WIFI

[jasperg357]

Hello, I’m planning on walking the CF next April I currently have Verizon for my cell service,I’m not overly concerned with not having cell service while on the Camino but was wondering if using the WiFi hotspots you come across is something you have to pay for? Thought I could use them to keep family updated on my status.

 

[trecile]

There's free wifi in just about every bar, cafe, and albergue.

 

[Deacon Jason]

Hello, I’m planning on walking the CF next April I currently have Verizon for my cell service,I’m not overly concerned with not having cell service while on the Camino but was wondering if using the WiFi hotspots you come across is something you have to pay for? Thought I could use them to keep family updated on my status.

All you'll need is the handy question "¿Que es la contrasena para la WiFi?" to ask for the password (if it isn't on the wall)

Lugged around a portable cell hotspot for 500 miles and never needed to use it once.

 

[Vacajoe]

Just know that it’s pronounced as “we-fee” there instead of “why-fy”

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

And when you are in a bar ,order your drink first and ask the WiFi question later.

 

[JabbaPapa]

It's only in France that things are sometimes difficult, as one of their Ministers or MPs years ago, in a Bill intending to promote the general use of WiFi, made the silly mistake of including a provision whereby any establishment providing a WiFi service is personally liable for any illegal use of it by customers.

Because of this, WiFi is not so easily available in the country.

 

[StuartM]

Wifi is surprisingly common in bars and cafes even in rural Spain. There is usually a card on the bar or a sign on the wall with the password. "Free" depends on how you look at it, I wouldn't use it without buying something first. Bigger towns will have wifi in public spaces. Alsa buses have free wifi onboard (but obviously limited by their access to a network). I can't remember the name of it but there also used to be a subscription service where people would open their home networks to members. Don't know if that is still going.

Spain is a hell of a lot better at stuff like this than many countries, definitely better than the UK.

 

[Scott Sweeney]

Hello, I’m planning on walking the CF next April I currently have Verizon for my cell service,I’m not overly concerned with not having cell service while on the Camino but was wondering if using the WiFi hotspots you come across is something you have to pay for? Thought I could use them to keep family updated on my status.

It is amazing just how many Wi-Fi passwords I have in my phone. Walk into a town or village and my phone remembers the different places I've been."WeeFee" is every where in Spain.

 

[El Ramon]

Hello, I’m planning on walking the CF next April I currently have Verizon for my cell service,I’m not overly concerned with not having cell service while on the Camino but was wondering if using the WiFi hotspots you come across is something you have to pay for? Thought I could use them to keep family updated on my status.

wifi is widely available, you should consider getting a prepaid sim , for about 20 euros a month you can make calls and get enough GB for your trip, the phone is great to have for security , and also to call ahead for reservations, or just to let your Albergue know yours still coming if you're running late, and to stay in touch with camino family members.... I've used both Orange and vodaphone and service is great for the entire camino, I think just past the iron cross I lost service for a couple of hours, which was OK because that stretch has some of the best views on the Camino
Of course you need an unlocked phone to use the cards, they are available everywhere in Spain.
Buen Camino

 

[RRat]

Hello, I’m planning on walking the CF next April I currently have Verizon for my cell service,I’m not overly concerned with not having cell service while on the Camino but was wondering if using the WiFi hotspots you come across is something you have to pay for? Thought I could use them to keep family updated on my status.

SJPDP to Santiago. Only problem was in Hontanas. It seems to be in a valley with lousy reception so everyone is using alburge WiFi so it's at its max

 

[naplesdon]

Regarding the purchase/installation of a simcard, you need to make sure your phone has been unlocked by your provider in the US.

 

[Gerard Griffin]

I got a 10 euro pay-as-you-go vodaphone monthly top-up which gives unlimited calls plus a whopping 50gb of mobile data. A promotion apparently. It's useful in albergues with no WiFi (frequent, especially the donativos frequented by us hobigrini). So Netflix can while away the hours and drown out the chatter as the pilgrims talk endlessly of their feet.

 

[xin loi]

Walked the Primitivo in May and WIFI was NOT available in many albergues. And for some strange reason, in several places ONLY cell phones carried by Spaniards worked. Did not make sense to me why other European phones would not work. Only had those problems prior to Lugo.

On the Norte in 2019, there were a lot of places without WiFi.

 

[HolaKaren]

Hello, I’m planning on walking the CF next April I currently have Verizon for my cell service,I’m not overly concerned with not having cell service while on the Camino but was wondering if using the WiFi hotspots you come across is something you have to pay for? Thought I could use them to keep family updated on my status

Hello, I’m planning on walking the CF next April I currently have Verizon for my cell service,I’m not overly concerned with not having cell service while on the Camino but was wondering if using the WiFi hotspots you come across is something you have to pay for? Thought I could use them to keep family updated on my status.

Sorry. I hit the send button too soon.

I, too, have Verizon, and have been reading about the need to contact them to unlock the phone. According to their website, new phones are locked only for 60 days after purchase and are automatically unlocked after that.

Buen Camino.

 

[naplesdon]

Sorry. I hit the send button too soon.

I, too, have Verizon, and have been reading about the need to contact them to unlock the phone. According to their website, new phones are locked only for 60 days after purchase and are automatically unlocked after that.

Buen Camino.

I don't think I would rely on anything being "automatic" with service providers today. A simple call to Verizon will insure you are unlocked.

 

[HolaKaren]

I don't think I would rely on anything being "automatic" with service providers today. A simple call to Verizon will insure you are unlocked.

A call to Verizon is never simple. I know, I tried. LOL

iPhone users can check their phones to verify that their phone is unlocked.

 

[StuartM]

Walked the Primitivo in May and WIFI was NOT available in many albergues. And for some strange reason, in several places ONLY cell phones carried by Spaniards worked. Did not make sense to me why other European phones would not work. Only had those problems prior to Lugo.

On the Norte in 2019, there were a lot of places without WiFi.

Some providers will let you jump to a different network if the default isn't connecting. Depends on who your provider has partnerships with, some might have multiple partnerships in a country, some don't.

 

[pjacobi]

It's only in France that things are sometimes difficult, as one of their Ministers or MPs years ago, in a Bill intending to promote the general use of WiFi, made the silly mistake of including a provision whereby any establishment providing a WiFi service is personally liable for any illegal use of it by customers.

Because of this, WiFi is not so easily available in the country.

It's actually worse in some countries (authoritarian) where free public anonymous WiFi is almost outlawed. There are countries that now require you to register your cell phone ID (IMEI) before connecting to WiFi. If you *say* or *do* anything "bad" on the Internet, the authorities will come find you! Scarry!


-Paul

 

[JabbaPapa]

One more point - - internal EU roaming limits were bumped recently, so that if you do need to use your 3G/4G/5G, download limits have increased substantially ; so last year, I would often hit the limit, whereas this year it hasn't happened so far.

But of course, this concerns EU SIM card contracts, not external ones.

 

[RobinS007]

Thanks for asking this question @jasperg357. I would like to add another question to this around VPNs. How safe do folks feel using public WIFI is in Spain and would anyone recommend a VPN as well?

 

[RobinS007]

Thanks for asking this question @jasperg357. I would like to add another question to this around VPNs. How safe do folks feel using public WIFI is in Spain and would anyone recommend a VPN as well?

Update: Just saw there is a great thread on VPN here: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/wifi-hackers-snoopers.60724/