I work online for a living and spend a lot of time here on Steemit to share our travels with you all and we absolutely love it and the freedom and flexibility it provides. But in order to do this, our life blood is our access to internet and of course it's speed. So when we choose campgrounds, the cell coverage is one of the main factors in deciding on where to go as we use a WiFi box that works off of the AT&T wireless network. The plan we have is amazing, we get 250 GB per month for only $67! It is an absolute steal and is a major factor in us getting shit done and making money, but just like with crossing border we didn't do the research required before hand.
I was hoping when we crossed the border either A. our WiFi would work, or B. we could just buy a month to month or prepaid internet plan for the two months we would be there, or C. the campground would have sufficient WiFi. Well, I never did anymore research on other options or even these options and we crossed just hoping one of these would work out, as knowing it will all work out one way has become our mantra. So we get to the campground and find that our phones are working slowly on networks we have never heard of (TELUS and ROGERS) and our WiFi will not work at all! We try the camp WiFi and it barely moves, no video downloading or uploading is really possible and it takes sometimes over 10 times longer to do just the most basic tasks. After only a few minutes, options A and B were already off the table as reliable sources so we had to head for the city and see what purchasing options we had.
Before we left I called one of the companies, ROGERS, and after being on hold forever and being bounced around we found a plan I could use and afford while here, I was pumped. But to ensure we did our due diligence, we stopped at Best Buy to see if they had any options and found out that you have to go through a provider to get access. So we hit the mall that had several of the wireless providers there and started with the first booth we saw. They quickly turned us away to ROGERS where we could a prepaid plan they thought. After explaining our situation they immediately had a plan we could use and afford, similar to the one I was told about on the phone, I just had to buy the hardware outright versus signing a contract. Everything seemed to be going great and working out, until we tried to pay.
Apparently the only way to buy ANY kind of wireless product from a company like this, you have to have a Canadian ID and address, your passport or anything else you have will not work. Yep, even for prepaid which makes no sense at all! Why do you have to have a credit check for something you are buying outright!? More statist bullshit and red tape for no reason at all, more waste and stress at the hands of government. No matter where you go, the ever controlling state will be there.
Now all three of options were not viable and I was now stuck doing the only thing I can, having to use the campground WiFi to get basic tasks done at turtle speed and then pack up and drive my Mac desktop to a coffee shop or café where I have to work in a loud and uncomfortable area. Not to mention feeling forced to buy something at the shops and the cost in gas and the time lost driving. So this situation is not ideal at all, but I am making it work some how, it has just caused so much unneeded stress. But with the beauty we are surrounded, this extra work is all very well worth it!
There is a solution we could have used, but it requires having a WiFi device shipped to you in the U.S. BEFORE you leave and something research would have easily fixed. So if you ever go abroad, make sure you take a WiFi device with you, as the options there may not be what you think!
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