yes Jer, we certainly have covered a lot here! thanks to everyone for answering my questions re internet options. i think i will do exactly what Tony recommends, and go with my laptop and get a land line to begin with. it will not only open up internet options, but will be advantageous phone-wise as well. i'll dial in until i can establish myself and weigh my financial situation, and if possible will certainly get ADSL. Tony, i'll do my dance and ask that the broadband gods not pass the wrong judgement on you. Have no fear.
As i keep planning my trip, i'll write if i have more questions. (4 weeks left!) no matter what i end up with, i'll definatley have both this thread and Tony's document with me in hard copy at all times!
Cool Rebecca, glad to hear you have things clearer in your mind thanks to this thread.
One thing, just as important as asking more questions as time goes by is giving back to this board when you learn something new or after you make your big move.
We hope to hear from you on this and other topics every step of the way
Hey binkx and all. So, binkx, any updates for us on what you decided to do? Have not heard back from you in a while
I am reviving this thread to tell you all about a new (almost new) option here (in Madrid and other parts of Spain). It used to be Madritel ( www.madritel.com ) but has since been bought up and is now "Auna Cable" ( www.aunacable.es ). They have a new offer of Cable Internet, Cable TV and Telepone (land line) for 39 Euros/month.
My friend just had it installed and he likes it so far. Internet is 128 uploading and downloading so not quite DSL speed but it beats the 56K dialup thang
They also offer various "packs" that let you pick and choose between TV, Phone, Internet etc...
See the "packs" available at www.aunacable.es/seccion_15.html the complete pack is the one labelled "Todo incluido 128 - Tel�fono + televisi�n + Internet banda ancha 128".
Looks like a pretty sweet deal
I will ask my friend periodically how it is going.
hello jer! thanks for the update about the new cable modem option. i know i haven�t given an update- i�ve been meaning to but every since i got here i have been running around non-stop! so, yes, i am in spain now. currently i am having to go to cybercafes to use the internet. this is because the accomodation that i was given for the month of september has no phone line. (i�m living with a scottish guy and have no plans to stay there past september.) so, i�m shelling out the money at these cyber cafes. interestingly enough, they are more expensive here than in madrid. in madrid they were anything from ,70-1.50€ but here in valencia they are 2-3€. i would have thought the opposite. once my friend and i get into our own apartment then we will decide about the cable modem thing. i keep going back and forth with that. maybe i�ll get lucky and a place where i end up working will have free internet access?!
thanks for giving the update, and i will remember to do the same! rebecca
Trust me, I know what it is like to be new here and be running around like a nut getting your life in order. Get updates to us as you are able to.
Many people might think that the cybercaf�s are cheaper in smaller cities and towns but it is really the other way around as you are finding out.
It makes complete sense that they would be cheaper here in Madrid since it is purely a question of supply and demand.
Less demand in the smaller cities and hence higher prices. More demand in Madrid and cheaper Internet Caf�s.
I was in a small beach town this summer and had to pay 2.20 Euros per hour
quote:
maybe i�ll get lucky and a place where i end up working will have free internet access?!
Be careful, a few years ago an employee in a Spanish company was fired for using his work PC for private e-mailing and it became a landmark case. He won since the employer had not made it clear that he was not to do so but since then, many companies here have changed their hiring practices to make using the web and e-mail at work for private use grounds for dismissal
If you end up at a job with PC's with internet access, either don't get caught or make sure you are allowed to use the web and e-mail for personal stuff from the get go.
Be careful, a few years ago an employee in a Spanish company was fired for using his work PC for private e-mailing and it became a landmark case. He won since the employer had not made it clear that he was not to do so but since then, many companies here have changed their hiring practices to make using the web and e-mail at work for private use grounds for dismissal
jer buddy...I've got to laugh at this one. Though I don't doubt that the case you're referring to did actually happen, if somebody really wants to get rid of you in Spain, they could probably find a better reason than your sending some personal emails from work.
I know that of places that are more strict than others, but most people that I work with make it a habit of downloading 1-2 gigs of 'stuff' daily (movies, music, etc. ) Though I do think that you're right on the suggestion of checking in with an administrator or trusted coworker so you can find out how strict 'Big Brother' is about net usage in the workplace, pretty much everywhere is more or less relaxed about it from my experience.
I don't think that the vast majorities of employers in Spain are that bad about it. I mean, we've got to be able to connect to our favorite bulletin boards, right?!
poseso.... Tony --- English Unlimited... Un ambiente para aprender ingl�s... (An English Learning Environment)
Posts: 656 | Location: Madrid (Kansas City, USA) | Registered: 06 November 2001
What a great site this is - thank you Jer, especially the pictures. Only recently found the message board.
I hope my question hasn't been answered before, anyhow, here goes.
I am trying to find out which areas in Spain have ASDL enabled.
http://www.setsi.mcyt.es lists areas where ASDL is available, but against a lot of the entries there are words to the effect "not available if ISDN" (I think!).
Does this mean that in some areas, only ISDN is available? Or perhaps it means that if there is already an ISDN line, you cannot have ASDL aswell. In other words, if I rent an apartment without a telephone line connected, could I choose between ISDN and ASDL?
Hope this makes sense. I can't tell you how frustrating it is in the UK on a dial-up. I'm in an urban area about 30 miles from London and the local exchange is not enabled for Broadband. There's cable, but the CCTV manhole has been concreted over. I've been waiting since May for some action here and it just doesn't happen. :jeje:
Well that's it for now. Thanks all.
Posts: 33 | Location: Near London, England | Registered: 23 November 2002
You can try a search at my SEARCH PAGE on "ADSL" and see what comes up but I am pretty sure that I do not recall zone availability of ADSL ever having been discussed.
I am not sure of how updated or reliable this is but I use a search at www.sgc.mfom.es/cgi-bin/ddw/webdriver?MIval=buscar-telefono to find availability. You simply put in the phone # and it tells you if you will have the possibility of ADSL there. I know that it is simply a direct link to the normally framed page in the site that you have found at www.setsi.mcyt.es but it is the Ministry of Science & Technology so I think we can trust it
I did not come up with "not available if ISDN" (in Spanish of course) at all, can you provide me with a phone # that gave you that message so I can take a closer look myself. Of all the #s I randomly entered, I either got "Disponible" (Available) or "Por el momento, no est� prevista la implantaci�n de ADSL para ese n�mero telef�nico" (Currently Unavailable).
The warning on that database search page...
quote:
ADVERTENCIA: la disponibilidad de dotar de ADSL al n�mero de tel�fono indicado queda condicionada a que se verifique que la l�nea sobre la que se presta el servicio presenta las caracter�sticas adecuadas.
... is simply a disclaimer stating that the final word on ADSL availability will depend upon the characteristics of each individual phone line (in other words, don't move into a place based only on the phone # search results).
quote:
"Does this mean that in some areas, only ISDN is available? Or perhaps it means that if there is already an ISDN line, you cannot have ASDL aswell. In other words, if I rent an apartment without a telephone line connected, could I choose between ISDN and ASDL?"
I have a feeling that if it says "not available if ISDN" then it meansd you simply can't have both. Remember that an ADSL line is installed over an already existing normal analogical line (normal phone line) or from scratch while ISDN is a digital line, making the two incompatible.
Yes, there are some areas in Spain where ISDN is available and ADSL is not.
As far as I know, the 3 types of areas that exist are:
1) Those that have no ISDN nor ADSL availability(56K dialup is the best one can do here). 2) Those that have ISDN availability (56K dialup or ISDN the best one can do here). 3) Those that have ADSL & ISDN availability (here one can have 56K dialup, ISDN or ADSL, take yer pick ).
Cable internet is a whole other story of course.
If you move into a place with ADSL availability, you WILL be able to choose between ADSL and ISDN. This will probably be your case as all apts. here do not yet have the phone line activated when you rent them, the previous renter cuts the service when they leave as would be expected.
If one already has ISDN, they can also remove it and put in ADSL but that is a more costly procedure.
If you have your heart set on ADSL, for the final word on availability in your area, you should first call the company you plan to contract the ADSL with and give then the address before you take the apartment/house. With the address they will be able to tell you if you can have ADSL.
Don't just take the place because the online search says you will have ADSL capability and hope that it if foolproof.
Let us know how it goes.
Saludos, jer...
p.d. tonytorero is usually very knowledgabel in these matters as well, I am sure he will giv us his take on all of this.
I don't have a telephone number, or any idea what it might be, (the apartment I made an enquiry about doesn't have a line, at least I don't think so), so couldn't use the search facility that you suggest. When I dug deeper into that site, I found a list of ISP's (presumably), with telephone numbers allocated to each, in sequence. When I saw BT (British Telecom?) listed, I almost freaked out. :jeje:
Anyhow, after more digging around, I couldn't find the page either. I now have the whole URL (I think!) ,
ALDEA DEL FRESNO Disponible en dic-02 (excepto lineas RDSI)
ALGETE-RETAMAR DISPONIBLE (Excepto para lineas RDSI)
So I think this means, "except for ISDN lines", rather than how I'd described.
Here is an example from the Alicante page:-
A/SUR DISPONIBLE
ALBATERA DISPONIBLE (Excepto para lineas RDSI)
Anyway, I think what I have to do now, is use the address to make an enquiry of Telefonica or an ISP who could provide installation of ASDL line aswell. This aspect is a bit odd to me, because here we have cable or BT. I couldn't for example, ask AOL to install an ASDL line. Therefore, I'm wondering if I've got this right and whether my first approach should be to Telefonica.
Well anyway, guess this is getting a bit technical, at least for me :lo: , so will end here by saying another big thank you.
Posts: 33 | Location: Near London, England | Registered: 23 November 2002
"...the apartment I made an enquiry about doesn't have a line, at least I don't think so),..."
It will most likely have the jacks but the line will not be live so you will need to pay an arma and a leg to get the phone co. to flip that switch that is so hard for them to do and that takes so long all the world about.
quote:
"When I saw BT (British Telecom?) listed, I almost freaked out."
Many foreign telcos have dial up access nodes here in Spain, especially in the major cities. I am from the U.S.A. and when I headed over to live here my old ISP (Compuserve) in the U.S.A. tried to get me to stay on with them and gave me local dialup #s for Madrid. I passed as I know that a normal dialup is free here in Spain and you only pay for the time you are logged on, besides, there are many deals on flat rate connections and such.
You won't have a phone # until you have your line activated, then the telco will assign you one. So, as I said above, if you have your heart set on ADSL one day and need that capability, make sure you ask your future provider if the address is in an ADSL zone.
I saw that Map page too as I surfed that site. I think you are right, the "excepto lineas RDSI" means that ISDN (RSDI in Spanish) will not be available in that area. It is a bit confusing though
I use a Telef�nica ADSL and am very happy with it (knock on wood ). Yes, I would get in touch with them first as most of the infrastructure in Spain is still theirs.
Cable internet is also available in many areas here, see www.aunacable.es for more. They have some attractive phone+TV+internet packages that may interest you.
I recently got ya.com's ADSL service on the recommendation of some co-workers. So far, so good. The deal was that they supplied for free an ADSL router (so you can hook up as many as four PCs to the Internet, and also get increased security/firewall protection), a network card, and installation (meaning setting up the ADSL with Telefonica, etc.). It took about three and a half weeks from when I applied online to actually having the service established. I haven't seen the bill yet, but they also waived the first month's charges, and it should be about 40 Euros/mo. plus IVA.
Hi all, Jer directed my lost cyber soul to this thread and wow..I know I should be, um, unlost, but with all of this intense info, I actually think I am more lost than ever. Could someone see fit to throw me a trail of crumbs by way of answering these questions?
I am moving to Madrid in January. As a freelance writer who does all of my work through the web, I have to have the best, fastest, and most reliable internet access possible. Here are my Qs:
My apartment does have a phone line. I think I need to contact the current resident to work out a deal as I understand Telefonica will take an ojo de mi cara to flip the switch, plus I will be stuck with three weeks of no connection. Is that about right?
I have a DELL laptop that has a modem card with cable and phone hookup. I don't wan't the dialup and do want the cable. Should I buy a RJ45 Network Cable before leaving the states? Is it cheaper/more available here? Should I get a regular phone connection cable just in case? Also it sounds like the providers rent you a router(?) whatever that is, do they provide you with other equipment needed too, or should I pay a visit to Staples?
The deal that Jer mentioned above from Auna (?), with the cable TV, landline service, and cable internet, is that still around? What are the user verdicts on it? Jer you mentioned that someone you know got it a while back, do they like it?
ya.com. Eduardo mentioned this. Do you like it so far?
I really need to get up and running fast. That said, I don't want to pay a fortune. I am thinking I can swing 40-60 euros a month, is that still a reasonable price? Can I get it cheaper? I don't download movies or heavy images. The most taxing bandwidth things I do are check out this board and tap into swedish trance stations. The rest is all simple google searches and emailing of word documents, so maybe I don't need cable connection. (Oh, should mention I am terribly impatient with slow-opening pages?) I guess I am looking for a good money to speed ratio taking my needs into consideration.
Finally, the above info really does rock but I am a little daft when it comes to all this techie stuff. I know how to plug the cable into the wall and press the on button. So could someone kindly tell me in an Idiot's Guide kinda way, what is the 1st step, the 2nd step, the 3rd step?
Thank you thank you thank you. I don't know how I'd survive this move without this board! Hooray for Jer and multimadrid! With oceans of gratitude and promises of a cana (with the squiggle over the n--yes I know there is a thread that explains how to do that, but that is...another thread) when I'm in Madrid, Candela
Posts: 998 | Location: MADRID! | Registered: 09 November 2002
wow!!!! soooo much info i am a little lost. i am moving into a shared apartment that already has an active land line. can i just have adsl installed in my name? understandably,the other person doesn't want to be stuck with anything should i leave. also, anyone know more about free installation offers? i can spend around 40 euros/month, which seems about the average going rate. desha
Posts: 72 | Location: fayetteville usa | Registered: 30 January 2002
My apartment does have a phone line. I think I need to contact the current resident to work out a deal as I understand Telefonica will take an ojo de mi cara to flip the switch, plus I will be stuck with three weeks of no connection. Is that about right?
Yes, you would be stuck without a conex while you waited for Telef�nica to activate it in your name.
The current resident is not likely to let you keep the line active in his/her name. If they do, let us know, it would be the first time I have ever heard of that happening.
quote:
Should I buy a RJ45 Network Cable before leaving the states? Is it cheaper/more available here?
Nah, you don't have to buy it there, cables here in Madrid are very inexpensive. See the thread Ethernet cable by clicking HERE for a great place in Madrid to get an RJ45 or any other cable.
quote:
Should I get a regular phone connection cable just in case?
Since they cost like $1 you may want to bring one in case you are temporarily doomed to a dialup
quote:
Also it sounds like the providers rent you a router(?) whatever that is, do they provide you with other equipment needed too, or should I pay a visit to Staples?
Any ADSL provider (Telef�nica, Ya, Wanadoo) will most likely have a deal where you sign up for ADSL and get the ADSL modem free. Some will give you a normal one jack ADSL modem for connecting 1 PC and other will give you a router with up to 4 jacks as in the case of Eduardo and myself, his with Ya (Jazzfree) and mine with Terra (Telef�nica).
quote:
ya.com. Eduardo mentioned this. Do you like it so far?
See his post on it a few up where he says "So far, so good."
I have had mine through Terra for a year now and am very happy with it.
quote:
I can swing 40-60 euros a month, is that still a reasonable price?
I pay 43 Euros/month with tax included and most other providers are in the same ballpark for the basic ADSL. Along with the leased price on the phone line you will still pay under 60 Euros per month (just under). That of course does NOT include your phone bill, just the ADSL and the lease on the basic phone line.
quote:
Can I get it cheaper?
For unlimited ADSL connection, you will not pay less than 40 Euros per month. Some cost a bit less but they limit your connection time to the nighttime hours.
quote:
so maybe I don't need cable connection.
Ok, now you just threw me for a loop, I thought we were talking about your getting ADSL, not Cable
If you want cable internet, see www.aunacable.es and their available deals.
A friend of mine has cable internet with them and it is about 1/3 slower than my ADSL.
quote:
...should mention I am terribly impatient with slow-opening pages?
Welcome to the club !!!
quote:
So could someone kindly tell me in an Idiot's Guide kinda way, what is the 1st step, the 2nd step, the 3rd step?
1st step = come over and move into your place. If you can convince the current dweller to let you keep the phone line in his/her name, more power to ya. As I said, unless it is a goooood friend, it is not likely.
Let us know when that is done and I will go on
Seriously though,
2nd step = decide whether you want Cable or ADSL and choose a provider after looking at the current deals they are offering.
- rent or buy a cell phone from me for your stay in spain, more info at 
- already have a cell phone, get a spanish SIM card for it at 
![[Embarassed]](redface.gif)
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