Wi-Fi in Aacos

[nile]

Haven't been in the Abacos since 2004 (went way south in 2005) and it looks like there have been a lot of changes in the wireless net. Could one of you give me a short update/briefing on how to stay connected in the area as we are coming back in May for 3 months. Tks a lot.

[PELLUCID]

Wi-fi in the Abacos has, unfortunately, become a victim of its own success. OII is the dominant provider, but they are having trouble providing capacity to meet demand. In crowded harbors, Internet access is often so slow as to be unusable during normal waking hours. OII is upgrading their system to limit "bandwidth hogs" but there is only so much they can do and sometimes the chokepoint is outside their system.

If I have anything serious to do on the Internet, I head down to Little Harbour.

[camaraderie]

OII comments are right on but it is the only choice is a lot of places. At $120 bucks a month it is no bargain either! Fortunately there are still some free access points (Guana settlement, Green Turtle, Manjack)

[Roamin' Off]

OII comments are right on but it is the only choice is a lot of places. At $120 bucks a month it is no bargain either! Fortunately there are still some free access points (Guana settlement, Green Turtle, Manjack)
I see that on their wifi page, but below that are longer term rates. $195 for three months works out to $65 per mo and longer term users get a better rate for the year sign up. ($54 per mo)

Free is great when it works but atleast you can contact someone at OII's office if you are having problems.

[BVImorgan]

PELLUCID- Who do you use for your service when your in Little Harbour?? You said if you need to get work done you go there......OII is in Little Harbour as well. Just curious!

The funny thing that I have noticed reading this board is that people are quicker to blame, insult and badmouth a situation that is attempting to get rectified....much quicker then compliment, praise or give encouragement. Interesting.

I have been a customer for nearly 3 years now and have YES seen the speed issues, but have also spoken to them and know they are working hard at rectifying them- this is what they have told me on the phone AND in person. They have stayed up through-out hurricanes etc while other providers (that I use as well at times) disappear for months at a time...hmm

Lighten up people- your in the Bahamas- not Florida.

[PELLUCID]

I'm an OII subscriber; I use them in Little Harbour. You can also use "Bob's Internet" on the honor system, just pay Bob as he comes around to collect your mooring fee.

I should make it clear that my comments are from a cruising boat perspective. Land-based users with directional antennas and amplifiers will have a different experience.

It has been many years since I was technical, but it appears to me that wi-fi has a non-linear response curve as you add users to the system. This is not unique to wi-fi; Ethernet has the same problem. Things work OK up to a certain point as you keep adding nodes, with response dropping off slowly, then at a certain point response drope off dramatically. In essence, most of the bandwidth at high loads is used up by interference and overhead.

On the OII system, Little Harbour works great because few people are there. Tahiti Beach works well, sometimes, for the same reason. Right now at the height of the boating season, Marsh Harbour and Hopetown are usually pretty poor. Unless you get up at 2AM, then it works fine.

The free hotpots have the same issues, in general. The problem is not with the hotspots or the provider, but with crowding on the 2.4Ghz band.

There are also many times when problems occur outside of OII's control, for instance with Cable Bahamas.

My comments are not intended to be technically exhaustive, and I certainly don't aim to be negative. Working as a consultant for many years, my goal was to speak my mind simply and directly, to the best of my knowledge, and let the chips fall where they may. I've developed a thick skin to go with that approach. ;)

[bellavista2]

i agree.

oii can be great, but time of day determines what great means

[islandtata]

Bob has no license to rebroadcast in Little Harbour from the PUC- you just said on the message board what he is doing.

I know for a fact that both Cocotels and OII have licenses from the PUC allowing them to do this. I am sure they pay a large amount of money to be able to rebroadcast and charge for service as they are a licensed ISP ( which he is not).

I have heard from many that Bob charges for this which is highly illegal and wrong.

Thats all I am saying on that.......just a bit of friendly advice- you may not want to type that on a public board being that he could get into alot of trouble with immigration AND the PUC.

[nile]

Waoh! I didn't know I was going to start such a fight. Thanks a lot anyway for the info. It looks like it's much cooler in the Out Islands. Marinas usually provide open hot spots though their sat connection is a bit slow but it's friendly

[FlatFish]

I'm eleven miles from any DSL or wireless service out here in Timbuktu. 23K modem is the best available and while I'm not enthusiastic about the speed it is what is available. People all too often are in way too much of a hurry these days. Settle down folks. You're in the Bahamas!

[LeeWoods]

I once chartered a 34-footer on the SW coast of Florida with my brother, a wheeler-dealer who said he needed to "get away from it all for a while." He spent the next seven days in total frustration trying to log on, log in, dial up, connect, send/receive, blah blah blah. He couldn't let go of the land and his gizmo connections. What a shame. He didn't escape a thing.

[tes1966]

I was able to sign up for WiFi on Marsh Harbour with no problem. Later tried to get in and check email but my screen kept locking up and I was kicked off. I called on Saturday to get help and the offices are closed on Sat and Sun, no support. Called Monday and told the support guy my problem I was having and he said I needed to be in direct view of the antenna. I told him I could swim to the antenna in about 10 mins, that's how close I was. Asked him if I could have a refund since I couldn't log in and he said ABOSULTY NOT! He went into this practiced response that he posts "No money back" when signing up for his service. He said I could go to the hot sites in town and use it there. He also mentioned that he could come to my house and do some kind of install that he charges 500 dollars for. I told him I was only here for a week and that he did not offer good business practices and ended the call. Went to one of the hot sites he mentioned and still did not get good response (about 3 to 5 mins a page) so I gave up. Talked to several of the locals and they said everyone knows the system is slow and that's just the way it is. I don't recommend spending the money for the week like I did.