Amazing Grace

I havent heard of any other English speaking places of worship in Al Ain but may be wrong, St Mary's seems to be the most well known if there are others

zoukla

Amazing Grace,

Just to provide clarity.
I was making the point that i cannot use skype to make landline/ mobile calls overseas. This is what is blocked by Etisalat.
Skype to skype works brilliantly as we have confirmed.

tlh

Skype to Skype calls (computer to computer) are not blocked because there is no charge for those calls. However, a Skype call from a computer to a telephone requires the caller's computer to access the Skype website to verify that the caller has funds available to cover the cost of the call. When that happens, Etisalat blocks the connection to Skype.com. It would be very good if Skype would simply pay Etisalat whatever it takes to erase the block.

emptynester

Is this the case even if you use a VPN?

tlh

A vpn is not really related to this problem. Typically, a vpn is used to create a secure connection between 2 computers or a computer and a network. A good example would be connecting to your employer's office network using a vpn supplied by the router.

The short answer is no. You cannot get around Etisalat's blocks with a vpn.

tlh

My wife and I are looking for a school in Al Ain for our 13 year old son beginning real soon. He would be going into the 7th grade back in the USA. So far, we have found the Al Ain English Speaking School and Manor Hall International School. Does anyone have any info on either of those schools or any other school? We are looking for a school with at least 1/3 western kids.

On another topic, is Etisalat the only internet service provider (ISP) in Al Ain? I expect that they are, but hope springs eternal.

Amazing Grace

AAESS is the main western expat school I believe but I have heard that they are full and have a waiting list. Probably next week onwards will be a good time to try to contact the Admin office as people will slowly be starting to return to AA after the summer holidays. I am afraid dont know much about Manor but I think it is quite a new school. Keep trying to contact the schools from their websites.

As far as internet is concerned the only two providers are Du and Etisalat much of a muchness, I have Etisalat Pay as You Go for my phone and have had no problems. Dont expect internet to be fast as you get at home though.

tomsmum

hot spot shield allows skype to telephone calls.

brendon2001ad

Check your PM mate. Hope you had a good holiday!

Bully Wee Boy

Not true. I and many others use VPNs to get around Etisalat's blocks and enjoy Skype to telephone calls to UK and watch UK TV.

Amazing Grace

Not true I use VPN all the time

shammy

To add to AG's advice, I would suggest you contact the UAE embassy where you are and determine whether the drugs are allowed into the country - as far as I am aware there are some that are widely available elsewhere on script that cannot be bought in. It is incumbent upon you to find this out - if you are caught with them, ignorance is not considered an excuse Shammy

shammy

Do you have to regularly reload Hotspot? I have friends who use it, and every few months they need to re load as skype to phone calls start being blocked. See you at Cosi on Monday!! Shammy

Bully Wee Boy

I used Hotspot when I first got here and it seems that they have a constant battle with Etisalat. Every few months Etisalat will find a way to block it and then it can take a few days for Hotspot to get around the block ! Hence the need to reload it every now and again.
I know that one of the attractions of Hotspot is that it's free but for those who need a more reliable service there are some relatively cheap VPNs out there.

sarahp1

Morning all,

I fly out to Al Ain tomorrow ( my whole life is currently in three suitcases) with my daughter. Just a last minute question to see if there is anything 'vital' that I need to bring with me that I cant get hold of over there! Am really looking forward to it, even though I know that being a single mum will be a nightmare - havign read about child care!!!