Exactly How Do I Use Skype There and What Is The Cost to Call US?

[uncjump]

Caribe Blu's internet worked great for calls, we did 12days in the yucatan last fall and started in Coz with Caribe blu/Blue Angel. We called our girls everyday for 20-30min and called local resorts (at ~4c per min for mexico calling) and still have $5.63 left out of $10 of credit. We were on the 3rd floor directly above the lobby and could still use the wireless. There were times that 3 of us were on laptops with Skype making calls at the same time with no issue. It surprising how many locations in Mex have dsl and can support this type of calling. I've picked up a little self-contained linksys phone with skype loaded on it and will use it on the next trip (no laptop needed)

 

[ggunn]

Caribe Blu's internet worked great for calls, we did 12days in the yucatan last fall and started in Coz with Caribe blu/Blue Angel. We called our girls everyday for 20-30min and called local resorts (at ~4c per min for mexico calling) and still have $5.63 left out of $10 of credit. We were on the 3rd floor directly above the lobby and could still use the wireless. There were times that 3 of us were on laptops with Skype making calls at the same time with no issue. It surprising how many locations in Mex have dsl and can support this type of calling. I've picked up a little self-contained linksys phone with skype loaded on it and will use it on the next trip (no laptop needed)

I have been going to Cozumel since 1978, and back in those days, a land line call to the US was problematic and expensive. Since the cellphone and internet booms the changes have been nothing short of amazing. Not long ago my wife made a crucial call to the States from a fishing boat in the channel between Cozumel and the Yucatan. Ain't technology grand? ;^)

 

[DandyDon]

Haha, even Holbox has good internet service I hear. My hotel there says it does.

I used to just tell family that I was unavailable for the next week for any but the most dire emergencies and get away from all that, but it is good to have the option at reasonable rates.

 

[Uber]

Pesonally I just ask Chad at Wet Wendy's and he lets me use the phone to call Canada or the Uk for nothing (it's Vonage so doesn't cost much anyhow)..... mind you I do buy a beer or two (an her indoors likes the silver shop behind!)

 

[Jim Baldwin]

I've done the here and seen many post that they just use Skype to call home from Mexico, and I have been all over the Skype site looking for information - but I missing something?

If I take my laptop and microphone with me then go to the Caribe Blu lobby for wireless service or log in at an internet shop in town, do I just phone like I would from home and get charged against my credits? At what rate?

thanks!

We have had Skype about five months now. When we set it up we got a local exchange here in Louisiana. Now with Donna in Cozumel I just pick up the house phone call the number and we talk for free. We have a laptop at the house with a regular plug in phone and an extra set of speakers. We found the speakers were not even necessary.

Even if she has to call me it is very cheap. Friends and family can call anytime they want and it's either free or they use their cell phone minutes. Sure beats nearly 75 cents a minute after all the international taxes with Cingular.

 

[DandyDon]

We have had Skype about five months now. When we set it up we got a local exchange here in Louisiana. Now with Donna in Cozumel I just pick up the house phone call the number and we talk for free. We have a laptop at the house with a regular plug in phone and an extra set of speakers. We found the speakers were not even necessary.

Even if she has to call me it is very cheap. Friends and family can call anytime they want and it's either free or they use their cell phone minutes. Sure beats nearly 75 cents a minute after all the international taxes with Cingular.

So you have connected your home phone to your Skype? Do you still have local service? How did that work exactly...?

 

[drbill]

And AT&T Tells me that $0.10/min is a "cheap" rate for domestic long distance. I guess it's time to switch!

 

[DandyDon]

And AT&T Tells me that $0.10/min is a "cheap" rate for domestic long distance. I guess it's time to switch!

Remember the Supreme Court Case that broke up ATT, taking local service monopolies from them - forming the Bells? Wow that was big news at the time, and now look: ATT+SWBell+Cingular = We're baaacckkk...!!

Yeah from home, I pay $3/month to call anywhere US or Canada, anytime, virtually unlimited (10,000 minutes/month I think = almost 6 hours/day every day.)

BTW Bill, I do have ATT home service & DSL. I called recently to investigate better deals, plans that fit me for less, etc. It's good to do that with phone, DSL, cell phone, etc every 3 or 4 month. We could not find anything that'd save me money, so I said: "Ok, well to keep me from shopping for a better deal with a cable company, give me a personal discount then." She had to transfer me to Retention Dept (they all have those), but I figured as long as I was on the phone and that far along - ok. Got me $5/month off - no contract.

 

[drbill]

Boy do I agree on the re-constitution of the phone conglommerate, Don. I went from PacBell to AT&T and wondered why it was allowed. Good thing there are options like Skype and other VOIP providers. When I was in Asia a few years ago I could place calls to the States for 2-3 cents a minute. On this side it's 10X those rates.

 

[murdrcycle]

I wouldn't bother with Skype - go downtown and buy a TelMex pre-paid cell phone with minutes on it. We paid about $50, and it included the phone. The next time we go back to Mexico we will just have to buy minutes at about $10 or $15 per card. You can call locally for next to free, and the US for cheap. We called home to talk to the kids every day (just kept it brief) and it we never went over our minutes. Plus, we were able to give the phone number to our hotel and divemaster so they could call us if they needed to. And it was a good thing because they needed to.

P.S. - VoIP sucks. You may get lucky and have a smokin fast Internet connection, and you may get lucky and happen to secure routes without much latency, but that is just what it is - luck.