Is there a list WI Fi Hotspots near George?

Hi,
We are visiting from the UK in MArch and need broad band access whilst we are travelling. Is there a way of finding out where we could get Access via wi-fi or direct into a router? We will mainly be near Wilderness which is near George and PE

Thanks for any help that you can give me

I am not sure whether this will be relevant for George but here are two of the largest hotspot providers in SA. Access can be purchased online via a credit card. The cost for access using Alwayson hotspots is around R60 for 100Meg, R140 for 250Meg, R250 for 500Meg, R450 for 1G and R800 for 2G etc. Some McDonalds shops offer 10 minutes free WiFi via Telkom T-Zones.
http://hotspot.alwayson.co.za/
http://hotspot.alwayson.co.za/hotspot/help/help.htm
Telkom T-Zones
http://www.telkom.co.za/attheoffice/products/tzone/tzonesites.html

Somebody else may be able to give you more specific information regarding George.

Take a look at the list of UK roaming partners such as BT Openzone and Orange etc. but just make *very* sure of the costs beforehand - you don't want a several thousand pound bill on your return!

EDIT: Some hotspots in George

Always-on
George airport (Restaurants and Coffee shops, in Domestic departures, boarding gates and airline lounges)

Town Lodge, George

Mugg & Bean, George

Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate, George

Cappucinos, George

T-Zones
Loerie Guest Lodge 91 Davidson Rd, George

McDonalds Garden Route Mall, Corner N2 and M5 Knysna Road, George

many thanks Yotch, esp re the potential cost implication

@Richarg: The BT Openzone roaming rate on the IS/Alwayson hotspot network is
*** 12.3 pence per minute excl. VAT ***!

Clearly the cheapest and simplest option would be to pay via credit card to use either the Alwayson or the Telkom T-Zone networks. Usually a fixed amount of data like 100 or 250 megabytes would be much more useful than say several hours of access. Alwayson offers both type of plans. I think the T-Zone access charge is R1 per minute. Make sure that you remember to logout after each session. It's also safer if you pay by credit card since you can't be charged for any additional access - once the bundle is used up you have to make a second credit card purchase to continue using the service. Try to *avoid* any international roaming if possible - WiFi, cellphone and particularly 3G/HSPA data!!!

Another option would be to hire a 3G datacard at the airport. Take a look here for more details. Again a data bundle will be much cheaper than the (out of bundle) rate of R2-50 per megabyte.
http://www.europcar.co.za/cell-phone-rentals.html#rate007c
http://www.fellengtours.co.za/services/rent_a_mobile.htm
http://www.ventertours.de/reisehandy.htm
http://www.cellucity.co.za/branches.htm

You might also be interested in opening an account (10 Euros) at either www.voipraider.com or www.12voip.com if you are planning to make telephone calls to the UK while you are in SA. Currently both of these Voip operators are offering several hours worth of free calls to SA landlines. If you are staying at a hotel for example you could use your WiFi connection to switch a free telephone call from any landline in the UK to the hotel phone in your room (via the reception desk). This would work out much cheaper than making a Voip connection via WiFi or using the hotel phone. Both of these companies allow you to test out their services free of charge for 1 hour if you are interested. Just ask if you need more details. Make sure that you are familiar with switching calls between 2 landlines from the web site before you arrive in SA.

WI-fi near george

Many thanks for the information. SInce about 80% of the reason for internet access is to keep up with e-mails, and, baring in mind I am a bit of a technophobe, would my best bet to be to hire a Blackberry? (Providing I could read Word Attachments).
Thanks again for your help.

A wireless ISP called eTime (www.etime.co.za) has coverage in Wilderness as far as I know. George is only 15km or so from Wilderness anyway and the Garden Route mall's even closer (about 8 - 10km) which has hotspots all over it.

@Richarg: Unfortunately I don't use a Blackberry myself so it would be better to get an expert opinion about the Word document browsing capability. Hopefully somebody else will comment about this. Are you already familiar with the Blackberry or thinking of testing it out for the first time on your trip? I am under the impression that the normal Blackberry contract also allows you unlimited internet browsing on the device itself - there is a charge though if you tether the device to a laptop. I'm not sure whether this is also the case with the rental ones. Maybe you could check on this by e-mailing one of the rental companies such as [email protected] (Jhb Int Airport) before you visit SA. There also appears to be a R200 connection charge to activate the rental service.

The hotspot option should work out a bit cheaper but you will only be able to use hotspots in certain locations such as your hotel or at some coffee shops etc. The Blackberry service should be available wherever there is cell phone reception. You would also need to carry a laptop with you to access the hotspots. Just watch your laptop/cell phone/Blackberry/cameras etc. very carefully as these items tend to be stolen the second that they are left unattended. You really need to stay vigilant at all times or you can be robbed very easily. If you were to leave a laptop, cell phone, jacket etc. unattended on a table in a restaurant while checking on your order for example they might not be there when you return!

Take a look at this thread on how to lose your laptop in under 73 seconds!
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthre...=laptop+stolen
I think this is the video that goes with it if the above link doesn't work ...
http://www.zoopy.com/video/detail/id/5836

Another option might be to get your e-mails manually forwarded to you via SMS. There are several services that offer free SMSs to SA cell phones via a web page. Ask if you want more details. You could just purchase a cheap starter pack in SA (<R5) from any supermarket or convenience store etc. and insert it into any unlocked GSM phone etc. You can also send short replies to e-mail addresses via SMS at local SMS rates. Prepaid SMS bundles are also available at a discount if you are planning to send out large numbers.

Take a look at the phone service at www.voipraider.com - on the bottom right of the screen there is a free trial option. Just type in your telephone number as well as the number of a friend or colleague in one of the free international destinations and try it out. You don't have to install any software, register or pay any money - your telephone should start ringing and a short while after answering it the destination number should also ring and the call should be connected. This service could be used either via a Blackberry or from a hotel hotspot etc.

Many thanks Yotch and Jacobstone. Lots of food for thought. Perhaps I will just get a very long riece of string and a couple of empty cans!! I think the 3G card hire option may be the best bet. I have e-mailed a provider but they have not responded to my question which was "Can I pick up the card in George and return it at Cape TOwn?"
AS I said before, I am a bit of a technophobe but as for receiving e-mails via sms, I thhoght that was impossible because the max no. of characters in the uK on an SMS message (which we call texting) is around 200. Most e-mails would blow that away. Oh for the days of the carrier pidgeon and no pressure.
Thanks for the warning about theft. Sounds like London!!!

@Richarg: Don't stress too much about all of this. Even if you decide not to rent a 3G card or Blackberry etc. at the last minute the WiFi hotspots could still be adequate if they are available at your accommodation. My wife travels around a lot and uses both the Alwayson and T-Zones without a problem. It might be a good idea to ask for a room which has a good WiFi reception if you are using it at a hotel. You could even ask Alwayson to e-mail you a username and password before you leave the UK if you are worried about getting immediate access once you arrive in SA - I recently contacted them from their website and bought a 100MB bundle for my wife.

You are correct that an SMS text message is limited to around 140 characters. I was suggesting that maybe a colleague or family member could just summarise your e-mails and then SMS (text) them on to you. You could of course split a long message over several short SMS messages if necessary. I usually relay e-mail messages to my wife like this when she is away and they need to be attended to urgently.

There is also a similar service that is specifically tailored for longer messages called MMS which can send or receive a maximum of 4500 characters per message which is much more substantial - this is not usually free though!

Here is some information about sending SMS messages to e-mail etc. from SA networks.
http://www.vodacom.co.za/specificneeds/morethanjusttalk.jsp
http://www.mtn.co.za/default.aspx?pid=24788&mid=14254#a_258487

One web based free SMS service to SA cell phones
http://www.mydigitallife.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10700&Itemid=43

Many thanks for all your help Yotch, we leave for SA in 2 days and, thanks to you and others, I have e-mailed Cellucity to pick up a 3g card for a month from George and return it to Cape TOwn. I have asked them to set it up for me so I am keeping my fingers crossed that some-one there will know how to do it. I assume that Cellucity will know which network to connect to?

I have been really impressed by all the help I have had from so many people in planning this trip; route advice, accomodation, telephones, and computers. Nearly every thing has been done using furums and e-mails. How did people cope before the internet.
Once again, many thanks

@Richarg: Hope you have a good trip and get to do something memorable!

I think that Cellucity are affiliated with Vodacom which probably has the best coverage in SA which could be important to you if you are travelling around. Since this is a wireless service you may need to adjust the position of your modem or laptop to obtain the best signal possible or you could experience disconnections etc. The E220 modem (USB version) may be easier to use as it connects via a USB extension cable and can be moved around to find the best position. The internal cards might require you to move your laptop around to find the optimal position instead. Make sure though that they show you how to keep track of how much *bandwidth* you are using - otherwise if you exceed your limit (500MB?) you will be charged extra!

It might also be worthwhile to see if you can check your e-mail from the web page of your internet service or e-mail provider in the UK before you leave as there is a small chance that you could have server timeout problems from time to time when trying to download mail via Outlook Express due to long delays/interruptions in accessing the mail server in the UK etc. You shouldn't have any problems using the web page though.

Here is some additional information about VAT refunds for tourists if you are planning on making any purchases during your trip. Make sure that you obtain the correct invoices etc. before making any purchases if you want to avoid paying VAT otherwise you won't get a refund.
http://www.southafrica-newyork.net/consulate/vatrefund.htm
http://www.sa-venues.com/tourist_and_visitor_information_.htm

Hope that all goes smoothly and you enjoy your trip! Post again if you are having any problems or need to find out anything else during your stay. There are many people here who live in and around Cape Town that know the area, tourist attractions, wine farms etc. very well.

You could also have a look at www.wirelessg.co.za or vodacom.wirelessg.co.za
They are also big in sa. They have 650 local and 110 000 international hotspots.

They are in partner**** with Telkom (T-Zone) and Vodacom