Viva 3G Modem and Mac

So we've been in DR for a week and love it. I could easily see us living here 6 months out of the year or even spending a full year here.

There's just one problem: Internet.

We've found a few cafes with very fast internet, which is great. But, of course, the apartment we're staying in doesn't have the blazing fast wifi they promised to have. This is typical. The internet sucks, so I looked into alternatives.

Claro: Pretty reliable, good coverage, but expensive for prepaid.

Orange: 4G isn't available in Bavaro yet, and it's much too expensive.

Viva: The best option--the MiFi modem would be great for connecting my wife and my computer.

So I went to Viva in San Juan shopping center and asked for the MiFi. She said they didn't sell it, but they had the USB modem. Okay, I could work with that--so I bought it. Then I saw it only had an .exe installation program--and I told her I have a Mac. "Okay no problem!" she said, as she tried to open the .exe. Of course it didn't work--I tried to configure it manually, but I don't know the correct settings.

I asked her if it's Mac compatible and she called technical support. They told her, "it's possible but very difficult" and hung up. Okay...

So I'd like to get this working. More to the point, I'd like to buy the MiFi and get that working. If we come back in December for another trip, I'll do that.

Has anyone here gotten MiFi to work with a Mac? Or the Viva USB modem?

I've been using the Claro stick too, but I went through 5gb in 3 days (I am telecommuting so I transfer a lot of data). That could get pricey. I really wish Viva worked--it'd be ideal.

Rubio, that's really kind of you, but I think we're going to stay in Santo Domingo for one night before leaving and I just might buy the modem (no plan) there. Then just fill it up when we come back.

Robert: Thanks--I guess I will have to try again somewhere else (again it makes sense to stop in SD). It seems like a very simple thing--just configure it to the right settings, but of course this sales person didn't know the right settings.