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 Internet access is availabe in just about any hotel or hostal. This is the most common way to connect when you are traveling. While not the rule, I've found the higher category hotels are more likely to charge you for internet access. From 3* and below internet access is much more likely to be free. Several hotels offer computers for guest use and then there are a few very wired hotels which have a laptop in every room. These are Hotel Petit Palace Canalejas, Hotel Petit Palace Santa Ana and Hotel Petit Palace Santa Cruz. You see the trend: they are all part of the Hi-Tech hotel chain which promise a wired and wireless connection in the room, as well as WiFi in all of the common areas. If you want to be really connected these are good choices. Also good if you don't have a computer with you. Otherwise you can find one of the few cyber cafes left in Seville. Many cafes are open throughout
the day and some until late at night. Expect to pay anywhere
from 2-3€ per hour. Don't forget that the keyboard will be different in Spanish.
Like the shift function on U.S.
(English) keyboards, you'll need to master the art of Ctrl-Alt
to access the third characters on the keyboard (keep this in mind
when looking for the @ key). Other letters or characters
are simply in different places.
Most cafes do a poor job promoting themselves
online, and many online lists of cyber cafes do a worse job
of keeping up to date on closings (and openings) of internet
cafes in Seville. I think the internet cafe as we knew it is no longer a viable business option. Just about every hotel and hostal have an internet connection, and many will have a few computers for guests use. The two biggest internect cafes in Seville just closed their doors in 2011: Internetia and Sevilla Internet Center were the best options in town. I've included the few which are still limping along. Instead refer to my WiFi section for plenty of places where you can connect for free or the cost of a coffee.
Correos!
 :
Avda Constitución
It's hard to imagine that the Spanish Post Office has moved
into the 20th century, or should I say the 21st. But things
are improving since the time I sent three boxes home only
to get one of the three some two months later. That said, Correos has now opened a kind of locutorio with internet
access. A few modern computers, flat screens and reasonable
rates are what you can expect. They are open from 10 or 11am
until 11 or 12 midnight depending on the day. You can also
call home (the U.S.) for something like 6 cents per minute.
Add this to the fact that it is a convenient location in the
center and you have to start liking what Correos has done.
Cyber Alcazar
: c/ San Fernando, 23 - 2ºA
Just across the street from the University of Seville. They
do everything, including sell mobile phones and calling cards.
They cater to students and
have agreements with several study abroad programs to offer
discounts to their students. Being close to the University
it is also heavily traveled with Spanish students.
Planeta Verde
: c/Trajano, 10
Internet access. Just a block or two
from Plaza del Duque. You can also buy calling cards. Rates are very reasonable.
Cyberama
:
c/ San Luis
Small outfit with internet access close to the Macarena church.
Flat screen monitors and some younger kids hanging around.
WiFi is popping up in more and more bars and restaurants. In just about any neighborhood in the center you won't have to search for too long to find a place to connect. There are also some WiFi hotspots for free in several plazas around the shopping district. Even a few parks have WiFi, and there is a plan to add WiFi to some newsstands. For a full and up to date list I recommend using the Exploreseville.com WiFi Hotspots in Seville Map. For these hotspots you never need to have a subscription or sign up for anything in advance. For those types of connections you can try a service like Boingo. There is also Tempest Telecom although I am less familiar with them. For now, the following places are your
best bets in the center:
Starbucks
:
Avda Constitución (Centro - just next to the Cathedral)
:
Avda Constitución (Centro - just in front of the Archivo de Indias)
:
La Campana (Centro)
:
Puerta Jerez (Centro)
:
Nervión Plaza (Nervión)
The first Seville location on Avda Constitución
near the Cathedral. For those seeking a smoke-free place
to enjoy coffee they also have a non-smoking section. This
location Cathedral offers wireless internet access (WiFi)
but at a price. The new location in Puerta Jerez also offers
WiFi, as the droves of American study abroad students with
laptops will indicate. The location in Nervión does
not offer WiFi at this time.
Texas Lone Star Saloon (Tex Mex Bar)
:
c/ Placentines (next to the Cathedral)
A favorite spot for American's aborad now offers WiFi.
Maya Soul
:
c/ Betis, 41 (Triana)
A place in Triana catering to students with live
sports on a big screen TV. They also have wireless internet
access at a price, or you can hit their happy hour of 16:00
- 21:00 when they let you connect for free.
Merchant's Malt House
:
c/ Canalejas, 12 (Arenal / Plaza de Armas)
A pub which caters to expats, whether it's a sporting
event, trivia contest, Halloween party or the ever requested
WiFi connection.
WiFi Hot Spots in Seville
If you find one, please report it to me.
Below are places you can connect to open connections most
of the time. I am not responsible nor in any way recommending
you connect to someone else's network, but...
Plazas in Seville with Free WiFi
In some plazas in the central shopping district they have added free WiFi with a time limit (between 30 minutes and an hour, you can jump from plaza to plaza if you need more). The plazas in Seville with free WiFi are currently the following:
br>
:
Plaza Salvador
:
Plaza del Pan (behind Salvador church)
:
Plaza de la Pescaderia
:
Plaza Alfalfa
:
Plaza de la Encarnacion
Finally, don't forget places which offer connections
for laptops. I think many people forget about this in their
crazed search for wireless access. In the end you probably:
1) have to plug in your laptop unless you have an extra
battery and 2) need someplace like a desk to surf and write
comfortably. Is it that different to just plug
a network cable into your computer at a workstation somewhere?
Whether you're here for a short time or an extended stay
knowing the tools you can use online to manage your life
makes things a lot easier. Below are some recommended links
with a few descriptions.
Using your ISP abroad or securing one before traveling
This is an option which may work for some, although I would
recommend using a cyber cafe over trying to connect through
your existing ISP. Working out the logistics, signing up
to be eligible to use your ISP's plan and a whole host of
other issues make this a less than preferred method in my
book. Let's add to that the generally high cost of broadband outside of your network. Your best bet is the above mentioned boingo.com, which can give you plenty of hotspots in Sevilla (around a 100 total, although many are outide of the city center). They also partner with some service providers so you may be able to get a discount for use.
Email
Most will sign up or use an existing webmail service
such as Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo!.
I prefer Yahoo or Gmail because they give you a lot of space and the interface of either is better than Hotmail.
More space is great in case you cannot check your mail
for a while. All of them offer some kind of file storage (if not just email yourself something). If you keep a calendar
and task list in Outlook you can also synchronize it with
Gmail and Yahoo using additional software. Free and easy solutions to check your pop email can be found
on sites like Mail2web. This is handy if you don't have one of the main webmail providers and forget how or where to log-in to your webmail. Sites like Mail2web allow you to put in just about any email address and
password and check your email from anywhere in the world.
You don't need to know any of the server information in
most cases.
Skype and other VoIP services.
As a regular user of Skype with a good USB headset, I can vouch for the service. I
have been very pleased with the quality of computer to computer
calls, as well as calls to regular phones for just a few cents a minute.
This has cut our phone bill by about 20 Euros a month! There
are some practical considerations for using Skype,
like if you connect in a cyber cafe your conversations may
not be that private. But using this with a home internet
connection or outdoors while connected to an open/free wireless
connection is better. And using it on your mobile phone with an internet connection is ideal. If you use it with a 3G or better connection you'll have to pay the data fees and in some cases the call quality is not that good. Of course Google Voice is
now in the game, and there are plenty of other services out there that let you make cheap calls. But I have had good experiences with
Skype, and like giving my business to the first one who
brought quality service to the masses.
Chat, Conferencing and Remote Access
Most everyone is familiar with instant messaging, so I won't
go into this too much. It's worth mentioning that most any messaging software will allow you to chat using a micrphone and webcam. You can
use a webcam on Yahoo and Windows Messenger, although the
windows application is often picky about what type of camera
you are using.
Remote access to your home or work computer is simple if
you're bringing a laptop or have access to a computer where
you can install a program. PCanywhere is simple although you may need to do some firewall tweaking.
For many work connections this may include installing a
VPN client, (Virtual Private Network) to allow you to securely
and safely access your work computer using this program.
You can transfer files as well as do anything on your computer
as if you were there. GoToMyPC is another software/service like PCanywhere but they charge
a monthly fee. You've likely seen their banner ads which
are on almost any page on the internet. Best for simple tasks is the free service Logmein.com, which allows you to connect to an unlimited number of computers from anywhere in the world. If you have Windows XP professional
through Windows 7 (and I am sure 8) installed on your computer you can also enable
Remote Desktop and connect to other computers. Again, some firewall
tweaking or talking with your network administrator may
be necessary.
Online Fax
The need for faxing still exists for many people, including myself! There are a lot of email to fax and online fax services which are fairly cheap. I have used popfax.com for many years and have had more or less a positive experience. You can send faxes through their web page or download and use their print driver which allows you to send a fax using the print option and chosing fax option from the list of printers. You can get a local fax number in many cases which allows you to receive a fax to your email. And there are many plans to choose from depending on your needs.
Web Pages and Blogs
I use my page not only to tell people about Sevilla but
also keep in touch with family. Reading my semi-daily entries
keeps me from writing a lot of emails or sending pictures.
There are a ton of options for blogs out there,
and if you have a web site you don't
need to know html to make a page anymore - many come with some basic
templates to upload photos, write messages, etc.
Online Banking
I think every bank now offers online banking and if yours doesn't then it's time to switch! For
a short trip it may be enough to look at your balances and
transfer from one account to another while you travel. If
it's a longer stay and you need to pay bills make sure your
bank offers a bill pay system so you can take care of it
online. One thing to beware of when
entering your information in a cyber cafe are programs which
track keystrokes. Not a big threat, but a few employees
of cyber cafes in Europe have been arrested for installing
these key trackers. They got banking information and either
managed to withdraw or transfer funds around, causing a
problem for people on the road. Credit card companies offer online access where you can pay your
bill or view transactions. If you plan to stay more than
a month it can be helpful to keep your payments up to date.
You can also send emails to customer service if you have
questions or report lost/stolen cards, although it is best
to do the latter by telephone.
Links
Here are some links to sites which may be helpful during
your stay in Seville or anywhere else. You can see more
links on my Links page.
Currency Converter - convert any currency into another, even the now defunct
peseta.
Time
Zone Converter - find out what time it is now anywhere
in the world.
Online
Conversion - convert any measurement to another. The
largest list online.
Locate
an ATM - find any Visa/Plus ATM throughout the world.
Pay attention
The rest of the items below mostly have to do with the computer
use. However, it is easy to become so involved with what's
on the screen that you don't pay attention to your bag or
other belongings which you have set down next to you. Always
try to guard your belongings and keep them in a place where
they are difficult for others to reach while you are using
your computer.
Login information
Be sure to always log out of any web page by using a log
out feature rather than simply closing the browser. Closing
the window while leaving other windows open may allow someone
to log back into your account because your session has not
expired. Always uncheck any boxes which offer to remember
your log-in and/or password.
Don't leave your computer unattended
If you have to leave your seat but are not ending your time
on a public computer you should log out of any web pages
and close all programs.
Who is watching you
Some internet cafes offer more private, cubicle style desks
for surfing. Others are more open for anyone to view. In
either case it's still possible someone can see your screen
and/or keyboard to obtain personal information such as log-ins
and passwords, even a credit card number.
Delete your history, cache and cookies
Many internet cafes automatically delete your history and
cache when you end your turn. However, just as many don't.
To delete these files in Internet Explorer
1. Select Tools and then click Internet Options.
2. On the General tab (the default), look under the header
Temporary Internet files and click Delete Cookies.
3. Under the same Temporary Internet files header click
on Delete Files.
3. Under History, click Clear History.
Avoid entering important or sensitive information
Sometimes you have to check your bank balance or make other
important transactions online on a public computer. Still,
if you are able to avoid online banking and or credit card
transactions on a public computer you will protect yourself
even more. While clearing your history, logging out and some
of the other steps above will help protect you, there have
been some (rare) cases of software such as keystroke capturing
programs being installed in internet cafes. These essentially
record every keystroke you make and save them to a file. The
installer can then retrace any of your steps and obtain your
credit card number, log-in information, etc.
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