Wireless internet access in India

bernie248

Hi all, i am heading to New Delhi next Monday for a six month contract working in India. Work will involve moving around alot so i would like a wireless connection for my PowerBook, any advice on the best/cost effective plans available?

lifeiscooldude

Hi,
saw that no body has replied yet.. there are certain networks existing in delhi..till now, i hv used wi-fi only in coffee shops, eateries n college campus.. i don't konw if there is something like that for permanent connection which u can get.. u will have to email dishnet DSL as i have used that only.. if that does not works out, i will see if i can help u out..

bernie248

hey thanks for that, been here a week and worked out that there is not much available wireless wise in the area where i am staying so might have to stick to the network at the hotel
cheers, Bernie

mira4bai4

Hi, a while back I was looking at Tata Indicom (link) as they were into some wireless phones which are not land line but you do plug the computer into and which then uses the wireless features of the phone to access where ever, kind of like a mobile phone but not. Anyway I wondered if these could be used in a more mobile way. Check them out as Tata Indicom seem to be quite advanced in their technology.

john.sw

I use a Reliance India Mobile (RIM) for my Internet connection.

The phone and cable cost about Rs.4000/- and the "unlimited" contract is Rs.1500/- a month.

RIM Internet (R-Connect) is also available on pre-pay. Daytime cost Rs.30/- an hour and Rs.15/- an hour in the evenings.

I understand that Airtel have a similar service.

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livin-in-india

The Tata phone is a semi-bulky desktop wireless system. It does have internet capabilities, but it has a rather slow speed and the last I checked there were no unlimited plans.

I also checked out Reliance but there was no connection available for Macs, and at the time there was no monthly unlimited (they had a fake unlimited, but it was only unlimited in time not in data transfer- if I remember correctly).

Many hotels have wireless connections that are protected with passwords. One hotel offered me an hour for 150Rs, although I had been surfing for free there for months until they got their security. (I did however buy a 112Rs breakfast buffet everytime I went there for "free" surfing).

Nothing in India like a wired connection to the internet. My home plan is 128kbps thru Airtel (South) for 1300Rs per month with an obligatory phone plan. For a while I played with their 512kbps service for 2500Rs per month. It was a decent speed.

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goangoangone

Reliance is unlimited in data for 1500pm(Platinum). They have a rechargeable handset, like a mobile, as well as the portable phone with the aerial on it. I don't know if you can tie a mobile in as well. I tried 2 tests and got around 80 for one and 100 for the other.
http://www.relianceinfo.com/Infocomm/rconnect_card.html

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MeCasa

Keep in mind that public wireless connections are not secure, encrypt a file or drive to protect important information.

Here's an interesting read

livin-in-india

thanks MeCasa, i never though about that. i just spent three weeks in thailand on a visa run from india and jumped onto wireless connections in many places including panthip plaza (the largest IT marketplace in Bangkok).

i never connected for more than 20 minutes at a time. you think i should be concerned about my data? i did have bank info in a file under a hidden name. (am i giving away all of my secrets???)

are macs equally vulnerable, or is it mainly a pc issue?

MeCasa

I wouldn't worry too much. Changing a file name is not very effective since theives don't search, they copy/paste. Changing the file format to something less common and keeping the file in a location where files are not generally kept will help, obviosly not as much as encryption but better than nothing.

And yes macs are just as vulnerable since it's not really a matter of breaching doorlocks, it's more like you unlocking and openeing the door.

livin-in-india

thanks for the advice. i'll look into encryption.

usha

Hey wen i am travelling around in india i use reliance connection to log on to my internet to check my mails etc.. and it worked always..
(though i am not very happy with their admin team..u mgt get bills even after u leave india and disconnect the connection )..

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mira4bai4

If you use Tiger, maybe the Stealth mode of the Firewall would be good to use, though one has to remember that if a port is open, then the port is open so shutting down all the unnecessary port openings may be to your advantage. Anything that you send has to be encrypted for security as it seems that on wireless you are kind of open circuit within the zone so can be monitored through the wireless network. Once your info has left the network and gone cyber it is as per normal but until then there are always vulnerabilities.

Jong

I just bought a Reliance phone(CDMA) and compatible USB cable which costs Rs4500 all together and installed it on my laptop for R-connect. I use pre-pay service which charge Rs30 for day time and Rs 15 for night(22:00 to 06:00). Actual speed is 114Kbps. It's pretty OK for web surfing.