internet service advice

[DonaldW]

I'd keep after Telmex. The high frequency DSL signals they send over the copper line can be dampened by moisture and a slew of things, including insects building nests in junction boxes to someone spilling something on it, to the unforgiving rains of the area. Inside the conventional Ifinitum router Telmex uses are logging mechanisms that can be accessed by the secondary support of their help desk. This should prove to them without a doubt that there is an issue if there is one, and you should keep after them until it is resolved.

I believe that the current speed at the lowest tier is 5M down and .5M up, which is fine for normal types of web-surfing but would be marginal for streaming something like Netflix, especially if it has to pass through a VPN to be unlocked for Mexico. For simple file and photo downloading, it just is a matter of how fast you need that to happen. Going with 5M down is plenty for anyone, including useage of VOIP (Vonage, MagicJack, http://www.callcentric.com/?aid=71953 and others)

A satellite receiver should be avoided for all but the most desperate of Internet users, as they often cut down the speed to dial-up speed after your daily or monthly quota is reached, which can be something as simply as watching a youtube video will slow down your service to a creep until your data quota for the period resets. And at often $99 or more, it's no real bargain.

If Telmex is totally out of the question, Telcel and with a hotspot or a USB modem and a Cradlepoint or equivalent router could be used, which runs about $32 US per 3GB data chunk, but that goes very quickly. A person who reads online half the day, watches a few odd youtube or facebook videos and looks at a lot of facebook photos can easily use 10GB per month and often up to 20GB and over if you spend all day on the computer. The cost of using Telcel as an ISP can be calculated as high and the practicality of attempting the same using a satellite would be extremely unwise.

Always go with Telmex DSL or a cable TV Internet connection if it is available. If it won't work as advertized (www.speedtest.net), then keep after them until it does.

****Edited: correct typo "Telcel" DSL to "Telmex"