wifi vs internet cafe

The internet cafes seem to be getting rarer and rarer around Europe over our last couple of visits.

I bought an Acer Aspire One netbook for traveling. I hate typing on it but the weight (under 3 lbs) and battery life (8 hours with extended battery) make it well worth carrying it over a regular laptop.

Almost every hotel we've stayed at has had wi-fi available (although a few did charge) and plenty of wifi hotspots all around the major cities.

And when you ask about wi-fi in France, make sure you pronounce it correctly:

wee fee

thanks everyone. it appears that the three of you are all fans of laptop lugging.
although i've not done it beforwe, it sounds as if i might find fewer internet cafe's.

rich,

The situation seems to be changing to some extent with Internet access in Europe. There seem to be fewer Net Cafés these days, and more Hotels and restaurants offering Wi-Fi (some free, some for a small charge).

I've resisted carrying a Laptop so far, but this year I'll be travelling with a Netbook. I was in France last year, and one of the main reasons I decided to travel with a Netbook is that the French keyboards just about drove me crazy (some of my friends would say I don't have far to go!).

If you're primarly a "touch typist" you'll probably have some degree of difficulty with the Keyboards. If you're primarily a "hunt & peck" typist, you might be able to manage fairly well.

Of course there are some compromises with Netbooks. The 10.1" display is a bit smaller than I'm used to, as is the Keyboard. However, there are some benefits as well, as most Netbooks have very good battery life (the model I purchased claims to have a 10-hour battery life).

Happy travels!

Hi Rich,

when you get to France, head to the nearest call shop or electronic/photo shop, and buy yourself a prepaid, mobile Internet modem (USB stick)

They cost around €50, and you usually get about 2GB with it, then you can buy bons just about anywhere, even in the grocery stores, and reload GBs right on your LT.

It is THE way we Europeans access the Internet these days, while on the road, and increasingly at home as well.
My best friend was just here from the States, I hooked her up with a mobile modem for her laptop, she loved it!

This will give you the independence you need, France has excellent coverage save for very rural areas. There you might have to rely on your hotel or Cafe.

http://www.expatforum.com/france/mobile-internet-in-france-and-around-the-world.html

Kent,

I thought "wee fee" was what you have to pay to use the WC.

And, Windows 7 was NOT my idea! (Don't blame me)

thanks both of you. i am getting great info here. again, it sounds like the notebook with the mm is the way to go. Corrinne, if i understand correctly, without the Modem stick, i must rely only on hotels and hotspots; whereas with the MD, i have more independence. correct?

Rich,
with the USB modem stick you have total mobility and independence. You are literally taking the Internet with you, wherever you go. And like I said: coverage in France is very good, except for very rural areas.

Different providers will have different deals, I think ORANGE is one of the bigger ones, but all will have prepaid mobile Internet offers. You get a few GBs to start out with when you buy the modem. Then you just buy bons to reload, for the outfit you have the modem from, with this you can then reload more time (GBs) onto your modem. The bons can be used to either reload your cell phone or your Internet, you simply type in the code number in the software window on your laptop. You should get a gigabyte for about €10 or less. You simply ask for €10 or €20 for ORANGE (as an example) at the shops.

If you don't have an external CD drive for your laptop, make sure to have the shop install the software for you. Some Internet software can be loaded directly from the stick.

On this topic, has anyone had problems accessing the internet in Europe with Windows Vista?? Sometimes i have problems here in USA accessing internet. I can connec to network, but can't get on the 'net. Thanks.

Steve,
under other circumstances I would agree that buying a €50 mobile wifi stick, as you call it, for five weeks time, plus maybe €20 in extra GBs, is a bit pricey, but looking at the fact that Rich will be teaching an online course while traveling, it seems like the perfect solution. Add to it the fact that he can use a VOIP program like Skype to make international calls for free or little money, I think it's a pretty darn good deal.

What a shame if he had to be tethered to a hotel, or God Forbid to a McDonalds while in France! He can use those to do bigger data transfers like photos and videos.

David,
I use Vista on my laptop, sometimes it gives me a hard time connecting to a new Wifi, but other times it jumps right in, I can never figure out the mystery of it.

But since I travel with my mobile wifi modem, I have few problems and always a back-up.

On this topic, has anyone had problems accessing the internet in Europe with Windows Vista?? Sometimes i have problems here in USA accessing internet. I can connec to network, but can't get on the 'net. Thanks.

Never had any problems with Vista. If you're having problems the issue is more likely with your network card, the operating system has very little to with making a connection to a hotpot.

most likely it has to do with those confusing network settings in VISTA. . . I think I eventually stumbled upon the right combination by accident more than by design - haven't touched it since then.

Another thought:

The eurpoean keyboards are not like the american one that I have...had to relearn my little bit of computer savy just to get the @ sign in an email...I find that the wifi in the hotels work fine...some may charge, as they do in the states, but most are free...some may not work in the room, but will work in the lobby...hit and miss, but my small "baby" computer works fine for me.

Rich,
Remember to pack a short ethernet cable. Just made a reservation in a great hotel in Italy and was reminded of the sometimes exotic stories I have been party to regarding Italian internet. If you venture over the border from France into Italy (go ahead, you'll love it) be prepared to show your passport before you can use the Internet in most Italian hotels. And often if there is a charge for wifi, using a wired ethernet cable may be free.

If you don't like McDonalds, you could go for the French burger chain Quick. It has really decent burgers and the wifi is free there too.

I'd agree that Orange has the best network in France (a good one in England and elsewhere too) and the suggestion to use what we in the UK call a "dongle" for the internet is sound. Do remember that you are at the mercy of cell signal, and the transfer rate is quite low over a dongle. But if you're text based you won't use it up too quickly and the transfer rate won't matter.

If you go to an internet cafe in France, ask for an English Keyboard.

The "USB modem stick" that's being discussed ... that provides both the wifi-ability plus a service plan, yes? So, if I have a device (computer, iPhone, iPad) that already has the wifi component, do I need a service plan (say, from Orange), or is "free" wifi available in enough places for 'survival'? (E.g., in the major cities, like Paris, Madrid, Rome,...)

If a plan is advised, what are the recommendations for France and Spain, for a stay of a week or two (i.e., less than a month)?

The USB stick allows a computer to connect with a mobile provider's data network; WiFi is a different animal. Iphones/pads are already set up to connect to data networks, so a USB stick would be redundant.

Ahhh, then I see I was off-base in my understanding of the USB stick gizmo...

So my question is about WiFi -- is FREE wifi plentiful enough in big cities, or is it advised to sign up for a daily (or weekly?) plan to get WiFi access? I don't really want to buy the rather expensive AT&T monthly (international) data plan if WiFi now works well enough in most places.

keri,

Some clarification on internet access methods.....

Wi-Fi is a short range radio system, which provides a wireless link between computers or any device which is equipped with a Wi-Fi transceiver, including IPod Touch and IPhones. The Wi-Fi base station is connected to the Internet using a wired Ethernet cable.

Cellular access: this is the "USB stick" that was referred to in previous replies. It's basically a small transceiver that accesses the internet via data channels on the cellular network. In order to access this service, the user must normally have a "data plan" with one of the networks and the terms and cost of these vary to some extent (ie: European data plans will be somewhat different than North American plans). You'll have to check with your local cell network for the specifics on the data service in your area. In many cases, the networks will provide the USB device at no cost, but the user is required to sign up on a term plan in most cases.

You didn't specify what type of internet device you'd be travelling with? If you're using a Netbook, IPod Touch or IPhone (Wi-Fi only), an increasing number of Hotels are providing free Wi-Fi for their guests. This is also available in some coffee shops, either for a small charge or with a purchase. DON'T use the data portion of an IPhone, as international roaming is horrendously expensive (although there are some plans available from AT&T that will mitigate the costs somewhat).

Cheers!

Ken,good post!

However, keep in mind that virtually all European providers for mobile cellular Internet (USB modem)
also offer prepaid services at very decent rates!
It is NOT necessary to sign a contract!
For the prepaid you will however have to buy the USB modem. Like I already wrote, it costs somewhere around €50.

Are the internet dongles country specific or could I buy a Vodafone dongle in France and use it on Vodafone UK's network?

It will work anywhere with a comparable GSM/3G* network but outside it's home country you'll be paying international roaming rates which can be ruinous for data (especially on PAYG).

The things are basically a 3G phone without a keypad/screen that your PC uses as a modem, like in't olden days when you plugged your PC into the phone.