Canadians -what are you using for internet access

[Lynn0527]

Hi again - I am working on my plans for Mexico and it looks like I will be leaving around January 24 and coming back around March 8th. Thanks to those that offered to let me accompany them down but the dates just didn't jive. I plan to head down to Mazatlan over 3 days. I do need to have access to Internet for my work. What are fellow Canadians doing for internet. I was thinking of using my IPhone as a hotspot, buying a plan from Telus and using my booster to get better signals.

All suggestions appreciated.

Lynn

[Talleyho69]

In the past, we have used a distance booster, and found it to help some.

To toss another hat into the ring.......We each run Lenovo computers, different models, new, fast ones. Have to, we make our living on eBay!

My computer easily hooks up to the hotel across the way, and most of the time, I have decent speed. His computer will not hook up to it at all. Go figure.

[sparksmex]

Slow this morning. Usually about 3.5 The modem itself definitely has a lot to do with it. No I don't live in a big city but small town on the beach



And this is Telcel .... not Telmex

[briansue]

Last I heard there is 4G only in Mexico City - and that is not real 4G - even 4G in the US is rarely really 4G.

Many factors affect speed and connectivity. We have been in areas where Telcel is decent one minute and non-existent the next minute.

As far as WiFi - that too can vary from minute to minute. The biggest factor being how many people are using that particular WiFi source and what they are using it for. One person streaming video on WiFi can ruin it for everyone else trying to use that WiFi. If no one else is at that RV park the WiFi can be very different than when 10 or 20 or more users are active.

We use WiFi whenever we can if it provides us with what we need. We use Telcel when we have to or when the WiFi is to slow to be usable. Sometimes Telcel is too slow to be usable. Since we have to pay for Telcel by the GB we try to limit use by using any available WiFi.

We use an ALFA WiFi distance booster (www.rokland.com) which allows us to use WiFi in our RV even when quite a distance from the WiFi source - while others have to walk to the office carrying their laptop we sit in our RV with a good signal - about $30.

We were in an RV park a few years ago and they were on what was then Hughes Net as I recall. They were on satellite. There was some limiting factor and if too many people tried to do too much then the whole system went down and there was no internet for a day or so. They told us Hughes knew how much they used per day so if people tried to stream or something like that then Hughes punished them by cutting them off. I am not sure if that is fact but I do know the internet did go down and could be non-existent for a couple of days.

Things are getting better as far as internet and phone in many areas of Mexico but there are still areas that get no service. There are still many areas of the US that get no service or where service is slow. We can be in areas with our Verizon in the US that shows we have a 4G signal but we still get poor speed.

[Talleyho69]

OK, back to basics. Many/most of the parks in Mazatlan have terrific wifi included. We are currently in the not quite open Mar Rosa on the beach. Their wifi won't be available until Nov 1. We work on line, too, and have been very pleased with it.
Now? I'm using the unsecured signal from the hotel next door. It's adequate, and it's here.
Do more homework on where you plan to stay-there may already be great wifi in place.
On the way down, Totonaka in San Carlos has very good wifi.

[moisheh]

Telmex's 3G is not a true 3G. The 4G is only available in selected areas. Are you in an area that has 4G? Have you done a speed test? I can see the tower from our house and early in the am I get about a 650 to 700 speed. On the weekend when there are lots of visitors in town it is almost as slow as dial up.

Moisheh

[sparksmex]

If anyone is unhappy with their Telcel modems .... I just found a new type that I think is built for their 4GLite network. My old Huawei died and the ZTE was too slow and OXXO had these new modems by the check out. It cost 650 instead of 400 like the old ones but I get well over 3megs down now. It's a blue colored Hauawei marked HiLink. No software to install on PC. I used the time included for a week before switching back to my contract SIM

[briansue]

Open Signal is a website that shows coverage of cell all over the world. Here you can find who has the most area coverage anywhere you might travel. This should help decide which company to go with anywhere in the world. Slight learning curve to using this site - try going to full screen......

http://opensignal.com/

[briansue]

Here is some of what you might see on the Telcel website. . .

(download and install Google Translate if you need to see these instructions in English when you go to the Telcel website)


http://www.internet.telcel.com/paquetes.html#tab1

These are the planes. We usually get the alto30 - 30 days - 3gb - $399mx

The trick is how to pay and apply - this is what you must know and understand before you leave the Telcel office - and be sure to go to a Telcel company store and not an authorized reseller.

At the bottom of the plans see . . .

" Text Messages (SMS) sent to the dialing 5050 are free.

Activate the service here or send an SMS to the 5050 dial with the key service you need: "


There is a way to do this online but if your plan has run out you may only have the text feature working - I am not sure as we have not done it. So before you leave the Telcel office make sure you know exactly how to do this using your computer and your stick.

When you need to buy more time you can go to any OXXO store as well as Telcel kiosk authorized retailers. All you do is give them the phone number assigned to your stick and tell them how many pesos to put on. They can only do certain multiples - like $200mx - so you apply twice to get to $400mx - or maybe they have $300mx and $100mx. The main idea is you need to get at least one pesos more than the plan - so buy $400 to get the $399 plan.

Now when your expired plan runs out - either by data use or day limit - you go to the Telcel program that is install in your computer and go to the Text window and put in 5050 in the space for number to dial to send the text to - and in the body of the Text you write in the exact plan you want and NOTHING ELSE - So if you decide alto30 is for you you just type that in exactly and send - you are done.

If you do not do this (experience tells us) the money you applied to your stick phone number will see the stick as a phone and will use up your money as phone use minutes instead of plan use data. Here's what that means - as soon as you connect as a phone the money goes away for all the minutes you are connected. BUT if you connect as a data plan the money goes away as you use the data. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? You can stay connected to the internet all day long with the data plan but if you are not using date - in or out - the money does not go away. But if you use it like a phone it will go away every minute you are connected. So making sure you know how to apply funds using your computer and texting 5050 to tell Telcel what plan to apply the funds really matters.

Hope this is all clear - if not be sure to go over it with the people in the Telcel office before you walk out the door.

[Lynn0527]

Thanks again, I will definitely look at the TelCel options especially around Xmas.

Lynn

[briansue]

If you search this forum for previous posts about this topic you might search for the words "banda ancha" which is what internet in Mexico is called - means broadband. According to test websites I posted here a while ago (I forget the name) Telcel has the most/best coverage in Mexico. You can also get WiFi a lot of places but not reliable - nor is banda ancha. There will be times when no internet is available. And we find internet in Mexico to be more problematic than we are used to. Be sure to take your computer or whatever you will use into the Telcel office when you go and make sure it is all working and that you understand how to use it. We find it to be very different than in the states. The "stick" is like a prepaid phone - so you pay say 400 pesos for say 3 gigabytes and once you use that up you have to buy more - you put the money on the phone number of the stick - then you have to use your computer and stick to tell Telcel how to apply the new payment - there are plans and you have to choose a plan - if you do not choose a plan they will see the number as a phone and your minutes will go away much faster than for data use. This has all been explained in previous posts during previous winters as it comes up all the time. I should create a document to post each year that takes you step by step through the whole mess but it does seem to change a bit each year and then we learn more each year. In other words this whole thing is not as easy as everyone would like. Research is required.


.

[RonYVickie]

We usually get the Telcel stick as well. It seems to work most everywhere we go. We have run into times when the system seems to be overloaded, but if you can go online at non-peak times - before 9 am or after 7 pm, it works well. RYV

[Canadian_Rainbi]

Lynn0527 wrote:
Hi again - I am working on my plans for Mexico and it looks like I will be leaving around January 24 and coming back around March 8th. Thanks to those that offered to let me accompany them down but the dates just didn't jive. I plan to head down to Mazatlan over 3 days. I do need to have access to Internet for my work. What are fellow Canadians doing for internet. I was thinking of using my IPhone as a hotspot, buying a plan from Telus and using my booster to get better signals.

All suggestions appreciated.

Lynn

Did you mean Telus or Telcel? I think a Telus plan there would be expensive.

We just use the wifi in the campgrounds or wherever but if you need it for business you probably want something more reliable. I like Rob's suggestion for your purposes.

[robatthelake]

We have a Telcel Stick which we purchased three winters ago! Once We reach San Carlos/Guaymas ,We pop in to the Telcel Company Store and buy a months worth of service ,which We renew On Line every 30 Days or so! In actual practice We usually don't get the full time as We use more Gigabytes than is covered .

It seems to only last Us three Weeks!

Telcel usually has a Special Purchase deal around the Xmas Season!

I must add that the Stick is a USB Device!