Internet Service Providers

[boatmike]

I try to keep up with technology. Really I do! But having decided to trog off to the Med in the spring the thorny old subject of communications raises it's head and I am confused. (Happens more frequently as I get older I find)
My current PC is on broadband with NTL so that's as much use as a chocolate teapot unless I take my telly with me which I somehow think wont work as it's attached to a cable wot comes out of the wall ....
My Laptop is from Time computers so is already set up to accept Supanet. Anyone any experience of them? They seem to have a cheap deal at £9.99 month for unlimited access but being UK based I think I will have an international call every time I want a connection won't I? (Their website is crap and carries a free number to ring which allows you to leave a message and no one calls back) Anyone got any better deals to consider?
Also I will want a Mobile phone to link it to. My present Pay as you Go with Vodafone costs an arm and a leg every time I want to call home from abroad. It has been suggested that I could buy a phone that will accept any SIM card and buy a PAYG SIM in France, Italy, Greece etc to fit it but while I can see me communicating my needs to someone in France it might be a little different in Greece as I don't speak a word..... You guys out there must have it sussed out buy now! Whats a nice simple solution? Don't want to "surf the net" just type up my e-mails off line, Log on briefly each evening, send and receive and log off.
Anyone got a phone contract that works everywhere in the Med at a reasonable cost that I can set up as a monthly direct debit before I go? Or is this the wrong way to go about it?

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[Sea Devil]

Most cruisers have a hotmail account - I think yahaoo do a similar thing - you sit in the boat and write all your emails and put them on a floppy disk - go to the internet cafe (they are everywhere) log into hotmail - yahaoo and cut and past your messages - then down load to the floppy and go back to the boat and read them....

Mobile phones work with sim cards that seem to cost around £20 everywhere - i think - you just buy a new sim card and pop it in the phone on the local pay as you go - overseas calls are expensive that way - best to use your hotmail address to keep in touch and buy cheapo telephone cards and use a public phone for urgent calls home

<hr width=100% size=1>If you have time visit my web site
www.michaelbriant.com/sailing

 

[boatmike]

Yes thats one way I can see. The internet cafe by-passes the need for a phone or ISP at all, but just how "everywhere" are internet cafes? In any case it will not work when in a secluded anchorage somewhere. You have to go ashore. I don't mind a modest expense but would like ideally to be able to access the internet through a call local to country from my mobile phone. This should be possible theoretically. It's what you are doing at an internet cafe surely isn't it? Bit of a waste of time buying a local SIM card if you have to phone an ISP in the UK to connect though.......

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[Sea Devil]

the poorer the country the more internet cafes there are - except eritria - sudan type places.... In all the Med countries, caribbean, USA and much of the south pacific and all asia - internet cafes... UK not too many I think.

The hotmail route is by far the cheapest and the most used - after that you can do Sailmail (there is a web site) but you need an SSB and a modem -= works great - I used if from Panama onwards round...

Also Iridium (spelling???) telephones - cost again about as much as an SSB et al but proper phones.

Do you really want to be that in touch?

<hr width=100% size=1>If you have time visit my web site
www.michaelbriant.com/sailing

 

[jerryat]

Hi Bambola!!

Totally agree. Exactly what we do and by far the simplest overall solutions. Much better to keep the laptop snug aboard and troll off to the local internet cafe clutching yer floppy!!

We have Sim cards for several countries for use in our tri-band. Works great. But as you say, when in doubt, a cheapo phone card and keep the chats brief!

Cheers

Jerry

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[DavidJ]

Your replies seem to agree on the internet cafe angle and I agree that in the end it is possibly the cheapest solution....however there is something nice about the self-sufficiency of sending emails from your boat. I've noticed also that many internet cafes don't have facility for floppies (for virus tranfer reasons)
My solution is not the optimum one but it works quite well for me although I'm looking for cheaper options.
I have a SIM free phone and purchase a local SIM card from whichever country I'm in (so far no problems in Sardinia, Italy, France and Spain) I'm on AOL who have local numbers in most countriesof the world. So just dial up and up/down load e-mails and weather. It is expensive at I recon a €1 per min so no surfing for me.
Maybe this posting will promt a better solution for me also.
David

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[Sea Devil]

thats sounds really good - I hate aol but presumably I could just dial my provider Wanadoo in france and download???? How does it work exactly and why do you need a sim free phone?


<hr width=100% size=1>If you have time visit my web site
www.michaelbriant.com/sailing

 

[boatless]

Not sim free, but bought without a sim card so that you can use any network's sim. Alternative is to have your 'phone unlocked. Cost me £40 to free myself from T-Mobile.

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[Sea Devil]

Cost me a fortune to get rid of AOL - kept accepting my end of contract then denying they had receicved it - 5 times including recorded delivery letters, email and telephone calls - other order of course!!!

I am not up in mobile technology - I understand you can call your provider... how then do you access your account and download the emails?

<hr width=100% size=1>If you have time visit my web site
www.michaelbriant.com/sailing

 

[boatmike]

Thanks for that David, I was coming to a very similar conclusion and although I have travelled around a bit I have personally never seen a "cafe" terminal with a CD or even "floppy" input probably for the reason you stated. Others say they do this so I guess some exist but not all I believe. I am dissapointed that you say it still costs about £1 per minute though. Is this what AOL charge even when you phone their "international" number or does that cost arise from the use of the phone?
Logically I suppose if you can sign up a contract with AOL in say Greece, and buy a local Greek SIM card or even a Greek phone it should cost you no more than operating a UK based laptop through a mobile phone. As AOL is an international company you should not be charged more to connect in any one country where they offer services than another. Then again if you are using a local SIM card you should only get charged for a local call surely? It is beginning to sound as if there are some deliberately restrictive practices being operated here.......


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[boatless]

For Greece, you'll neeed to do some resarch.

Two years ago it was the case that prepay sim accounts don't allow data calls, have to have a contract. This was the same as the UK at the time, and I don't know if it's changed.

So, I bought a contract sim with a package that suited my intended use, of 3 weeks a year, some calls, some data. Terminated the contract when I went home - no penalties.

To do that, I had to get a Greek Tax Number, which you have to have to buy anything significant in Greece.

I had the billing set up on a Visa card, but I understand that now you have to use a Greek Bank, so I need to open an account next time I'm there.

As far as connection is concerned, I signed up with a free (or low cost - can't quite recall at mo) Greek ISP (can't remember, but can find it if you need it).

Main Telco is Panaphon (www.Panafon.gr) - also Telestet - but good luck if you email either, I never had a reply.

Can point you towards two useful phone shops in Corfu and Levkas if of use.

Doesn't age play nasty tricks with memory?

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[boatmike]

Seems it just gets worse and worse! I am beginning to think texting on a phone is the only thing that comes cheap..... Anyone used one of these new WAPPY phones that you are supposed to be able to e-mail on? Or does that just open a whole different can of worms?
Why is it that things get more difficult when you are over 60....... Videoed the wrong bloody programme on telly again last night...... Doh!


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[jerryat]

Hi Boatmike!

I wouldn't get too concerned about a lack of Internet cafes, they are, as Bambola said, all over the place - except the UK!! We've puzzled about this several times, and come to the conclusion that most people in the UK have their own computer, or know someone who has. The need for IC's therefore is anywhere near as commercially appealing as in other countries.

Certainly, we have not yet visited any reasonably large place that didn't have a cafe (or two or three!) and, as Bambola says, the little 'out of the way' places, where there is a distinct lack of 'ordinary basic things' almost always boast one. Strange but true.

We have only come a cross a couple of them that don't have a floppy/CD facility, and have never been refused the use of them because of potential virus's etc. Most, if not all cafes seem to have an anti-virus prog running on their server, so your gear is protected also.

We used to use a mobile with a local sim card in Spain a few years ago, linked through a Spanish 'freebie' isp. Trouble was, it was anything but free, and after a couple of weeks use on email only, we had a whopping great bill - and called it a day!! It was then we switched to IC's.

We're a bit like Bambola I think. We go cruising to get away from constant communication (phone calls/email/faxes cost us over £700 in our first year 1996!!) and have now developed a 'very brief chat/email, perhaps once a month' regime with family and friends. We check emails regularly and the mobiles are there for emergencies, but for the rest of the time - peace and quiet!

Cheers

Jerry

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[DavidJ]

The cost of €1/min is not AOL 's cost but the cost of a local call (from Orange in my case) to an AOL local number (sounds like AOL are creaming off somewhere!!) Since I use the local number it won't make any difference in signing up to AOL Greece.
When I was in Rome there were some livaboards who has GPRS phones with a great deal from Orange which was serving after 6pm and all weekend for €20 per month. Maybe some other reader will pick this up and have some direct experience. GPRS I believe is much faster also.
By SIM free I mean a phone that has been unlocked from the original vendor eg Orange or a pay as you go phone

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[boatmike]

Thanks for that Jerry!
The whole thing is a bit of a nightmare really. £700 in one year. Phew! No wonder you gave up!
I am coming to the conclusion that you are right though.... However I have a good reason to need to keep in touch constantly in that crew will only come if she has constant updates from home regarding her dear old mother (the bat from hell!!) who has selective dementia. (Forgets when she chooses) It's common to get several calls a day when at home sometimes........ There are some situations where euthenesia is more than justifiable......
The most important thing is possibly training people in the UK not to phone you but to text (cheap) This will work for all but Mummy dear. The cunning plan I am hatching is to tell Mummy that daughter will phone once a week for a chat. If something urgent comes up phone granddaughter who will e-mail us. Then we just might avoid ridiculous bills........ We will also take 2 phones and her Mother will only have the number of one while the other is our "real" phone..... Any voicemail message on Mummys phone will be ignored unless an e-mail alerts us to a problem....
This brings us back to Internet Cafes and a Yahoo address and a second phone.......
Just went into Fareham and looked at phones in the shop. I can actually sign up for £20 month and get a new phone that will actually give me a broadband connection wherever I am and no need for an ISP at all. Cost appears to be £1.50 every time you switch on but you can be on line all day if you want and even surf the net. e-mails cost the equvalent of 1p per page...... After 3 months I can reduce the monthly tariff to about £15 month. That's in line with the cost of an ISP that I don't now need at all. The phone (Nokia) has a neat little fold out qwerty keyboard too.... This sounds excellent. If I keep a Yahoo address I can then use the phone or e-mail from a Cafe as suggested. Sounds pretty good so far so there is probably a snag somewhere I have not found yet..... Anyone else tried this route yet or am I breaking new ground here????

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[boatmike]

Yes David, see my last post re broadband phones. We may have something here!

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[tcm]

Re: Internet caffs

even cheaper, just go to an internet caff period, without a floppy, and without cheating by pre-writing the emails. Most emails are rubbish, and for those that aren't it sounds much more adventurous to answer merely with "southern spain, fewer sharks today, weather ok" or "send me part number 234234 urgent".

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[jerryat]

Re: Internet caffs

Hi tcm!!

Cynical, but perfectly true!! After our crunching first year costs, we reviewed everything, and yes, most emails are sent for the sake of sending them!! Agree entirely with the brief acknowledgement type.

Mike, your last post idea certainly seems to have merit, but I'd check that it is as you say in ALL countries - even those in the EC. We and other liveaboards in Spain, had a cracking set-up for almost a year, before Telecom Espana (I think it was) realised that they weren't getting their 'cut', and terminated the direct UK connection. They then re-opened it, BUT with the necessity of dialing through their system, which shoved the prices back up to almost international call charges. Everyone I knew just stopped using it and switched to the ICafes. Darned if I can remember the name of the system, but it was run by BT exclusively for ex-pats in Spain.

As I say, do check with reps from the countires you intend visiting to ensure that the deal is valid within their borders. If all is ok, do please let us all know, as we too hope to be shoving off back down to the Med next Spring.

Cheers

Jerry


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[Sea Devil]

Re: Internet caffs

Hi Jerry,
Just to say that when I got a modem and clocked into sailmail via the ssb I stopped using the IC's very much - also had the advantage of doing great weather - cost US$200 pa unlimited except for the time limit which depended on your modem - When I head out again next year I think I will go back to IC's..
Do they still sell those really really cheap phone cards in Spain?

<hr width=100% size=1>If you have time visit my web site
www.michaelbriant.com/sailing

 

[rrees]

on the IC side instead of a floppy or cd use a usb memory card
all computers now have a usb port and you can use these up to 256Mb of stuff

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