Bedrock

Just a brief entry… I may be wrong but I don’t remember such continuous August heat – indeed It was just as hot in most of July here in Galera (we escaped to the UK late July – early August but I’m told that while we were away, it was as hot as it has been since) – all gets a bit monotonous after a while – so it was interesting tonight to see a LITTLE bit of rain tonight.

Nothing lilke Northeast England rain mind you – it was still 30c -in fact really pleasant for sitting outside. I’ve been hiding away a lot working on my tech blog – and Maureen’s been doing a lot of reading. At least in our cave it is possible to shelter from the extremes, albeit I’ve been using my office air conditioner more than usual recently.

Update Late November 2024: I’ve been writing a lot elsewhere and not doing a good enough job of keeping this blog up to date – accordingly – after a VERY hot summer, Southern Spain has had some horrendous flooding – thankfully we’ve avoided most of that in the hills above Galera and continue to have nice weather WHEN THE SUN IS OUT, but I should stress it’s starting to get quite cold in the shade. Been keeping up with Spacex’s latest failure and hoping that Starship flight 7 will be much more successful. Maureen and I continue to enjoy the area and fairly regular trips to the coast.

Watched the PENGUIN series on TV – quite impressive makeup. Meanwhile our 4G broadband provider DIGI has dropped their prices again (25 euros, then 20, now 15 for completely unlimited use), sadly still no joy on 5G in Galera and coverage in nearby Huescar remains somewhat spotty. I note that back in the UK, prices continue to go UP – how not to attact long-term customers.

Please note: Items prefixed SALE: are not commercial – private items placed here only because Facebook is UTTERLY USELESS.

Unless I know you personally, cash only, buyer collects from Galera 18840, Spain – no couriers.

€85 + post or collect from our village.

This versatile, powerful yet simple to use GL-iNET 4G router can be used several ways.

Firstly as a 4G router – it can provide Ethernet and WIFi outputs – far more than a simple MiFi unit yet not much bigger.

Spitz initial setup – wirelessly –  turn on – leave on for a minute or two – hold in the tiny reset button for 10 seconds until the indicator is flashing quickly.   Within another couple of minutes you should have 2 new WiFi access points on your phone. Default WiFi password is goodlife. Ensure your phone is using the first access point – then in settings on your phone – go to 192.168.8.1 and access the control panel. Select ENGLISH and NEXT.

Create a new admin password – I use Pass123 for testing only (and temporarily untick “prevent weak password”.

Background and reference

Elsewhere in here I’ve gone into detail about our struggle here in Galera (Granada, Spain) with broadband, starting with the takeover of “Habland” broadband company who then became “Excom”, renegged on promises of fibre to the extremes of our village, denied that for years that they had always offered a variable rate for dish broadband users etc…. it’s a long sordid story fully detailed here. After much well-documented research I decided to move completely over to 4G+ for our broadband – again detailed in the link above – so here’s an important update:

I originally tried various companies for 4G+ mobile – with 5G being spotty or unavailable in our area. 4G+ can manage speeds of maybe 150Mbps/sec download depending on signal strength and with a strong signal makes for viable broadband at a cost well below that of Starlink (even at the greatly reduced “de-prioritised” price in Spain – way below UK price) and available in those areas where fibre seems impossible. Starlink incidentally now offer as little as €29 a month for the supposedly “de-prioritised” service – but that price cleverly excludes a tax and is in fact nearer €38 + equipment purchase/rental – as of the latest version that DOES include eithernet connectors. Personally I still think Starlink have some way to go with their deals as coastal broadband providers regularly charge less than 25 Euros a month but I’m speaking from a non-business perspective.

4G+ Choices

The 4G companies over time I tried include Simyo, Hits (virtual operators) and MANY others – most of which offer “unlimited” 4G+ at the top end but who in reality have fair use policies meaning “unlimited” is not unlimited i.e. they are lying pond-scum with their true service hidden in the small print just like UK providers. Then I settled on Digi for “broadband” as they offer (almost uniquely) truly unlimited 4G+ data at (previously €25) – now €20 a month + Xenet (who’s “unlimited” offer €21 a month is in fact limited to 300GB) for my phone and as a backup – the tariff I chose for Xenet was €14/month for 140GB/month max (no data carry-over) and the two companies worked well for me and others I’ve advised. Before anyone comments – Movistar and Lycamobile prices are higher.

In February 2024 I moved my mobile over to Digi at €13 for 100GB, (at face value) less data than Xenet, but unlike Xenet, the data can be carried over to the next month if unused – Digi also updated their APP and in the process I lost access – they told me to unregister and re-register with the APP, I did that and in the process gained a free 50GB welcome bonus. Late June 2024, 3 days into the new Digi month I currently have 199GB available on the phone SIM and of course, unlimited on my router SIM.

So, short summary – for me at least, Digi currently offers the best deals – Digi have not only reduced their €25 offering to €20 but also changed their lower offerings, making them more desirable even than Xenet for limited data with the changes shown below:

Finally, Digi also continue to offer an unbeatable bottom-of-range price of €3 for 3GB (no I am not associated in any way with them)

I hope others find this information useful (I only stress that you should check signal levels in your area before adopting 4G+ for broadband). I should say that the deal includes “unlimited” calls and SMS but as I never make “traditional phone calls” and only ever receive SMSs from various companies confirming identity – I can’t really comment on calls or SMS.

Looking at this scene, you could be forgiven for thinking this was autumn or spring… nope – early January up near Guardamar – driving around nearby seaside towns such as Benijofar with our friends Rolly and Sarah.

Below, a spot of breakfast at the American diner in Benijofar… for reference, I didn’t have the “Buster”…

I pan to revisit Benijofar as soon a possible – early February, weather permitting. It is so easy to take for granted the winter weather on the east coast of Spain but I’m currently back in the frozen wastes of the Northeast of England – and trust me it is cold and generally wet and windy here.

And anyway, if you have a car and are travelling down south from Alicante airport, the area is a no-brainer and far more interesting than the motorway route unless you’re in a mad rush.

I plan to get one of those American Diner milkshakes asap… having just been to Burger King whose milkshakes are fairly dire – and having also recently tried to get a shake from various McDonalds without success (for many years a favourite with me – I’d get just the shake – today, the machines are invariably out of order), what do we have to lose 🙂

This entry is predominently aimed at readers in our corner of Spain who are looking for a better broadband setup and has been very much updated in early 2024. In the area where we live and in our village of Galera 18840 in particular, choices are limited as to Internet providers… or are they?

This entry was originally started back in May 2022, is primarily (but not exclusively) for people in the outskirts of Galera (and probably other areas including Huescar) who have broadband issues and actually want to solve them. It COULD however have some interest for pretty much anyone looking to escape the clutches of their broadband provider where there is a reliable 4G/5G signal available with comments about other “solutions”.

If my experiences seem like they might be of use to you, then further down, for one option, you would need a half-decent mobile signal and be prepared to pick the right Spanish mobile (yes – mobile) operator for the job – don’t pick and choose from this article – remember – most mobile “unlimited data” contracts are a con – i.e. they have a “fair use” policy – in other words – NOT unlimited. I THINK that Starlink has a monthly “fair use” limit – but not 100% sure. Keep reading….

Since the intence heat of August is no longer with us and now that the Saharan “Calima” has given up, it’s time to actually get stuff done not to mention a spot of entertaining and travelling around.

Just had a UK pal of mine visit for a few days and we went to check on the local lake (which has frighteningly low water level) ending in a late-Sunday visit to a magical area nearby with waterfalls, a stream and more, ending in a coffee stop an hour or so east of us at Pozo Alcon.

Yesterday, Maureen and I visited the lovely small town of Cela (near Tijola and half an hour southeast of Baza, our nearest large town here in Granada province) for a relaxing sunday picnic and she went off for a short swim in Balsa De Cela… the weather was absolutely ideal.

You can’t beat a pool when the weather is hot (nice heat just off-season). Unfortunately lots of the local facilities are closed (poolside restaurants, one of the bars etc) persumably as this is the time of year the Spanish take breaks. Can’t have everything.

I could see another trip to Cela in the spring – lovely place. Above, Maureen had just gotten over the initial shock of the cold water and went on to have a good swim.

Weekend now over, things to do, people to see, places to go. Well, the first two anyway 🙂