Hello fellow travellers.. anyone been to India recently? I've just been travelling thru South America for 6 months and found that my laptop came in real handy with plenty of hotspots.. I was a bit worried about security but managed without any problems. I'm now heading to India soon and wonder if it will prove to be useful, or, will it just be a burden? Are there many hotspots in India for me to make use of my laptop?? It is great to organise my photos and easier for catching up on my email etc. How is security.. is it just a risk not to be taken? Any advice would be really helpful!!
Reply to this Hello Ben and Sarah 😊
I think your laptop will be as useful in India as it was in S. America. I personally would find it a burden to travel with one.
Mel
Reply to this I don't know for sure, but I'd say the only places you're likely to find wifi or be able to plug in would be parts of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.
A lot of places in India still ( at least a year ago) have dial-up connections rather than broadband and even where there's broadband, it's not always that great, so even if you could hook up a modem you would probably just find it frustrating (you have to put up with the frustration anyway on public computers). Also there are frequent power cuts in India which means if you were in the middle of uploading your photos or whatever, and your battery was low on your laptop, that would be annoying.
I don't think security would be too much of a risk, as with anywhere else, be on your guard, but don't be paranoid.
Reply to this I took a laptop everywhere I went on my travels, and to be honest would always take one in the future... sure there are security issues, they weigh a fair bit and you can never really take your eye of your bag at any time, but they're just so damn useful!!! Free WiFi is like finding gold, having no limit on net time is a huge relief!!!!
You will see a big difference between S.America and India though... I was surprised just how many WiFi points there were in S.America, literally everywhere, whereas in India you'll be lucky to find any! They may be a software superpower but their hardware is positively stone age... I repeatedly got infuriated with the connection speeds at the internet cafes around!
On another note, the best country I found was Vietnam, I stayed in countless places which literally had ethernet cables sticking out the walls in the rooms which I could just plug in the back and surf away in seconds!!! Marvellous stuff!!!
Reply to this Ben & Sarah,
If you can't find hotspots easily (especially in rural areas), you can use Reliance Netconnect or similar facilities from Tata Indicom or Airtel. You will get a USB wifi card, and it will let you surf from anywhere (provided you get cell phone signals there)! It will cost you around Rs. 400/month or so... although, I've never tried it and not sure about speed etc...
While in bigger cities (not only in Mumbai-Delhi but also 2nd tier cities), you will find lots of coffee shops with HotSpots (some free.. some paid).. Also, Reliance, Tata, etc. have wifi hotspots at number of public places and they are listed somewhere on their websites (all of them paid, but you can buy a cheaper monthly plan)... You will find Internet Cafes everywhere.. (agree, the cheaper ones might have dial up.. but a lot of the decent yet affordable ones will have high speed)..
- Swar
Reply to this Ben & Sarah;
India has come a long ways and has tons of hotspots. They have internet cafes with speed-of-light connections. I personally love traveling without laptops and cellphones but the nature of my travels often requires that I have them with me. Fancier hotels also have cable in the room.
Reply to this Are all these hotspots in big cities and nice hotels??? I was there a few months ago and struggled to find any in cheap accomodation or cheap eateries!!!
Reply to this I don't have any idea about cheap accommodation or eateries.. but generally you are likely to find one in good coffee shops like - Barista or Cafe Coffee Day.. I am from Ahmedabad and I know there are a few at places like Mint, TC's, Tea Center, etc apart from the mentioned bigger chains... Also, bigger internet cafes like Reliance WebWorld (which is a chain all over the country.. atleast in metro & second tier cities) have really fast broadband connections with laptop connectivity..
Reply to this Dear friend,
India is a not wi-fi country, If you taking your laptop it is good but you should contact your travel agent for your laptop internet connectives,
Many of tour operators provide the mobile internet connection facility for laptop use, this facility complete would be on demand and chargeable for you.
I can give you some of the travel agency those provide such type facility for his clients with addition charges.
If you want to information about the internet facility provider travel agency please you drop a line I would be suggest to you a proper way for your laptop.
Happy journey
Peter
Reply to this HI Ben & sarah.
Dont hesitate to bring your laptop...
Now a days in india, you have wi-fi facilities in most of the hotels...Airports...Cofee shops..accesing the internet wont be of any concern..
Also Laptop may help you to store all the pictures that you capture from your cameras...
India , has now become a land of computer savy people...1 in 40 indians do have a PC/ NoteBook...You may count on them for extened PC support too 😊
Do feel free to mail at the below mentioned email add, for any other info...
CHeers!
Ciao!
Kunal
India Reply to this I started out 3 months ago in south India with a laptop...it was great cos I was based in 1 place so didn't have to lug it around in my rucksack...loads of good places...stay away from the iway chain throughout India...but most others are flexible...I can tell you where to go in Mysore if you need any help there. I just sent mine back home through DHL (cost abot 30 quid for smallest box from Mumbai to UK) as I'm trekking in the North and need to reduce the weight...also be aware, there's LOTS of stairs in train stations, so heavy bags are not fun going from A to B...I do miss my laptop tho...this computer I'm on now in Bangalore is SHIT!
Reply to this i couldn't recharge my laptop properly in india, even tho i took my converter... lugged it around as dead weight instead
Reply to this Ben,
come along , India 's on forefront of an IT & communication revolution. any help lets us know. aum
Reply to this Thank you everyone for your useful comments and advice. I am in India now having a great time... my laptop came with me and I have a mobile connection with Reliance that has been extremely good with a connection in most areas... except for the desert in Rajasthan! But I am a reasonable person.
Thanks again.. enjoy your travels and stay safe!!
Reply to this Just buy a datacard for about US$ 100 and you get a wireless connectivity at most places on a CDMA network and a few months back intial 3 months were free. Works great though the throughput is pretty slow but good enough for emailing. Additionally most coffee shops have a free wifi network with a decent spped. I personally see no harm carrying it.
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