4G Mi-Fi Internet Service in Belize – Hello My New Life!

It was August 2013 and I bought my first Mi-Fi (mobile Wi-Fi hotspot) from Smart in San Pedro.  It was a cute little number and allowed me to charge the battery and use the internet on the run…and it provided service that was good enough.  Good enough for me to get my work done…and to check my emails and Facebook.  But certainly not to watch YouTube videos with them pausing 18x or much of anything else.

I had it and used it up until last week.

And I tested it last night at 7pm.

7pm 3G

And this morning at 7am.

7am ping 3g

Mediocre to poor as compared to the rest of Belize.  And Belize has nothing to brag about.  Last june, Channel 5 news announced we had the second worst internet speed in the Caribbean.  It IS worse in Guyana.

So…with great fanfare (in my mind)…4G has come to the nation of Belize.  4th Generation INTERNET!  (Whatever that means…)  First introduced in Finland in 2010.  Now here in Belize.

But ACTUALLY, it means quite a bit.  Because the speed is INSANELY better.  And the battery power on the new device is FANTASTIC.  Yes, I know it will wane as time goes on but right now it hold charge for up to 24 hours…and I can use it for 5 or 6 hours without re-charge.

Here’s how it went down:  I went in to the SMART office.  I purchased the new unit for $175BZD.  And the largest package available of 25GBs for $220bzd.  (This generally lasts me about 2.5 to 3 months.)

First, let me show you the speeds.

7pm last night.

7pm 4G

And then 7am today.

7am ping

And then the old unit.  Which has served me faithfully for 1.5 years.  Though she doesn’t hold any battery charge anymore.  Service is still available for 3G but is only going to be available in smaller packages.

IMG_8716

My 25GB package has increased from $150BZ for the 3G to $220BZ for the 4G.  And up to 8 devices can connect to the 4G unit.

Now when you send me a video of cats knocking mugs off counters just outta spite, I can watch them.  HURRAY!  Life is complete.

Check out the article below about working remotely in Belize.  And check your SMART office or your internet provider (other option is BTL?) for 4G information.

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