Bahamas Cell Service for Internet

[geoffr]

We are heading over the the Bahamas and are wondering what everyone is using for internet access. I need pretty constant access while traveling. In the the US our ATT cell plans have worked very well (15GB/month x2 phones) and we have only rarely needed to use the cell booster.

What services are available and is it best to pick it up once you arrive? (We will likely check-in at Bimini).

[Kinkircating]

Starlink, it’s the bomb.

[WatchingWaves]

Just took my boat to the Bahamas for the season at the beginning of November. I talked with several locals when I arrived and all agreed that the Aliv cell / internet service was the way to go. It has been working well for me in the Abacos. The other choice is BTC.


But, yes, if you can get starlink setup before you go, definitely do that. It has been consistently faster than my home internet in the states (even on the crossing from Norfolk to the Bahamas).

[hlev00]

Aliv worked pretty well for us last winter. We bought a compatible Alcatel hotspot from Amazon and picked up the SIM when we arrived in Bimini. Aliv had problems at Staniel Cay due to too many users at the time. It was the worst locations. There were others that were sketchy at times. A plesant surprise was that there were no issues in George Town. They must have a lot of capacity built out. The deeper you get into the Land and Sea Park the worse the reception is for any cell service. Warderick Wells has zero except if you go ashore and go behind the ranger station to the designated location. Great for getting a quick email or weather but not for working or large downloads.

Our previous trip in 2019 we started with a BTC SIM in an iphone to provide the hotspot. This was okay but seemed more expensive when we had some people arrive mid trip and anticipated the need for more data. We switched then to MyIslandWifi which was great. We tried MIW again in 2019 but they sold out of hotspots which is why we went with Aliv.

In both cases it was handy to haul the hotspot up the mast a bit in a dry bag when distance was the issue.

For phone service both hotspots worked fine with WiFi calling though if you have Verizon be sure to configure it before leaving the states as you have to be on their network when you enable it. I'm not sure about others.

Some people like to have a phone with a local SIM like from BTC so you don't have take the hotspot and phone ashore to make calls but we found that a hotspot worked well. It is also helpful to have WhatsApp as some locals provide WhatsApp phone numbers. It is also helpful contacting non-US cruisers as WhatsApp is much more common outside the US.

Harry
s/v Juno

[geoffr]

Thanks for the comments.

I assume with an Aliv sim in my phone I can use it as a hotspot, which would be perfect.

[chris mac]

Originally Posted by geoffr

Thanks for the comments.



I assume with an Aliv sim in my phone I can use it as a hotspot, which would be perfect.

That is what I did last year. It is also the plan for this year.

[Wind Buddy]

Going to Bahamas in a few weeks for a couple of months on our boat. We will need internet and were wondering if anyone had recent experience with the ATT Int’l Day pass in the Bahamas? We would just put it on one device and then use that for a hot spot. They say we can use it just as we do at home (we have an unlimited plan) but we think that coverage might be spotty because, after all, it is the Bahamas.

[neworleansrich]

Of the two Bahamas networks, the ALIV network seems to work a little better than BTC in the Exumas and around Nassau, but either is relatively inexpensive and will work as a hotspot. If you do choose to use a Bahama sim card, make sure your people that may call you frequently have a US plan that doesn't charge high prices to call a Bahamas 242 number.

ATT works fine also but is $10 extra per day of use. Verizon seems to have issues.

Lately, we have been using a Google Fi sim card with the $65 per month plan in an unblocked phone. Hotspot streaming, calls, texts, data, no extra cost in the Bahamas. It's easy to set up in the US before you leave. Walmart sells cheap unblocked phones. When you arrive in the Bahamas, set the carrier to ALIV. It works a bit better. Speeds are good enough to stream movies off Netflix, etc.

Whatever you do make sure your guests have some kind of international plan. If not, the international fees can be steep.