Basics of internet service...for the truly ignorant

[SoCal]

As a follow up to my question about mobile phone service, since I will be on island for 3+ months and plan to work over the internet, I am seeking assistance in securing a way to access the internet which is actually more important to me than a phone. Unfortunately, my accommodations do not include quality WiFi. 

My minimum desires is near DSL/ADSL rates (say 2 Mbits per second), but would prefer more like 10 Mbits per second. 

Suggestions I have heard of:
* Dongle over 3G - is it very slow?
* 4G - is there 4G service?
* Does cable/hard-wire options require a year long contract?
* Are there good free wifi's in El Cotillo, where I will be staying, sufficient?

I seek your collective wisdom. What would you recommend?  Thank you.

[danielok]

Hi,

I've just moved to El Cotillo, and I'm in a similar situation. 

As far as I understand if you dont have a bank account in Spain you cannot apply for a mobile contract, so the options for 3G (I haven't heard 4G in fuerteventura) is limited to prepaid plans.

I have a shared WiFi where I'm living, but its not very good, when it goes down I try to use my cellphone's 3G...
Have a prepaid plan in Movistar 100MB/week (around 3EU) + every extra 50MB (0,5 EU)

Its not a good solution, but it gets me online while I'm waiting for my ADSL connection. In this case, you need a bank account, and for opening one you need a NIE number.
Movistar's ADSL up to 10mbps does not require a year long contract (permanencia), as I understand.

Then, other alternatives... I really don't know... Maybe other mobile companies have better 3g plans, you should check them.
Also there are these CHEAPNET networks, but I don't really know what these are, and if are reliable in anyway.

[SoCal]

A true thank you.      After 2 weeks, I was about to pull this post.

Did you purchase your plan at one of the local phone stores in Coralejo? I'm not European, so I'm starting with nothing. My guess is I'm looking at a "dongle" for 3G.  Don't need video, just need basic text based download/ upload capability.   Again, thank you.

[danielok]

Yes, just went to a store in Corralejo. You may need your passport or some ID.

I'm using my phone, sharing the internet connection via USB. But I think you can buy a USB dongle/modem right there.

You'll probably need more than 100mb a week so you should ask in Vodafone or some other to see if they have better plans.

[SoCal]

Given the number of requests for this type of information, it would be useful to create a FAQ page for this topic.  That is unless there is already one and I can't find it.

[PHo]

We use a Vodafone dongle prepaid.  You charge up the SIM like a mobile phone, then use the credit to buy a bono, which give you 500MB (18 euros), 1GB (22 euros) or 2GB (37 euros), and lasts for 30 days. Apart from having to guess in advance how much you need, this works well, though Vodafone connection can be a bit flakey. We then use local wifi for anything big.  You can buy the dongle cheaply from any Vodafone shop, but you will need ID

[SoCal]

Thanks for the information.