Is there any information about connecting their modem/phone to your laptop ?
Thanks !!
.fdt - 5-10-2007 at 08:59 AM
I can stop by a telcel today and ask. We use sprint only here and for a mexico phone we use the land line. We have never needed a mexican cel phone,
the kids have the amigo kit de telcel but we only use it when we travel south.DianaT - 5-10-2007 at 09:03 AM
Originally posted by fdt
I can stop by a telcel today and ask. We use sprint only here and for a mexico phone we use the land line. We have never needed a mexican cel phone,
the kids have the amigo kit de telcel but we only use it when we travel south.
Read this after my last post. That would be great. They just completed a cell tower in Bahia Asuncion and I am not yet sure if we can get a land
line right away---so this may be a temporary answer. Satellite may also be in the future.
Oh, if one does use Telcel or a Mexican land line, does one need an Internet server in Mexico --- a dial up one? I sure wish I knew more about this,
but I am learning!
Muchas Gracias
DianeJZ - 5-10-2007 at 08:49 PM
I can surf the internet with my Cingular BlackBerry on Telcel's network. It is pretty slow. As Telcel upgrades their network to 3G it will become a
lot faster.
[Edited on 5-11-2007 by JZ]Diver - 5-10-2007 at 09:07 PM
Cingular gets .59 per minute for call to the US.
After paying $4.95 extra per month for Mexico access.
Not cheap.
.fdt - 5-10-2007 at 11:50 PM
Got busy with life/diadelasmadres/kids/newdaytimejob, and did not look into it for you Ms. Trotter. I'll do better maņana.
saludosDianaT - 5-11-2007 at 07:48 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by fdt
Got busy with life/diadelasmadres/kids/newdaytimejob, and did not look into it for you Ms. Trotter. I'll do better maņana.
saludos
No hurry---and only if it is convenient. I just always appreciate the information and help you provide.
Diane ---
I still think you had the best idea for an easier border crossing. JZ - 5-11-2007 at 07:57 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Diver
Cingular gets .59 per minute for call to the US.
After paying $4.95 extra per month for Mexico access.
Not cheap.
.
I have the Cingular NA plan. Zero roaming and zero long distance fees. The plan is no longer offered for new contracts.Riom - 5-11-2007 at 12:00 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by jdtrotter
Wondering if with a cell phone from Telcel if internet connection is a possibility?
The short answer is yes, but it needs some extra equipment and is VERY expensive to use.
The long answer:
Telcel (and Movistar) use a wireless phone system called GSM (same as that used by Cingular and T-Mobile in US). Part of the GSM system is data
access using WAP (wireless access protocol), also known as CSD (circuit switched data) where you basically have slow dial-up to an internet provider
and pay for each minute of use (at voice rates). The other type of data access they offer is GPRS (general packet radio service), where you pay for
each chunk of data sent and received (but don't pay anything for time).
In both cases, you need to connect your phone to your laptop (or have a phone with email and web browser built in). To connect the phone to a laptop,
you'll need either "bluetooth" (a short range radio system) built into both the laptop and phone, or a "data cable" (varies by each model of phone) to
connect the phone to a USB port on the computer. The phone also needs to be capable of WAP and/or GPRS, most are, but not all.
Connecting the phone and laptop together can be techically challenging, whether you use bluetooth or a data cable. Not much of this stuff works
properly without a lot of setting of obscure settings on both phone and computer.
Next, you need to have a phone account (sim card) that allows you to access data. I'm not sure if the pre-pay accounts in Mexico allow data access.
If not, you'll need to get a monthly phone account if possible, or "roam" on the Mexico networks with a foreign card that allows data roaming (for
GPRS only, WAP would cost too much that way).
In both cases (WAP and GPRS), the phone company (Telcel, Movistar, or the foreign one) provides the ISP as part of their access instructions, so, no,
you don't need a separate ISP. They don't always offer email though so probably best to use one you have elsewhere or a webmail account.
Now, to get to the costs. With WAP, you pay for time online like a phone call. Looks like a little over 100 pesos per hour according to http://www.telcel.com (click on "Sevicios de Datos" under "Amigo de Telcel"). Bear in mind this is very slow dial up, can take a lot of time
(that you're paying for) to receive each page.
With GPRS, you pay for each chunk (kb) of data sent and received, so you don't pay for the time you spend thinking of a reply on email, but many web
pages have a lot of clutter that means they send a lot of data to you, so the amounts can add up very fast. Telcel rates seem to be 140 pesos/MB.
A small amount of web browsing can run a big bill very, very fast at 140 pesos/MB (that's just 6 or 7 pages of bajanomad!).
I used GPRS on my phone (Nokia 6131), and with my little computer (Nokia 770) connected via bluetooth, in San Felipe earlier this year. I used a
foreign sim card in the phone (don't have to pay monthly fees or buy a Mexican account that way), it works out at US$10/MB for that particular
account. Only used it for checking a bit of email a few times, still worked out way too expensive (several dollars each time) for any practical use.
Cheaper to drive to somewhere with internet.
So, as I said, possible yes. Practical no, unless you truly have no other option, or use it just as a backup, and/or don't care about the costs.
In some countries (e.g. the US) it's possible to get unlimited data packages (usually around $70/mo) which within the US only make "tethering" you
laptop to a phone and using the GPRS data connection that way viable. I don't think Mexico has unlimited packages for data yet.
Riom
DianaT - 5-11-2007 at 02:50 PM
Quote:
So, as I said, possible yes. Practical no, unless you truly have no other option, or use it just as a backup, and/or don't care about the costs.
Thanks---from what you wrote, definitely does not sound practical!
Think we will get one of the prepaid TelCel phones just for a phone, use the internet cafe for a while, and then decide on land line (if available) or
satellite.
