Wi Fi availability

When mooring in the Bahamas how do you get Internet service ?

sully2010 said:

When mooring in the Bahamas how do you get Internet service ?

Click to expand...

Sully, it would depend on what area of the Bahamas. For the Abaco area there are two services. Out Island Internet (known as OII) and Bahamas WiMax. I have used both depending on what harbors I would be in. If you are in a harbor or close to one they work pretty well. There will be some interruptions just as there is in electric service. I think they were both $99 for 30 days.

You go ashore!! We were able to get wifi at marinas in general. Also at stores and public library in Eleuthera; and hotels (force yourself to buy a beer!!) and the general store in Georgetown. In general we were unable to receive signal while aboard, even with signal amp. Also, wifi is slow because it is mostly satellite. Had difficulty often with Skype (voice only).

Thanks for your help. Just sunning ahead.

There are free or open spots all over or as Don says you can subscribe if you are going to stay in a coverage area. Our wifi is actually faster in the Bahamas than in the states. A mast head antenna helps ALOT!

We spent 3 weeks in the Abacos this summer and most marinas do offer wi-fi free although some did charge. Most everyone was using tablets and of the 3 tablets, the Samsung Tab did a better job receiving a signal than the IPads. Most of the marinas did have a password so being anchored with a wi-fi antenna would not be of much help unless you can get the password.
As stated, a lot of bars will offer wi-fi to paying customers.

Its been 5 years since we were in the Bahamas but we were able to get WiFI using the OII service in the anchorage. We had a Wifi antenna on board. Suggest you consider an antenna and a Ubiquiti Bullet as the radio amplifier. These are sold by different resellers with the antenna. I bought mine from Wifi for Boats.

If you are only going to be in the Bahamas for a short time it may not be worth the cost as back in the US you will probably use digital cells.

Marty

sully2010 said:

When mooring in the Bahamas how do you get Internet service ?

Click to expand...

This past season we used an unlocked 3/4 USB modem/dongle. We paid $15 for the sim card, $5 activation fee and $30 for 30days/1Gig of data and they gave us $5.00 phone credit. Connection speed varies so, as a result, so does the amount of data you consume. Using Skype is a data eater.

Compared to the US, BTC is slow, sometimes painfully so. We've stopped at 10 different anchorages and had internet in all but one. There aren't many places where you don't see a BTC tower in the Bahamas.

If you don't have an unlocked USB modem/dongle you can buy a locked one for the BTC network from one of their business offices. If you do return trips or are going to spend time here, it's an easy option.

At the same time we have looked at what's available for wifi from the boat. Things have changed! There's not much that is free and unsecured from the Exumas south. You can buy wifi at Georgetown, Staniel Cay and a few other places but it's expensive.

Wifi vs 3g/4g in the Bahamas? Since we had both on the boat, the 3g/4g was the winner.

BTC Bahamas - Data Plans

BTC is one of the most URELIABLE things in the Bahamas, right next to BEC!

Tingum said:

BTC is one of the most URELIABLE things in the Bahamas, right next to BEC!

Click to expand...

What are the other choices for cell phones and electric in the Bahamas?