| |
Hello,
I need to have a reliable internet during my two months stay in Panama, I am thinking the Claro USB modem could be a good option instead of be depending on the internet in the hotel(s) or internet cafes.
Anybody is using this modem? How easy is to obtain it to use during my stay?
Thanks
well i am using c+w modem , i would guess they are about equal , as long as you do not need to download music and video , it works ok , good for internet and skype most of the time
I use it but when i got it there was no prepaid one, so they requested lot of info like rental agreement, company registration, 10+ signatures, and god knows what else. It does work ok, although obviously its not very fast. If you're in a good hotel wifi will most likely be faster.Originally Posted by expat747
Can I get this modem at the airport? (I am on turist visa).
Is it activated immediatly?
i am not sure if they have it there, but dont count on it. You cant even change money at the airport.. There are 1 or 2 electronics stores before you go trough customs you can ask there, but again dont count on it. I got mine at farmacia arocha, but most phonestores in the city will have it.
What is a good price to buy the modem for and do they charge a flat rate per month or based on amount of data used.
I dont know, because i have a contract and i think i got the modem for free with it. here's some info Panama Tourism Information, New cellular companies in Panama they talk about $26 a month, but i think i actually pay around $20.
So I can go to any phone store and just buy it with my passport? Any other documents required?
Well if its prepaid then i think u wont even need a passport. I bought prepaid simcards for phone here and they didnt ask for a passport. Nor in any other country i been to.
That's good news. I heared in Mexico you can buy it without any problem but activating it requires residency and permanent address, I hope this is not the case in Panama.
When are u coming? I need to go to a phonestore one of these days i can try to ask for you, although success is not guaranteed cause my spanish is pretty much nonexistent. And also they tend to say yes to everything, only for you to find out later they meant no really lol
I will be there in June, thank for any information that you can get!
Next trip I intend to bring my own modem and then plug in a CW sim card and then add prepaid minutes. If you want reliable - best to buy sim cards and minutes from two different providers.
I just had a friend down here for a week staying at the Decameron. He went to the CLARO store in Coronado and purchased the modem for $32 and then they asked him if he wanted to prepay it for 1 day, 7 days, 15 days, or 30 days. He had no problem with it while at the Decameron or purchasing it on his tourist visa.
Mary
www.whypanama.com
Claro is by FAR the best 3G DATA connection you will find in Panama. It's faster than any other provider on a cellphone or modem. I have used them (Claro Modems) for the past 18 months and they are very good and fast. We now have switched to Claro BB because the data connection is so much better than the other three providers.
In Panama City contact Rafael Delgado 396-6795. He owns several Claro stores and give give you a good price on a modem. He is an honest guy who speaks perfect english as he lived in Iowa for many years.
You can get the pre-paid Claro wireless USB 3.5G for around $70, then pay about $40-60 (depending on how much high-speed usage you want). I have the contract with the 1gig option and the service is fine. I can download at high speeds until I use up 1G of bandwidth, then it runs at 128k, which is ok for general internet usage. I am thinking about uping to 2gig or 3gig, bucause 1gig goes pretty fast. You shouldn't need anything if you go the prepaid route.
I purchased one almost a month ago and it was decent till they started to regulate it after so many GB's. Making the plan not really unlimited. Around the Central Avenue in Santiago it does not work now that it is regulated. Will disconnect every few minutes when it does work. I have to get a new sim card so I can start a new month before the old one ends. If I bought a new month on the same sim card it would take till the end of my month to reset. "Its the way the system works" The customer service is pathetic although the lady helping me is nice.
Can anybody do a speed test to see how fast it goes? I really hope it is at least 1 mb/s...
CNET Bandwidth Meter: Online Speed Test - CNET Reviews
Yes, it does say "Internet Ilimitado" whatever that means. Completely fraudulent and false advertising in Panama is quite common and you can never get any money back regardless of how much they have continuously raped you. Triple redundancy is the way to go (in banking minimum 6). Not a single company in Panama has a buffer for incoming text messages so if someone has turned off the phone or is changing the battery, the message is just purged instantly.
I never recommend any service in Panama - when they work it's just pure luck. Maintenance here means to replace some old shit by some other old shit and go home.
down near pedasi using cable and wireless 94 kbps using their modem . they say g3 in july , i am sitting holding my breath , not . works good for forums like this , skype , but not to download music or you tube type things , a 2 minute utube takes 10 minutes , but as we speak cable onda is running fibre optic by my place , anyone know much about there service ?
Hi, can you explain your quote below? I purchased a prepaid usb modem last december, and 2 weeks internet time. I returned to the us and will be flying down on saturday. I hope to be able to use the same usb modem and charge more minutes. how is that done? your comment makes me think that purchasing more minutes on the same usb might be a hazzle.
Only if you want to charged another month before your first month is over. That is not possible. Your time has to expire before you can add more. I have two sim cards for these situations.
Ok, so in theory, i should be able to purchase new time. How do you do that? I dread having to go to their office. The employees are too slow. Can you get new time via internet? I land saturday and want to be setup as soon as i land.
You sound like a spoiled brat. Do you think they are paid $1.67 per hour because they are fast?
I spend about 40 minutes at a claro on Via Espana. I think you can just buy cards and do it but I am not sure exactly how much it costs. But they charge 12% tax where as a grocery store charges 7% tax.
See, that is exactly what I want to about. 40 minutes? Geez! :-( That's better than the 3 hours I spent getting the usb in the first place.
I still don't get it. You buy the cards or go to their offices to get additional minutes, but then how is it charged? Do you call a number? The box in which the modem came has a telephone number on it but I don't know what to do with it.
First of all, ain't no American brat here. I AM PANAMANIAN AND VERY, VERY uSED to the inefficiency in the country BUT SICK OF IT! Salary is NO excuse for giving the best customer service. I spent 3 hours at one of their offices setting up the modem. Most employees moved at snail speed and were more concerned about talking with each other. This is unacceptable.
well you might be a panamanian by birth , but in real life down here , this is how it goes everyday , day in , day out . , so work with it or come here , become the king and change everything you dont like .
For your info. i lived in pty for 45 years and left recently, so I know much, much more than you about how life is there. I learned to work with it, and adapt to it but that does not mean that I should blindly accept realities and lower my expectations. There is nothing wrong with expecting more. And by the way, I have gotten more, for expecting more.
By the way, thanks for the shithead comment. Appreciate it
| |
Posting Permissions
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks