Broadband Internet Service

Broadband Internet Service

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So I've got this job where they've closed the local office and are letting me work from home.
Sitting here in Texas, I'm thinking that it might be nicer if home were somewhere like San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Zacatecas or Oaxaca.
Can anyone fill me in on details, availability/cost regarding broadband Internet Service in these areas? (DSL and Cable Modem)?

Thanks,

jennifer rose

Sep 4, 2005, 9:05 PM

Post #2 of 28 (3048 views)

Re: [wsw] Broadband Internet Service

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Broadband is available in each of those venues, but your access may be limited by the part of those cities in which you opt to land.

johanson / Moderator

Sep 4, 2005, 10:02 PM

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Re: [wsw] Broadband Internet Service

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I hate it when you type an answer to a post and the post disappears. I am the moderator so I know I wasn't deleted. The post must have been eaten by the goblins.

Well here we go again. Yes broadband is available in Mexico but it is quite a bit slower and somewhat more expensive than NoB. For example, prodigy's slowest ADSL speed is advertised as "UP TO" 512 down and 128 up. I usually get 430 down and 65 up and pay with sales tax about $401 pesos per month for this speed. But this sure beats dialup.

For more information about Prodigy's broadband speeds and rates go to

http://www.prodigy.com.mx/...um_adsl/h_planes.htm

(This post was edited by johanson on Sep 4, 2005, 10:26 PM)

kirkswig

Sep 5, 2005, 12:14 AM

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Re: [wsw] Broadband Internet Service

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I end up swallowing a $1300MX phone bill that includes 1mbps down/256kbps up ADSL service, so I'm spending maybe 50% more here than I did NOB for maybe 50% less throughput.

It's one of the few items you pay more for down here. Avocados, dental care, tequila, electricity and housing is so much cheaper than NOB that it more than makes up for broadband.

Internet isn't your problem. Your computer is. With some important exceptions (Dell) buying computers down here, getting replacement parts, service, is tough. If you live by the coast, humidity shortens the lifespan of electronics... been here for just over a year and have already lost a PC and am now about to lose a beloved 21" monitor it appears. And the electricity, while cheap, is of poor quality (few grounded outlets, voltage spiking and/or dimming or just plain turning off, etc.)

No going on the web to a place like newegg.com and having an order shipped overnight. Yikes!

But then, think about all the crap you've bought for your computer that you never use. Save a lot of money right there, hehe.

To boldly go where no wig has gone before.

Miguel Palomares

Sep 5, 2005, 5:02 PM

Post #5 of 28 (2968 views)

Re: [wsw] Broadband Internet Service

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Here in Lakesides Two, beautiful Colonial Patzcuaro, Michoacan, with the cobblestone streets and beautiful women, I have high-speed internet, wireless, some kind of microwave thing. I am clueless as to the technical aspects of it. But I know what I like, and it normally works just fine. It costs about $33 a month, and if you pay for ten months in advance, you get a year. That would be, of course, two additional months. Other people here have the same service, and I have never heard any complaints.

The local provider, Bolivar Diaz, who speaks da Inglés, can be reached at:
bolivar@ml.com.mx
From Tzurumutaro, Michoacan, "The Village of the Darned."
_______________________________________

The nuts and bolts of moving to Mexico:
http://michaeldickson.blogspot.com/
The dark side of living in Mexico:
http://mexicopeeks.blogspot.com/
Scintillating life in a Mexican pueblo:
http://tzurumutaro.blogspot.com/
http://tzurumutaro2.blogspot.com/

Sep 6, 2005, 9:05 AM

Post #6 of 28 (2933 views)

Re: [wsw] Broadband Internet Service

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We pay $600-$700mpx for ADSL that compared to what we have in the state just seems to crawl slowly. VIOP works sometimes (when we aren't being squelched), video conferences are usually crappy.

ELECTRICITY - I've heard people say electricity was cheap, hasn't been the case in my experience.
In Acapulco the house has only 1 wire service, supposed to be 10A but you'd be hard pressed to run more than 8A of stuff. Even in the off season, when only the Major Domo and a mozo are there, the bill isn't cheap. The bill has never been under $1000mxp and is usually closer to $2000mxp. I looked at the bill to see if maybe we were supplying the entire neighborhood, but the Kw hours are minuscule, like 10% or less of what I use in the USA, where my bill averages about $150US. All the staff is running when we are gone is a couple of incandescent/fluorescent energy saver bulbs, a small tv, a few ceiling fans, and the washing machine maybe once a week. I agree it is crappy electricity, the cycles are off, the voltage is low, it spikes and surges, but cheap? Not in Acapulco.

My mother is also in the process of moving to Mexico, she retires in Jan 06. The cost of electricity has been one of her major concerns, as she wants more than a light bulb, ceiling fan, and small TV. We have been looking into the technology to allow her to live off the grid, which isn't cheap either. If electricity really IS cheap, in say the Central Highlands, I'd really like to hear about it.

Somebody tell me what they pay per Kilowatt Hour please.

Sorry to hijack this thread

Compórtate bien, y si no puedes, invítame!
MG Rabon

Sep 6, 2005, 9:45 AM

Post #7 of 28 (2924 views)

Re: [MG Rabon] Elec Cost

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In Mazatlan:

The first 175 Kilowatts = cost .505 pesos each
The next 425 " =cost .753 pesos each
Then the price jumps to 2.024 pesos each for the rest of it.

If you use over 1000 KWh for a certain length of time, you do not get the summer subsidy.

For instance, cost of production was 2179 pesos and with the subsidy I paid 672 pesos.

Total usage was 989 KWh

That included running a 8000 BTU A/C unit, 24/7

Sep 6, 2005, 9:59 AM

Post #8 of 28 (2921 views)

AC? Yeah, we wish!

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AC? Yeah we wish!

If we could AC the place Acapulco wouldn't be just a winter home.

Compórtate bien, y si no puedes, invítame!
MG Rabon

Sep 6, 2005, 11:11 AM

Post #9 of 28 (2907 views)

Re: [MG Rabon] AC? Yeah, we wish!

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We just A/C the bedroom which has a TV and computer. And that's only in the summer months. When the subsidy disappears, we turn off the A/C.

johnv

Sep 6, 2005, 11:15 AM

Post #10 of 28 (2907 views)

Re: [MG Rabon] Broadband Internet Service

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Just got my bill this morning: MXP$794 for 494 kWh. That's 1.607 pesos per kWh or 17 US cents per kWh.

Sep 6, 2005, 11:22 AM

Post #11 of 28 (2904 views)

Re: [johnv] Broadband Internet Service

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Got mine today too. If I don't break it down, I paid total including IVA, 721 pesos for 1045 KWh. That's about .69 pesos each.

My tarifa designation is 1D.

My neighbors LARGE (10,000 sq. ft) home, with no one living there, and designated tarifa DAC, used 1395 KWh which cost him 3,558 pesos or 2.55 pesos per KWh.

johnv

Sep 6, 2005, 11:24 AM

Post #12 of 28 (2904 views)

Re: [johnv] Broadband Internet Service

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The US national average price of electicity is .084/kWh.

rickc

Sep 6, 2005, 11:45 AM

Post #13 of 28 (2902 views)

Re: [johnv] Broadband Internet Service

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Well John, now we know how much you paid for your electricity but without some kind of general location information the cost and cost per Kwh are meaningless to someone like MG Rabon who is trying to make comparisons in areas other than his own. I checked your profile, but it also gave no indication of your general location.

Just got my bill this morning: MXP$794 for 494 kWh. That's 1.607 pesos per kWh or 17 US cents per kWh.

Rich Chambers
Navigating the Sea of Life..

Sep 6, 2005, 2:11 PM

Post #14 of 28 (2884 views)

Re: [Esteban] Broadband Internet Service

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Quote

My neighbors LARGE (10,000 sq. ft) home, with no one living there, and designated tarifa DAC, used 1395 KWh which cost him 3,558 pesos or 2.55 pesos per KWh.

Ah! That might be my problem, perhaps because we have this huge (but old) oceanfront villa we are charged more than other customers. $2.55mxp per KWh sounds close to what we are paying. OUCH!

I guess there isn't a way to get our tarifa code changed?

In Florida we pay $.0393 per KWh plus a fuel surcharge that is currently $.0206, for a total of $.0599 per KWh. $2.55mxp works out to about $.238 US per KWh. Super Ouch!

I guess we couldn't afford to AC the place even if we could:
a) get enough power to the house to do so, 8A isn't even close
b) figure out how to enclose this place, in Acapulco often the line between inside and out is blurred
c) figure out how to insulate this place, with it's rockwork and thin poured concrete.

I guess Mom's casita will cost little to electrify unless they think she is rich.

Compórtate bien, y si no puedes, invítame!
MG Rabon

Sep 6, 2005, 2:25 PM

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Re: [MG Rabon] Broadband Internet Service

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If you convince the CFE that you are busting up the place into condos, you might be able to split the elec bill up with a few extra meters. In Mexico, the more you use, the more it costs. A good concept environmentally speaking. Like I said, we only A/C the bedroom. If you learn to sleep in a real hammock, with fans, it's pretty comfortable. You have to learn to sleep "sideways" so it supports your back. With airflow around your whole body, hammocks can be quite comfy. It's those mattresses that make sleeping uncomfortable in tropical conditions.

johanson / Moderator

Sep 6, 2005, 4:00 PM

Post #16 of 28 (2868 views)

Re: [MG Rabon] Broadband Internet Service

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I'm spoiled. Here in the state of WA where I will be for a couple of more days, I pay 6.3 cents per kilowatt hour. I therefore do not worry about how much electricity I use. In Mexico, where my marginal rate almost 3.5 times as great, I have become very efficient, using all of the tricks of the trade to keep electrical usage down. Sure the high efficiency light bulbs for example, cost many times more than an incandescent bulb, but they last much longer and use a fraction of the wattage for the same amount of light, # of lumens.

To get a feeling of what your electrical rates are for your part of Mexico go to

http://www.cfe.gob.mx/...ente/conocetutarifa/

and then link to your tariff rate. If you speak no Spanish, it will take you a little longer, but we are looking for numbers here and many of the technical words are pretty close to English.

Sep 6, 2005, 4:54 PM

Post #17 of 28 (2863 views)

Re: [johanson] Broadband Internet Service

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I thought CFE had rates the same for all of Mexico. Am I wrong to assume this? To all of you reading this, what is your tarififa designation and how may KWh do you use a month?

johnv

Sep 6, 2005, 5:17 PM

Post #18 of 28 (2854 views)

Re: [rickc] Broadband Internet Service

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Guanajuato, Gto., Tarifa 1

Sep 6, 2005, 5:49 PM

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Re: [johnv] Broadband Internet Service

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My 1D rating is for places that get warm in the summer. The subsidy helps us folks living in the tropics.

johanson / Moderator

Sep 6, 2005, 6:41 PM

Post #20 of 28 (2844 views)

Re: [Esteban] Broadband Internet Service

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According to the CFE web page, there are about 6 regions, and in each region the tariff is different. Those regions are:

REGION BAJA CALIFORNIA
REGION BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR
REGION NORTE Y NORESTE
REGION NOROESTE
REGION SUR Y PENINSULAR
REGION CENTRAL

Your tariff is determined by how much power you average per month. (remember your bill is for about two months) I can not tell you what my tariff is or the average amount I use, because I am still up north until the weekend:

TARIFA LIMITE
1 250 kWh/mes
1A 300 kWh/mes
1B 400 kWh/mes
1C 850 kWh/mes
1D 1,000 kWh/mes
1E 2,000 kWh/mes
1F 2,500 kWh/mes

(This post was edited by johanson on Sep 6, 2005, 6:49 PM)

Sep 6, 2005, 6:49 PM

Post #21 of 28 (2839 views)

Re: [johanson] Broadband Internet Service

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In Mazatlan, the bill is for one month only. To be exact, my last bill was for 32 days. The days of two months are gone here in Maz. Also, the "limites" are averaged for the previous 12 month period. That determines your tarifa designation.

(This post was edited by Esteban on Sep 6, 2005, 6:50 PM)

johanson / Moderator

Sep 6, 2005, 7:00 PM

Post #22 of 28 (2831 views)

Re: [Esteban] Broadband Internet Service

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We too in Ajijic have our tariffs determined over a 12 month period. I wonder if our bills are going to start coming once per month. CFE is a national company, and the last time I was in Mexico was in July and I'm pretty sure I saw the May-June bill, not a one month bill. But I did not check that closely. Well, I'll be back in a few and I can always check it out.

kirkswig

Sep 6, 2005, 7:11 PM

Post #23 of 28 (2827 views)

Re: [MG Rabon] Broadband Internet Service

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I had forgotten how complicated the electricity question is.

All I know is that I was paying ~$200US@month NOB, and less than $500MX here in Maz; sometimes a lot less.

But I guess should mention too that I'm in a tiny little apartment and I only air-condition the bedroom, and the place I had before was a three-bedroom and it had central A/C.

To boldly go where no wig has gone before.

Sep 6, 2005, 7:53 PM

Post #24 of 28 (2821 views)

Cheap Electricity? NOT!

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Thanks for that link, what an eye opener.

According to the rates on that site, and assuming my tarifa is 1D (don't have my bill to look at), these rates are shockingly high.

Last month here in Florida I used 2989 KWh, which at $.0599 ran me $179.04us. If I had enough power to do the same thing in Acapulco, even if I didn't get rated DAC, I come up with these numbers which are really scary.

The first 175KWh = $84.52mxp
the next 425KWh = $304.86mxp
the final 2388KWh=$4596.90mxp!
for a total of $4986.38mxp = $466.93us

If you throw in DAC then it looks REALLY BAD.

The first 500KWh = $1131.01mxp
the next 2489KWh= $6302.15mxp
for a total of $7433.16mxp = $696.05us

However when I looked at this before I was pretty sure I used less than 1000KWh, maybe even less than 500KWh, so there must be more to it than this.

I know the mozos aren't running anything big, we don't have anything big. The microwave made the lights dim and never even boiled water. The vacuum made the lights dim and hardly sucked at all. The Mr. Coffee didn't work either. All of that went back NOB. Hell I have to turn off the light in the kitchen to run the blender. No AC, only a few lights, not much electrical - even if they ran everything 24/7 we couldn't use 1000KWh.

Maybe we're still paying for running the line from town 40 years ago? A surcharge for being on the water? Something?

Maybe the beach house is the one that needs to be off the grid?

I guess I need to look into this more closely.

Compórtate bien, y si no puedes, invítame!
MG Rabon

(This post was edited by MG Rabon on Sep 6, 2005, 8:02 PM)

patricio_lintz

Sep 6, 2005, 7:56 PM

Post #25 of 28 (2819 views)