I've been reading all the past posts on SIM cards, but still not clear on what to do for multiple countries. I am a technological knucklehead who still prefers writing in longhand! We will be in Indonesia in October and New Zealand in December.

Does anyone have experience with or suggestions for which phone to get and unlock that would work best for multiple destinations and where to get the SIM card (lots of people say just pick one up at the airport)? Also, best to buy the phone in Bali when I arrive or in the US before going?

I would appreciate any help you have to offer. Thanks.

Just buy a tri or quad band unlock gsm phone. Your current phone might even work so check the spec.

I would buy the SIM once you arrived in the country and it shouldn't take long before you can find one. Make sure you ask for a prepaid SIM or account and you will be require to show an ID so bring your passport. Ask the seller to activate the SIM immediately after purchase and perhaps top up some money into the SIM.

Thanks Hanuman. My phone won't work, as it is ancient. But I need a new one anyway. I agree about buying the SIM card there, but is it cheaper to buy the actual phone in Bali, if I'm only going to use that phone for travel and infrequent use? I assume different countries work on tri or quad band phones, so is there an advantage of one over the other?

I don't know the phone prices in Indonesia but wherever you buy the phone it should work back at your country as well. There's no need to own 2 phones, like one for travel and one for home use, so I would just buy one.

If you buy a quad band(GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900) then it should cover all the countries in your travel as well as home. If you need high data transfer speed then buy a 3G phone(3G Network HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100).

Hope I'm not confusing you!

I think I'm following you and will pass the info on to DH, on whose lap this will all fall if I have anything to do with it. I do itinerary and reservations and he does techno and heavy lifting! I thought we had a more egalitarian relationship, but maybe not.

Hanuman...are you familiar with laptops for use in foreign countries? I want to stay connected when traveling but would like to have a secure broadband connection for online banking etc. I understand that I would need to buy a SIM card to get the WiFi....is that all I need to make sure I have the best secure connection available. Are hotel room connections more secure than personal WiFi?

magical,

I'm not sure about that subject but personally I don't do any online banking with Wi-Fi and would do it only if I'm connected via LAN.

I don't understand why you would need a SIM card to get Wi-Fi with your laptop as usually a laptop either has Wi-Fi built in or it doesn't in which case you can buy a Wi-Fi modem.

Phone prices in Indonesia are generally a lot higher than elsewhere. I think you can buy an unlocked handset on Amazon quite cheaply.

SIM cards have little or nothing to do with WiFi. They will get you access to GPRS via mobile phone network, if you have the right hardware, but that service is a bit iffy in Bali. In Indonesia, one of the mobile networks, TelKomsel, does provide wifi at some locations, but I'm not sure if that's included in the prepaid SIM cards. I've always purchased it separately.

Lots of coffee shops in Bali have free wifi, but you may want to avoid using wifi for secure transactions if you're not confident about the security of your notebook.

i have on occasion done banking on regular wi-fi but it is not suggested because anyone can hack in...

i buy a new sim card and it works just fine...i have done so in indonesia with no problems...most convenience stores sell them and also sell minutes...they will load it all in for you...

So, a connection through a hotel outlet (LAN ?) is safer, if available. If not, then use WiFi and hope that there is no one nearby who might hack in.

hanuman...it is my understanding that wifi built-in for the US is what they call an aircard. But it is only good in the US. So you need another card in Asia, for example, to get the WiFi connection.

rhkkmk.... I agree that if I have to, I would do my online banking quickly on WiFi and get off as soon as possible.

MichaelBKK...so one needs a SIM card in each country for mobile network (phone ?) and a separate WiFi for the laptop? I am still not clear about this.

Does anyone know if there is any extra security that can be added to your laptop ? Currently, I have the standard MS firewall plus an anti-virus, anti-spam program running on my computer which scans everything (mail, web, hard drive) and prevents pop-ups. Additional security on the laptop would be nice if it does not slow down the computer.

Thanks for all your inputs.

SIM cards allow you to use your mobile phone. Wifi is for Internet access. In many countries, mobile phone service providers are not necessarily Internet access providers - or maybe just not the best ones, that will have access points everywhere. It's best to think of these two things separately, in Asia.

If you want to make cheap phones calls, then the easiest best option is usually to buy a local pre-paid card in each country. However, if you just want to be able to use your phone in case of emergencies, then you can just have "roaming" enabled through your exiting mobile phone provider, and you can use your phone overseas. However, your phone will need to be a "dual band" or "tri band" handset, since the US uses a different frequency than the rest of the world. Most handsets sold in the last 5 years or so have been multi-band.

If you have a firewall and AV software with a current subscription, then you're probably safe doing your secure transactions in a hotel.

Wifiand air-cards are totally different method for connecting with the Internet. You are right that an air-card need a SIM card and basically you're using the old EDGE/GPRS technology to connect to the internet but with very slow speed. If you already have an air-card then you can buy special SIM card in a foreign country with EDGE/GPRS package to connect to the internet.

Wifi on the other hand is much quicker but you have to be in range of the Wi-Fi modem, typically around 100 - 200 feet of the base unit. Most hotels, some restaurants or shopping malls have Wi-Fi hot spots or access point but sadly they charge for the service. There are hotels with free Wifi and that's a great way to connect with home. With Wi-Fi you will be able to make video calls or Skye to another computer back at home and it will basically be a free phone service. This is what I do when i travel and it's great to see the faces of the person you're talking to as well. Please note that you can not do this with an aircard as the speed is too slow, especially in Thailand.

I don't know how sophisticated cyber thieves are now a days so I can't comment on how safe it is for someone online through Wifi.

susnrg,
If you are going to replace your phone anyway check with your mobil provider which phone to get. I have an unlocked Blackberry from T-mobil with no internet connection, it works with all Sim-cards. I got it because, I like being able to synchronize my phone with Outlook.

Magical
My laptop has a built in wireless and worked all over Asia last year, I did internet banking as well as e-mails and Skype calls. Do bring an extra ethernet cable, in case you can plug into your hotel's internet.

Magical, Cheryl wrote an article on my blog about computer security. We do banking via the internet in Asia all the time. Her laptop uses a personal VPN for security. Read about it here:
http://www.travelindependently.com/c...puter-security

As mentioned above, if your laptop connects to wi-fi in the US, it will connect to wi-fi in Asia.

NYwoman- did have to replace my phone and got a Blackberry Storm which they will unlock for me, so that's all good except learning to use it will take some time!

Excellent responses, everyone.

Thanks Kathie....I liked this part the best from Cheryl's write-up...."This isn’t about being paranoid, it’s about being smart. We’re beyond the days of leaving home and really being gone, but you can check your email and your bank accounts safely if you follow the recommendations shared in this article."

Nywoman...good suggestion about carrying an extra ethernet cable

Hanuman...I agree about how smart cyber thieves are...I don't want even one of them to get a hold of my passwords.

Now to visit a computer store and find out how to buy VPN software and Roboform.

susncrg...thanks for starting this thread....I hope you don't feel that I have hijacked your thread.

Magical, you can get both programs online. Cheryl put links in the article for how to buy these online. She says both websites offer excellent support. A computer store is unlikely to be able to help you out.