Internet Access abroad

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CdaWorld

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I'm about to embark on a couple of months vacation round the world.

Usually my travel is for work and I can log onto the net in the hotels or apartment my company provides. This is the first time I've gone on vacation with my laptop. I have an Australian based net account.

Wondering what others do for internet access in their accommodation - be it with friends, in hotels, hotspots or otherwise.

Should I get an account with a company that has worldwide access numbers?
 
CdaWorld said:
I'm about to embark on a couple of months vacation round the world.

Usually my travel is for work and I can log onto the net in the hotels or apartment my company provides. This is the first time I've gone on vacation with my laptop. I have an Australian based net account.

Wondering what others do for internet access in their accommodation - be it with friends, in hotels, hotspots or otherwise.

Should I get an account with a company that has worldwide access numbers?

Most hotels I stay at these days have internet in rooms. If you are going to USA, some hotel chains such as hampton inn even provide free wireless internet access.

Dave
 
Hotels: Dave is correct although they can be expensive if not free. Depends if cost is an issue.

If you are staying with friends, family you can often get an AOL CD Rom which allows you to sign up for a free 3 month trial. You would have to use Dial Up and you may find your modem is not configured for that country as I did :( The technical wizzes on here may be able to explain.

When in Europe recently I found the best places where Internet cafes to be honest. Other alternatives are hotspots such as McDonalds etc.

Worldwide account is great but there wouldmost likely be a minimum period to commit to - others may know more
 
These days most branded hotels are providing broadband internet access in their rooms albeit with a charge.

Just got back from Langkawi in Malaysia and was surprised to find broadband access at the Sheraton Beach Resort although it wasn't available at the Sheraton Perdana.

I presume that the laptop you are travelling with has a wireless facility. If so then your options are a lot wider.

I would suggest you sign up for pay-as-you-go wireless services here in Australia with both Optus & Telstra. You'll find that they have reciprocal roaming rights with a number of overseas wireless providers. In the US you can also sign up for a pay-as-you-go facility with T-Mobile. In all 3 cases you can have the charges billed to a credit card.

Another excellent wireless roaming facility is available through BOINGO. Again you can sign up for pay-as-you-go wireless access. Check their link at www.boingo.com

If you're passing through Changi airport, if you set your mobile to use the STARHUB network you'll be offered the opportunity of free wireless access. Simply dial *9434 and you'll receive an SMS containing a userid and password.

Some useful links:

http://intel.jiwire.com/
https://rego.optusnet.com.au/wireless/
http://www.telstra.com.au/wirelesshotspots/index.htm
http://hotspot.t-mobile.com/

If you have to resort to using a dial-up facility, most phone charges in hotels are expensive and you'd be lucky to be able to get a high-speed dial link. An alternative option is to use a bluetooth mobile and fit a bluetooth network facility to your laptop (if it doesn't already have one). I use a DLINK USB DBT-120. The advantage of the bluetooth connection is that you can often get a 115kb connection which is significantly fast that dialling with a traditional modem
 
Speak to your ISP about iPass. They can usually organise for you to be "subscribed" and you can dial in all over the world. The cost (local timing - not international) is added to your ISP account.

I have found iPass helpful for connection to wireless and modem local ISPs in some remote places! If you are checking email use webmail, if you use Outlook for example, it will download, but you can't send because of not having the outgoing server address.

I have also used ATT Global from when it was IBM, but it's a much more expensive subscription.
 
Most hotels will provide wireless in the U.S. Ironically,
the more expensive the hotels the more expensive
the internet.

Hilton/Hyatt will charge your $9.95 for a 24 hour
period, but places like Hampton Inn, Farfield Marriot
and Holiday inn often provide complimentory internet
but sometimes limited to the lobby area or lower floor
room.
 
inpd said:
Most hotels will provide wireless in the U.S. Ironically,
the more expensive the hotels the more expensive
the internet.

Hilton/Hyatt will charge your $9.95 for a 24 hour
period, but places like Hampton Inn, Farfield Marriot
and Holiday inn often provide complimentory internet
but sometimes limited to the lobby area or lower floor
room.

The brand standard for the Hampton Inn brand is that complimentary internet is provided in all guest rooms and lobby and public areas and for Candlewood Suites ( the equivalent in the Holiday Inn group) is free internet in the rooms

It seems normal for the higher brands to charge for these, same as the above provide local calls whilst the higher brands charge

I can recommend Candlewood Suites as a decent place to stay ime

Dave
 
my suggestion is just use internet when you can at the hotel.. keep your aussie isp ready on your laptop just incase you urgently need to use the net inflight.. only $5 usd per minute! :)
 
inpd said:
Hilton/Hyatt will charge your $9.95 for a 24 hour
period, but places like Hampton Inn, Farfield Marriot
and Holiday inn often provide complimentory internet
but sometimes limited to the lobby area or lower floor
room.

When I was in Singapore the other day where I stayed at the Marriott, the room rate for broadband internet access was $S26 per day but if you were in the lobby you could pick up a wireless connection for free.

My business in the US takes me to New Jersey and I stay at a businessman's Holiday Inn where they charge for inroom internet access but free wireless access in the lobby. I always ask for a room that overlooks the carpark and from where I can see the lobby, I can usually manage to suck-in the free wireless access through the window.
 
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Free internet is easy to find in hotels in the USA, but much less common in other parts of the world. Don't expect it in the UK or Europe or most of Asia.

In generaly I find that the more you pay for the room, the more you will also pay for any internet access.

As someone else has mentioned, ask you local ISP about global roaming options through IPASS or similar. If you have WiFi in your laptop, it might also be worth taking out a T-Mobile account or similar if you will be in the USA for any time, and can also use it through much of Europe.

But always look for the free options.
 
Wireless Access in Europe

When I was in Milan last week the Italian neighbours of the hotel were happily sharing their internet connections for free.

No luck in Zurich or Germany for free connects. The hotels offered a paid service of something like a fixed for $25 for the night. I was thinking that for the same price I could go to a coffee shop, have coffee, croissant and internet for the same price.

Amsterdam was also convenient. Free connection from neighbours or a particularly strong signal from Hotspot Amsterdam, also free.

I had signed up for iPass with Ozemail but the day before departure they advised that they no longer offered the service..grrr :evil: . Didn't have enough time to arrange another service. If I had the paid roaming service I wouldn't have been so vigilant in connecting to the free services, saving $$$.

I would have liked the certainty of being able to connect when needed.
 
I know that BIGPOND provides GRIC for roaming, can anyone tell me what OPTUS offer by way of a roaming facility?
 
Google rides again.

infoworks said:
If you are checking email use webmail, if you use Outlook for example, it will download, but you can't send because of not having the outgoing server address.
The smart (and rich) people at Google have solved this problem. If you get a free gmail account (www.gmail.com) you can then use the POP and Outgoing mail servers from any internet connection. You can still use your normal mail server to access and download your incoming mail and use the secure gmail outgoing mail server for sending.

I've switched my 'mobile' Outlook to now downloading my mail via gmail as well. They have a very effective spam filter so I see very little spam.

Pros: Easy and secure access from virtually anywhere.

Cons: They change your outgoing email address so instead of [email protected] becomes [email protected] when sending. Reply-to address can be set & remains customised.

[Note: Access to Gmail is still by invitation, if you want an invitation message me and I'll send you an gmail with the details]
 
I agree about gmail (and forgot about it, even though I use it) - a good point!

The issue for many is still getting access in the first place - at a cost that may be less prohibitive or work where there is no wireless (Air NZ Lounge in AKL is still wireless amazingly!). That is where iPass, etc are helpful.

Once on, Gmail, etc are wonderful and do overcome those hassles, and I do use Gmail. I have to travel to a lot of places for work and need to access my usual email and iPass or ATT Global help provide those connections.
 
One other thing. FedEx and Kinko's stores which are numerous
also have internet access for about $10+ per hour. There are
few internet cafe's in the U.S. so don't spend too much time
looking for them.
 
All great suggestions to date.

Also add BB Cafes for Japan and information centres worldwide. In some countries I've been allowed to use the staff's terminal, while other places such as Helsinki (the IC on the park; not the train station) have free terminals available for use. If they can't help directly then usually staff can direct you to the closest internet cafe/ kinkos etc.
 
I use iPass through OzEmail.

At work we have broadband through another ISP and at home I have Unwired broadband. My OzEmail account is the default pay-as-you-go type, which means that there is no monthly charge at all if I don't use it.

For an annual $9.95 fee, I can use iPass through OzEmail when I travel. This works in heaps of countries, especially in Asia where I travel most.

OzEmail dropped iPass for a while and went to something else that had nowhere the near the number of hookups with other country's ISPs. They've just gone back to iPass, which is sweet.
 
As stated in the previous post Ozemail uses Ipass and Bigpond uses GRIC. Doesn't anyone happen to know what Optusnet uses for international roaming (if anything)? I can't seem to locate any info on their web site.
 
All Holiday Inn I stayed in NY and LA had free wireless internet access.

Some other hotels make it free (with a password) to their Exec floors to differentiate. Having a nice talk with the reception got me the password more than one, though I was in non-exec room.

Wireless internet = FREEDOM.

Having wireless at home and at office (and in the PSP :D) really gives me the feeling that I am FREE.

It means that free wireless network will be one of my criteria in booking my hotel.

Regards
Arun
 
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