Easy Internet Access in Mexico

I was in London at the beginning of 2007 and I foolishly took my lap-top computer along, thinking that a modern, western city would be even more connected to free wi-fi points than Mexico City. I was wrong as it's the other way around. For some reason London seems to enjoy charging an arm and a leg for things that come free in Mexico.

You will find that many Mexicans use hand-held computers when they are on the move - they seem to be far more ubiquitous here than in London. Whatever type of computer you decide to bring over, make sure that you buy an international plug before you leave home. If you forget then not to worry as Mexico City has a plentiful supply of electrical shops where you can buy an American type connection.

Let's look at free wi-fi points. Your first port of call is obviously the international airport at Mexico City. The place is one giant wi-fi point and, unlike London Heathrow, the access is free.

Your hotel will probably offer free wi-fi, as most of the newer ones along Reforma give free internet access as part of the package. If this is the case then you can stop reading now, and just use the hotel's facilities. However, if you are planning to travel, or if your hotel doesn't have an internet point, then read on.

Sanborn's is a restaurant chain with branches throughout the city. All Sanborn's have a wi-fi router that you can connect to. The problem is that only about half of them offer free wi-fi. The rest demand that you have an account with Prodigy, the semi-official internet service provider in this country. You can, of course, buy a Prodigy card in the Sanborn's shop, which is probably what they want, but the aim is not to pay anything, isn't it?

Another restaurant chain is called Vips - pronounced "Veeps" - and their outlets are almost as easy to find as Sanborn's. The difference is that all the Vips outlets not only have routers, but access to them is free. Just ask the manager for a wi-fi card and connect using that username and password. Then drink your coffee and write your e-mails at the same time.

If you decide not to bring a computer with you, then the hotel will probably have a bank of them for guests' use in a small annex - just ask the lady at reception. Outside, you will find that the further away from the city centre you get, the more internet cafes there are. This is counter intuitive, but the more backward and primitive a place is, the more likely you are to see an internet cafe on almost every street corner.

That said, in Mexico City centre they are not all that hard to find, so keeping in touch with home is not going to be difficult. Prices start at about U.S.$1.00 for an hour's use, and go up to about U.S.$2.00. Mexicans love their broadband and almost all internet cafes now have it.