# Internet Connection Red Sea Areas



## Bob2

Hi.

What are the Internet services like in resorts on the Red Sea in South Sinai and other resorts on the Egyptian mainland in Red Sea governorate (including Hurghada)? What sort of speeds do you get? Are they reliable? Cost?

Thanks.


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## lewroll

My internet is ok in Sharm but only ok to be honest. Can go very slowly from time to time but I don't really know why. I pay 150LE a month for it. I'm not sure I would want to be doing anything earth shattering using it though!


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## Gounie

I have a Vodafone USB dongle. LE150 per month for 7GB. I was really pleased with it but seems they have a problem in the area recently and the speed is variable.


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## Bob2

Thank you both for your replies. Do you use Skype much and how does that fare? I would need to make regular phone calls using it and, as you probably know, any drop in Internet connection results in a dropped Skype call = not good. On another note, are there any telephone landline deals to call Europe?

Thanks.


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## windsong

Bob2 said:


> Thank you both for your replies. Do you use Skype much and how does that fare? I would need to make regular phone calls using it and, as you probably know, any drop in Internet connection results in a dropped Skype call = not good. On another note, are there any telephone landline deals to call Europe?
> 
> Thanks.


I use magicjack plus to call America.I get a local American phone number through it,and its like getting charged for a local call back in the states,but Im calling from Egypt.The phone call is crystall clear,and once its set up you can use it through your computer or phone box without the computer.The cost is only 70 dollars for a year unlimited calling,and just a small local call charge on your phone bill.I dont know about europe and using magicjack,but they have a web site with alot of information about the product Im sure you could find out there.Even on youtube they show how to connect it,which is very easy.


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## Gounie

Gounie said:


> I have a Vodafone USB dongle. LE150 per month for 7GB. I was really pleased with it but seems they have a problem in the area recently and the speed is variable.


Sorry I meant 12GB for LE150. I don't use Skype but all my friends do without any problems. Also residents that have the local wireless monitor system at home pay around Euros 40 per month. It is expensive.

Going back to when I first arrived ten years ago the internet was in the early days and the providers kept justifying costs and service with the fact we are in the middle of the desert, not in Europe. We have a campus for Technische Universitat Berlin here in El Gouna and they complain that the town needs a really high quality connection for the businesses.

Every year there are more and more of these palm tree masts appearing. Not sure if they are for 3G signals? I can see 8 from my lounge and kitchen windows. Being on the 2nd floor I hope I am not being cooked slowly by the signals!


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## Bob2

That sound promising Windsong. Thanks, I will check them out.

Bob.


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## Bob2

Gounie said:


> Sorry I meant 12GB for LE150. I don't use Skype but all my friends do without any problems. Also residents that have the local wireless monitor system at home pay around Euros 40 per month. It is expensive.
> 
> Going back to when I first arrived ten years ago the internet was in the early days and the providers kept justifying costs and service with the fact we are in the middle of the desert, not in Europe. We have a campus for Technische Universitat Berlin here in El Gouna and they complain that the town needs a really high quality connection for the businesses.
> 
> Every year there are more and more of these palm tree masts appearing. Not sure if they are for 3G signals? I can see 8 from my lounge and kitchen windows. Being on the 2nd floor I hope I am not being cooked slowly by the signals!



12 GB sounds more like it! I imagine that a 3G signal should suffice for Skype calls (it does in the UK). Regarding the WiFi, I would be willing to pay 40E per month as long as it was a fast and reliable service. 

What are the main holiday resorts in Egypt (for British tourists), are they safe and are the Vodafone and WiFi Internet services available there?

Thanks,
Bob.


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## MaidenScotland

Bob2 said:


> 12 GB sounds more like it! I imagine that a 3G signal should suffice for Skype calls (it does in the UK). Regarding the WiFi, I would be willing to pay 40E per month as long as it was a fast and reliable service.
> 
> What are the main holiday resorts in Egypt (for British tourists), are they safe and are the Vodafone and WiFi Internet services available there?
> 
> Thanks,
> Bob.




Not 40LE euros was mentioned


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## hurghadapat

Bob2 said:


> 12 GB sounds more like it! I imagine that a 3G signal should suffice for Skype calls (it does in the UK). Regarding the WiFi, I would be willing to pay 40E per month as long as it was a fast and reliable service.
> 
> What are the main holiday resorts in Egypt (for British tourists), are they safe and are the Vodafone and WiFi Internet services available there?
> 
> Thanks,
> Bob.


Hurghada and Sharm are the two main holiday resorts and yes they have Vodaphone and WiFi....common practice in Hurghada is to run a line from the nearest internet cafe (of which there are many) to your apartment  As for being safe they certainly don't have the problems that Cairo has but i don't think anywhere in Egypt at these troubled times can be called truly safe....as for saying you don't mind paying for a fast and reliable service...nothing is reliable in Egypt and internet is included in that statement.I use Skype to call friends in Hurghada and recently the connections have been cutting out quite a lot.


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## Bob2

hurghadapat said:


> Hurghada and Sharm are the two main holiday resorts and yes they have Vodaphone and WiFi....common practice in Hurghada is to run a line from the nearest internet cafe (of which there are many) to your apartment  As for being safe they certainly don't have the problems that Cairo has but i don't think anywhere in Egypt at these troubled times can be called truly safe....as for saying you don't mind paying for a fast and reliable service...nothing is reliable in Egypt and internet is included in that statement.I use Skype to call friends in Hurghada and recently the connections have been cutting out quite a lot.


Have you been using the connection running from your local Internet cafe to make your Skype calls?


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## hurghadapat

Bob2 said:


> Have you been using the connection running from your local Internet cafe to make your Skype calls?


Lol...no i was calling from the UK.


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## Helen Ellis

I use a USB dongle on Vodaphone at 150le for 12gb and it's variable speed, usually Skype is ok though but tv and videos don't always work well. there is a higher speed option I believe which I have not investigated because I don't want to pay for it. If you can find a place with a land line you can get a decent high speed connection, so I'm told. Not that many places have land lines yet and it's not a matter of just running a line into the building, the lines have not gone in down many of the roads yet. They are spreading though, but slowly.


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## Bob2

Helen Ellis said:


> I use a USB dongle on Vodaphone at 150le for 12gb and it's variable speed, usually Skype is ok though but tv and videos don't always work well. there is a higher speed option I believe which I have not investigated because I don't want to pay for it. If you can find a place with a land line you can get a decent high speed connection, so I'm told. Not that many places have land lines yet and it's not a matter of just running a line into the building, the lines have not gone in down many of the roads yet. They are spreading though, but slowly.


Hi Helen.

Thanks for the reply. Usually OK would not really be good enough as I would not want any dropped calls when using Skype. The higher speed option sounds interesting. Is it a dongle? If a landline connection would provide a decent and reliable Internet connection, I imagine that would be the way forward. Aren't the major resort areas all connected up?

Thanks,
Bob.


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## Gounie

There is definately a problem at the moment that Vodafone are sorting. Day before yesterday I kept losing the signal so switched to my Etisalat dongle. Vodafone seems to be working OK now. You can check all the speeds and packages on the websites:

On my laptop main page

Etisalat

https://www.mobinil.com/en/shop/at-home-landing


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## lewroll

I had massive problems with Etisalat (kept losing access) and despite promises of action, phone calls etc from their customer service, nothing happened. In the end, I left them and joined Vodaphone instead and so far a lot better. My access is via a router. Skype is fine - nothing spectacular - but no loss of service. Cannot say the same for Etisalat I'm afraid (also using a router). 

In the past, I also used a dongle (Etisalat too) and ditched that because I thought the dongle was the problem not the company , with what I know now, maybe just the company.

This is in Sharm so maybe a regional thing and different providers are better in different areas. Having said that, would not touch Etisalat again with a barge pole!


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## Bob2

Gounie said:


> There is definately a problem at the moment that Vodafone are sorting. Day before yesterday I kept losing the signal so switched to my Etisalat dongle. Vodafone seems to be working OK now. You can check all the speeds and packages on the websites:
> 
> On my laptop main page
> 
> Etisalat
> 
> https://www.mobinil.com/en/shop/at-home-landing


Thanks! I will check out the links.


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## Bob2

lewroll said:


> I had massive problems with Etisalat (kept losing access) and despite promises of action, phone calls etc from their customer service, nothing happened. In the end, I left them and joined Vodaphone instead and so far a lot better. My access is via a router. Skype is fine - nothing spectacular - but no loss of service. Cannot say the same for Etisalat I'm afraid (also using a router).



Hi.

Is the Vodafone service you use with your router a WiFi connection or is it via a landline?

Thanks.


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## MaidenScotland

I live in the city and use Tdata.. I pay 220le a month... 
No I dont have the best connection and yes skype often cuts out but they will tell you it's the phone lines fault..


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## lewroll

Bob2 said:


> Hi.
> 
> Is the Vodafone service you use with your router a WiFi connection or is it via a landline?
> 
> Thanks.


WiFi Bob.


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## hurghadapat

Not 100% sure but pretty sure that all internet regardless of the company be it Vodaphone,Etisalat or Mobinil all come through TData...that's how they were able to close down the internet so quickly during the revolution.

Found this on another site...

It's quite possible that all Egyptian ISPs simply rent terrestrial bandwidth from a single government controlled telecommunications company.


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## Bob2

windsong said:


> I use magicjack plus to call America.I get a local American phone number through it,and its like getting charged for a local call back in the states,but Im calling from Egypt.The phone call is crystall clear,and once its set up you can use it through your computer or phone box without the computer.The cost is only 70 dollars for a year unlimited calling,and just a small local call charge on your phone bill.I dont know about europe and using magicjack,but they have a web site with alot of information about the product Im sure you could find out there.Even on youtube they show how to connect it,which is very easy.


Hi.

I have had a look at the website but no live rep was available to speak with. Can you make calls with Majicjack without an Internet connection? If so, are you at the mercy of the phone lines in Egypt (which I think someone said don't often function 100% of the time) ? Either way you would be relying on the local phone lines or Internet connection wouldn't you?

Thanks,
Bob.


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## Bob2

Gounie said:


> There is definately a problem at the moment that Vodafone are sorting. Day before yesterday I kept losing the signal so switched to my Etisalat dongle. Vodafone seems to be working OK now. You can check all the speeds and packages on the websites:
> 
> On my laptop main page
> 
> Etisalat
> 
> https://www.mobinil.com/en/shop/at-home-landing



I have to say the options on the Vodafone website look pretty impressive. It's just the up time that would be the possible problem.


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## Gounie

Well I've never seen this before. Just by the bridge to the Sheraton, and my friend's villa with her jacuzzi the other side of the green hedge, they have installed a temporary mast for the feast! It arrived two days ago and there have been guys at the top of the mast for so many hours I was thinking of taking a cup of tea up to them.


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## canuck2010

Funny, people pay lots of money going to a tropical paradise only to glue their face to their mobile the entire time.


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## hurghadapat

canuck2010 said:


> Funny, people pay lots of money going to a tropical paradise only to glue their face to their mobile the entire time.


Curse of the times unfortunately....


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## Bob2

I spoke with Vodafone about 3G connection in Namaa Bay and I was very disappointed to hear that the download speed they can offer is only 450kbps to 800kbps. Can that be true or perhaps I misunderstood him?


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## Bob2

Looks like that info may be incorrect. A MiFi device can get you download speeds of around 7.5mbps.


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## mamasue

canuck2010 said:


> Funny, people pay lots of money going to a tropical paradise only to glue their face to their mobile the entire time.



In my case, it was the only way to stay in touch. 
Couldn't receive mail as I didn't have an address. I could have rented a mailbox at the post office... but it was 2 bus rides away. I believe this is still the case in Hurghada.


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## hurghadapat

mamasue said:


> In my case, it was the only way to stay in touch.
> Couldn't receive mail as I didn't have an address. I could have rented a mailbox at the post office... but it was 2 bus rides away. I believe this is still the case in Hurghada.




My mail box was the best thing i ever got but was a bit closer to it than Sue......10Le for a return journey by taxi to the delightful area of Hafr Al Batin.


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## shaks

We live in Sokna and got a Myfi and a USB from Vodafone . The USB is linked to a modem / decoder that gets us some TV channels. We use the Myfi in the car and flat in Cairo. We pay 100 LE a month for each. I wish we could get unlimited data somehow but it does not seem possible


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## Bob2

I think, for 250LE, you can get 20 GB with Vodafone.


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## Bob2

The 250LE for 20GB with Vodafone is via a data sim in a MiFi device without a contract - I believe.


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