Has anyone tried XCom Global International for a wifi or mifi connection in the BVIs? If so were you happy with the service?

We are contemplating using this service in June. Basically it is a global mobile hotspot rented for $14.95 per day.

Have not used XCom, but have used Cello Mobile (www.cellomobile.com) and have been very pleased with the device, the coverage, etc. - worked great for us in all areas of BVI, even between islands and out to Anegada as well. Price was basically the same, about $14-$15 / day.

(Of course, part of why I go there is to unplug for awhile. . . hmmm . . .!!)

Thanks Erik! Will check Cello out.

Yes I would love to completely unplug, however not an option when we take 14 day trips to paradise!

Noticed your ticker, when are you there? We depart in 31 days and can HARDLY wait. Just started packing. Sailing gear bag will be packed after the long weekend sail to Catalina.

I need to add a ticker to my profile. How do you do it?

You can design and set your Travel Countdown Ticker at TickerFactory.com, they'll easily walk you through making it.

When your are done at TickerFactory.com, the final page there will offer you three types of code that you can use to link to your ticker.

1) bbCode:
2) HTML:
3) Direct Image URL:

You'll want the stuff in the bbCode box (FYI: the bb stands for "Bulletin Board" - which is the industry name for forums like TravelTalkOnline.)

The code offered to you in the bbCode block will look something like this:
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Just copy the part between... the [img] and [/img] tags, BEING SURE TO INCLUDE... those [img] and [/img] tags and those square brackets surrounding them []. What you should copy should look something like this below:
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Once you have this text copied, go back to TTOL, sign in, and head to "My Home" and then to the "Personal information, email, password, etc." section, choose "Edit" and then paste this copied TickerFactory info. into the box titled "Signature (up to 250 characters)...."

Lastly be sure to hit the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page, and you are done!

Digicel local sim card is a LOT cheaper and the coverage is the entire BVI's. Just sayin'

Yes, follow Allan's directions to create a ticker - adds a bit of fun and anticipation!

Also yes, you can just get a local SIM card for less, but we have multiple adults and teens who want wifi access on their devices, so the mobile hotspot usually comes out cheaper for us, especially with any significant data usage. With Cello you can have 5 devices connected at once. Not sure about XCom.

We arrive in Tortola on June 28, thru July 6. Will be on a Sunsail 444 cat, not yet sure which one. This year the itinerary is wide open, just our family (two teen boys) as our regular tag-alongs couldn't make it this year. Hoping to see folks out there!

Thank you for the responses. Yes we definitely require a mobile hotspot as we anticipate significant data usage.

We have 2 independents contractors on our trip that need to work a few hours each day. While it would be better if they didn't have to log in at all, this is a small sacrifice for a 2 week trip. Not to mention the pre-teens who want access as well as me. Mobile hotspot the way to go for our group.

Erik: We board a Voyage 480 "As You Wish" on June 26-July 9. We will be flying our yacht club burgee - Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club.

How many gigs of data come with these, enough for streaming?

Cello Mobile comes with unlimited data for their mobile hotspot rental for BVI (in some other countries they have a limit). They also say they will not "throttle back" if you become a data hog, but also then say if you consistently use more than 1GB a day they will warn you to use less! (Realize, 1GB is about 5 hours of streaming movies or about 40+ hours of web browsing, way more than the hours in a day, unless you have multiple devices connected and browsing all day long - why aren't you diving or snorkeling instead?!)

We have never had a problem with their service or speed (and will be using again in another 34 days!). Looking forward to some island time, but yes, some of us need to stay connected somewhat to the job front back home.

The boat we chartered had a mobile hotspot installed, and one could simply subscribe to it for as many days as desired. But it was outrageously expensive ($30 for one day), and it was quite unreliable. When it worked, it worked fine, but mostly it didn't work.