Jon-Bxl

HI D+M
You may remember that I was always suspicious about 'smart TV's'....

I don't think its a good idea to use them for everything....

​​​​​​Its not high tech, but here in Spain I have switched off all internet connection on the smart tv.

I plug my PC (which IS way smarter and use the TV as a 'dumb' monitor) using an HDMI cable to project to the screen.

With a wireless mouse I can control everything from my couch!!!

And so I have everything working ok . With the PC 'the boss'.... I use Nordvpn, but in this setup any will work. If it works on the PC (or tablet etc) it will work on the dumb monitor TV... !!

Hope to see you soon

Jon


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keithBT

Hi Jon, Slightly off topic here, but what is the "Bordello" menu like nowadays. Last time we were there was just before lockdown on early March 2020. Enormous portion of grilled Salmon I recall on the Saturday Special. Have they retained the set menu deal ? thx... Keith(bt)

Jon-Bxl

Hi Keith
Ill answer this and then a question I was meaning to ask you to bring it back on topic

Everything is as ever. Set menu several main course choices all in €8. On each day (ex Tuesdays - closed) some items may have a 1-2€ supplement. There are 4-5 choices per day Probably the best value ever as it includes drinks, desert and coffee. Each day has 2 pre set dishes so you know what you get for sure and a couple more courses, variable. Saturday is Salmon day very good & €1 supplement.

Sundays no preset choices 5 choices or so around €10 all in.... See attached... In Portuguese and French

Re Priinet if I remember correctly you closed the account. Did they refund you anything (and if so, what was it) when the removed the equipment please?

Thanks and bon appetit .... And web surfing

Jon

David and Margaret

Many thanks for your guidance and advice

Jon-Bxl

This is s message from Priinet received today...(below). Its for Marina Esuri. But the writing is on the wall for all....

This thread is therefore very timely ,👍👍

Jon
Good Morning,
the service you have currently will stop working in a month approximately. The next time you are in Spain you should contact with us to make the new installation to continue with our services.
Best Wishes.

MKABZ

Hi Jon,
Did the message stipulate it encompasses the whole of Marina Esuri as I still haven't received any notification from them. I don't particularly want to contact them as it may quicken my disconnection, on the other hand, I don't want to discover out of the blue one day that my internet no longer works.
Mary.

MKABZ

Can I ask one of the knowledgeable tech people on here to put a Dummies version of how to go about using the temporary option discussed on here. There has been so much different information put forward that it is a bit baffling for those not very techy to follow.
Thanks in advance.
Mary.

Jon-Bxl

Hi Mary

It started when I asked them to switch on internet for our stay. They emailed to confirm and told me that I should switch to fibre, because they were taking down the aerials and the current service would stop.

I replied asking them about how long I could expect to have the same service (in Marina Esuri) as I wanted to stay on that as long as possible.

I included their whole reply in my post... So my understanding is that this applies to the whole of ME.

In fact based on previous discussions there aren't many aerials (perhaps only 1) in the whole of CE so we might be ALL affected... Either in a month ... Or very soon after

The writing is on the wall ... Whatever.

It could be a sales tactic as they want people to shift asap. Especially people like me who dont pay the full amount when away... They obviously (and understandably) want to manage 1 system, and get more revenue.

I am surprised that they haven't made a big flash announcement to all customers, so it could actually last longer.... But we all know where this is going...

I'll reply to your 2nd post separately.

Times are changin' ... Everywhere!!

Jon

Jon-Bxl

Hi Mary

I am not techy either, so have asked questions step by step to get to a solution that works for us personally. As ever I am delighted with the help that people offer on this forum. Thank you all

As ever with technology, its 'horses for courses' and requirements are often different for people.

So here's what I recommend for you. I hope its valid and useful for you, and maybe others.

1: If you aren't on the 'switch off and pay less when away deal' then contact them and arrange a switch to fibre, for your next trip (it costs about the same and should be a better service and far less hassle!). Do it well in advance so they can schedule installation asap after your arrival. They will have a lot of installs to do!. You are covered at no cost ... And have time to consider other options afterwards, if you want.

1.1 : If you arent coming for a while, you might consider terminating the contract. But that is a negotiation with them and depends on your situation. I'm personally doing that.

2 If you are paying less when away, like me, then switch to fibre and a fixed monthly payment (more expensive but less hassle) .... Or change to another option. As discussed on this thread

2.1 The option I am going with, personally, is to use a MEO SIM as Maverik recommended. And then technically supported by the experts on the thread. This is Unlimited internet (one of our top requirements) On a prepaid SIM card. If I get a good signal, and it works, (as I think it will, thanks to the expert help here) I will personally put the SIM in a MIFI router to give internet for all devices in our home. See my post re search terms.

2.2 MEO is €1/day and you pay up front for a choice of 15, 20, 25, 30 or 50 days. And thus ZERO for days away. If it works, its perfect for OUR requirements, and cheaper than Priinet.

3 If this option 2, doesn't work... I am back to square 1!! 😭😭 Priinet fibre will then be high on the list..

Note I went to MEO VRSA yesterday, with a paper with the info outlining my needs to help with language issues. It couldn't have been easier!!! Piece of cake!!! I paid €15 for a 15 day package, which will activate on first usage. The SIM is free!! The very professional and friendly lady spoke a little English, confirmed all my questions, even had a little router for €50. I didn't get it as I want to try my old router, and will buy a more powerful one if it doesn't work across 2 floors of our place.

Good luck.... I hope this helps.

Jon
PS sun has finally come out on CE!!!

Jon-Bxl

Quick additional point: the MEO SIM is 5G ready too! So future proofed.... And is pre-cut to fit in mini/micro/nano slots
Jon

MKABZ

Hi Jon,
Thanks very much for both of your replies.
Regarding the fibre, last year we had to go down to the office when the internet had been knocked out by storms and the girl was pushing for us to take out the fibre instead of repairing what we currently had. We persisted and got them to come out and fix it, we had to get a new router installed. We are not on the "switch off", so generally the only communication with them is a monthly bill coming out by email.
I am out in Marina Esuri just now, should be here for the next month and a half. I reckon I will continue along as is in the meantime and hope that the internet remains connected for that duration. Otherwise, the MEO sim deal you mention above sounds like a good way to go, worth a try anyway and should probably save money in the long run.
Thanks for your help and also the tech minded people who supplied all the information on the thread.
Mary.

MKABZ

Jon-Bxl,
FYI, I got my payment advice this morning from Prinet, for the month of April, still no mention of disconnecting the service. As they are charging me for April, then the service is going to be available at least for another month.
Mary

Jon-Bxl

Thanks for that Mary. As I supposed - it could have been a sales ploy to get me to move. But it will happen eventually. To be fair, they did tell me that it would remain active for 'about' a month.

I pay €25 for the usage for every full month here (including paying for a full month if we arrive/leave mid month) and 7€ for full months away from 5th of each month. So I want to keep something similar price wise.

The MEO solution should actually be cheaper than this (for us). The priinet 'on-price' is the same as priinet fibre, (for us) which isn't a bad deal, but (for us) is more expensive ....

So priinet fibre was my fall back option. Ive formally notified them of termination of contract and requested return of the deposit for the hardware they installed.

Ive been testing network speeds, using my phone with wifi switched off and forcing a connection to MEO's Mobile network, Ive found 3 places where it should work - not surprisingly in the Portuguese direction. (Faster too) A router should be more 'powerful' so I hope to get a successful signal all over our home

Will you switch to fibre before you leave... ? Its a free switch with I believe a 12 month commitment.

Jon

Loco

Jon,

Somewhat confused.

Do you mean you have purchased a Meo SIM, placed it your phone and found 3 places around your home on CE that works when you point your phone in the direction of Portugal and in those places you have found the signal to be " faster" than your current provider but you can't get full coverage around the house ?

If so it makes perfect sense and any decent 4G router will solve the problem.

My confusion is I thought you said you had a 4g router.

I guess you may have meant you had one at your main home which clearly you can't currently access if you currently in CE.

​​​If you can't wait avoid purchasing a 4g Mifi type router. Their Rx and Tx ( receive and transmit ) is often worse than newer smartphones.

Go for a proper 4g/LTE or 4g/LTE + router that can be purchased online with next day delivery for between around 45 to 100 Euros.

​​
Best
Loco


Snipped

Loco

Those considering the 4G option wishing to access UK TV or for that matter other geo blocked content should be aware that DNS proxy services won't normally work

VPNs will and for those that have bought UNsmart TVs and found they can't add a VPN on it the good news is most VPN services can be added to most , if not all 4G routers.

Best
Loco

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