Hi all, I just wanted to report on the Internet Key from TIM. I purchased mine on Friday for our vacation (starting yesterday). Once I got home, I plugged in the key (USB) and installed the software and was online in less than 30 seconds (once I realized they made a huge in the instructions and did not say to install the software first from the included CD).

Anyway, for the review, I think it is FABULOUS! I am online at around 1mb which is not too shabby. I was just able to watch the extraction of the 3 contrade that will join the other 7 for the Palio of August live with no delays on www.sienatv.it and th connection never dropped!

I paid 89 euro and it included 100 hours of internet time and I can add more money and get more time if I want (8 euro for 30 hours per month).

If you need internet access while on vacation in Italy, I highly recommend doing it this way.

While I prefer WIND as my phone carrier, TIM is the best for internet keys as they have better coverage.

Just think that just last year I had to wait for a text message to find out if we were racing or not in August but this year, I knew as soon as everyone else.

Man I LOVE technology!

Thanks Cristina. I saw your post in the other thread and I was going to ask you to write up something about it. You must have read my mind.

If you have any other tips or pictures of this device - it would be great. Do you know which brand of USB broadband modem you have? Also - is it this product? Alice Mobile

Thanks!

Yep Marta, that is what I have. Am waiting to watch the Moto GP from Laguna Seca in an hour as where we are, the TV channel does not work so I have to watch on the computer. Thank goodness I got this key as I didn't know that the channel didn't work.

Now the big question is what will happen when I am jumping up and down and screaming during the race. Will I shake the moden too much????? We'll see. Oh ad since I am wearing my Vale 46 shirt and in the region Valentino Rossi is from, I have to say, VAI VALE!!!!!!

Does this work on a Mac? and do youo have to have a plan to buy it...

Last November, I bought an Italco HSDPA 7.2Mbps internet key from WIND for 99 euros (there was a 79 euro version but liked the other better). In addition, I purchased a WIND simcard with it. Internet access cost me 9 euros per month for 100 minutes.

Loved it, it worked great. And we get to use it again in November.

Hate to sound like a broken record but I am so illiterate with this stuff...do all of these items work on a Mac and does one need a contract to use them?

Ciao, Jil. I don't know about Macs. I don't see why it wouldn't work, but I really don't know. Maybe you can ask at the TIM or WIND store.

The internet key I got is connected to one of the USB ports. When we were there, we didn't need to have a contract.

Thanks I will check it out...hope life is treating you well...loved seeing the photo of your cooked meal...still no pigeon

JilM - I'm hoping Cristina sees this again and comments. She lives in Italy, BTW. I think she used to have a Mac. I did google and found this Italian Mac user blog who said he tried out the 4 different USB modem options in Italy. He has 4 posts (linked at the bottom) regarding his testing. In his results, he said he liked Vodaphone's solution the best for a Mac but it sounded like TIM's may work on the Mac.

I have a TIM key and when it works it's fine. OTOH I still think for people visiting getting a cell phone that can be used as a modem is a better choice. The only difference is you plug the phone into the laptop instead of the key.

If your current phone is good enough then all you need to do is bring the cable and buy the SIM in Italy.

No contract needed .

Marta thanks for the link...interesting site...I know that Cristina has a Mac what I don't know is if she also has a PC and if so which one she uses this method with...but if I were on vacation I would not be visiting here too much so I can wait....

quote:

Originally posted by JilM:
Marta thanks for the link...interesting site...I know that Cristina has a Mac what I don't know is if she also has a PC

Non Mac computer . . .me . . .never in a million years. You know the old saying, once you go Mac you never go back! I still have the first Mac (1983 - dad was the CPA for Apple)

Vodafone key installs automatically while the TIM one is more steps.

quote:

Originally posted by Nick z:
If your current phone is good enough then all you need to do is bring the cable and buy the SIM in Italy.

No contract needed .

Unfortunately, the iPhone doesn't have this option yet. Jailbroken ones do but not regular ones.

Oh and I didn't have to get a contract for the key. Just got a rechargeable SIM that was included with 5 euro worth of time.

Hi,

Still trying to put this all together! Cristina, I hope you are still around? Or, anyone else for that matter. I will be traveling with a small netbook that does NOT have a CD/DVD for loading any software so assume TIM won't fly for me. Does Vodafone or others work without using any software?

Thanks again!

What operating system? I don't think I loaded any software for windows. If I did it was on the key itself. I just checked the package and the only disc is for Linux.

Just make sure you have the dialup software on your computer before you leave home. Then when you plug in the modem use the modem as the dialup device.

Do yu have a cellphone that can be plugged into the computer? If so you can setup everything with that at home. Even if you borrow a phone to check all the software is on the computer.

Thanks for your response, Nick.

My netbook is XP. I do not want to tether. All I want to do at this point is buy an Internet Key from an ISP ( Tim, Wind, Vodafone etc..) that does not have any software to load. Just want to stick the key in the USB and be online with a service that gets the best reception for Tuscany and Umbria.I need to be on a secure network for various reasons and think this is the way to go. Hoping this now makes more sense?
Thanks again.

The only real difference between the key and using a phone is the key can't make voice calls. It's the same network. It's the same frequencies. If the cell phone isn't secure enough for you then the key isn't either.

I think all the providers are using the same keys. The labels maybe different but that's about it. You could go to the TIM or vodafone sites and see what models they are selling. Odds are the manufacturers have any software needed available for download. So you could get the software before hand.

Coverage is going to be highly related to location. Some towns are better for one provider. For data you want at least an Edge connection but some places with perfect voice reception will have older GSM networks still. Much slower.

Not to mention TIM in my location has been working on it's data network here for the past week and it's been very hit and miss. Mostly miss.

My TIM Key works fine on my husband's Mac. Vodafone's coverage is more limited than TIM's. In Pisa for instance it works just fine, but in Civitella and surrounding areas, there is no UMTS coverage other than TIM.

quote:

Go New

Hi Cristina...Have you known anyone who used the TIM USB internet key in Palermo? I'll be there for a month and am wondering if it will be an option there. I noticed when looking for an apartment to rent that very few offered an internet connection. Thus, I'll need to figure out some alternative. Your TIM USB stick sounds like a possible solution.

I used a TIM internet key (chiavetta) this past Spring in Rome, southern Tuscany, Pietrasanta, Lerici and near Milan.....it worked very well and I was pleased and surprised at the connection speed.

I was able to borrow one from a friend so my outlay was limited to the 100 hour plan which cost all of Euro 20.00. I am a heavy internet user and the 100 hours lasted almost a month.

I am considering buying one for my next trip...although the main reason for my getting the key was for the apartment we rented in southern Tuscany that didn't have internet access.

Hi all -

I always ask for internet access in the apartment (which limits my choices and usually adds to the price). This sounds great and I was wondering if anyone knows if it will work in Venice and Florence. Just starting my research on this and ST is always a great place to begin

Michele

It will work where ever there is cell phone service.....the better the cell phone service, the better it works. I am sure that the signal would be affected by the thickness of walls in apartments but it should work in most places.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Zurer:
It will work where ever there is cell phone service.....the better the cell phone service, the better it works. I am sure that the signal would be affected by the thickness of walls in apartments but it should work in most places.

Makes perfect sense, thanks Jim!

Hi,

a line of quick question on the run here;

Regarding the TIM internet connection, as far as I understand from the information on the TIM homepage, this chiavetta (with included internet time) is the same as the Maxxi Alice concept of prepaid internet time (but then without chiavetta). The Maxxi Alice 30 or 100 would be the top-up thing for the one who bought the whole package including the dongle?

On the other hand, if I would buy the Maxxi Alice 30 or 100 ticket in a TIM store in Rome, independent of a TIM chiavetta, for use in my existing and unlocked dongle or unlocked mobilephone..... how is this layed out? I can not figure out a few things based on the information at the TIM site.

1) Will I be happy and get an extra independent SIM card with the Maxxi Alice 30 / 100 even if I only buy this with no chiavetta? For some kind of extracharge, maybe? I can not find any information on this. And it's hard to find a support online taking specific questions.

2) Is the independent Maxxi Alice concept only a kind of activation procedure to get this prepaid Internet into my *already in use* ( ok, not activated yet in Italy, but registred through Telestial ) TIM mobilephone card. That would mean that I have to use the mobilephone connected to the netbook with bluetooth or cable as a modem. I would then also need to switch the card over to the chiavetta dongle if the computer + telphone don't have the right connection or cable to speak to each other.

3) It also seems that some kind of activation can be done if one make a registration for an online account based on an existing TIM mobile telephone number. Once in there, it seems that one could buy this stuff like the Maxxi Alice 30 /100 online. Is this, as well as the autorecharge each month, done be creditcards? I wonder if the difference between getting an extra SIM or not is depending on if I buy online or in a TIM store in Rome. I'm not in Italy yet and can not registrate before making an activation of my TIM mobilephonecard... anyone else done this and can make it clearer to me?

4) If I'm just in Italy for shorter periods like a week at a time or so. it seems to be possible to stop the autorecharge each month by sending an SMS message with an OFF line. What policys do TIM have when it comes to OFF periods; how often do I need to recharge the TIM prepaid internet to keep it alive -- at least once a year or more often? Or will it start working as soon as I recharge or activate the autorechargefunction and no limits to the lenght of the unactive period of time?

Sorry for so many questions but it somehow is a djungle of options, even though it should be pretty simple. The choices are so many and one really has to think twice before deciding. My mobilephone doesn't have bluethoot and it would make it a bit messy and more expensive. Buying a full Chiavetta package would be e bit overkill since I already have one unlocked.

The bottomline is; What to choose if only in a need of a prepaid TIM Internet SIM card to be used a week at a time during 3-4 Rome visits a year or less. To be able to activate it easily without spending precius time trying to get it to work at the location, having problems with stores that refuses to sell to non italians and all that stuff.....

If anyone been through this recently, please let me know.

Thanks for reading all this


Best regards,

Mick 2

I think I know what you're asking but..

You don't have to use the dongle. For quite a while I used my phone with it's cable connected to the laptop. No surcharge. Reality is they often have a deal for a cheap dongle. The last one I bought was 89 Euros and included three months of 100 hour connection.

If you don't have the 23 plus euros on the sim account they won't activate for the next month. You can stop it any time you want. Just remember every time you start it they charge you 25Euros for the month versus 20 Euros if you stay activate.

You don't need to go to the shop to activate. Just send a SMS to 4916 with the right code.

PRO MAXXIALICE100

Is the current one for the 100 plan. Just need 28 Euros or more on the card since you'll be charged 25 Euros

Ok, thanks Nick.

So, have I got it right; if I go for another phone than what I have at moment, with bluetooth or cableconnection to the netbook, the Maxxi Alice concept is just a virtual internet-addition to the prepaid voice SIM.

No other technical advantages using a dongel like "better for datatraffic"? Can the phone as a modem reach up to the 7MB (in theory). Dongels have differences in speed, 3G, 3G+Turbo etc..... I have a feeling that a highend phone is needed to keep the higher speed up.....

Buying a chiavatta with the 30/ 100h included would be the only way to get a second SIM card for use in a dongle which I already own (unlocked) -- otherwise I need to switch the voice-SIM from the phone over to my dongle.

Is the SIM, which is includen in a chiavetta package, actually an ordinary voiceSIM that could be used in a Phone for voicecalls too??


----------

The payment for an activation + the hours for the Maxxi Allice 30/100 will be taken from the actual voiceaccount if using the phone + voiceSIM as a modem.

Do you know if it's possible to top up the voiceSIM by a creditcard on line, if I register/log in at the TIM site? As I said, I can not do this before arriving, since I haven't activated the voiceSIM yet. One needs to be able to recieve a SMS message with the login on that phone to be let in.... and the find out what's in the candystore. And I just can't wait

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Thanks for the info on stopping / starting fees. As I understand now from that, there is no other need to top up the MaxxiAlice thing more than having enough on the phone/voice account to cover the internet hours + fee when returning to Italy. The "top up within a year" rule is actually only a rule for the prepaid voice SIM to keep it alive. That's good to get clear.

---------.

So, for those who bought a chiavetta+hours included.... how do they do top-up etc? Online with creditcard or the tobacco-rute only?

....

Any problems buying TIM stuff locally when not a native italian? Need for codice fiscale and such crap? Some pretty stories are circulating the internet. Spending hours trying to get a simple thing like wireless internet to work is not what I'll be in Rome for. It seems so easy for you who live there, but so complicated for visitors.

Thanks again for your help!

Mick2

If the phone is rated for 7.2meg HSPDA then it'll do max speed the network can handle. Not all phones are. It's not really about price. You can find a 100 Euro phone that does and a much higher priced phone that doesn't

Other then not tying up the phone the only disadvantage is software is up to you and the phone provider. My Samsung comes with software which supports TIM but I've no idea if others do out of the box.

You need a codice fiscale. Used to be a tourist could flash a passport and have that photocopied but I get the impression they are cracking down. There was somebody in front of me at the local Trony shop and they didn't really want to take his passport.

Top ups are everywhere. Large supermarkets sell them. Electronic shops. TIM shops. The local jeweler does here. Finding top ups isn't a problem. No idea about using the credit card I just pick up a top up card when I need it.

All the SIMS provided by TIM for years now have been 128k data sims. Phone or other use it's the same.


If you have an unlocked key check the frequencies it uses. Memory tells me TIM uses 2100 for high speed data.

Thanks, Nick. It seems that the phone I have now doesn't supporting the high speeds. In my case it would be better going with the Huawei e220 modem I've got. Not the latest and most fancy, but it seems to be flashupgrades to bump it up a little.

Actually, I'm pretty new to wireless data in general and been looking on it with pure babyeyes. I just coulden't get it how it worked with the SIM cards if not buying a chiavetta at the same time. Nowhere any information for the SIM card could be found about if it was included in the internet alternatives.

Now, I understand that it actually is a SIM phonecard that has an added part in the plan. So, I will buy in a Rome TIM store as an extra SIM for the dongle only, the cheap 10 E carta prepagata voice SIM and at the same time top it up with a 25 E. That would mean 30 E left on it. This would make it easy to send an SMS message to TIM 4916 for an activation of the Maxxi Alice 30h internet which probably would be enough for a week. Since it will be used in central Rome I don't think looosing contact frequently, then having many 15 min startfees drainings would be a problem?

For the 35 E all in all, I would get two visits in Rome; 2 x 15E Maxxi Alice 30h (activation costs included when not in autorechargingmode). Ok, I may need to top up a little bit more with the 3E to have a little more room. As well as paying for the trip Didn't find any free options for that. But going with my old unlocked dongle would mean about half the price of a chiavettapackage in Italy. I woulden't mind the package price if staying for a longer period or didn't have the dongle already. If counting in the reasearch time on the TIM site and trying to find information in different places , then probaby the chiavetta-package had been a real saver.....But what the h...... the digging has a real learning value too! I've found this nice and informative site too!

As I understand, the SIM card has to bought in a TIM store while the topups can be bought anywhere? Are the topups with the fixed rates like 3E, 25E etc even when they have those "direct-online-machines" or can one fill with anything in between then? I'll buy a couple of small top ups to have when going home so that I can keep the cards alive if not returning within 12 months. It doesn't matter that much with the internet SIM but I prefer to have the other card for voicecalls alive as it means keeping the same telephonenumber.

I'm also getting a real Codice Fiscale from the italian embassy in my country, they had this in their services. The online genrated "fake"ones seems to work for buying SIM cards according to many people, but I'll fix a real one anyway. Can't help feeling that this concept for buying a SIM is pretty rediculus. Even though Italy has a lot of terrorist experinces since very long time back it's kind of amusing thinking the codice fiscale would help much to keep control of it when buying a SIM card. What's more impressing is to see how fast the anti-terror forces / carabineri can block and put a ring around central Rome when anything suspect happens. I've seen it once and was stunned how effectiv an Italian system can work.

Anyway, thanks again for your help Nick.

The top up cards are fixed amounts. 5,10,25 etc.

Many places that sell phones sell sims. It's likely a TIM shop would be faster at activating things over an electronics shop so that might be a reason to go with a full fledged TIM shop.