Best Home Internet Service

eugenedmngz

New member
Oct 30, 2010
18
2
0
33
Hey all, I plan on being in SD for 2 months this summer. I use to have a Orange's Flybox. While it wasn't awful I wasn't really to pleased with the service. I was wondering if anyone here could point me in the right direction in terms of what home internet service I should get?
 

Seamonkey

Bronze
Oct 6, 2009
1,896
755
113
I'm disapointed in the Orange flybox as well. They told me I surpassed my 5g download allowance with only 2 weeks into the month, which is impossible when not downloading anything but web pages. Internet is super slow until my allowance is topped up.
 

Squat

Tropical geek in Las Terrenas
Jan 1, 2002
2,239
168
63
I'm disapointed in the Orange flybox as well. They told me I surpassed my 5g download allowance with only 2 weeks into the month, which is impossible when not downloading anything but web pages. Internet is super slow until my allowance is topped up.
Wrong ! 5 gigs will last you a week if you are lucky... If you think webpages are not heavy, think again ! I was on the 5 gigs plan for 3 months, then I upgraded to the 10 gigs plan... It lasts me about 2 weeks...
Rule of thumb is 1 gig for 1 day... Sometimes more, sometimes less...
 

eugenedmngz

New member
Oct 30, 2010
18
2
0
33
Yeah, I took out the flybox plan, and it usually last me two weeks. Which isn't awful outside of the fact that for the last two weeks of every month the internet was unbearably slow.
 

eugenedmngz

New member
Oct 30, 2010
18
2
0
33
No such animal here. Just get a pay as you go dongle from either Claro, Orange, or Viva.

So there are pay as you go internet? That would be amazing if I can find one that is decent. Since I go to school in the US, and only stay in DR for 1/3 of the year sometimes I'm locked into several contracts for internet service, and cable and it sucks knowing 8 months out of the year I'm paying for something I'm never using.
 

Seamonkey

Bronze
Oct 6, 2009
1,896
755
113
Wrong ! 5 gigs will last you a week if you are lucky... If you think webpages are not heavy, think again ! I was on the 5 gigs plan for 3 months, then I upgraded to the 10 gigs plan... It lasts me about 2 weeks...
Rule of thumb is 1 gig for 1 day... Sometimes more, sometimes less...

Well it's funny that I never had the problem before with other carriers, it just started with Orange.
 

Squat

Tropical geek in Las Terrenas
Jan 1, 2002
2,239
168
63
Well it's funny that I never had the problem before with other carriers, it just started with Orange.
I you had read the description of the product beforehand, you would not see it as a surprise...
By the way, Claro Banda Ancha does the same, except you end up surfing at 128Kbps instead of 256 like Orange, once you have used your quota...
If you want unlimited, you can either buy Claro Internet Flash (ADSL) or subscribe to Orange NetHogar Extra (while technically not unlimited, it should provide high speed for the whole month...)
 

eugenedmngz

New member
Oct 30, 2010
18
2
0
33
I have a couple more questions if anyone doesn't mind answering. I can see on the Orange website that they have the pay as you go USB stick. It's pretty inexpensive almost 1,500 pesos a month without having to sign a contract which is a steal IMO. My question were:

1) Once you use up your quota for the pay as you go internet, how dramatically does it slow down? And how can it be compared to flybox in terms of speed when both are at their best? Can you get the flybox as a pay as you go?

2) This question doesn't pertain to internet, but instead of making a whole new thread I thought I should just post it here. Is there a such thing as pay as you go smartphone in DR? I want to get a iPhone or blackberry when I arrive. I know they're pretty expensive (when I went to Orange's store at the Megacentro in SD a iPhone 3 was about $600 US dollars) The money I would spend signing a 1 year contract to get a phone is roughly the same as just buying the phone. On their site they have the phones given to you for free once you sign a 18 month contract which is something I'd like to avoid. Thanks!
 
Last edited:

kevin1234

New member
Jan 1, 2011
22
2
3
blogging.cwl.cc
eugenedmngz,

1) I can't speak for flybox - but the speed is decent most of the time.. the connection fluctuates often and is effected by bad weather and other factors. The connection of the flybox and USB dongle are the same 3G. I recall the stated quota being 1gb and it doesn`t slow down - they just charge you for the extra data (I could be wrong on that one). You could also just get the USB dongle pay as you go and then buy a D-Link DIR-412 (supported).

2) There are pay as you go phones.. but smartphones may be harder/more expensive to get because of the huge price of these kinds of things. I wouldn`t expect to be able to get an iPhone and pay as you go service from a retailer (without paying big bucks, that is).
 

eugenedmngz

New member
Oct 30, 2010
18
2
0
33
eugenedmngz,

1) I can't speak for flybox - but the speed is decent most of the time.. the connection fluctuates often and is effected by bad weather and other factors. The connection of the flybox and USB dongle are the same 3G. I recall the stated quota being 1gb and it doesn`t slow down - they just charge you for the extra data (I could be wrong on that one). You could also just get the USB dongle pay as you go and then buy a D-Link DIR-412 (supported).

2) There are pay as you go phones.. but smartphones may be harder/more expensive to get because of the huge price of these kinds of things. I wouldn`t expect to be able to get an iPhone and pay as you go service from a retailer (without paying big bucks, that is).

What's a D-Link DIR-412, and what does it do?

Also I did more research on the whole pay as yo go smartphone, and Orange offers you a pay as you go blackberry. They're all pretty much the same price as the blackberry's in the states if you buy them w/o a contract so ranging from $300 - $600 dollars. the iPhone isn't offered pay as you go. I think I'll just buy the blackberry as I spend roughly 4-6 months a year in DR and need a phone while I'm there.
 

kevin1234

New member
Jan 1, 2011
22
2
3
blogging.cwl.cc
The DIR-412 is just like the flybox in that it takes the USB dongle (Heuwaui E1752) and then provides wireless access to all the devices you use locally. The biggest benefit is that Orange will probably rip you for the flybox, but you can get the DIR-412 for $59.99 and take it here.. then take it back home and you it if you wish with your home service.

More on the DIR-412:
DIR-412 - Mobile Wireless Router - D-Link

For sure.. if you can get a pay as you blackberry down here, go for it. I actually found it was cheaper taking an unlocked phone from canada and then just getting local services and sim cards in DR.. saving money is good.. though the hassle may not be worth it.. I talk about it some in my blog post:

Blogging Calwell: Cell Phone & Data Access in the Dominican Republic [Updated]

Thanks,
Kevin