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Go Back   Pollensa Forum > ONCE YOU'RE THERE > Internet, Telephones & Mobile Phones

Internet, Telephones & Mobile Phones Anything on telephones, mobiles, cybercafes, internet, post etc.

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  #1  
Old 16-04-2014, 22:31
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Default Using a Mifi & Data Sim in PP

*** Note that some information in early parts of this thread has been superseded. Check more recent posts for up to date information - particularly regarding use of MiFi with a UK sim card. ***



I have a Huawei MiFi which I use in the UK and on hols in PP. It's unlocked, so any sim card will do but it can be a bit of a faff getting a suitable (i.e. data) SIM in PP.

Used Hits last year and found them very good but knowing how things can change, has anyone any recent info about data SIMs available from local suppliers?

Last edited by clinkham; 30-07-2015 at 20:28. Reason: update note
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  #2  
Old 18-05-2014, 09:50
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Hi clinkham

Just wondered if you had found a better sim for pp or is the hits one still good to use. Just looking at the huawei mifi and wondered how easy it is to use in pp and also which model do you have
Many thanks

Pansy
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  #3  
Old 09-08-2014, 18:08
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pansy potter View Post
Hi clinkham

Just wondered if you had found a better sim for pp or is the hits one still good to use. Just looking at the huawei mifi and wondered how easy it is to use in pp and also which model do you have
Many thanks

Pansy
Apologies for not replying to this - must have missed your post.

To tidy up after our visit in April, I couldn't find a supplier of Hits sim cards and the alternative I was offered performed very poorly. So bad it has been erased from my memory and I don't recall the network name.

Now preparing the ground for our arrival towards the end of the month and have been looking at what the big names have to offer.

Wifi2go have had many good reports from fellow fourmites, which would be the trouble free way to go. However I have my own Mifi unit so am just looking for a data sim on pay as you go.

Vodafone are advertising (on a page directed at visitors to Spain) a data sim at 15€ for 1.5 Gb of data and a voice sim @ 20 € with 60 minutes included.

Nearest Vodafone shop looks to be in Alcudia - Av Avda.

Any thoughts on the above deals? Can anyone confirm the Vodafone shop is still there?

Thanks
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  #4  
Old 09-08-2014, 19:56
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Thanks clinkham interested to see how you get on , we don't know what to do about the wifi in our apartment , to keep a 12 month contract or opt for 6 .

Thanks for the info

Pansy
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  #5  
Old 10-08-2014, 08:34
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I can confirm that the Vodafone shop is still in Alcudia and always very busy!
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  #6  
Old 10-08-2014, 11:27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clinkham View Post
However I have my own Mifi unit so am just looking for a data sim on pay as you go.

Vodafone are advertising (on a page directed at visitors to Spain) a data sim at 15€ for 1.5 Gb of data and a voice sim @ 20 € with 60 minutes included.

Nearest Vodafone shop looks to be in Alcudia - Av Avda.

Any thoughts on the above deals? Can anyone confirm the Vodafone shop is still there?

Thanks
You can also buy the sim cards on ebay.co.uk and the sellers post them to England, that's what I do usually as saves going to the shop and risking that they are out of stock etc.

search ebay for ' vodafone spain data sim ' and you will find the vodafone and hits sims, costs a bit more but is easy.

(dont be tempted to use them in the UK when they arrive in the post as you will use up the credit very quickly as you will be roaming)
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  #7  
Old 10-08-2014, 22:51
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You'll have to excuse my lack of knowledge on all of this but I assume then that I can buy a gadget like the one I hire from wifi2go and buy a SIM card as above on eBay and use that in Mallorca with the gadget?

I paid 65 euros for two weeks. If the gadget is not much more then it would soon pay for itself. Surely there must be somewhere in PP that you can buy SIM cards without having to go to Alcudia?
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  #8  
Old 11-08-2014, 01:32
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wifi2go is by all accounts a good deal as far as a trouble free experience goes and will be the best option particularly for those who don't have the time or knowledge to go down the Mifi route.

The 'gadgets' need to be UNLOCKED i.e. purchasing one from 3 or Vodafone etc is no good for Spain - they are locked to the suppliers system. However enterprising entrepreneurs on ebay and Amazon will supply one which has been unlocked.

The target price on Amazon - search 'unlocked mifi' , is about £40 +/- £5. Do your own research re quality of supplier.

I have a Huawei E5331W which started life locked to 3. I use it in the UK with a Giff Gaff pay as you go data sim (£7.50 for 1Gb). I just put credit on it if, for example, if we are spending time away from home and the umbilical cord that is Virgins cable.

In Spain you need a Spanish sim card - in theory, pop the sim card in and away you go.

Obtaining a sim card in PP is problematical. On previous visits I've spent money in Movistar and been disappointed (must learn Spanish ). The Hits sim was a hit - obtained from the two internet 'cafes' across from the chemist on Carrer Juan XXIII and one street back from Burger King.

I returned in April to find they had changed to Lebara and Hits sims were nowhere to be seen. Disappointed with Lebara. Must learn Spanish.

At the moment looking at buying a Hits sim from ebay - a trip to Alcudia and Vodafone could be a step too far and open me up to ridicule for spending my holidays trying to get gadgets working instead of getting my legs brown

Interesting bonus with Hits is that where normally if you don't use your spanish sim for a period of time you lose the number, but by paying 9€ your sim is kept live for 12 months. No trekking round sourcing new sims on your next visit to PP.

Reading back through the above... perhaps you should read the first sentence again.......

Last edited by clinkham; 11-08-2014 at 01:34.
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  #9  
Old 15-09-2014, 12:44
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I bought a MiFi unit to take to PP last week - it is a Huawei E5330 (confusingly the successor to the E5331!) unlocked from ebay £45. Got a 10€ Orange pay as you go data card from the internet cafe on the main PP/Pollensa road and away we went - me, my son and daughter all connected to spanish network via wifi anywhere with 5 devices.

In the long run it should be a relatively inexpensive way to stay connected
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  #10  
Old 15-09-2014, 13:55
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GG. Please keep us updated on how it goes/works.
As you say, once you've forked out the initial cost for the device it will pay for itself in time.
How long will €10 euros last?
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  #11  
Old 15-09-2014, 22:41
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Npn - I think this initial use will not be indicative of typical usage as my son thought it amazing and so cool to be walking around with his personal wifi hotspot in his pocket

I will update when I am next out and I have worked out how to top up the SIM as I now have very little credit left - if any
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  #12  
Old 05-10-2014, 12:44
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So here's our experience and experiment with a Mifi this trip. We do have Wifi already in our apartment but I wanted to replace my Orange dongle which I have in the UK as a fall-back & occasionally use abroad using their data roaming packages which are still very expensive, so we thought we'd experiment first with a mifi in Mallorca.

We chose a Hauwei E5372 from Amazon which does cost about £100 but it is 4G when available, has a good display & allows the addition of an external antenna - none of this is necessary for Mallorca & cheaper models are available
- but we may need it for more exotic trips!

We set it up first in the UK using the Orange Sim from the dongle and that worked fine.

We then had a look around PP and I think bought the same sim as Gommar Goffar from the Locutorio opposite the large Pharmacy on the PP/Pollensa road. They only had a leaflet in German (!) and the website Tarjeta SIM para llamadas internacionales - llamar al extranjero. is in Spanish (but you can use Google translate) I've also now found
SIM Mundo - international calls from 1,21 c/min (VAT included) and national calls from 0 c/min in English!

You purchase a Mundo SIM prepago (PAYG) for 5 EUR plus choose a data package - 500MB/6EUR, 1GB/9EUR or 2GB/15EUR.

We chose 1 GB so paid 14 EUR. You will need a passport or driving license when you first buy the sim. The Sim is actually a general one that you can use in a phone as well and make reasonably priced calls abroad from Spain e.g. 0.01 EUR per minute to UK Landlines. The data package is valid for 30 days. If you have enough balance on your sim the package will automatically renew (so don't top it up too much if you don't need it!). If you use the data up you can send an SMS to renew early (e.g. text Renovación Mundo 1GB to 1470 via your mifi) or I think you can carry on surfing at a lower speed for the rest of the 30 days. If you don't have a data package it costs 0.36 EUR for 10MB/24h (am not entirely sure how that works!). You can also purchase or change a data package by texting e.g. 'Alta Mundo 2GB'.

The sim itself lasts for 12 months which is extended everytime you top up. You can buy a top via any Orange Shop (there's one in Pollensa) or any locutorio or other phone shops that sell Orange top ups. I'm not exactly sure how they get the top up on to the sim but I think they can do it for you.

BUT if you top-up online you get an extra 50% on your balance. You can do this with a Credit Card on simmundo.es or you can register with orange.es, which we did. Just visit Your Account 'Mi Orange'. When you first sign up, it sends you a password via text to your Mifi. Once you have an account you can top-up, monitor your balance, view the Sim expiry date, change data packages etc.

Our experience of this was very good and using 2 laptops & a phone, speed etc. was as good if not better than our movistar broadband!

So if you come out regularly, it's certainly a good option!
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  #13  
Old 17-02-2015, 11:56
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It looks like 4G has made it to Pollensa

Looking on the vodafone spain site there is 4G coverage for fast internet on the mobile phone network:
Consulta Cobertura movil 4g, 3g y 2g | Vodafone Particulares

Screen grab:



opensignal tower locations ( not sure how accurate it is)
Spain Cell Coverage Map - OpenSignal ( It starts on Madrid so you will have to move it around and zoom.)

Screen grab:



Hopefully other providers will upgrade to 4G so that mifi devices and dongles will be perfect for internet on holidays and much safer than using anyones free wifi.

If anyone finds an affordable 4G Pay as you go sim that has good signal and speed in the Pollensa area let us all know.
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  #14  
Old 07-04-2015, 17:27
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Mainly for Pollensa but anyone can advise. Is the Huawei a good mi-fi unit to buy? Would it be better to go for the 4G version?

Pollensa, which sim card did you buy and did it perform well? I looked at the orange.es website but all in Spanish so no understandy! I assume if you get one from them you can then top-up on-line.

Thanks.
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  #15  
Old 07-04-2015, 17:50
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Yes the Hauwei E5372 from Amazon works very well and only costs £75 now. I can't comment on others as we have this one!

As I mentioned in my post we bought the Sim from the locutorio opposite the large pharmacy and he set it up for us. It was called a Mundo SIM prepago. I think you can then top-up online as I managed to sign up on the Spanish Orange Website but I haven't tried it yet. We have wifi in our apartment so we were only trying it out as a fall back.
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