using mifi? Presumably to use a PC, rather than a phone. Is it not possible / cheaper / easier to use the phone as a wifi device and use bluetooth so that the PC can access the Internet? Just wondering.

I'm using a MiFi because most public WiFi hotspots, and most marina free WiFi as well, is grossly overused or under-resourced. I'm paying €24.99 for 30GB per month on my WInd MiFi (no, they don't do that deal any more, we got it several years ago) and that's hard to beat any other way.

 

[[3889]]

I am wondering why people are using mifi? Presumably to use a PC, rather than a phone. Is it not possible / cheaper / easier to use the phone as a wifi device and use bluetooth so that the PC can access the Internet? Just wondering.

I use my phone but there are often tethering restrictions with phone data bundles which don't apply to data specific mifi sims.

 

[RobbieW]

I am wondering why people are using mifi? Presumably to use a PC, rather than a phone. Is it not possible / cheaper / easier to use the phone as a wifi device and use bluetooth so that the PC can access the Internet? Just wondering.

Also because whilst most peoples home mobile deals give them good rates for calls and texts, the rates for data are still generally cheaper with a local SIM. So data roaming is turned off on the phone and mobile data access comes through the mifi - to any device onboard that needs it

 

[jordanbasset]

The other advantage of using a mifi there are two or more on the boat and the one with the phone wants to go and do something it means the people left still have wifi

 

[charles_reed]

I am wondering why people are using mifi? Presumably to use a PC, rather than a phone. Is it not possible / cheaper / easier to use the phone as a wifi device and use bluetooth so that the PC can access the Internet? Just wondering.

MiFi for multiple devices accessing the internet.
Many boats will have tablet, laptop and multiple smartphones competing for bandwidth.
Rather than using a router, one can always use a high-end smartphone and Bluetooth.
I'd agree, totally, with Tony that most public wi-fi networks are grossly over- extended, have totally inadequate bandwidth and are crawling with unpleasant infections.