Wireless Internet Access
 

I'm planning to take a laptop on my trip to France later this year. Part of the time I am renting a house and would like to have wireless internet access so I can update my blog and journal in the comfort of "my home" rather than finding WiFi at a bar or cafe. The best pay-as-you-go deal I can find charges $149 for the stick modem. The hourly rates are reasonable, but I'd like to find something with less expensive up-front costs. My laptop is wireless-ready. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Surely there are cheaper ones in France? Having just bought one in the UK it cost £9.99 (on O2) and then I paid £15 for 30 days unlimited access.
Btw that doesn't involve wireless...just insert the USB, install and you're ready to go

So I assume the landlord does not provide WiFi service at the house? If not, then you could pay to have internet service installed (and then share it with a wireless router, via WiFi) - but you didn't mention how long you will be staying at the house. It may be far more expensive than getting mobile broadband (the "stick modem" I think you mean) which would work everywhere you travel including at the house, assuming the house gets mobile reception.

FYI, "WiFi" has nothing to do with the "mobile broadband" (aka "stick modem") that you'd buy through a telecom company using mobile phone technology, just to differentiate between the two. They are two different technologies. You don't have to pay for WiFi unless the service you are connecting to charges for it; you always have to pay for mobile broadband by buying a modem and paying to sign up for service.

Do I have to buy one of those stick modem for each Country?
I'm going to Portugal, Spain, Italy..

You don't say where in France you'll be staying.
Wifi services vary widely. In Paris, for example, Ozone Paris has much of the city covered, and the rates are very reasonable:

http://www.ozoneparis.net/

We are renting a house in Provence in the Luberon near Cavaillon, also, in Languedoc -- that house does have WiFi -- and 1 in the Dordogne near Sarlat.

Thank you for the distinction between WiFi & Wireless Broadband. I will change my web search accordingly.

My Vodafone USB stick modem has a slot for a SIM card just like the SIM you put into a GSM phone. I can use the same stick but need to buy a DATA SIM card for each country. Using a SIM card from one country in another country quickly drains the balance. I did not research if there is such thing as a multiple country DATA SIM.

Greg,

Do you know if I can buy that stick modem online from Denver?

Here I found the stores in Genova do you know which one of these sells it and activate it?

https://trova.vodafone.it/negozio/?t...i_Vodafone_One

Thanks,
Mia

Greg,

Which one from here is it?

https://offerte.vodafone.it/shop/int...nternet_facile

Thanks,
Mia

This is a Huawei E172 (or better) 7.2 mbit USB stick "modem" and Vodafone does not ship it to Denver. There must be a zillion offers for this thing on ebay.com. Up to 50€ for an unlocked stick is o.k. You have to buy the chip (SIM card) locally in italy.

Well, not a zillion, but ebay #300420742108 ships it to the US for 47.50 pounds.

If you buy one for 10 pounds in the UK, you can be sure it's locked to ONE provider in ONE country. So that would be very expensive to use anywhere else, since you mustn't change the SIM card.

Mia,

I think the Vodafone sticks you noted require subscriptions. I got a prepaid stick like this one:

http://www.shop.vodafone.it/190/tril...4&ty_logged=no

I think the price noted is an online price. I bought mine at a store and paid 69€ with 30hrs traffic -- but no MB limits. Once I had a stick with an active DATA SIM, additional 30hrs was 10€ in Italy.

Thanks,

So what I'll do is to print this page and bring it to an store in Genova to buy the stick. I don't think I will have too many places with internet so this is convenient for me for the month I'll be in Italy.

Mia