A Travel and vacations forum. TravelBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » TravelBanter forum » Travel Regions » Australia & New Zealand
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

internet access while travelling in australia



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old January 19th, 2005, 02:54 AM
Raffi Balmanoukian
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default internet access while travelling in australia

Those of more technical bent would be able to answer your specific
questions, but IIRC, phone jacks are different in Aus so that might be a
factor (corrections welcome....)

More generally, however, internet cafes *are* ubiquitous in towns of any
decent size, and certainly in the places you mention. In SA (at last check,
in my case 2002), they were free in libraries, and quite affordable
elsewhere. About the only places where they run into significant coin are
the standalone kiosks (such as at backpackers) or in the bush where
radiophone is sometimes required for a connection.



in article , Robm at
wrote on 1/18/05 9:08 PM:

Hello,

I will be traveling for about 5 weeks in Australia, one week in Sydney, a
few days in Adelaide, a roadtrip from there to Melborne, a week on
Mornington. I understand that internet cafes tend to be pricey and not
ubiquitous. In addition, I need to be able to VPN into various computer
networks in Canada, something that's usually impossible from an internet
cafe. Is it possible to make a a short term deal with a dial-up isp with a
country wide (or at least SA, NSW and VIC) access number? I was looking at
ii and their iidialup2 lite package. Would that work? They have a nation
wide access number that works for residential customers of Atlantis,
Discovery, Explorer, Freedom and, you guessed it, iidialup2. Are these
providers common? would this work in a hotel? How about from a public phone
booth, assuming that public phones have modem plugins (not a good aasumption
maybe)?

The other thing that comes up a lot on Google is dialer.net
(
http://australia.dialer.net/rates.html). Anybody has any experience with
that concept? I can't find anything in Google Groups on that, makes you
think...

Any and all comments appreciated!



  #2  
Old January 19th, 2005, 03:22 AM
A Mate
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Internet access is available almost everywhere (even at the Shire Library in
Birdsvllle!) at reasonable prices.

I've never seen a public phone booth with a modem plug-in! Perhaps they
exist (I've never actually looked for one either!).

Most motels and other mid-range up accommodation places have modem jacks in
each room.

The best isp's for country-wide connection are Telstra (Bigpond), Optus, and
iprimus. There are dozens of others, some with a presence in just one
geographic area.


"Robm" wrote in message
. ..
Hello,

I will be traveling for about 5 weeks in Australia, one week in Sydney, a
few days in Adelaide, a roadtrip from there to Melborne, a week on
Mornington. I understand that internet cafes tend to be pricey and not
ubiquitous. In addition, I need to be able to VPN into various computer
networks in Canada, something that's usually impossible from an internet
cafe. Is it possible to make a a short term deal with a dial-up isp with a
country wide (or at least SA, NSW and VIC) access number? I was looking at
ii and their iidialup2 lite package. Would that work? They have a nation
wide access number that works for residential customers of Atlantis,
Discovery, Explorer, Freedom and, you guessed it, iidialup2. Are these
providers common? would this work in a hotel? How about from a public
phone booth, assuming that public phones have modem plugins (not a good
aasumption maybe)?

The other thing that comes up a lot on Google is dialer.net
(http://australia.dialer.net/rates.html). Anybody has any experience with
that concept? I can't find anything in Google Groups on that, makes you
think...

Any and all comments appreciated!



  #3  
Old January 19th, 2005, 08:40 AM
Peter Webb
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Robm" wrote in message
. ..
Hello,

I will be traveling for about 5 weeks in Australia, one week in Sydney, a
few days in Adelaide, a roadtrip from there to Melborne, a week on
Mornington. I understand that internet cafes tend to be pricey and not
ubiquitous.


Wrong on both counts.

In addition, I need to be able to VPN into various computer networks in
Canada, something that's usually impossible from an internet cafe. Is it
possible to make a a short term deal with a dial-up isp with a country wide
(or at least SA, NSW and VIC) access number?


Yes, easy. You can buy dial-up internet access time at many places - Dick
Smith Electronics (a big electronics chain) springs to mind, but there are
many, many other places (see below). You can buy (say) $20 worth of access
and you have some months to use it. The actual service would be by one of
the big ISPs - bigpond and optus being the two biggest.

The real cost is humping a laptop around.

I was looking at ii and their iidialup2 lite package. Would that work?
They have a nation wide access number that works for residential customers
of Atlantis, Discovery, Explorer, Freedom and, you guessed it, iidialup2.
Are these providers common?


Never heard of them. Then again, I'm not inthe market, so this doesn't mean
anything.

would this work in a hotel?


Yes.

How about from a public phone booth, assuming that public phones have modem
plugins (not a good aasumption maybe)?


Public phone?

Pretty much everybody owns a mobile phone; I wasn't aware that public phone
booths still exist.


The other thing that comes up a lot on Google is dialer.net
(http://australia.dialer.net/rates.html). Anybody has any experience with
that concept? I can't find anything in Google Groups on that, makes you
think...


Doesn't look appropriate to me. You don't need WiFi access in 150 countries;
you want internet access in Australia - and it doesn't even say what the
coverage is in Australia. When you are sitting in your hotel in the
Mornington Peninsula, you want a Mt Martha access point, not a Minsk access
point.

http://www.bigpond.com/internet-plan...id/default.asp

(about the same price as an internet cafe - $1 an hour - but presumably will
allow VPN)

http://www.optus.com.au/portal/site/...extfmt=default

(better deal - about $0.50 per hour. Note the link to retailers who will
sell you the access
http://www7.optus.com.au/Vign/ViewMg...ew_226,FF.html.
If you key in postcode 2000 - which is the central business district of
Sydney - there are about a dozen retailers listed).

Any and all comments appreciated!


I reckon carrying around a lappie is a real pain the arse when you are
travelling. Unless you absolutely need VPN, I would simply visit interbet
cafes, which are (despite what you have been told) ubiquitous and cheap.
Where you are going, there won't be a problem. If you want to bring your own
laptop, just buy some prepaid hours from a retail outlet and top up as
neccessary.



  #4  
Old January 19th, 2005, 10:48 AM
Alan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Wed, 19 Jan 2005 12:22:34 +1000, "A Mate"
wrote:

|Internet access is available almost everywhere (even at the Shire Library in
|Birdsvllle!) at reasonable prices.
|
|I've never seen a public phone booth with a modem plug-in! Perhaps they
|exist (I've never actually looked for one either!).
|
|Most motels and other mid-range up accommodation places have modem jacks in
|each room.
|
|The best isp's for country-wide connection are Telstra (Bigpond), Optus, and
|iprimus. There are dozens of others, some with a presence in just one
|geographic area.
|
|
|"Robm" wrote in message
...
| Hello,
|
| I will be traveling for about 5 weeks in Australia, one week in Sydney, a
| few days in Adelaide, a roadtrip from there to Melborne, a week on
| Mornington. I understand that internet cafes tend to be pricey and not
| ubiquitous. In addition, I need to be able to VPN into various computer
| networks in Canada, something that's usually impossible from an internet
| cafe. Is it possible to make a a short term deal with a dial-up isp with a
| country wide (or at least SA, NSW and VIC) access number? I was looking at
| ii and their iidialup2 lite package. Would that work? They have a nation
| wide access number that works for residential customers of Atlantis,
| Discovery, Explorer, Freedom and, you guessed it, iidialup2. Are these
| providers common? would this work in a hotel? How about from a public
| phone booth, assuming that public phones have modem plugins (not a good
| aasumption maybe)?
|
| The other thing that comes up a lot on Google is dialer.net
| (http://australia.dialer.net/rates.html). Anybody has any experience with
| that concept? I can't find anything in Google Groups on that, makes you
| think...
|
| Any and all comments appreciated!
|
|
Hi

The others are all quite correct - I've just spent six weeks wandering
NSW and VIC without a computer. Cafes are relatively cheap, but
libraries are cheaper. They're usually free (only one charged me on this
trip, $3.30 for an hour) but usually only open weekdays 10-4:30. You
will also find that many of the smaller towns have internet access in
the town's tourist advice centre.


Cheers, Alan
--
  #5  
Old January 19th, 2005, 10:56 AM
Daniel Bowen
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"Robm" wrote in message
. ..
I will be traveling for about 5 weeks in Australia, one week in Sydney, a
few days in Adelaide, a roadtrip from there to Melborne, a week on
Mornington. I understand that internet cafes tend to be pricey and not
ubiquitous.


Incorrect.

In addition, I need to be able to VPN into various computer
networks in Canada, something that's usually impossible from an internet
cafe. Is it possible to make a a short term deal with a dial-up isp with a
country wide (or at least SA, NSW and VIC) access number?


Yes. Be on the lookout for discounted trial or prepaid packages for the big
national ISPs such as Ozemail, Bigpond, Optusnet etc.

http://www.bigpond.com/internet-plan...id/default.asp

http://homesite.service.ozemail.com....aid/index_html

I was looking at
ii and their iidialup2 lite package. Would that work? They have a nation
wide access number that works for residential customers of Atlantis,
Discovery, Explorer, Freedom and, you guessed it, iidialup2. Are these
providers common?


There's one called iiNet that I've heard of, but I've never heard of any of
the above.

would this work in a hotel?


Should do, yes.

How about from a public phone
booth, assuming that public phones have modem plugins (not a good

aasumption
maybe)?


No plugins in phone booths.


Daniel


  #6  
Old January 19th, 2005, 04:48 PM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Wed, 19 Jan 2005 20:56:13 +1100, "Daniel Bowen"
wrote:
Snip SNip
I was looking at
ii and their iidialup2 lite package. Would that work? They have a nation
wide access number that works for residential customers of Atlantis,
Discovery, Explorer, Freedom and, you guessed it, iidialup2. Are these
providers common?


There's one called iiNet that I've heard of, but I've never heard of any of
the above.


was iinet.net.au, NOW called ii. however web site is:-

http://www.iinet.net.au


Tony

Snip Snip
  #8  
Old January 20th, 2005, 03:15 PM
Gerrit 't Hart
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Alan" wrote in message
...
Hi

The others are all quite correct - I've just spent six weeks wandering
NSW and VIC without a computer. Cafes are relatively cheap, but
libraries are cheaper. They're usually free (only one charged me on this
trip, $3.30 for an hour) but usually only open weekdays 10-4:30. You
will also find that many of the smaller towns have internet access in
the town's tourist advice centre.


Cheers, Alan
--


The public library in the middle of Sydney (next to the cathedral) does
charge for the use of the internet. Not expensive but nevertheless it does
cost.

Gerrit


  #9  
Old January 20th, 2005, 06:03 PM
Frank Slootweg
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Peter Webb wrote:

"Robm" wrote in message
. ..
Hello,

I will be traveling for about 5 weeks in Australia, one week in Sydney, a
few days in Adelaide, a roadtrip from there to Melborne, a week on
Mornington. I understand that internet cafes tend to be pricey and not
ubiquitous.


Wrong on both counts.


"pricey" is a relative term. If the OP compares internet cafes with
dial-up, as it seems he does, then the former *are* pricey (at least
when comparing Oz internet cafes with Dutch dial-up services; I have no
experience with the reverse).

[deleted]

How about from a public phone booth, assuming that public phones have modem
plugins (not a good aasumption maybe)?


Public phone?

Pretty much everybody owns a mobile phone; I wasn't aware that public phone
booths still exist.


Sorry, but your implied smiley is a little bit too invisible for the
average foreigner. (OTOH, if you're *not* kidding, then you're rather
uninformed about mobile phone coverage or/and public phone ubiquity in
Oz (Yes, I know that mobile phone coverage is (probably) no problem for
where the *OP* is going, but that's not the/my point. OTTH, he is going
on a "roadtrip" from Adelaide to Melbourne and is a week on Mornington,
whatever/wherever that may be, so it might still be a problem for him as
well.).)

[deleted]

--
Frank "About to go where there, luckily, is no mobile phone coverage!" Slootweg
  #10  
Old January 20th, 2005, 11:05 PM
Alan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On 20 Jan 2005 17:03:25 GMT, Frank Slootweg
wrote:

|Peter Webb wrote:
|
| "Robm" wrote in message
| . ..
| Hello,
|
| I will be traveling for about 5 weeks in Australia, one week in Sydney, a
| few days in Adelaide, a roadtrip from there to Melborne, a week on
| Mornington. I understand that internet cafes tend to be pricey and not
| ubiquitous.
|
| Wrong on both counts.
|
| "pricey" is a relative term. If the OP compares internet cafes with
|dial-up, as it seems he does, then the former *are* pricey (at least
|when comparing Oz internet cafes with Dutch dial-up services; I have no
|experience with the reverse).
|
|[deleted]
|
| How about from a public phone booth, assuming that public phones have modem
| plugins (not a good aasumption maybe)?
|
| Public phone?
|
| Pretty much everybody owns a mobile phone; I wasn't aware that public phone
| booths still exist.
|
| Sorry, but your implied smiley is a little bit too invisible for the
|average foreigner. (OTOH, if you're *not* kidding, then you're rather
|uninformed about mobile phone coverage or/and public phone ubiquity in
|Oz (Yes, I know that mobile phone coverage is (probably) no problem for
|where the *OP* is going, but that's not the/my point. OTTH, he is going
|on a "roadtrip" from Adelaide to Melbourne and is a week on Mornington,
|whatever/wherever that may be, so it might still be a problem for him as
|well.).)
|
|[deleted]

If the mobile phone is GSM, there is coverage in major cities, most
moderate sized towns and along some of the major highways, particularly
the Hume connecting Melbourne and Sydney. If it is CDMA, coverage in the
country improve to include some of the smaller towns. In my recent
wanders around NSW and Victoria with GSM, my basic "rule of thumb" was
that coverage disappeared as I left the city limits. And there is a lot
of space between some of those towns.

Incidentally, Mornington is now effectively a major city in it's own
right, following the coastal strip of Port Phillip Bay about 80 km south
of Melbourne. Coverage between Adelaide and Melbourne is patchy at best,
particularly via the GOR.

Most public libraries are intended for the use of local ratepayers, who
will be given preference if there is a queue. However, I've found that
politeness works every time; it also worked in the NYC library:-)


Cheers, Alan
--
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
internet access in China joe cole Asia 16 August 24th, 2004 06:58 AM
internet access while on cruise Aaron Cruises 12 August 23rd, 2004 08:21 PM
FYI: Fresno, Calif., Airport Launches Wi-Fi Internet Access [email protected] Air travel 4 May 15th, 2004 09:53 AM
internet access on cruises Berniez Cruises 1 March 7th, 2004 10:38 PM
Australia 3 Adfunk Internet Solutions Article Jehad Internet Australia & New Zealand 0 February 4th, 2004 12:20 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:19 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 TravelBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.