[bizt]

Hi there,

I understand that there are probably many internet cafes in the big cities of Oz but what is the general cost per hour/session?

Also, do many provide wireless networking capabilities? How much does this generally cost?

Cheers

Bizt

[ 21. February 2005, 05:20: Message edited by: bizt ]

[Tim Uden]

There are loads of Internet cafes in all the big cities and popular travel destinations. Count on spending around $4 an hour.

Wireless access is harder to find outside the big cities. Melbourne and Sydney have excellent WIFI access through Boingo, which costs USD $21.95 per month. Adelaide also has brilliant WIFI access across the city centre and the Queen Street Mall in Brisbane also has WIFI access. In Cairns you can get free WIFI access at the Coast Coffee shop on the Esplanade.

There are also WIFI hotspots in Starbucks, Gloria Jeans Coffee and McDonalds that are run by mobile phone companies like Optus and Telstra, however these have very expensive changes. It is best to stick with the Boingo hotspots wherever you can find them.

A lot of the Boingo WIFI hotspots are run by Azure Wireless an their website is often more up-to-date than Boingo's if you're looking for the addresses of hotspots.

[bizt]

Hi,

Ive decided that it might be a good idea to take a very portable laptop as I can access the internet and make VoIP internet calls back home for very cheap as well as storing camera photos and writing a journal that isnt going to take up a cabinet of a4 pads.

Have you had much use of Boingo? Have you had any problems connecting in different countries? It seems like an excellent choice, in fact its cheap (and faster) than broadband in my the UK. Would it be possible for me to set it up before I go and it will work regardless of the country Im in as long as Im in one of the Boingo hot spots?

Cheers

Bizt

[Tim Uden]

I used Boingo hotspots last year when I was in the UK (every Cafe Nero in the UK is a Boingo hotspot) and I'll use them again when I return to the UK next month.

It is just so much more secure using your own computer for online banking and I prefer to use Outlook for my emails rather than some web-based program like Hotmail. But this is more important for me as I'm also running a business and I need to use my regular email address.

You can definitely sign up before you go and test the service in the UK. It will work the same in all countries (although the login screen will look different from hotspot to hotspot).

The big drawback is that there is limited Boingo access outside Melbourne and Sydney and some small towns may not have anything at all.

[poppageorge]

Lugging laptop around and worrying about it being pinched does not sound like fun to me.Having travelled OZ wide without computer i found internet cafe's everywhere. Cheapest was Sydney where i got unlimited for $2.00 in Kings Cross. Outside Sydney runs around $2-$5 and hour Check area first. . Came across gaming centres for $10.00 for 10hrs play time.Figuring out lugging the laptop knowing you are a target (as they are popular theft items) i see no need for that bother.Computer acsess everywhere including libraries ( which are the costliest i found). Cafes are 24hrs in many areas. Hostels have inhouse computer services also.Even phone cards are very cheap.

[bizt]

Hi,

I understand the concerns about taking and worrying about a laptop. The laptop I own has a 12" screen and will fit into my rucksack/backpack so will be pretty well concealled. When in australia, I do plan to find myself shared accomodation where I will rent a room rather than sleeping in a room with a dozen others in hostels.

Its not just for web access that I plan to use the laptop for. I can also use it for cheap internet calls back home (the software required, skype, most likely wont be installed on internet cafe machines), storing music, keeping in touch with my business back home using applications that I require, storing and burning-to-cd digital photos as well as writing word documents (eg. journals).

I have until November to trully decide if it will be worthwhile taking it as by then I will have maybe taken it out on the road a bit. Just now it seems like a reasonable option.

Bizt