WiFi along route and which route to take

[SYates]

If you have a smart phone with you, you could just download an offline map on it? Buen Camino, SY

 

[La Tia Orgullosa]

hi SYates - thanks for the suggestion - any ideas of how i do that? (very new in the smartphone world, i am!) - or a source to get it? don't even know how to verbalize my questions in this respect, but any help or guidance would be much appreciated!

 

[SYates]

I use an App called Motion GPS, I think it costs around ~2 Euro, which allows me to download maps from open sources like http://www.openstreetmap.org Alternatively just navigate to that site in a browser and export a map.
Hope that helps and Buen Camino, SY

 

[La Tia Orgullosa]

thanks much again!

 

[Susan M Fron]

hi kanga - actually, the adapter i have is simply to plug a normal plug into it and then it into the wall - it does NOT allow for USBs - my computer, phone, and ccamera charger all plug into the wall. So I am still not sure if my question has bveen answered - in other words, this two-prongued adaptor i plug into the wall, and then each of my devices can be (taking turns) plugged into it via their chord with a plug at the end. so would i need anything additional? does this make sense, the way i have described it?

I got the 2 round prong adapter with 2 USB ports. I don't need an electrical converter as I'm not taking anything to electrical.

 

[Deleted member 73526]

I recommend purchasing a local SIM card with a generous data allowance. Knowing that you can use that as a backup will mean less anxiety about availability of decent WiFi as you're walking.

I've just come across an interesting service for nomadic workers - It's a VPN that allows you to use both WiFi and mobile data together - highly configurable. Looks interesting, but I haven't tried it yet:

Speedify - Use all of your Internet connections at the same time

Speedify is the only app that can combine multiple internet sources into a bonded super-connection for more stable & secure live streaming, video calling & web browsing.

speedify.com

 

[James_Anderson]

I can only answer one of your questions, the Camino Francés certainly has excellent coverage. For the other routes let's wait for the experts. I am especially interested to hear about the wifi situation on the VdlP. Buen Camino and welcome to the forum Emily! SY

Yeah! I agree with you.

 

[Pilger99]

Not all caminos have been massified and rural areas still don't get the same internet options as capitals. I often saw mobile routers in pensions and albergues in the rural areas. it's probably still 3G with 7,2 Mbits max. not several 100M that you can get with cable or fibre. Even with your own phone you share the bandwidth of the antenna!

Local coverage is often better with a foreign SIM, since roaming allows to connect to the best local provider.
For some time now the EU-roaming costs are equal to the local costs by law. If you are on Vodafone you should also get good rates in all countries they operate (e.g. Spain, Portugal).

I would recommend to by a charger with Euro-plug (CEE 7/16 or type C). It's very small and light, compared to UK-plug chargers/adapters. US/AUS/NZ type is also small and even the adapter is light, but the combination is far from rock-stable. So please spend the few euros for savety.

PS: I hardly remember how I found the way and kept contact with home 20years ago. How could I survive ?
10 years later roaming was still costly but almost every bar had wifi.