Almerimar WiFi – Update

As previously stated we have been using the new Almerimar WiFi service for a couple of weeks now. As you know from our recent technology post we rely pretty heavily on the Internet and so any WiFi in the marina is a good thing for us.

Availability

We have been able to get strong reliable signals in Dársena 1, 2 and 3, but still not The Square. According to Salvador this is because of a particularly difficult corner that they have to work around in the square. He is confident of cracking this at some stage, but no idea when! Ironically this is the area where we spend most of our time, so it is a shame that we can’t access the WiFi, but it makes us try other places more often, and I still hold all my meetings in Al-rruz where we have WiFi access!!!

Prices

The prices have changed since our original post:

1 Day – 3€
2 Days – 6€
3 days – 7€
4 days – 8€
5 days – 10€
7 Days – 15€
10 days – 18€
15 days – 22€
1 Month – 30€

You can pay for access at the Alamar Chandlery (boat bits and pieces shop) over by the dry dock, by Dársena 3.

For a holiday maker, or someone that wants to pick up their emails etc every day or so this is a pretty good deal, especially when you add in the flexibility of not having to go to a Internet Café, and the 24 hour access you get in a day. For longer term use it is no cheaper than a 3G contract or a contract with Telefonica (assuming you have a fixed phone line), which remains by far the best solution, speed, reliability and security wise.

Partners

Three local businesses are involved in Almerimar Wifi (Sonimar Telecom, LiSal and Alamar Chandlery). Salvador has been trying to provide WiFi for Almerimar for years and even approached the port owners years ago who weren’t at all interested which shows how narrow minded and uninterested in the port those guys really are!!!!!

Security

You should note that this is not a secure connection. Well it is in that you require a user name and password to access it, but in no way is it as secure as a personal WiFi network with your own security enabled.

I would not advise doing any banking or purchasing online over this network. In all probability you will be fine, but with so many people having access it is a risk I wouldn’t take to be honest. That said for the majority of users I guess they will want to book flights so I reckon it will be used that way anyway.

Service

In our experience it was generally more than adequate for emails and internet surfing, which is probably what the vast majority of people will use it for, but it wasn’t robust enough for VOiP i.e. Skype Calls. Technically it worked, but Skype is extremely bandwidth hungry so it was hit and miss as to the quality of the service and therefore hand on heart I couldn’t recommend it for VOiP activity.

For those of you with a WiFi enabled mobile phone or PDA again it isn’t ideal. The way you have to access the network is through a web page. Your browser will pick up the web page and you have to access the network that way (User name and Password) so if you were hoping to just jump on the WiFi network via a WEP key a la a personal WiFi network you are going to be disappointed. There is a way with devices like the iPhone and N95, but it is over complicated.

Plus for 1€ a day you get a reasonable amount of 3G access (even without a contract), which is actually as quick as the Almerimar WiFi connection so I would stick to that if you only want to pick up emails and surf with a mobile phone/PDA etc.

And as for streaming video to this site …….. forget it!!!

What of Centre Point

Contrary to reports Centre Point hasn’t closed as such. They are no longer trading out of the premises in Dársena 1 that is true, but the range of services on offer remains the same. You may want to check out LiSal for more information (we designed the logo last year for them)

Other Options

Almerimar WiFi is the only Almerimar wide WiFi offering. There are a number of Internet cafés that charge around 1,50€ an hour, and a growing number of bars and cafés have their own personal networks that they allow regular customers to access. Personally I think there should be more. I am aware of about 3 more that are considering it as we have been talking to them but whether they get round to it I couldn’t say.

Of course the other option is to get a 3G contract! For around 30€ a month you will get a pretty much unlimited plan (based on fair use), and the USB modem is free. Of course you need a computer in the first place, so that is a consideration.

If you don’t want a contract then PAYG is available. A modem will cost typically 69€ and with PAYG credits available for 20,40 or 60€. The main problem with this is that the credit only lasts 3 months and then expires, even if you have not used it all. On the plus side it is better value the larger credit unit you buy.

A third alternative is a sort of Hybrid of the two, a PAYG option that is a monthly PAYG i.e. you can turn it off for months that you don’t require it. Costs around 59€, which is pretty expensive. If you are the type of user that is going to use a USB modem as your main means of access to the Internet you are not going to be a heavy user and the normal PAYG option will be best for you. Don’t let anyone (especially the telephone companies) tell you that a 3G USM Modem option is anything other than a convenient option for the frequent traveller, and remember it all depends on you receiving a phone signal in the area that you want to use the modem.

Conclusion

A great initiative, and a more than adequate service for what I imagine will be the majority of people (email and Internet surfing). For us it is a good back up option, but as the whole point of WiFi access in the marina for us is a seamless office it isn’t viable. In order to use Skype, access emails on iPhone and N95, post pictures direct to the site etc we need the security and resilience of a 3G option (as posted before) both via USB and mobile phone. Of course we also rely heavily on our friends bars and cafés that have WiFi access!!!

If you want to talk to us to discuss what is the best option for you then you know where we are.

About Almerimar

Almerimar is located in the region of Andalucia, Spain. The nearest airport is 30km away in Almeria. Other airports that are within 3 hours include Malaga, Murcia, Granada, and Alicanti. Other holiday resorts in the region include Mojacar , Aguadulce and Roquetas de Mar

Almerimar is also one of the largest marinas in Spain with over 2,000 births and excellent boatyard facilities.

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