We will be in a small hill town in Umbria for several weeks in 2012. Last year we were able to "jump" someone else's wi-fi, but prefer to have our own. We just want to check email, etc. We have a Mac laptop... there isn't anyplace in this little town with free wi-fi. There must be a sim type card I can get for just a couple of months? Any info would be helpful!
Posted by
Chicago
2876 posts
You might want to check out Boingo "Europe Plus." For $34.95 a month you get unlimited wifi access to all their hotspots in Europe, which includes 1,689 in Italy. Their app detects all free wifi networks as well as all their own. You can check out their hotspot directory here, as well as read about the service: http://tinyurl.com/7x2454q
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
I would be really, really surprised to find out that there was a Boingo hotspot in a small hill town in Umbria. Boingo focuses on airports, hotels and restaurants in larger towns. Good luck.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32219 posts
Janelle, Which town are you staying in? Will you be in a Hotel? It's possible that a wired connection may be available. You may want to pack along an Ethernet cable. Cheers!
Posted by
Chicago
2876 posts
There is a Boingo hotspot in Torgiano (pop. 6,000), Trevi (pop. 8,000), and Passignano sul Trasimeno (pop. 5,700), for example. But so far we don't know where the OP is staying.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Well, the things you learn here. Thanks for that info, Tom. Let's see where Janelle is actually going.
Posted by
Toledo
653 posts
If nothing else works, there are still some "internet points" out there - and Western Union offices will do in a pinch, assuming your little hill town has one. We used our hotel's guest computer in Assisi.
Posted by
OP
Seaside, Ca, USA
5 posts
Thanks for the all the replies. I guess what I'm really looking for, is a way to make my mac laptop connected in the little house we are staying in. There must be some service (or device) I can sign up for, just for a couple of months, that will allow me to connect online where I am, in the house we are renting...if not, well, someone out there should get right on it.... Granted, I am not the most savvy tech-gal, I don't have an iPhone or iPad, just my laptop. Last year the dear young man at the tourist office allowed us to use his wi-fi and password, but we had to be right in front of the office to connect, and only during business hours. It's an option, at least. What do you Mac folks do? This is a really small place near Lake Trasimeno.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32839 posts
Does the owner of the house you are staying in have broadband at the property? Do they have an ethernet router or wifi? What do they provide for other tenants? It won't matter if you have a Mac or a real PC. If there is no broadband available in the village then the only chance may be a MiFi 3G sim rig assuming that there is 3g available. Is there 3g to the village?
Posted by
OP
Seaside, Ca, USA
5 posts
Looks like I need to ask my landlord some more questions...thanks, everyone. I have a little time to figure this out, fortunately! I'll do some more research, and be back with questions, if need be.
Thanks all!!
Posted by
Tuscaloosa, AL
1152 posts
You're more likely to have success getting a wifi device that connects over a cell phone signal that would act as a hotspot for your laptop. The mifi is what one product is called in the U.S. Also, Android phones can act as a wifi hotspot, too. Once you have a device, all you need to do is get a prepaid cell account, buy an Internet package, and then your laptop can connect over the device. The speeds won't be as fast as with broadband and you won't have as much capacity for downloads, but it will work, especially if your web needs are modest. There are other threads that talk about getting cell service in Italy. Go to google and do a search: site:www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline Italy cell phone "/11" Let us know if you need further advice about this approach.