# Advice on renting with internet



## Beachandy (Feb 6, 2015)

Hi Everyone,

I am new to this forum and am seeking some advice.

I am currently in the UK and wanting to move to South Spain starting with long term renting. My main issue is that I would need a good internet connection to maintain my business in the UK. Therefore I would need internet on arrival.

I have been browsing property websites and I am struggling to find such a service. The responses I have had say to set it up as soon as i get there. This would take a bit too long and I cannot afford any downtime.

Has anyone got any recommendations/ideas to achieve his?

Many thanks
Andy


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Welcome to the forum. I'm not in Spain now, but 7 years ago when we moved there, we had no trouble finding rented accommodation that had existing internet. We moved within Spain several times and only once did we have a problem because the house was in the middle of nowhere and that took a few days to sort out. But the rest was instant. However, we did ask the agent for internet to be laid on prior to us moving in ?? But that was after viewing the property, meeting the agent and paying the deposit

Jo xxx


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## larryzx (Jul 2, 2014)

In your situation I think it would be prudent to come to Spain to inspect any property being considering before signing a rental agreement. 

Whilst doing that it should be pretty simple to organise an internet connection for any particular property. If it is not them look for another property.

30 years ago one of the reasons I bought a particular house was because it had a telephone. At that time getting a phone line was difficult, but that is no longer a problem in most areas.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jojo said:


> Welcome to the forum. I'm not in Spain now, but 7 years ago when we moved there, we had no trouble finding rented accommodation that had existing internet. We moved within Spain several times and only once did we have a problem because the house was in the middle of nowhere and that took a few days to sort out. But the rest was instant. However, we did ask the agent for internet to be laid on prior to us moving in ?? But that was after viewing the property, meeting the agent and paying the deposit
> 
> Jo xxx


conversely - for every property I've rented in the past 11 years we've had to get the internet installed ourselves!


the best thing, if good internet is essential, is to find out from neighbours what internet they use, & how good it is - not to rely upon what an agent or owner tells you


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## xgarb (May 6, 2011)

https://tiendaonline2.amena.com/tarifas/internet-4g

assuming you are near a 4G signal. Also you'll need a spanish bank account to sign up.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

xgarb said:


> https://tiendaonline2.amena.com/tarifas/internet-4g
> 
> assuming you are near a 4G signal. Also you'll need a spanish bank account to sign up.


But they don't operate everywhere in the South.

Also, how do you find out where the 4G masts are?


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## xgarb (May 6, 2011)

snikpoh said:


> But they don't operate everywhere in the South.
> 
> Also, how do you find out where the 4G masts are?


Spain Cell Coverage Map - OpenSignal

It works at 3G when there is no 4G. Fastest internet in Salobrena is via this system.

But.. you'd probably want to check the signal on your phone in the property before committing just in case you are in a blackspot.


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## fcexpat (Sep 25, 2014)

xgarb said:


> https://tiendaonline2.amena.com/tarifas/internet-4g
> 
> assuming you are near a 4G signal. Also you'll need a spanish bank account to sign up.


We don't have a Spanish bank account yet but we had no problems getting the internet with Axartel so I suppose it depends where you are


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

4G may or may not be no good to run a business from though depending on what the exact requirements are.

It's tough as if you need cable you are restricted to areas where that is rolled out and it's by no means everywhere.
Telefonica have and online page to check for coverage if you know the house number and street so I would be checking that, it's not perfect though.
I would also look into what wimax can offer in terms of speed and packages, companies up here tend to have a good accurate coverage map and that would almost certainly increase the area you can search for property.

Other than that I agree with Jojo, once you have your property lined up then work out which package suits you and ask for it to be installed by the time you move but I would be very clear that you want a certain package otherwise you are liable to wind up with a dongle or something that gives you 5mb monthly data cap.


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## Trubrit (Nov 24, 2010)

Just be aware that Amena is owned by Orange, need I say more?


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

You should, because what you have said isn't very helpful. What's the issue with Orange?



Trubrit said:


> Just be aware that Amena is owned by Orange, need I say more?


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Horlics said:


> You should, because what you have said isn't very helpful. What's the issue with Orange?


Because they have a very bad name in Spain (generally).

It's also my experience that their coverage is poor (at least around here it is).


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

My mobile is with Orange.

Excellent coverage. Never drops a call. Calls to UK 1 cent a min. Internet performs well.



snikpoh said:


> Because they have a very bad name in Spain (generally).
> 
> It's also my experience that their coverage is poor (at least around here it is).


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Horlics said:


> My mobile is with Orange.
> 
> Excellent coverage. Never drops a call. Calls to UK 1 cent a min. Internet performs well.


Great. 

As I said, generally they are not well respected and coverage around here stops us using them.


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## Trubrit (Nov 24, 2010)

Coverage around here is very poor and their customer service is absolutely disgraceful.


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Personally if I'm looking for good reliable, quality internet - then for me it's got to be
Broadband Internet via a Cable TV provider - who no doubt have most local towns and
cities covered, with a Fibre Optic link to your door.

If you have the time to come over to Spain and view the properties and areas your interested
in and - done your research on local Cable TV providers - then it's just a case of checking
out the Cable TV manhole covers, along the streets of the properties your interested in.
Better still pop into the Cable TV provider shop, who will no doubt provide a photocopy
of the map, showing their Cable TV coverage area.

Naturally from there, you can ask the letting agent to let you look round those properties
your interested in, knowing that it's ticked the Broadband Internet via Cable TV box
already.
Finally alas - it goes without saying - not all areas of Spain have Cable TV access.
So no doubt some compromises will have to be made, if the area you set your heart on,
just doesn't tick the superfast broadband, Internet access box.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Williams2 said:


> Personally if I'm looking for good reliable, quality internet - then for me it's got to be
> Broadband Internet via a Cable TV provider - who no doubt have most local towns and
> cities covered, with a Fibre Optic link to your door.
> 
> ...


I'll second that - much faster than anything else available in my area, and far cheaper too. However, it's never going to be available outside of a largish town, I wouldn't think, so if it's absolutely essential for someone (for work, especially) they need to understand that they can't have both superfast broadband and that lovely villa in the countryside.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

I haven't seen any evidence of a fiber optic cable anywhere around here and it's not as if we are in the campo or are looking at areas that aren't built up.

Even here we are probably one of the only houses who can't get an basic adsl cable phone line, internet or the dodgy fusion tv package yet those across the street can.
I can only assume the high speed fiber optic broadband is only rolled out in the middle of cities and towns because just outside I have only ever seen the basic adsl packages.


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Pazcat said:


> I haven't seen any evidence of a fiber optic cable anywhere around here and it's not as if we are in the campo or are looking at areas that aren't built up.
> 
> Even here we are probably one of the only houses who can't get an basic adsl cable phone line, internet or the dodgy fusion tv package yet those across the street can.
> I can only assume the high speed fiber optic broadband is only rolled out in the middle of cities and towns because just outside I have only ever seen the basic adsl packages.


I can sympathise with your predicament and many others who's idyll place in
Spain, is too far out in the countryside for superfast broadband access.

Perhaps your local area, could setup the equivalent of B4RN ( Broadband for
the Rural North ) in Spain. Here's their agenda, taken from the B4RN website.
Obviously if it can be done in the UK, then why not Spain ?

_B4RN is a community owned fibre network offering fibre to every home providing a 1000 megabit (1 gigabit) futureproof full fibre connection for £30 a month.

This is a community-wide, co-operative, and collaborative initiative to do the job once, and do it right.
Being a “community benefit society” means that the assets are locked down and cannot be sold off to an outside interest in the way that a conventional company’s could. This means that the time, effort and money that this community will invest to get high quality broadband will be preserved for the benefit of the community and the future generations._

Since their inception, they have had great success in rolling out a cost effective
broadband service, to many villages in Lancashire and Cumbria.

BBC News - Fast fiber - A community shows the way

B4RN - Broadband for the Rural North website

Broadband for the Rural North


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

That is an interesting read, thanks for sharing the links.

I would say we are in the suburbs if anything, it's hardly the country life yet we still struggle to get a 3G signal at times. You really don't have to be far from a hub to not receive it.

I wonder what the reality would be of trying to get something like that up and running here.
Our community is a joke, the town hall is a corrupt joke and I wonder what telefonica would make of it all?


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## Dunpleecin (Dec 20, 2012)

I think fibre optic (i.e. superfast broadband) is limited to big cities at the moment.

I have recently signed up again with Movistar. The cost is 42 per month for around 8.5mb speed which is perfectly adequate for general internet usage and also internet based british TV. With the cost came a free mobile phone contract too which gives you 800mb data a month as well as 100mins of calls. I am lucky in that the lady at the movistar shop is very good.

If you're going to be relying on mobile internet coverage then again Movistar as the national provider is about as good as anyone. I've had no problems whatsoever.

Some communities have their own internet feed though too, so maybe you can check this out.


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