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Old 30-10-2014, 10:07   #1
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WiFi in the Caribb for cruisers

We are relocating to the Caribbean from the Med, and need to get WiFi on the boat. In the Med we used a MiFi, with a country-specific data-only SIM card that we could "top-up" as needed. We needed to buy a new card in each country we went to....Do you need to purchase a different SIM card for each Island you go to in the Caribbean? How do cruisers in the Caribb do it? What equipment and which companies seem to work best? Any advise will be very much appreciated.
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Old 30-10-2014, 13:15   #2
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Re: WiFi in the Caribb for cruisers

The sim card modems dont work in most of the Caribbean. Each island is its own country, everyone a different system, law, equipment.
Its a pain the the bloody neck.

Wait till you get here to sort it out.
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Old 31-10-2014, 19:47   #3
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Re: WiFi in the Caribb for cruisers

I primarily use an unlocked Huawei modem. I just buy a new SIM in each country. Has worked in many different countries, but you may need different bands in some. If so, buy a modem in-country and use something like DC-UNLOCKER to unlock it so you can use it elsewhere (Ive got a small collection).

I connect mine to a router so we have service for multiple devices.
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Old 01-11-2014, 05:24   #4
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Re: WiFi in the Caribb for cruisers

Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkJ View Post
The sim card modems dont work in most of the Caribbean. Each island is its own country, everyone a different system, law, equipment.
Its a pain the the bloody neck.

Wait till you get here to sort it out.
Unless things have gotten much worse there in the past couple of years, that is not our experience. If you have an unlocked modem that spans the correct frequencies (most do), then you just need to get a SIM card from a provider in each country, stick it in, put some money on it and buy a data plan.

Digicel lets you do all of that on-line, which is the easiest way, and covers several islands - although you will probably need a SIM card for each.

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Old 01-11-2014, 17:22   #5
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Re: WiFi in the Caribb for cruisers

Wouldn't French SIM cards still work in the French islands? If so, you'd need 2 (or 3?) less cards for the cruise.


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Old 05-01-2015, 17:09   #6
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Re: WiFi in the Caribb for cruisers

Both Digicel and LIME offer Caribbean-wide roaming. This does not include the entire Caribbean but you can check their respective websites for coverage. It is pretty much the same technology throughout CARICOM. It will just be a question, when in range, of roaming charges - if they apply. I believe you will need a local address to purchase the sim card (I may be wrong).
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