Job Discussion Forums

[dub_vibrations]

Hi,

First off this forum is great, I've just arrived in BA but have been reading it for several months and it has been an essential tool allowing me to live the city virtually before touching the earth.

I badly need broadband for work and was wondering what kind of packages people here have, how quick installation is, whether there are wireless or wimax providers or just plain old fashioned a/dsl. I'm in Palermo. In the meantime does anyone know of cafe/bars with wifi in the area, or other places where it would be possible to work until the line gets sorted in the apartment?

thx in advance,

dv

[quimeslover]

Man, seems like you've got a lot of questions to figure out pretty soon. I'm not sure about the wi-fi in the city. I heard from some people that all of the McDonalds have wi-fi, but I'm not sure and wouldn't trust the situation of having someone see and take my computer if I were you. Other than that, here and there I see some options for wi-fi, but I can't remember any specifically. Palermo should be a good area to search though or else try the other richies in Recoleta. I think you can get a pretty good rate for your pad on internet if you sign up for a promotion. By the way, what kind of work are you needing this for anyway? Probably, porn...ha,ha,ha

[dub_vibrations]

[veggieboy]

Palermo -- Hollywood and SoHo sides -- is lousy with WiFi places. Olsen springs to mind. There's another place on Gorritti a few blocks from Olsen toward Juan B. Justo that also has it.

One of my upcoming projects is to compile a list of free BsAs hotspots on my web site.

Oh, you can also check out my previous post on the subject in this thread.

[guillebaires]

Check www.fibertel.com.ar

[Nathalie]

There is an Aroma cafe at the bottom of Florida (Santa Fe end) that has wifi. Upstairs is nice and big and you can spend all day there for the price of a coffee. I was absolutely fine using my laptop there when I first arrived and to be honest last time I went there were loads of people doing the same. I know it's a bit of a trek from Palermo but I don't really know the cafes in that area. Good Luck, Nathalie

[REDLEY]

Hola

1) I think FIBERTEL cable modem is very good. You have a promo right now: december, january and febraury only AR$ 40 a month for 1 MB connection.

No strings attached, no minimum term contract or modem/setup fees.

In march you will start paying AR$ 100 a month...and in Octouber AR $130 a month.

2) WIRELESS: dont ask WIRELESS from the ISP, they will charge you monthy and a lot i think....
Do it yourself!!!.....buy a WIRELESS ROUTER (at www.harlempc.com.ar you find some at u$s 60 and they lie that they are new, the truth is that they are used or refurbished) and the plug it into the modem and thats it.

3) You have WIFI at Persico icecream shop in Salguero and the next street to Av Las Heras.
Cafe Martinez in Boulevard Charcas and Bulnes I believe they also have.
I always see WIFI cafes but never pay much attention cos I dont like to wander in the street with my notebook....its value equals one year of minimun salaries here.........so I am afraid of being robbed. I suggest not to use it in open parks and plazas.

Suerte!

[amy1982]

several cafes around the tribunales plaza advertise free internet inside. i haven't been in one, but i've seen lots of people in them.

i'm talking about the area between libertad and talcahuano from cordoba up to corrientes-ish.

in general, it's a very safe place during the day... i've seen lots of business people with laptops. the only time it gets a little dicey is when there are manifestaciones (the supreme court is located there among other things). but even then, there are many people that work around there and have to go about their day to day life anyway (laptops and all).

[eo-nomine]

Amy's right, there is one nice cafe with WiFi in Talcahuano and Tucuman. Nothing to fear in Tribunales, even during the protests... people won't stare at you because you have a laptop.

[dub_vibrations]

Thanks for all the hints. So I'll provide a quick report. The other place on Gorriti is called Magno and is between Humbolt and Fitzroy.

I visited 2 Cafe Martinez: the one at Charcas & Buelnes has no power outlets, so you can't plug in. The wifi in the other at Cervino wasn't working and after a few minutes the power outlet failed, causing me a moment of panic and a quick trip up to the Macstation shop on Ayacucho, where I was able to reassure myself. Incidnetally the people there were nice and I recommend them, although prices here are bestial with all the VAT and other taxes on electronic goods (I imagine this is why wifi routers are more expensive here than in europe/north america).

I tried the Dromo cafe (over the electronics/entertainment store) as well, near the junction of Callao/Santa Fe - here again the wifi wasn't working.

Ditto for Olsen this morning, where I might have been tempted to eat their comparatively expensive lunch, but the wifi and an access control list rendering it unusable, so no dice.

So as yet the only one I can recommend is Magno.

For what it's worth I stayed in the Palermohouse hostel on arrival, which is more expensive than many others, and too quyiet for the rampaging backpacker creamfields army, but they do have wifi. As apparently does the el firulete hostel, but i haven't yet managed to get my digital fingers filthy there yet.

suerte

dub

[waterdance]

_That Delicity cafe. Their version of a chain coffee place has free wifi. McDonalds is actually planning world wide free wifi. They are piloting in several American and Japanese cities. Buenos Aires is not one of them.