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jmtindle3 · 08-02-2015, 11:34

We will be in the Exumas next month and wanted to know what people did to get wifi and how to make calls to the states the cheapest way. I understand Skype does not work well in the Bahamas

CarstenWL · 08-02-2015, 12:46

... why should Skype not work well in the Bahamas? As long as you have a decent WLAN speed Skype will work everywhere the same. If you have no WLAN available get a prepaid plan (for data) from BTC and use Skype with the data plan.

Carsten

Antilag · 08-02-2015, 13:14

We had a sim card from BTC wih a data plan last winter. For us, google hangouts worked a lot better than Skype. Less lag and droped calls. For coverage through BTC , you really have to be within a couple of miles from a tower to work. Can't really help you with Wifi as we had our BTC plan.

Antilag · 08-02-2015, 13:19

oh yeah, if you decide to buy a sim card from BTC, ensure that the sim card works before you leave the store. We had a lot of trouble with the nano sim card for our ipad. I know of 2 other cruisers that had issues too. Basically they take a regular size sim card and cut the down to size to fit nano sized devices with less than stellar results.

cofc · 08-02-2015, 14:45

If you do not have an unlocked AT&T phone you could also go to a BTC when you get here and buy the $50 smartphone that they have. I believe a SIM card is $15. You can then hot spot that to your computer/iPad/whatever and use Skype and web browsers. Data is $30 for 2GB.

jmtindle3 · 08-02-2015, 14:58

The reason I questioned Skype was because when I was in Marsh Harbor last May using a hotel Wifi Skype did not work. I also tried to use Skype from California to the Bahamas and could never get through. People that live there seem to use Magic Jack but I do not know if it can be used on a boat.

neworleansrich · 08-02-2015, 15:15

I bought an unblocked Android phone on EBay and got a BTC SIM card. The phone can be a wifi hotspots and BTC data is cheap. Data rates are usually slow but good for email and weather grins. I set up my wife's ATT US cellphone on an international plan so she could call the Bahamas BTC phone for 2cents/min.

Skype is ok if you are at a marina with good wifi, but not good in out islands.

seacottage · 09-02-2015, 08:24

BTC has blocked Skype in the Bahamas. You can't use it.

jibstay · 09-02-2015, 12:03

You can use Skype with a VPN.

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hellosailor · 09-02-2015, 13:16

"using a hotel Wifi Skype did not work."
That is not because Skype doesn't work. On the contrary, it works too well and too many freeloaders use all the bandwidth for Skype, so hotels, bars, coffeeshops, often block the IP range that Skype uses. The hotel is what "isn't" working, they're blocking how much bandwidth any one user can take up.
Any VOIP service will work, the question is which one looks attractive to you & what internet service you can find (buy or steal or borrow(G) to use it on. Many of them are 2-3c a minute globally when you can find internet service to use them on. Assuming the internet provider hasn't blocked them too.

travellerw · 09-02-2015, 13:17

Another option is VSee VSee Telemedicine Platform | Virtual Video Doctor Visit :: VSee.

Its free, works on Windows, Mac, Idevice and Android. Much lighter than Skype.