Job Discussion Forums

lmans66 · Joined: 02 Apr 2006 Posts: 7

I am thinking of Manta, Ecuador.....

I know they have dial-up in Manta but wonder how reliable dial-up in Ecuador is? What has anyone found out. I know I can use the cafe's but will be getting my own apt and want access from there.

I know in Quito and other larger cities they are now getting broadband and slowly will work out so am looking for a backup of sorts since I work online for my position. I can live anywhere in the world as long as I have Internet...

Has anyone found it possible to access Internet from your phone in Ecuador...satellite? etc....

I am also planning on teaching a bit of English in a few odd places which I am looking forward to.....

Thanks for the help! lmans66

snorklequeen · Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 3:48 am Post subject: Working online

lmans66, what kind of work do you do online? sounds interesting. Question

cheers,

Queenie

lmans66 · Joined: 02 Apr 2006 Posts: 7

I am an "online university professor" for Walden University....(an online University)...lmans66

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 3:34 pm Post subject:

The easiet thing is to use dialup through prepay cards. You can buy the cards in a lot of places, including, oddly pharmacies. You pay about ten dollars for a 10 hour card, but then you also have to pay the calls on your phone bill. It works out to about $1.60 an hour in Quito, where the connection calls are local. I don't know if there's a local number for Manta, but I'll check...

It's slow, and not super reliable, but if you're patient, it works. Use a good firewall, and anti adware/spyware software, because the servers here are crawling with unwanted intruders.

The arrival of broadband is much talked about, but rarely seen. (really expensive so far.

Justin

Sgt Killjoy · Joined: 26 Jun 2004 Posts: 438

I don't know particularly about Ecuador, but one commonly overlooked access method available in many countries is GPRS through your GSM cellphone. CDMA phones allow the same access. Connection speeds are less than dial-up but you don't have to worry about phone lines, wherever there is a cellphone signal, you can have internet access. Getting a connection can be as simple as plugging a USB cable into your phone and connecting it to your computer. Then installing your phone's drivers and creating a connection to the phone.

lmans66 · Joined: 02 Apr 2006 Posts: 7

Thanks for the info.....interesting....

It would appear that GMS is an option but about the same price when you start adding things in. Does GMS download at dial-up speed?

I will probably have dial-up just so I have something in my apt to work with but the option of going to a cafe and using a bit faster connection might be there.

Amazing what we take for granted in many parts of the world.

lmans

ilovebdt1 · Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 1:54 am Post subject:

Hi, I lived on the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador for 5 months and rarely had any problems with the Internet there. There were two cafes on the island I was on.

I think they got it via satellite or something, but the connection was just as good as at any Internet cafe in the UK. There was the odd day when there was no service, but, overall it was good whether on the mainland or on the Islands.

quinbot · Joined: 18 Mar 2006 Posts: 4 Location: NS, Canada

Hi, I've been in Quito for three weeks and I'm currently staying at Hostel Jhomana http://www.jhomana.com. They include wireless Internet access with the room. I've been at the hostel for 18 days (I think) and the access has been down twice. Pretty good, considering. And the power's been out once. Smile