A standard 56 kilobit modem can theoretically transfer 56 Kilobits of data a second, there are 8 kilobits in one kilobyte, and this means that you can (again theoretically) transfer up to 7 Kilobytes a second (although to get a full 7 kilobytes is near impossible as you never achieve a 100% of the available speed).
The average web page including its images is around 50 Kilobytes; this means it would take around 7 seconds for the web page to completely load in your browser.
56K modems are either installed in your PC or can be bought very cheaply as a separate USB peripheral. They have been phased out of the latest PCs and laptops like floppy drives have.
Because the connection is over a normal telephone line the data must first be converted to analogue, then sent down the telephone line, then converted back to digital when it reaches your modem.
A free connection in either Spain or the UK can be obtained from Go Nuts For Free at the following web site: http://gonutsforfree.net/ or http://gonuts4free.net/ . Once you are connected you cannot use you telephone for calls.
ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscribers Line) connections are becoming more and more widely available and can provide an excellent internet connection.
The connections work by splitting your phone line into two separate channels, one for data (internet) and one for voice (phone calls), which means you can talk on the phone and be connected to the internet at the same time.
- Speed – Upload / Download
You will often see ADSL connection services advertised as having different speed specifications, below are some common configurations:
- 1Mbps/256Kbps
- 2Mbps/512Kbps
- 8Mbps/1024Kbps
Notice there are two values to each configuration, the first figure states the download speed and the second figure is the maximum upload speed.
As an example of how the different download speeds can affect your connection, below are some figures to give you an idea of the differences:
Average Web Page (50 Kilobytes including images)
- 1Mbps download speed - roughly 0.39 seconds to view page.
- 2Mbps download speed - roughly 0.195 seconds to view page.
- 8Mbps download speed - roughly 0.048 seconds to view page.
Average MP3 file (music file) (4 Megabytes)
- 1Mbps download speed - roughly 32 seconds to download.
- 2Mbps download speed - roughly 16 seconds to download.
- 8Mbps download speed - roughly 4 seconds to download.
- Landline Connection (ADSL)
- Modem types
- Single port wired
- Modem Router – 4 Ethernet ports
- Wireless Modem Router – 4 Ethernet ports plus a WiFi connection
- Telefonica (Movistar)
- Speed 3Mbps, 6Mbps or 10Mbps depending where you live
- Installation includes a free WiFi modem router
- Current offer for new subscribers is €9.95 / month for the first three months
- €19.99 / month for the next nine months.
- Final cost is €41.90 / month
- Plus you will need a telephone line at €13.97 / month
- All prices are exclusive of IVA.
- Free line & equipment maintenance for life
- Price includes free local and national telephone calls to landlines and free calls to mobiles at weekends
- Contract period 12 months
- Ya.com (France Telecom)
- A maximum Speed of 10Mbps depending where you live
- Installation includes a free WiFi modem router
- Plus you will need a telephone line at €14 / month
- Current offer for new subscribers is €9.95 / month for the first six months
- Final cost is 19.95 / month
- All prices are exclusive of IVA.
- Line maintenance free for first six months then €1.95 / month.
- Price includes free local and national telephone calls to landlines
- Contract period 12 months
- Jazztel
- Speed 6Mbps, 10Mbps or 20Mbps depending where you live
- Installation includes a free WiFi modem router
- Current offer for new subscribers is €19.95 / month for the first 16 months
- Final cost is 29.95 / month
- Plus you will need a telephone line at €13.97 / month
- There is a setup fee of €50.85
- All prices are exclusive of IVA.
- Price includes free local and national telephone calls to landlines
- Mobile Service Provider (ADSL)
- Contract
- Fixed monthly price
- Lower cost dependent with maximum download options
- Minimum contract period
- Pay-As-You-Go
- Price depends on volume of download
- Recharge like a mobile phone
- More expensive than a contract
- No cost whilst you are not using the service
- Some Service Providers, like MAS, offer a combination of contract & pay-as-you-go
- What you pay for
- Initial purchase of a dongle and sim card
- Volume of data you download or upload
- Pre-paid cards usually have a time limit like 90 days.
- Modem Types
- Dongle – Plugs into a USB slot on your computer, ideal for laptops
- Modem Router – 4 Ethernet connections plus WiFi
- Vodafone (WiFi Router & Dongle)
- Speed 6Mbps or 20Mbps depending where you live
- Installation includes a free WiFi modem router (The USB Dongle can be removed and used as a portable connection with a laptop
- Current offer for new subscribers is €4.90 / month for the first 6 months
- Final cost is 24.90 / month
- If you have a Vodafone mobile contract of €29 / month or more the final cost will only be €9.95 / month
- Plus you will need a telephone line at €15 / month
- All prices are exclusive of IVA.
- Price includes free local and national telephone calls to landlines
- Contract period 18 months
- Orange
- Speed maximum of 20Mbps depending where you live
- Installation includes a free WiFi modem router and a Multimedia Router Livebox that allows the sharing of USB peripherals
- Current offer for new subscribers is €9.95 / month for the first 6 months (€7 discount / month if you are an Orange mobile subscriber)
- Final cost is 20.90 / month (€7 discount / month if you are an Orange mobile subscriber)
- Plus you will need a telephone line at €14 / month
- All prices are exclusive of IVA.
- Price includes free local and national telephone calls to landlines and special low prices to Orange mobiles
- Contract period 12 months (First 7 days are a trial)
- MÁS Movil USB Modem
- Speed maximum of 7.2Mbps depending where you live
- The cost of the USB modem is €39
- It is NOT locked to MAS, you can insert other Service Provider’s cards
- Flat rate monthly fee of €14.90 / Month + IVA or 5c / Mbit on Pay-As-You-Go
- Monthly download limit of 1 Gbit after downloads are charged at 3c / Mbit
- NO Minimum contract period
- Cable (Fuengirola central only)
Speed is a major reason for having a cable connection, with very high speed packages available it is an excellent choice for those who don't like to wait around tapping their fingers when downloading big files such as music or large attachments.
Cable connections usually offer more than ADSL like telephone calls streaming music and TV.
- O.N.O.
- Speed up to a maximum of 50Mbps depending on package
- Installation includes a free WiFi modem router
- Current offers to new subscribers for the first year
Speed |
Line |
1st Year |
Final |
6Mb |
€14 |
€15.90 |
€25.90 |
12Mb |
€14 |
€20.90 |
€35.90 |
30Mb |
€14 |
€25.90 |
€37.90 |
50Mb |
€14 |
€25.90 |
€45.90 |
- There are various other packages that combine the internet with free telephone calls and 70 channels of cable TV.
- Hotspots
- Precautions
- No security
- Slow speed
- In a public place
- Do not carry out any sensitive transactions like banking or anything requiring a password.
- Locations
- El Corte Ingle
- Miramar Centre in Fuengirola
- Many cafes and restaurants
- Most mobile phones are capable of providing a modem service; quite often this will only give you a slow connection unless you have a 3G phone.
- Connection is usually by the data transfer cable or Bluetooth.
- Mobile operators will charge separately if you use you phone as a modem, even if you have a fixed internet package for use on your phone
- Costs are charged for the amount of data you download or upload.
- If you have a Smartphone then there are applications that will allow you to use you phone as a modem without additional charge.
