Forums > Specific Focus > Technical Mexico

lilacassady

Mar 10, 2005, 11:56 AM

Post #1 of 14 (1624 views)

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Macs and wireless cafes in Mexico?

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I am considering bringing a G4 Mac laptop to Oaxaca, and was wondering if compatability would somehow be a problem in internet cafes. Also, are there wireless internet cafes in Oaxaca? Any anecdotes about Macs vs PC in Mexico would be most helpful! I'm not a novice to computers, but I am to wireless and laptops.
Thanks!

julian3345

Mar 10, 2005, 4:47 PM

Post #2 of 14 (1589 views)

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Re: [lilacassady] Macs and wireless cafes in Mexico?

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I brought a MAC with me, but finally had to buy a PC here because parts for the MAC are difficult to find in my area and very few techies here have even seen one. They tell me that it is because they are more expensive. I gather that any kind of interface would be difficult...but I'm no expert...miss my MAC everyday! Joan

Anonimo

Mar 11, 2005, 3:20 AM

Post #3 of 14 (1548 views)

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Re: [lilacassady] Macs and wireless cafes in Mexico?

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A Mac running OS X and equipped with an Airport card will automatically detect any Wi-Fi transmission in the vicinity. You will be prompted by a dialog to ask if you want to join that network. If the Wi Fi is encrypted, you'll have to get the password before you can join. Be sure that encryption is turned on in YOUR Mac before hooking up at Internet cafes.
I haven't yet surfed wirelessly in Mexico, but have successfully done so at Starbucks and at airports in the US.

If Wi-Fi is unavailable, carry an EtherNet cable, and you should be able to connect via Ethernet, if the I-cafe will allow you to plug into a router.

(This thread should be moved to the Technical Mexico Forum.)

Saludos,
Anonimo

Miguel Palomares

Mar 11, 2005, 5:55 AM

Post #4 of 14 (1536 views)

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Re: [lilacassady] Macs and wireless cafes in Mexico?

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I don´t know the situation in Oaxaca, but around where I live in Michoacán any kind of Apple computer is a very rare bird indeed. If you haven´t bought the Mac yet, you´d probably do yourself a favor by buying a PC.
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/

johanson / Moderator

Mar 11, 2005, 7:14 AM

Post #5 of 14 (1519 views)

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Re: [palomares] Macs and wireless cafes in Mexico?

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Even in Ajijic there is a problem finding someone to help you with a Mac. There are always folks coming into the local ISP looking for help. They are eventually able to find someone, but have a much harder time than those with PCs

rjkveton

Mar 11, 2005, 8:05 AM

Post #6 of 14 (1506 views)

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Re: [lilacassady] Macs and wireless cafes in Mexico?

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Here's a wireless hotspot I found in Oaxaca using a google search.

http://usatoday.jiwire.com/wi-fi-wireless-hotspot-oaxaca-oaxaca-mx-hotel-marquez-del-valle-oaxaca-1071458.htm

If you already own the G4 laptop bring it to Mexico and enjoy. If its working for you now, the chances of something happening to it that would require service while you are down here, I would put at about one in a ten thousand, they are pretty darn reliable.

If you are considering what laptop to buy and don't have some compelling reason to need a Mac, PC's are certainly cheaper, and Windows XP now makes things pretty simple. So order a Dell either online or over the phone and be happy. Get one with Centrino Mobile Technology and wireless connectivity is built in. Other brands such as HP/Compaq, or Sony would serve you just as well. I still feel you get the most bang for the buck with Dell, and that their ongoing tech support is excellent. The were not just named the most admired company in the US for no good reason.

Papirex

Mar 11, 2005, 9:24 AM

Post #7 of 14 (1493 views)

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Re: [lilacassady] Macs and wireless cafes in Mexico?

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This site lists one wireless hotspot in Oaxaca on page 3:
http://hotspot-locations.com/modules.php?op=hotspot_query&name=HotSpots&hsl_countryhs=MX&hs_state=&hs_city=&hs_operator=&hsl_type=&hs_access_box=&hs_roaming=&externalquery=&backFrom=0&back=%3C%3C

This site may also be useful to find wi-fi locations in Mexico:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6659_7-726628-1.html

Finally, you may want to search for locations using Boingo. http://www.boingo.com/
If you install the Boingo program in your laptop, it includes a “sniffer” to detect any nearby wireless hotspots.

All of these programs will tell you if connectivity is free or not, some of them give prices. Other than in metropolitan areas, there are not as many wireless hotspots in Mexico as there are in other countries, but they do exist.

I hope this helps, Rex

"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

Anonimo

Mar 11, 2005, 2:53 PM

Post #8 of 14 (1458 views)

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Re: [rjkveton] Macs and wireless cafes in Mexico?

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Odd, I read recently that Apple was the most recognized brand, worldwide.
We found two Apple dealers in Morelia, of a sort, but I don't know about in Oaxaca.

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The were not just named the most admired company in the US for no good reason.

Saludos,
Anonimo

rjkveton

Mar 11, 2005, 3:28 PM

Post #9 of 14 (1453 views)

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Re: [Anonimo] Macs and wireless cafes in Mexico?

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I was referring to an annual survey conducted by Fortune Magazine to choose "Americas Most Admired Companies". Dell was number one this year. Please note that this would be an entirely different matter from being the most recognized brand name worldwide.

IMHO, with either a Dell or an Apple, if either meets your needs, you come out a winner, given the amount of computing power and ease of use you get for you bucks, euros, or pesos these days.

abq

Mar 12, 2005, 6:12 AM

Post #10 of 14 (1424 views)

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Re: [Anonimo] Macs and wireless cafes in Mexico?

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If you;re talking brand the Mac is well known. But the PC (Dell or any or the other hundred or so brands) is way more commen in Mexico. We brought a Mac down and had a heck of a problem getting service in San Miguel. The only Mac expert here that I know of charges a fortune for his services. Also the parts for a Mac are hard to find.

I have a PC expert that comes out to my house for $10 an hour.

Carol Schmidt

Mar 12, 2005, 8:54 AM

Post #11 of 14 (1413 views)

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Re: [lilacassady] Macs and wireless cafes in Mexico?

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Here are wi fi sites in San Miguel de Allende:

1) The Biblioteca courtyard

2) Instituto Allende right next to L'Invito restaurant in that patio

3) Casa Payo restaurant (also offers free phone calls to the States via their Vonage)

4) Cafe del Sol (a nice little restaurant with outdoor patio on Ancho San Antonio)

5) Border Crossing mail service if you're a member because you need a WEP password.

As for Macs in San Miguel, I know lots of people who have them and love them and they are able to find repair help here, though one friend had a hell of a time with something tricky that required her laptop to be shipped back to the States for months.

Carol Schmidt

kirkswig

Mar 12, 2005, 3:30 PM

Post #12 of 14 (1396 views)

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Re: [lilacassady] Macs and wireless cafes in Mexico?

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I've seen only one Mac here in Mazatán, at an Internet cafe. No Mac hardware or software for sale *anywhere* here. And though a Mac can work with many peripherals designed for use with PC's (i.e., CD burners, USB drives) often these items require driver software of some kind that will run on Windows only (for instance, I was able to get my wireless router configured on my laptop, but only by using Virtual PC to run their software.)

That said, I'm here in Mexico and quite content with my Powerbook G3 and my PowerMac G4 and both have managed to outlive my homebuilt Windows machine.

Networking these machines is no different than PC's... your issues at a cafe for instance will be identical to those of somebody toting a PC notebook. As a bonus, your machine will be much more secure than a Windows laptop, owing to the amazing number of viruses and other assorted malware that's running out there and which targets Windows almost exclusively. The Internet cafes in Mexico (well, maybe I should just say, Mazatlan) are just teeming with these kinds of programs. Remember to turn your firewall on anyways (it's in the Sharing control panel) just to be safe.

As far as service goes, with a laptop I'm not sure I'd feel safe letting anybody but the manufacturer deal with it in the first place, and Apple does have very good customer support in this regard; they will fedex you a box to put the laptop in and through which you can have it fedexed back to Apple for repairs. They provide this service worldwide. Of course there will be some expense, but then, you're sort of consigned to that by being a laptop owner anyways.

If I had to do it all over again though I'd buy Dell hardware and run Gnome/Linux on it. The Dell hardware is easy to buy and service here in Mexico, and Linux is extremely usable these days (and much more secure to boot.)

To boldly go where no wig has gone before.

Anonimo

Mar 12, 2005, 3:31 PM

Post #13 of 14 (1396 views)

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Re: [abq] Macs and wireless cafes in Mexico?

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http://latam.apple.com/resellers/mx/
Elige su opcíon:

http://latam.apple.com/...bmit.y=7&lang=en para Oaxaca.

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ADONAI

Tinoco Y Palacios # 303 Esquina Con Matamoros. Centro Historico.
Centro
Oaxaca, Oaxaca
68000
Mexico

Teléfono:
52-951-5166902

Fax:
52-951-5011661

Web:
http://---

Email:
adonai1@mac.com

Saludos,
Anonimo

jrice

Mar 12, 2005, 8:42 PM

Post #14 of 14 (1385 views)

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Re: [lilacassady] Macs and wireless cafes in Mexico?

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I can't say in general, but a friend of mine was using his macintosh laptop with an airport card at the holiday inn express in oaxaca.

In general, wireless is very limited in Mexico, though it is spreading.

There are internet cafes all over the place, and the once-dismal speeds most suffered have improved -- somewhat -- as Telmex has promoted the Infinitum ADSL service.

You get out in the boonies, though, and you'd better hope that you have an e-mail service designed by people who are concerned about code bloat.