Lutine

Hello

This is my first topic and first of all I'd like to say hi to everybody.
I don't know if this topic has been discussed before but here are my questions.
I'm planning to go to Italy next year and I will be taking with my US laptop. I will be staying in a private home for about 3 weeks, not in a hotel, but the family hosting me doesn't have a computer. So I was wondering what I can do to connect on the internet while I'm at their house to chech my web emails (gmail and hotmail) and talk to my family via skype, without charging on my hosting family's phone bill? Could I use an internet key? Or are there any internet providers that offer a pre-paid internet card? And if so, which are these providers?
Thanks in advance for any help or suggestion you will give me.

greg

It does not look like using anything involving your host's phone line - dial up or dsl are not options.

The cellphone based data plan I have looked at all seem to require subscriptions so probably not an option. I have not looked into cellphone modem based accesses, but I doubt you want it even if it works.

That leaves WIFI providers.
1. Find a nearby cafe providing a free / nominal fee service to customers.
2. Find an internet store and a buy block of airtime. I have done this when staying at inns without internet services.

I am not sure if you are planning to use a VPN for your connection. I used a pptp VPN (low cost VPN) and found that many providers block pptp based VPN. Next time, I would try an SSL based VPN.

zeppole

An internet key is probably going to be your best best, but you are going to need to assess the situation on the ground. The location of the house may make reception difficult. For such a short period of time, and for such limited use, you should explore the possibility that a nearby internet cafe, tourist office or library can serve your needs. There are also wi-fi hotspots in some locations that allow you to buy time via a credit card (TIM services), and it gives you some freedom to roam within the range of wi-fi hotspots.

If you really think you can't live without a home connection, and if you are not fluent in Italian, what I would do is write to the family ahead of time and tell them if it is possible for them to introduce you to a local who is computer/internet savvy who also speaks English. That person can direct you the best local service and best local store for purchasing a good connection -- and I wouldn't be surprised if that person offers to go with you just to make sure you get the right stuff you need.

But were it me, I would consider enjoying a holiday from 24/7 connectivity, and just check your e-mail every day at an internet cafe. As for calling home, by the time you spend all you'd need to spend to hook up and use skype for 3 weeks, you might as well just make short phone calls on a cell phone or with a pre-paid card.

alihutch

Don't know if they have then in Italy (although I don't see why not) but in the UK you can get a wireless dongle (for a one off fee) and then by blocks of airtime and it connects you through the mobile phone network. The one I have in the UK with O2 cost about £30 for the dongle and then I think 7 days use costs about £7.50. It's not the fastest connection, but about 2MB i think.
However there are plenty of internet cafes and places with free wifi, so if it's not desperate that you don't have it in the house you'll be fine....
Also for the phone, sure that you 'll be able to buy phone cards....using your mobile will cost a fortune!

Dobermina

It's true, internet points and cafes are a great way to go. I've also used the Vodafone wireless key with great results. They cost E165 or so for the key, installation and 100 hours of airtime, but then to recharge it's only E30 for every 100 hours. If internet is that important to you, they wireless key may be worth the money.

StCirq

A lot depends on where in Italy you will be. I was in a tiny village in Umbria for 4 weeks in 2006 and it was maddening trying to find internet cafés. They didn't have standard hours of operation, were closed on Sundays and Mondays, and were miles from where I was staying. I ended up spending a small fortune on data charges from my mobile because I had to connect for business. I would research wherever you're going so you have reasonable expectations in advance.

Lutine

The family hosting me lives near Rome so I think it won't be a problem to get a connection, I mean they don't live out in the boonies. And I agree with StCirq: there are internet points and the local library has a wi-fi point but it's a few miles from their house (and due to the time difference IT-US it might not be feasible, hence my decision to take my laptop). So from what I can see so far I think that the internet key might be my best option.

Does it matter if while I'm in Italy I get an internet key let's say with Vodafone but the family's home phone line is let's say with the Italian Telecom? I'm not really familiar with how internet keys work abroad, sorry for the silly questions.
Any other help is more than welcome!

alihutch

The internet key has nothing to do with the phone line...it uses the mobile phone network, so it doesn't matter.

Lutine

But I'm not going to take my mobile phone in Italy. Don't you use the wireless dongle to connect the laptop to a mobile phone or any other Bluetooth enabled devices?

alihutch

You don't need your mobile phone.....the dongle uses the network to connect you to the internet.
You just need your laptop and a dongle....if it's a Vodafone then it will work anywhere that there's Vodfone coverage.

Lutine

Great! Thank you Alihutch.
Do wireless dongles bought locally come with a pre-paid airtime that you can recharge as needed?

alihutch

Not sure about Italy....my UK one, which I bought from O2, I bought the dongle and then went online to buy either 1 day, 7 days or 28 days. It lets you connect to the O2 website to buy airtime online. Looks like this forum might be able to help you...

http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/cos...broadband.html

My guess is that it might not be so easy in Italy because the Italian bureaucracy is so spectacular that they are bound to have found a way to complicate it!!!

zeppole

The word "dongle" is not going to get you very far in Italy. Keys, or chiave or chiavette, (which fit into ports in your computer) are very easily recognizable and are sold by a variety of vendors (and if you have a Mac, there is Mac store in Rome). Ask your hosts what kind of cell phone service they use, so you are sure to get the right kind of connection contract. You will also need, I'm pretty sure, a "codice fiscale" (it's your own personal tax ID, a bit like a social security number) to purchase the key and get the connection. Your hosts or the local police station will tell you where to go to get one.

But this still seems like a very expensive and complicated set up for a 3-week stay. Investigate TIM prepaid wi-fi access if your computer is wi-fi capable. And don't buy anything until you see what the internet cafes or libraries can do for you.

http://ipass.jiwire.com/