Mobile WiFi Spain - 4 tips to remain connected anytime

Mobile WiFi Spain - 4 tips to remain connected anytime

Mobile WiFi rental in Spain is the best travel WiFi solution to remain connected to the internet all the time!

Rent a Mobile WiFi Spain: what are the advantages?

What kind of person are you? You meticulously plan your whole trip in advance? Or are you rather that kind of person letting it go and see what happens? Both types can have advantages and drawbacks. However, especially in times of total connectivity, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and all other social media platforms, being clear on how to stay online while abroad can save you annoying headaches and money.

What are the options for mobile WiFi Spain?The fact that mobile phone providers still charge ridiculous amounts for data roaming made us write this short guide on what options you are facing when traveling to Spain - to truly enjoy your stay in Spain!

Your Basic Internet Travel Options in Spain

These are your four mobile WiFi Spain solutions you have to remain connected to the internet during your trip.

Pocket WiFi Rental For Spain

 

Portable WiFi is not yet well-known by all travelers. Connected travelers never fly abroad without a WiFi egg though. The mobile WiFi for Spain is a very convenient and reliable solution. It is a small device that is thin and small enough to fit in every pocket or handbag.

The Pocket WiFi broadcasts a WiFi, up to 15 meters around you, on which you can connect up to five devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops) at once. The Pocket WiFi rental in Spain will allow you to get 4G LTE and unlimited data with a fair usage of 1GB per day. Among all options, this is the only way you can browse the internet so fast and long.

Also when comparing it to similar Pocket WiFi rental services in Spain, My Webspot has more internet data than any of the other rental services in Spain. Bear in mind that not all providers can offer a 4G LTE access at the same time!

In Spain, major cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Cordoba, Palma, Bilbao or Las Palmas, Grande Canaria have perfect 4G coverage. But when you leave the main cities, the Pocket WiFi from My Webspot will connect to different mobile network providers. This will ensure an optimal coverage all over Spain.

The Pocket WiFi rental for Spain offers the best data package and the fastest speed with 4G LTE. Mobile WiFi providers are based locally and it will access these local networks in order to keep prices as cheap as possible.

On the opposite, your personal mobile network provider has to negotiate data prices with the foreign network provider. Therefore it will not be possible to offer competitive prices. My Webspot provides 4G coverage everywhere in Spain with unlimited internet and a very large fair usage (1GB/day).

Free WiFi in Spain

Free WiFi in Spain can be a solution to remain connected, as it is obviously free. Public WiFi in Spain are accessible only in main cities like Madrid or Barcelona. WiFi cafes are easier to find although not all coffee shops provide WiFi. However, more and more cafes in Spain are equipped with WiFi nowadays.

But in Spain as in anywhere else in Europe, you first need to purchase something before the service cafe staff hand out the WiFi code. So if you need to check a quick information on the internet, it will most likely take longer than expected. Therefore accessing the internet is not free indeed.

Only public WiFi hotspots in Spain offer true free WiFi. There is a map of the potential free WiFi hotspots which you can check out under http://www.gomadrid.com/. However, you will see that the majority of the free WiFi hotspots are from coffee shops that ask for the consumption ticket in exchange for the WiFi code.

Also, one big issue with Free WiFi (in Spain as everywhere else) is the WiFi quality. Free WiFi can often be very slow. As it is free the providers do not invest a lot in the WiFi quality. You can be quickly discouraged when it is a bit crowded. And for business travelers, it is a very bad idea to rely on free WiFi in Spain. It is a high-security breach and people are often hacked on free WiFi in airports like Madrid Barajas or Barcelona El-Prat airport.

Finally, the major inconvenience of free WiFi is that it is randomly located. The importance of the Internet in its core is that you stay connected at all times. However, with free WiFi, you cannot be sure to have WiFi around you all the time.

Once you need an important information, you are forced to use your phone to receive an email or find a place with your GPS. This 3 minutes of smartphone use in Spain can cost you a lot! Most travelers who rely on free WiFi in Spain end up with at least 100€ bill in data roaming.

Also, it is important to know that outside of the major cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, it is almost impossible to find a public WiFi. Again you will need to rely on the next coffee shop to provide WiFi.

Local prepaid Sim Cards in Spain

 

The main mobile network providers in Spain, generally ask for a local Bank account and a local address in Spain. If you want a sim card with a good data plan you won't be able to avoid this. Prepaid Sim card in Spain for travelers are common and easier to get. Of course, it will be a bit more expensive but you can easily order your Spanish Sim card online.

Some Network providers have specialized in Spanish Prepaid Sim Cards for travelers like Sim Options.com, MAsMovil, or Hitsmobile. Prepaid Sim Cards in Spain are very different from the free WiFi or Pocket WiFi rental though.

The Prepaid Sim Card will allow you to mainly make calls (more local than international) and will offer poor mobile internet quality. The speed will generally be 3G instead of 4G LTE and the data package will be very low compared to pocket WiFi rental for Spain.

The major issues with prepaid Sim Cards are that unless you have a dual sim card Phone, you will have to take out your own sim card. This means that you can no more be contacted by text or voice call on your regular phone number. Also, you need to be sure that your phone is compatible with the frequency bands in Spain if you want to use a prepaid Sim Card. It is often the case that travelers end up with useless prepaid Sim Cards because their phone is not compatible.

Data Roaming in Spain

Data roaming in Spain is probably the worst mobile internet travel solution for Spain. Indeed some providers like AT&T or Verizon will charge you $2/Mb. Knowing that an average traveler can use up to 800Mb per day you can make the calculation.

You can have a huge surprise when you return from your trip! A travelers from France in 2015 ended up with a phone bill of 52.000€ after 2 months spent in Spain… So be careful it can happen to you too!

Don’t get fooled by your mobile provider selling you an international data package for Spain. It is way overpriced and once you will finish the allowed data usage, you will be charged again at the full rate without any warning…

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*Unlimited internet with Daily Fair Usage Policy applies. Europe & USA: 1GB in 4G/LTE - Mexico : 2GB - South East Asia, Japan & China: Unlimited 4G/LTE - Rest of the world: 500MB in 4G /LTE. Throttled speed of up to 512kbps afterwards.