FREE WIFI in 2015

[sillydoll]

estrelladigital.es reported that:

In 2015 pilgrims on the Camino Frances will enjoy free and secure wifi. It is a service offered by the company Wifinova sponsored by the Junta de Castilla y León.
The network connection Elcamino.Tuwi is the broadest of all the way, it has been running since 2013 and last year provided access to more than 50,000 pilgrims with more than 1 million page views.
One of the biggest problems for pilgrims on the long journey is the lack of internet connection. For many, the coverage does not allow them to access even the most basic queries like finding a shelter; others however do not have a Spanish fare information enabling them to connect without overspending on the phone bill.
Since the project started in 2013, El Camino Tuwi is the wifi network with more points available throughout El Camino. Just last season, more than 50,000 pilgrims enjoyed quality and 100% iafe internet thanks to these Wifi points.
Users were able to consult all internet and make contact with loved ones through their smartphones without being connected to the data from their own phone company. In addition, the variety of users who used this type of connection was remarkable. American, English, Korean, German ... More than 25,000 users were foreigners and might be connected without any problems thanks to the flexibility of languages supported by the Home portal El Camino Tuwi.
Each user spent about 5 minutes on average browsing the internet each session, along with the multitude of connected users, which has resulted in more than one and half million page views since the beginning of the project.
Given these positive results, El Camino de Santiago in the 2015 season will have Free Internet limits for all users and a network expansion to more than 120 wireless. This is a great advantage for all pilgrims, as this free connection permits easier path, safe, comfortable and social. They can read emails, check the weather, publishing experiences on social networks or find a hostel places were lots of functions that pilgrims could not do for costs or coverage.
Now these functions are easier than ever without any expense. Not only pilgrims are the winners of this project. One of the key aspects of the project is the security provided to establishments that provide the wireless service. Ever, one of the great disadvantages and uncertainties that has led establish its own wireless network, any offense committed a user on that network, responsible owns the service ... In this case, the facility provides access to El Camino internet Tuwi, is unprotected unable to identify the offender.
Through this project and ownership of the network of El Camino Tuwi, the owner is protected when using the wifinova platform, online any responsibility for the actions of their guests and users.
This is a great advantage for any owner of an inn or hostel not want to have complications. In short, the project has been very well received among the community of pilgrims and owners of establishments along El Camino. It will enable them to be always available, have a greater presence on the internet, share experiences and learn more every time. So that this project represents a major step to further improve, even if possible, the experience of El Camino de Santiago

 

[Al the optimist]

Great news, thanks once more.

 

[DurhamParish]

Great news since I use Skype for my communications.

 

[Arn]

This is both good news and sad news.

As I was scanning recent posts (quickly I might add) I saw:
"Free Wine in 2015"
Stopping right there, I reread the thread title...Drat!

 

[OzAnnie]

This is both good news and sad news.

As I was scanning recent posts (quickly I might add) I saw:
"Free Wine in 2015"
Stopping right there, I reread the thread title...Drat!

Arn ,
The wine doesn't really need to be free in Spain though. Prices are so reasonable.

 

[Kiwi-family]

I have to smile at the suggestion that not finding wifi is considered one of a pilgrim's biggest problems. Don't get me wrong - I took a phone so I could blog. But really, *inconvenience* is the word that springs to mind for those days there was no internet connection. Now if only they could do something about the rain;-)

 

[Arn]

I have to smile at the suggestion that not finding wifi is considered one of a pilgrim's biggest problems. Don't get me wrong - I took a phone so I could blog. But really, *inconvenience* is the word that springs to mind for those days there was no internet connection. Now if only they could do something about the rain;-)

The Dr is IN: rain is water from the heavens. It nourishes the grain, provides drinking water, washes the streets, clothes, fills the lakes ( seen Porto Marin lately), the streams and the occasional vineyard ( vinotinto anyone).
Remember that tough decision: do I take a rain suit, umbrella, poncho. Well, without rain to validate your choice...the rain gear would be nothing but extra weight. Lastly, without rain how would you know your in Galacia

 

[Rachael]

The rain makes me feel as if I'm ALMOST home (here in Seattle).

 

[scruffy1]

Free WIFI? Oh Joy

 

[hunsta]

Arn ,
The wine doesn't really need to be free in Spain though. Prices are so reasonable.

Unfortunately for this philistine, it all tastes like sour grapes to me.
But great news on the free WIFI.

 

[Al the optimist]

Why do I like free wifi? Why do I use it on the Camino? Well often I encounter someone who wants to stay in touch during our Caminos with a view to meeting up soon/later and they don't want to incur phone costs. Also useful if I want to check on someone I know is struggling.

 

[waveprof]

One of the biggest problems for pilgrims on the long journey is the lack of internet connection.

Really? I found it to be one of the biggest blessings

 

[DurhamParish]

Why do I like free wifi? Why do I use it on the Camino? Well often I encounter someone who wants to stay in touch during our Caminos with a view to meeting up soon/later and they don't want to incur phone costs. Also useful if I want to check on someone I know is struggling.

Also, with the near extinction of the pay-phone, it was the only way I had to call my wife each day. It was so much easier than using pay-phones, too. I did that on my Portuguese Camino in 2012 and I wasted a lot of time doing so.

 

[WldWil]

Without WIFI at least some of the time, the trip for me would be put off for 15 years. Would I like to go without? Yes. But no t really an option.

 

[J Willhaus]

Also, with the near extinction of the pay-phone, it was the only way I had to call my wife each day. It was so much easier than using pay-phones, too. I did that on my Portuguese Camino in 2012 and I wasted a lot of time doing so.

We do not plan to take a smart phone. Is the WiFi robust enough for Skype, Google Hang out, etc. or what programs are people using to contact loved ones? In the States, Free WiFi at a hotel, etc. often does not have enough "umph" to be used for a reliable connection. Are you just emailing home or are you actually using voice/video?

 

[DurhamParish]

We do not plan to take a smart phone. Is the WiFi robust enough for Skype, Google Hang out, etc. or what programs are people using to contact loved ones? In the States, Free WiFi at a hotel, etc. often does not have enough "umph" to be used for a reliable connection. Are you just emailing home or are you actually using voice/video?

I'd say that 85 percent of the establishments where I found WiFi, it was able to support Skype conversations. If it doesn't work in one place, try another. I found that even the smallest villages I stopped in had a place where I could use WiFi. If it didn't work in the albergue, then there were bars or cafes that had WiFi that would work. The only place where I stopped that didn't have WiFi at all was Orrison. There a nice German fellow let me use his smart phone to e-mail my wife to tell her I was okay.

 

[J Willhaus]

I'd say that 85 percent of the establishments where I found WiFi, it was able to support Skype conversations. If it doesn't work in one place, try another. I found that even the smallest villages I stopped in had a place where I could use WiFi. If it didn't work in the albergue, then there were bars or cafes that had WiFi that would work. The only place where I stopped that didn't have WiFi at all was Orrison. There a nice German fellow let me use his smart phone to e-mail my wife to tell her I was okay.

Good to know. Our eyes are just too old and our fingers too fat to do much with our smart phones. We are hoping to take a compact tablet like a Kindle 6 inch or something lighter. Can put our Camino books and maps, a translating app, etc. on it and also use it to call back or email back home. We will use a burn phone in Spain to make any calls needed.

 

[DurhamParish]

New York City today unveiled an ambitious plan to roll out a free city-wide municipal Wi-Fi network that officials say will be the fastest and most wide-reaching network of its kind in the world.

At a press conference at City Hall, the city unveiled LinkNYC, which will rely on thousands of kiosks that will be deployed at locations currently occupied by pay phones. The kiosks will be installed in as many as 10,000 locations throughout the five boroughs and will offer Wi-Fi service of one gigabit per second within a radius of 150 feet. They’ll also offer free domestic voice calls to all 50 states. The first of the kiosks is expected to begin service in late 2015.

That's great. I'm glad to see that WiFi is getting more accessible here in the US. I went with friends to Ireland and Scotland and they were impressed with how available WiFi was in the areas we visited.

Burgos has a municipal WiFi service. Just check in at the tourist information office and get your password.

 

[sueque12]

Great news! I wonder if those of you who have walked the Portuguese found it to be be well "connected"??!

 

[Camembert]

Great news! I wonder if those of you who have walked the Portuguese found it to be be well "connected"??!

I walked the Portugese last year,the Ingles this year and travelled after that for one month through Portugal and found wifi everywhere I wanted for my needs.
I kept a webblog going and could do my job almost everyday.
I found wifi in Privat albergues , shoppingmalls , bars, restaurants, Mc Donalds ' civil centra etc.
Sometimes there were wifi connections in the entire towncenter.
Sometimes I asked for wifi at a bar and asked "tem accesso internet aquí ? Which allways worked.
No bother as long as you donot connected all the time .

 

[sueque12]

Thanks Albertinho! I am so looking forward to walking the Portuguese!!

 

[Camembert]

Thanks Albertinho! I am so looking forward to walking the Portuguese!!

Where are you going to start ? Lisbon or Porto ?
I will start my third caminho next year May from Viano do Castelo and will follow the coastal route.
Watch the Portugese forum. There is so much expertise to find there about this great caminho.Any questions ? Just post it or send a pm.
Best regards e bom caminho.

 

[sueque12]

My plan, God willing, is to start in Lisbon... Am giving myself six weeks total to reach Santiago and perhaps Finisterrre this time. I have no knowledge of the Portuguese language, am fluent in both English and French, very limited Spanish. The Brierley guide is bought and being studied, this site is, I agree, a font of knowledge, as are some of the blogs I have followed. Thanks for your kind offer of advice Albertinho! You just may hear from me!! Bon caminho to you also!! There is such a discrepancy of preferences between the coastal and inland routes. I'll be interested to hear your opinions!!

 

[MichaelSG]

As has been said before, you won't need to speak any Portuguese on the route from Lisbon but it helps. A knowledge of Spanish can be a decent substitute, particularly if you can speak it with a Russian accent (I'm ducking for cover now). As always, pick up and use what you can along the walk but learn at least how to say "thank you", "please", "hello", "goodbye", "I'm dying for a coffee", "do you have anything other than ham and cheese sandwiches", and the other important words. Bom Caminho!

 

[Kitsambler]

The article's assertion that this no-cost public WiFi network is "100% safe" is of course 100% false. There is no such thing as a safe public wifi connection.
https://medium.com/matter/heres-why-public-wifi-is-a-public-health-hazard-dd5b8dcb55e6

Think of it as digital hygiene. So here's how to protect yourself:
https://decorrespondent.nl/1103/How-to-safely-use-a-public-Wi-Fi-network/31096879-74f654ff

 

[sueque12]

As has been said before, you won't need to speak any Portuguese on the route from Lisbon but it helps. A knowledge of Spanish can be a decent substitute, particularly if you can speak it with a Russian accent (I'm ducking for cover now). As always, pick up and use what you can along the walk but learn at least how to say "thank you", "please", "hello", "goodbye", "I'm dying for a coffee", "do you have anything other than ham and cheese sandwiches", and the other important words. Bom Caminho!

I have a bit of time, Michael, so will work on these and a few other phrases I found useful on the Frances...I don't know about the Russian accent though...

 

[Julio Gone Camino]

Connectivity to the internet is, as has been expressed elsewhere, a mixed blessing. As is the availability of many other things: wine, public transport, posh hotels, big cities, shopping, etc, etc - fine if you happen to need them, less so or irrelevent if you don't.

But for those that want it, it's good that facilities are improving. After all, we all want to experience "our Camino, our way"!

 

[tpmchugh]

The reason hackers can get at your data is that no-one I know has security software on their smart phones and/or tablets. They assume that because they are not using Windows, they dont need it.
Should have been a quote here referring to a post just a few up about wifi security, dont know where it went

 

[AngelM]

This is really good news. Do you who have recent 2014ish experience on the CF think that with this additional coverage it would be safe to expect to use Skype or KaoTalk type apps as the primary means of communication back home to the U.S. Of course I'd have international-roaming-type cell coverage if needed in a bind, but I would really be excited to avoid the hassle of changing SIM cards and all of that!

 

[waveprof]

This is really good news. Do you who have recent 2014ish experience on the CF think that with this additional coverage it would be safe to expect to use Skype or KaoTalk type apps as the primary means of communication back home to the U.S. Of course I'd have international-roaming-type cell coverage if needed in a bind, but I would really be excited to avoid the hassle of changing SIM cards and all of that!

In 2013 we used only skype as communication, both within Spain and without. It worked fine. Additional wifi would only make that easier (but we rarely found it difficult as it was).

That said, considering we bought our iPod Touch in Pamplona/Irun (because we had left home hoping to go technology free), we didn't plan on calling home all that much in the first place.

 

[AngelM]

Thanks waveprof! I will be leaving a little boy (who will only be 4 years old) behind in the US, so I will need to make pretty frequent calls home to keep in touch with my son. I don't want him to be troubled while I am off having the spiritual adventure of a lifetime!

I've thought about bringing him with me but there are a variety of reasons that won't work out so I am hopeful we can have good connections over Skype or KaoTalk!