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Travelling with Wireless in Europe?

Posted by Cliff on from the seeking-net-saturated-areas dept.

MMC asks: "Later on this year I'm going to travel in Europe for a honeymoon (specifically Italy and maybe others) and now that I have a digital camera I'm going to take a laptop etc. Dialing up is fine, but I'm really keen to find places which have publicly accessible wireless networks or somewhere I can plug the laptop in with Ethernet. I'm happy to pay for access in a Cafe or Hotel etc. Does anyone have any pointers (other than wandering around with NetStumbler)? Most Internet Cafe references seem quite incomplete and out of date."

19 comments

  1. No laptop by scompt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Ditch the laptop and focus on the new wife.

  2. Get your prioroties straight... by seigniory · · Score: 3, Insightful

    dude, you're going on your HONEYMOON for the love of god. I think you have more to worry about than this. You're probably lucky enough to even HAVE a honeymoon... shut off the geek in you for a week so you make it BACK married.

  3. What to do by esorense · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe on your honeymoon you should worry about "plugging in" other "devices." These are usually more fun than a PDA.

    --
    "I would rather have your time than your money" --Henry Rollins Jan 14 2003 on the topic on internet file trading
    1. Re:What to do by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is probably the only situation where three content-wise identical comments are not redundant. Don't bring the laptop unless it's your significant other's and you're just using it too.

  4. one more time... by the+hopthrisC · · Score: 0, Troll
    ...i have to read that shit about how far ahead you americans are thech-wise and i'm gonna have to throw up, i swear. i mean what is this? a contest of dick sizes? this is europe! not some freakin' new continent that nobody has mapped yet. you don't need no gps and maps for your palm! we have found our ways around the place without wheezing satellites for well over 20000 years, over here. leave your precious laptop at home and you will maybe actually get to see some culture. and if you get lost, just fucking ask for the way.

    and uh... what's that about having to bribe the police with cigarettes? is that your department of tourism that comes up with that shit? i mean, how many times can you leave behind your luggage on one trip??

    your humble european primitive
    1. Re:one more time... by pcs305 · · Score: 1

      Do not buy cameras or anything else from the guy in the suit on the street corner. He WILL give you an empty box. Try not too look like an american, drop the "accent". The con artist will target you and your laptop(or you wife if you're planning on taking her with on the honeymoon(can't imagin why though :-))). If the cab driver says the cab's in the back alley... wait for a driver with a cab. There aint no cab in the alley. But other than that... have fun and when you come back give us an update on how the other half lives.

    2. Re:one more time... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      we have found our ways around the place without wheezing satellites for well over 20000 years, over here.

      20,000 years ago? As recently as 2,000 years ago, most of you were still living in caves. If it weren't for the Roman army, most of you still would be.

    3. Re:one more time... by sharkey · · Score: 2

      a contest of dick sizes?

      Actually, it's a capitalization contest.

      --

      --
      "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
    4. Re:one more time... by fille · · Score: 1

      Huh? Do you have bad experiences travelling in Europe? When I take a cab here in Belgium, they don't ask me to step in an alley and they don't even sell cameras on the streets. Maybe we ARE a nice country?! :)

      By the way, there should be internet cafés in all major cities. Even in the tiny town I live is one, so checking slashdot should be no problem..

      --
      History matters..
  5. Beware of the 50hz/60hz power difference by PD · · Score: 0, Funny

    One thing that's not generally well known (I have no idea why) is that European power is 50hz vs. North American 60hz. Obviously one of those is much more logical than the other, but that's an entirely different topic.

    Anyway, that difference in power means that the phase of the radio waves will not match when you travel to Europe. Only 1 in 6 of the cycles will match perfectly, making transmissions much slower than you'd expect. It'll still work, but only at about 1/6th the speed.

    There is a solution though. Your laptop power supply will most likely work with no trouble at 50 or 60 Hz. But, you're going to want to get one of those 110/220V converters anyway. Besides boosting the current of the voltage, it will also rephase the European cycles into North American cycles. You'll definitely want one of those. BTW, it'll also keep your BIOS clock running at the right speed. If you find it dropping 6 minutes an hour when you get to Europe, then that's why.

    --
    If tits were wings it'd be flying around.
    1. Re:Beware of the 50hz/60hz power difference by Papineau · · Score: 3, Informative

      BTW, it'll also keep your BIOS clock running at the right speed. If you find it dropping 6 minutes an hour when you get to Europe, then that's why.

      Huh? The only thing the electronics see is DC voltage. And this one is the same wherever you go; that's why you can pick a european video card (eg Guillemot) (or whatever other computer part) and plug it without problem in your computer. So given that, could you explain how the BIOS is supposed to drop 6 minutes an hour? Moreover, that drop is 10%, and the difference between 50Hz and 60Hz is 16.7% or 20%, depending on which one is the reference.

    2. Re:Beware of the 50hz/60hz power difference by pcs305 · · Score: 1

      A voltage converter is all you really need. Don't buy one at the airport.

  6. Use good old phonebooks by Papineau · · Score: 1

    Once in a city, pick up a local phonebook and look for Internet Cafes. They'll be advertised in it. And if you don't find any in a particular area, you're on your honeymoon! You should have better things to do.

  7. 11 posts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    11 posts, still no trolls as far as i can see...

    dumb americans. Get lost without a gps (ever heard of a map, or street signs), cant spend more then 40 seconds away from their computers, even on honeymoons

  8. 802.11 connectivity in Italian hotels by Gruturo · · Score: 2

    Recently found on a news site:
    A company called MegaBeam plans to offer 802.11 connectivity in some major hotel chains and highly crowded areas (airports, big railway stations) across all italy.
    The url is here but I'm afraid its only in Italian. They already cover the airports of Fiumicino (Roma) and Linate (Milano) and a few hotels and plan on covering the whole Starhotels chain very soon.
    Not terribly cheap (16 a day or 84/month) but better than nothing (and AFAIK there was absolutely nothing before this one)).
    Hope it helps, ciao.

    --

    Vacuum cleaners suck. Kings rule.
  9. Ditch laptop, get a digital wallet by Matthew+Weigel · · Score: 3, Informative

    Don't take the laptop; it's fraught with temptations for things you probably shouldn't do on your honeymoon (and I don't just mean pr0n).

    But you do want to take a digital camera; and you don't want to run out of 'film.' So get a digital wallet, like the Terapin Mine, or the Minds@Work MindStor or Digital Wallet.

    --
    --Matthew
  10. Internet Cafe by StupidEngineer · · Score: 1


    That's basically it. Europe is bustling with internet cafes. You can just plug in there and upload it to whatever home system any true geek will have... :)

    Yes. Don't forget. Europe works at 220 volts.

  11. related question by crazney · · Score: 1

    Early next month I'm going to be traveling over to the west of canada. I have a digi camera with a 128mb and a 16mb memory cards. Will internet cafe's let me plug the USB digi cam in and upload my pics to home?

    Thanks
    David.

    --
    stuff
  12. Hotels with Internet Access by vidnet · · Score: 1
    Most of SAS' hotels have internet access. Though SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) is based in Scandinavia, they have airport hotels all over europe. They're known for their quality-over-cost approach to everything, and have recently begun to build out internet access everywhere, be it their hotels or their airport lounges.

    Afaik, the access in the hotel rooms is ethernet, while airport lounges is wireless. They are sure to litter the check-in counter with brochures of everything that's available.

    It costs like hell though.
    A coworkers six year old daughter managed to get billed for 80 euros after saying yes to some messages (hotel's internet messages, not porn :p)