Portable Mifi Router

[wawaw]

Does anyone know if a portable MIFI router will work in Jandia.
I basically want to connect mutiple devices to the internet but don't want to be tied into a contract where i pay every month. I just want to pay for usage as and when required.

[Will196]

It'll work just like a smartphone. Vodafone used to have a tourist data only offer. IIRC on the island it was less then â,¬15. Not a huge amount of data . Maybe 1.5GB but the offer lasted three months for the â,¬15.

I'm sure others have data only offers. Just look at the pay as you go sections

[kustard83]

We are over in Caleta for 3 weeks soon and was thinking of getting a mifi,but I am a bit confused by the SIM options.Is it that easy that i can just buy a local  prepayed SIM and away i go? We just like to browse the news/facebook etc.Can any body help ,throw some light on where to get a SIM in Caleta and the approx cost and how much data usage i am likely to use on 2 tablets over the 3 week period. Thank in advance for any info received.  Kustard83

[spitfire58]

We are over in Caleta for 3 weeks soon and was thinking of getting a mifi,but I am a bit confused by the SIM options.Is it that easy that i can just buy a local  prepayed SIM and away i go? We just like to browse the news/facebook etc.Can any body help ,throw some light on where to get a SIM in Caleta and the approx cost and how much data usage i am likely to use on 2 tablets over the 3 week period. Thank in advance for any info received.  Kustard83

Hi kustard,
I have one which I use all the time out there. We also initially wanted a more reliable wifi signal than a lot of the resorts had so purchased a Hauwiea (??) mifi unit. Great wee thing, does exactly what we need. Now having got our own place out there for holiday use & same as wawaw not wanting to be tied to a monthly cost/contract am looking at something similar. ie a router that can take a SIM card & with an antenna booster. You can get SIM cards most places but we got ours in the electrical/camera/phone shop down near the Aberdeen Steak house if you know it. Very helpful guy in there (the son), knows a lot & will look at all the options for you & recommend the best. We have an Orange SIM card, approx 15â,¬ for I think 3gb data, topped up at any supermarket, good signal & very reliable. HTH

[kustard83]

Thanks for that Spitfire,think i will go ahead and get one ,it was the Huawei that i was looking at.I can't think of a phone shop near the Aberdeen (should do have stayed at Puerte Caleta apartments many times) Do you mean the gift shop across from the supermarket or on the other side near hotel Caleta?   Thanks kustard.

[spitfire58]

Thanks for that Spitfire,think i will go ahead and get one ,it was the Huawei that i was looking at.I can't think of a phone shop near the Aberdeen (should do have stayed at Puerte Caleta apartments many times) Do you mean the gift shop across from the supermarket or on the other side near hotel Caleta?   Thanks kustard.

It's on the left as you head down the street towards the Aberdeen. You know the line of shops with Villa Florida at the end. A couple of doors along from the good cigarette/booze shop. . Cheers . . Ron

[keith edwards]

Hi all
Just read this thread and note that you can top-up 'data only' sim card at supermarkets (we have the huawei wifi thing)
I am in Costa Calma and have been popping along to the Movil (Orange) phone shop at Morro Jable to top up at 18 euro for 3gb.
All he seems to do is pop my sim in his phone and tops it up that way.
How does the supermarket option work as it would be great to pop into the Spar shop just round the corner to top-up.
Cheers for any advice
Keith

[spitfire58]

Hi all
Just read this thread and note that you can top-up 'data only' sim card at supermarkets (we have the huawei wifi thing)
I am in Costa Calma and have been popping along to the Movil (Orange) phone shop at Morro Jable to top up at 18 euro for 3gb.
All he seems to do is pop my sim in his phone and tops it up that way.
How does the supermarket option work as it would be great to pop into the Spar shop just round the corner to top-up.
Cheers for any advice
Keith

Hi Keith,
I kept the card that the sim was on & just take that in. If you don't have that I believe you can just top up with the phone number assigned to your sim. HTH

[keith edwards]

Hi Spitfire

As it is a data only sim do you just take the card to the till and ask them to top up the data?

I guess they have access to all sorts of service providers accounts and it is that easy, hope so

I'll give it a go next week.

Cheers for your advice

Keith

[Will196]

Why not do it from home online?

https://areaprivada.orange.es/ecare/pub/topup/index.htm

I think that's the right one. Use the chrome browser if your Spanish isn't up to it.

[Globetrotter]

We have tried topping up online before and all ok until payment if its a UK card then it fails, Spanish card fine, we used a friend with a Spanish card and gave him the money, dont know if its still the same.

[spitfire58]

Hi Spitfire

As it is a data only sim do you just take the card to the till and ask them to top up the data?

I guess they have access to all sorts of service providers accounts and it is that easy, hope so

I'll give it a go next week.

Cheers for your advice

Keith

Hi Keith,
It's just a general top up. Not sure tbh if you can get a "data only" sim, think they are just calls txt & data. Makes no difference if you use it just for data though. Ours is an Orange. I was told that had the best data allowance & signal strength is good enough all over from my own experience at least.

[Windermeregolfer]

Just seen this thread, very interesting as it was only a couple of days a go that there was an ad on TV here in UK for one of the MiFi routers the first time I had seen one, knew about using my mobile a portable hotspot.  Seems a great way of addressing connectivity as the 4G coverage is being expanded and I was surprised as to how much 4G coverage there was when we were over a couple of weeks ago. 

See this article - http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/buying-advice/internet/best-mobile-wi-fi-routers-2017-3656619/

I know it relates to UK but may be helpful and the bit about fixed fee roaming may address an issue about using one here in the UK and when on Fuerteventura, they are so small easily fit in hand luggage.

[kustard83]

Thanks to Ron/spitfire,went to the shop along from Villa Florida,All i can say is what a helpful young man he is,Got me set up and running and nothing was too much trouble.The MiFi is far quicker than i expected ,Great thank for the advise.John

[spitfire58]

Thanks to Ron/spitfire,went to the shop along from Villa Florida,All i can say is what a helpful young man he is,Got me set up and running and nothing was too much trouble.The MiFi is far quicker than i expected ,Great thank for the advise.John

You are very welcome John. Yes, he is a very helpful young man.
This forum & a lot of the people on hear have been very helpful to me over the last couple of years.
As they say, what comes around, goes around.

[Pea1]

Does anyone know, if an amazon fire stick, works well with a Mifi.
And can I buy a Mifi in England, and bring it over, or is it better to purchase it in Fuert.

[spitfire58]

Does anyone know, if an amazon fire stick, works well with a Mifi.
And can I buy a Mifi in England, and bring it over, or is it better to purchase it in Fuert.

Hi Pea1,
Not sure about the fire stick. I am sure someone on here will advise you, I have never had one.
For the mifi unit, I bought mine second hand on eBay in U.K. & brought it over. Wherever you get it just make it is "unlocked". You will need to get a sim out there but best place for that is in my opinion the place I advised above in Caleta, the young lad there will get you all set up & topped up & ready to go

[Will196]

Does anyone know, if an amazon fire stick, works well with a Mifi.
And can I buy a Mifi in England, and bring it over, or is it better to purchase it in Fuert.

If the fire stick is WiFI it'll work. BUT big but video uses a lot of data.  Unless you have some sort of unlimited 4G plan I wouldn't. Not because it won't work but because you might run out of data the first night.

Look at the prices. Look at the offers from people like Vodafone. In Spain they used to have an offer including a month of service.

The advantage of buying it at home is you can play with it and make sure it works before flying hours away 

[Grampiangranny]

I would recommend a 3 Internet with Legs 12gb data only sim to use in your mifi (also much cheaper to buy in UK).  Register in UK before you leave then use within 12 months at a cost of only £24.99.  Around Christmas they were doing a 24gb card for just under £30, usable within 24 months. Bargain! Wish I'd bought more as they don't seem to be available now.

[Archer]

Thanks for confirming this. As I said in another thread, these are available on ebay. EU or not, it still works!!

[Archer]

I'm checking out what the latest 'best deal' on Data is now? With Orange 4G en Casa, I'm paying for time when I not here and maybe think there's a cheaper PAYG option.
Grampiangranny - what network does your 'Three Internet with legs' use on the island? Is it Orange or EE?
Also, has anyone else noticed how slow the Orange 4G has got now? Mine went down from 30meg to 2.5meg the other night. Too many Brits watching the tv, I think??
What are you all using in your phone or MIFI routers? Cost and 4G speed?
Thanks

[Grampiangranny]

3 Internet with Legs connects into the Movistar set up.  Vodaphone do a 12 month deal on mifi in Fuerte, 13 Euros a month for 4gb data or 26 Euros a month for 12 gb. Beauty of this one is that it can be stopped for up to 3 months at a time and at the end of the deal the unlocked mifi becomes yours.  With the current price of 3 Internet with Legs being higher, this is now a more economical alternative.