T&T: Caribbean WiFi update

[Dave Cooper]

G'day all, we have been surprised at the proliferation of WiFi in the
islands. Even last summer we didn't see as many signals.
The down side is that most of them are now secured. OTH the secure ones are
offering better signals and easier sign-ups.
Venezuela...Puerto La Cruz: Bahia Redonda Marina $20/mo. Isla Margarita,
Porlamar anchorage; $2.50/day
Grenada...free in St Georges; paid service in Prickly Bay; True Blue;
Hartman
Carriacou....Tyrrel Bay; donation to the local children's fund gets you
on-line here
Union Island.....Clifton; paid service
Mayreau......Saline Bay; soon according to the operator of an internet cafi
over looking the Bay.
Bequia......Admiralty Bay; four competing providers and a few unreliable
freebees

Some are part of a network called HotHotHotSpot and other are just
freelancers. Costs are about $10/day average and $30/wk with HotHotHotSpot.

If this continues as we move up Island we'll be happy cruisers. The ability
to use broadband, email, faxes, Skype and banking from the boat sure beats
the old method of going ashore, using the cell phone, faxes and standing
inline at banks to do transfers.

We used to spend way more just on our cell phone as the roaming charges make
a 3 minute call add up to $10 to $15 in most locations!

GlobalStar or Iridium both add up quickly trying either voice or data for
any lengthy communication.

A good example is that we located a Dayton blower assembly for our forward
air con unit at Grainger yesterday over the net, ordered it and it will be
shipped FedEx today so we should have it by Monday...here in Bequia. Total
cost of all this communication is buried in the $30 weekly charge. Cost to
do this one thing via cell or sat phone would have been a hundred $$
minimum, IMO.

So right now from Venezuela to Bequia WiFi is the set-up to have aboard,
IMHO. The future looks even brighter as Cell is the only competing
technology and every cell provider seems intent on cleaning out your wallet
if you want to use even a fraction of the bandwidth that you can get with
WiFi.

As always YMMV,
Cheers


Dave & Nancy
Swan Song
Roughwater 58
Caribbean Cruise '07