My experience in Rome connecting to the internet using my laptop via a wireless/mobile carrier - Long and incredibly boring unless you're interested in the subject
Mar 6th, 2005, 01:18 PM
#1
Original Poster
My experience in Rome connecting to the internet using my laptop via a wireless/mobile carrier - Long and incredibly boring unless you're interested in the subject
I recently spent two months in Rome in an apartment that didn’t have a landline. I needed internet connection so I could work – internet cafes were my absolute last resort as I would have to go several times a day to check email. After a lot of research before I left - - and trial and error once in Rome - I was able to access the internet using my laptop via the TIM mobile network.
Following is what I learned about using mobile networks in Italy to connect to the internet – when I was researching the subject there wasn’t much info available so I thought I would summarize my experience in case others are attempting the same thing.
I bought a Sony GC83 Aircard for my laptop – the GC83 operates on GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks (in the U.S. – Cingular and T-Mobile; in Canada – Rogers and Fido) and is tri band (850mhz/1800mhz/1900mhz) so it works in Europe as well. It’s a card that slides into the PCMCIA slot on your laptop.
There are many different Aircards you can buy - in my case the Sony aircard was the right combination of price and availability. I paid $400 Canadian/$325 U.S. – from my observations Aircards are cheaper in North America than in Europe.
I purchased the Aircard from a Canadian Wireless Carrier – Rogers – and signed up for a minimal monthly data plan ($25/month for 1 MB). The data plan allows international usage – Rogers roams onto either TIM, Vodafone or Wind in Italy (depending upon the strongest signal), although the roaming rates were absolutely usurious. While I didn’t plan to use the Rogers roaming I wanted to have it as an absolute fall back for very minimal e-mail and banking.
The aircard came with a “SIM” card from Rogers – the SIM card is a small intelligent chip that slips into a slot on the aircard – the SIM card contains the carrier network information.
REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Wherever you purchase the aircard you need to ensure that it is “unlocked” – that means that you can use another carrier’s SIM card in the aircard (as you’ll see I used an Italian carrier once I arrived there to get around the high roaming costs)…..DO NOT BELIEVE THE SALESPERSON when he/she assures you “oh yeah…..it’s unlocked”. First, they probably don’t even know what unlocked means – and second, they have no real way of proving to you that it is. The only way to be absolutely certain is to put another carrier’s SIM card into the aircard and see if it recognizes it.
Some U.S. carriers will unlock a handset (and presumably an aircard) if you’ve been a customer for a certain period, and some charge for it (I think). Otherwise there are many sites on the internet that offer the unlocking codes for a fee – i.e. http://www.mobtec.net/ - however when I was researching the GC83 in December the unlocking codes were not yet available so be sure to double check availability.
As it turns out the Sony GC83 Aircard I bought was unlocked (I double checked that fact by using a Fido SIM card in it).
Note – instead of the previously mentioned aircard, you can also use a wireless phone/handset to access the internet via your laptop (although it’s slower than an aircard), assuming the handset is GPRS and/or EDGE capable plus tri band (850mhz/1800mhz/1900mhz). You will need a cable to link the handset to your laptop – you can usually buy the cable where you buy the handset. (all of the previous “unlocking” comments apply to handsets as well as aircards)
MORE REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION: The Aircard comes with a CD ROM (what doesn’t?) containing communications software – it’s an easy install. Then you set up the Internet Connection information. It’s VERY IMPORTANT to know the following information:
Carrier A.P.N. (aka “Access Point Name”) – the APN points the software to the wireless internet connection – it looks like an abbreviated web address – i.e. “ibox.tim.it”. In some cases the carrier’s SIM card has this information preloaded – BUT sometimes it isn’t. Be sure to ask the salesperson to tell you the APN. When they look at you blankly, ask to speak to someone else. Without the APN there is no connecting to the internet. Don’t assume the carrier’s SIM card will have the info.
User Name/Password - *some* (not many) carrier’s give you a User name/password – again it’s usually preloaded but just be sure to ask if you need one.
SIM Lock Code - *some* carriers have an automatic SIM lock code (it’s revealed to you when you buy the SIM card) – you just need to know it when you log on (and you can disable it later in the communications software preferences area)
Voice Mail Disconnect – VERY important – some SIM cards come with the Voice Mail automatically ENABLED – it MUST be DISABLED for the aircard to work.
(This really isn’t as hard as it’s sounding and is worth the effort…also, I don’t mean to disparage salespeople at wireless stores – I work in the industry and am acutely aware of the absence of training for advanced wireless services such as wireless internet connections).
THE FINAL REALLY IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION: Before you go, buy an extended antenna. Aircards come with a teeny little antennas (2 inches) that – for the most part – cannot possibly penetrate 2 foot thick stone walls. (You can probably guess I learned this the hard way)…….There I was in Rome…..having overcome all the above (sometimes the hard way!) but I didn’t have network coverage in our apartment (well, I did….if I stood on the teeny balcony, holding the laptop in my arms, with the teeny antenna pointed due north – which I did for a week until my antenna arrived via Fedex from Texas! I was the source of great amusement for many of our neighbours!)
The extended antenna plugs into the aircard (replacing the teeny antenna) – with about 8’ of wire, so I could get the antenna portion out the window. I ordered my antenna from
www.mobilemounts.com
and highly recommend them…….you have to buy an extended antenna that’s compatible with your particular aircard – Mobile Mounts have an extensive selection and were extraordinarily helpful (I contacted them via phone/email from Rome and they Fedexed it to me). I bought two – a “car mount” antenna (it has a magnet) and a “window mount” antenna (with a suction cup to stick to a window). At $20 each they were a bargain (well, except for the Fedex part) and made the whole thing possible.
After you’ve done all the above – now you need a local carrier/SIM card to connect to the internet. The following is what I did – plans/offers change all the time so this information is accurate as of March 2005.
I connected via the TIM network – they have a great prepaid (i.e. no contract, pay as you go) offer right now:
15 Euro for the SIM card PLUS
20 Euro for 400 MB of internet connection – good for 30 days from the date of activation. (The plan is called MAXI TIM)
400 MB gave me approximately 100 hours of internet connection time (speeds were slightly faster than dial up – sometimes surprisingly faster – but nothing like DSL or cable high speed).
I could have used Vodafone – their rates are higher though – 1 Euro per hour (no MB limits) – but the TIM deal was better for me.
The carrier WIND prepaid rates were too high – .03 Euro per kilobyte – YIKES!
In Rome, I bought the SIM card and MAXI TIM prepaid card at the TIM CENTRO store on Via Vittorio Emanuele, about 100 metres from Largo Argentina. All the staff were incredibly helpful and spoke good English (ask for Vincenzo)
Whew – as I said it’s complicated, but doable. Hope this helps others who are contemplating wireless internet connection via a laptop. Happy to answer any questions.
PS – It’s worth taking a WI-FI card in case there is an open wireless network in your neighbourhood……I wasn’t lucky enough to find one.
Following is what I learned about using mobile networks in Italy to connect to the internet – when I was researching the subject there wasn’t much info available so I thought I would summarize my experience in case others are attempting the same thing.
I bought a Sony GC83 Aircard for my laptop – the GC83 operates on GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks (in the U.S. – Cingular and T-Mobile; in Canada – Rogers and Fido) and is tri band (850mhz/1800mhz/1900mhz) so it works in Europe as well. It’s a card that slides into the PCMCIA slot on your laptop.
There are many different Aircards you can buy - in my case the Sony aircard was the right combination of price and availability. I paid $400 Canadian/$325 U.S. – from my observations Aircards are cheaper in North America than in Europe.
I purchased the Aircard from a Canadian Wireless Carrier – Rogers – and signed up for a minimal monthly data plan ($25/month for 1 MB). The data plan allows international usage – Rogers roams onto either TIM, Vodafone or Wind in Italy (depending upon the strongest signal), although the roaming rates were absolutely usurious. While I didn’t plan to use the Rogers roaming I wanted to have it as an absolute fall back for very minimal e-mail and banking.
The aircard came with a “SIM” card from Rogers – the SIM card is a small intelligent chip that slips into a slot on the aircard – the SIM card contains the carrier network information.
REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Wherever you purchase the aircard you need to ensure that it is “unlocked” – that means that you can use another carrier’s SIM card in the aircard (as you’ll see I used an Italian carrier once I arrived there to get around the high roaming costs)…..DO NOT BELIEVE THE SALESPERSON when he/she assures you “oh yeah…..it’s unlocked”. First, they probably don’t even know what unlocked means – and second, they have no real way of proving to you that it is. The only way to be absolutely certain is to put another carrier’s SIM card into the aircard and see if it recognizes it.
Some U.S. carriers will unlock a handset (and presumably an aircard) if you’ve been a customer for a certain period, and some charge for it (I think). Otherwise there are many sites on the internet that offer the unlocking codes for a fee – i.e. http://www.mobtec.net/ - however when I was researching the GC83 in December the unlocking codes were not yet available so be sure to double check availability.
As it turns out the Sony GC83 Aircard I bought was unlocked (I double checked that fact by using a Fido SIM card in it).
Note – instead of the previously mentioned aircard, you can also use a wireless phone/handset to access the internet via your laptop (although it’s slower than an aircard), assuming the handset is GPRS and/or EDGE capable plus tri band (850mhz/1800mhz/1900mhz). You will need a cable to link the handset to your laptop – you can usually buy the cable where you buy the handset. (all of the previous “unlocking” comments apply to handsets as well as aircards)
MORE REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION: The Aircard comes with a CD ROM (what doesn’t?) containing communications software – it’s an easy install. Then you set up the Internet Connection information. It’s VERY IMPORTANT to know the following information:
Carrier A.P.N. (aka “Access Point Name”) – the APN points the software to the wireless internet connection – it looks like an abbreviated web address – i.e. “ibox.tim.it”. In some cases the carrier’s SIM card has this information preloaded – BUT sometimes it isn’t. Be sure to ask the salesperson to tell you the APN. When they look at you blankly, ask to speak to someone else. Without the APN there is no connecting to the internet. Don’t assume the carrier’s SIM card will have the info.
User Name/Password - *some* (not many) carrier’s give you a User name/password – again it’s usually preloaded but just be sure to ask if you need one.
SIM Lock Code - *some* carriers have an automatic SIM lock code (it’s revealed to you when you buy the SIM card) – you just need to know it when you log on (and you can disable it later in the communications software preferences area)
Voice Mail Disconnect – VERY important – some SIM cards come with the Voice Mail automatically ENABLED – it MUST be DISABLED for the aircard to work.
(This really isn’t as hard as it’s sounding and is worth the effort…also, I don’t mean to disparage salespeople at wireless stores – I work in the industry and am acutely aware of the absence of training for advanced wireless services such as wireless internet connections).
THE FINAL REALLY IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION: Before you go, buy an extended antenna. Aircards come with a teeny little antennas (2 inches) that – for the most part – cannot possibly penetrate 2 foot thick stone walls. (You can probably guess I learned this the hard way)…….There I was in Rome…..having overcome all the above (sometimes the hard way!) but I didn’t have network coverage in our apartment (well, I did….if I stood on the teeny balcony, holding the laptop in my arms, with the teeny antenna pointed due north – which I did for a week until my antenna arrived via Fedex from Texas! I was the source of great amusement for many of our neighbours!)
The extended antenna plugs into the aircard (replacing the teeny antenna) – with about 8’ of wire, so I could get the antenna portion out the window. I ordered my antenna from
www.mobilemounts.com
and highly recommend them…….you have to buy an extended antenna that’s compatible with your particular aircard – Mobile Mounts have an extensive selection and were extraordinarily helpful (I contacted them via phone/email from Rome and they Fedexed it to me). I bought two – a “car mount” antenna (it has a magnet) and a “window mount” antenna (with a suction cup to stick to a window). At $20 each they were a bargain (well, except for the Fedex part) and made the whole thing possible.
After you’ve done all the above – now you need a local carrier/SIM card to connect to the internet. The following is what I did – plans/offers change all the time so this information is accurate as of March 2005.
I connected via the TIM network – they have a great prepaid (i.e. no contract, pay as you go) offer right now:
15 Euro for the SIM card PLUS
20 Euro for 400 MB of internet connection – good for 30 days from the date of activation. (The plan is called MAXI TIM)
400 MB gave me approximately 100 hours of internet connection time (speeds were slightly faster than dial up – sometimes surprisingly faster – but nothing like DSL or cable high speed).
I could have used Vodafone – their rates are higher though – 1 Euro per hour (no MB limits) – but the TIM deal was better for me.
The carrier WIND prepaid rates were too high – .03 Euro per kilobyte – YIKES!
In Rome, I bought the SIM card and MAXI TIM prepaid card at the TIM CENTRO store on Via Vittorio Emanuele, about 100 metres from Largo Argentina. All the staff were incredibly helpful and spoke good English (ask for Vincenzo)
Whew – as I said it’s complicated, but doable. Hope this helps others who are contemplating wireless internet connection via a laptop. Happy to answer any questions.
PS – It’s worth taking a WI-FI card in case there is an open wireless network in your neighbourhood……I wasn’t lucky enough to find one.
