Going to Europe...internet connection question

[tobefirst ⚽️]

Hey, the youth group I help out with is getting ready to go to go to Germany for World Youth Day. One of our priests asked me how the internet connection works in Europe and if he needed to purchase any cables or anything special. He's wirelessly equipped on his Dell notebook, and wants to chronicle the trip for the rest of us stateside.

How prevalent are wireless hotspots in Germany and, to a lesser extent, France? What should he expect to pay to access the paid spots? Also, should he buy an ethernet cable to connect via wires, perhaps at the place they are staying? Are European ethernet cables any different than the ones over here?

Basically, I guess I'm asking for the answers to a FAQ on internet connection in Europe! Thanks for any and all help.

 

[superbovine]

in the hotel there will either be wifi in lobby, ethernet in the rooms, or both. it is going to depend what hotel and what service they have. just call the hotel you are staying at and ask them what kind of internet access they have and how much does it cost. there will also be internet cafe's and wifi access in various location.

 

[TMA]

Wireless - Very similar and should work fine.
Ethernet - Will be the same
Dial-Up - In the UK we have a different connector that goes into the wall socket, don't know if the same is true in the rest of Europe.

 

[Applespider]

Jiwire is showing over 6000 hotspots in Germany - they'll be a mixture of free and pay. It might be worthwhile checking out something like the T-mobile monthly pass since that will probably work in several countries.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

Jiwire is showing over 6000 hotspots in Germany - they'll be a mixture of free and pay. It might be worthwhile checking out something like the T-mobile monthly pass since that will probably work in several countries.

Can you explain to me what the monthly pass thing is exactly and how much it costs?

 

[Applespider]

Can you explain to me what the monthly pass thing is exactly and how much it costs?

Have a look at jiwire and see how many 'pay' hotspots there are that he might have to use and which network they are on. T-mobile is pretty common and they (and many other networks) offer passes for their services so you don't have to pay ridiculous rates each hour. Instead they give you an inclusive number of minutes/hours that you can use within a fixed time period. The prices are usually advertised at the hotspots or on the company's websites if you want to do some research in advance.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

Thank you for the help guys and gals. If you have any more advice, please feel free to post it. At least he'll have some idea of what's going on over there!

 

[superbovine]

I was just on the phone with someone in Germany, and they said it about 12€ for a day pass for tmobile hotspot.