wifi help in Germany
 

My daughter's in Germany staying at a large riding center. From her apartment in the complex the internet connection doesn't work--it's apparently too far away. She has a macpro laptop. She has an HTC phone (Sprint) which of course doesn't work there. But she can walk closer to the main building and pick up the connection to use Skype, which is how she's communicating with me. The people told her she could get a stick at an electronics store that would give her a connection on her computer in her apartment. What is this supposed to mean? Should I buy this item here and ship it to her or have her go into town and buy one? Is this something that requires paying ongoing/monthly or something?

Thanks so much. What a helpful community.

The "stick" is an antenna that plugs into the USB port on her computer. Major wireless co's all offer them, and they are carrier specific.

You can go into your local sprint or verizon store to see what they're all about, but she should get one from a local German co.

And yes, there is a monthly fee, and maybe an upfront fee to purchase the usb stick. I don't know specifics.

The stick connects laptop to the 3g/4g mobile network used by smartphones. The data SIM card inside the stick is carrier specific and she needs to buy the stick there.

J62 is right, your daughter can get an internet stick from any major electronics store in Germany. I have one from Tchibo, which is a store which sells coffee as its main product but also has mobile phones and other sidelines. I would not recommend getting a stick from Tchibo because I don't have a lot of confidence in their staff speaking English, but if she speaks German, there should be no problem. She should ask for a prepaid internet stick, and this will not require ongoing fees. In many cases there is a SIM card inside the internet stick which is usable in a mobile phone as well. And she can travel anywhere within Germany and still have access to internet.

Lavandula