Broadband internet + Car hire

[Ryan W]

Hi

I will be in Tobago for a few months and need a reliable broadband internet connection (in Mt Irvine). I work from home and absolutely have to have internet 24/7 and a decent speed too! Whatever the fastest speed available is. I would also like to be wireless in the villa too.

Please could someone let me know the details as far as internet is concerned?

I will also need a car for a few months. What will be the best and most economical car hire option for that period of time?

Thanks!
Ryan

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Ryan

The chances of getting a decent wireless connection in any villa are virtually nil. Other than in the built-up areas of Scarborough and Crown Point, the provision of broadband is highly scattered and I suspect that very few villas either have it available, or have installed the technology.

As regards car hire, your best bet is to contact a few rental agencies and see if you can agree a deal. Our car rental article (menu: Tobago/Getting Around/Car Hire) would be as good a starting point as any.

[Lisa Keith]

Hi Ryan,

We have DSL, which is, I believe, the fastest that's readily available on the island right now. It's intermittent, but - for the most part - fairly reliable. We've had the odd days where there's been problems, but they are, fortunately, relatively few and far between. We're not that far from you either, so there shouldn't be a reason that you can't have DSL. Sadly the REALLY good speeds haven't yet reached Tobago, and this connection is slower than I had in the UK five years ago, but it's getting there.... slowly

Lisa.

[Brian Taylor]

yes, very slowly, just to scare you abit, I know have the for us unbelievabley incredible speed of around 100kbps compared to the 26-48kbps we had before and with the cell connection that promises 460 it was down to !!!0.7kbps!!! at times... good thing you are not in castara liek we are
be happy with anyting you get on the other end...

(the "slow") steph

[Clyde Alleyne]

Ryan, some villas have DSL broadband installed so it would be useful for you to enquire whether your villa has DSL. If it doesn't and you have the option of changing villas, you can do some researh to find one with a DSL connection. The Tobago rental agencies will be able to tell you whether any of their listed properties have DSL. As for wireless throughout the villa, a wireless router in addition to DSL would be much harder to find, so your best bet would be for you to bring a router along with you. Its not heavy, bulky or very expensive anymore.

But as has been said before, your connection speed with DSL in T&T is supposed to be max 256K, which is not fast by international standards. But at least its faster than the dial up speeds that we had before.
Hope this helps,
Clyde

[Ryan W]

Thanks to everyone for the comments!

Well, the owner is apparently getting the property manager there to organise the DSL for me, I seriously hope it doesnt take long to get it set up??

I arrive on Thursday (in 4 days) and need broadband. I could just get by with dial up, but I really HAVE to have broadband to run my business.

So do you think its best to buy a wireless router for DSL here in the UK?
Any idea on the specs I will need?

Lisa, you say you are not that far from me. Are you in Mt Irvine? I presume I will definitely be able to get broadband where I am then?
(I am staying in Eternity Villa in Mt Irvine).

Any other advice and info people could give would be great.

-The owner wants to only commit to about 3 months, is this possible or will he have to sign a year contract?

-Is there only one broadband provider? I presume there are a few ISP's though?

-What is the price?

Thanks for all your replies!

[Lisa Keith]

Hi Ryan,

I'm in Carnbee, so not far from you!

The broadband is provided by TSTT, unless you go satellite. For dial-up, there are a couple, but I believe they end up routing through TSTT anyway! I think all the prices and sign-up information, terms of agreement, etc, are available on TSTT's website (I can't remember how much it is - my bills go straight to the office!!).

L.

[Ryan W]

Thanks, I sure hope I dont have a problem getting it, and having it set up before I arrive on Thursday!

Do you know what the satellite options are?
How much it is and what speeds I will get?

Thanks

-R-

[Lisa Keith]

I'm not convinced that you'll have it set up by Thursday, in all honesty! TSTT aren't exactly the fastest moving company!!

There are a couple of hotels that have Wireless access though (I know that The Hilton has it!), and you can sit in the bar there and use yr laptop until you can get yourself set up via TSTT.

No idea on Satellite I'm afraid! I know it's available, but I wouldn't have the faintest idea of how to go about finding out who offers it!! Sorry!

[Clyde Alleyne]

Ryan, you had a lot of questions, so here are my thoughts - in no special order.
I agree with Lisa and doubt that you would be able to get a DSL connection in 4 days. I tried getting a DSL connection in Bon Accord over a year ago, and gave up after waiting 4 months with no feedback from TSTT. I ended up getting a wireless EVDO Modem from TSTT instead through business connections. Unfortunately, TSTT is the only broadband provider in Tobago. Cost of DSL or the EVDO modem is approximately TTD 460.00 per month, but the contract period is usually 1 year. If you get here and there's still no DSL connected, you can try going into the TSTT office in Scarborough to either escalate the DSL request, or try getting one of their EVDO wireless modems instead. I'm not aware of satellite options. As for the wireless router to attach to DSL, most people I know use the Linksys 802.11 wifi router. If you have an 802.11 wifi router in England, please bear in mind the power difference (T&T is 110V 60Hz). Good Luck. I still think your best best is finding a villa with DSL already operational.
Clyde

[Ryan W]

Hi Clyde

Thank you very much for your reply!

The broadband should be set up tomorrow or Thursday!
I arranged everything with the owner and spoke to TSTT myself.
They actually dont have anymore EVDO's (apparently), but I will be bringing my own wireless router. I had not thought of the power, so thanks for reminding me! Anyway, all looks good for me to be online when I arrive!

Thanks everyone for your help!

-R-

[Merlin]

Any idea what Sandy Point Beach Club RCI resort in Crown Point has?
I had my cell set up for Tobago, But my supplier here said it may not operate in Tobago, as Verizon is upgrader their tower there.....??? Any hints??

Thanks,