Internet Access

[dprc]

Hi, what is the most relaible way to get a internet connection at this BM? I found sites like burningfi.com, but they charge 200$. Is there some way cheaper?
Thanks alot

[Meat Hunter]

Nope....

[Captain Goddammit]

There was zero cell or internet.
That was one of the defining elements, the isolation from the outside world.
This shit really ruins it.

[Token]

Yeah, nothing reliable that isn’t expensive.

Sat phones, Hughes portable satellite etc.

Sorry, not the kind of thing where you can do meetings, check in on things and whatnot.

[Meat Hunter]

There is one sure fire way for you to get: (1) Free, (2) Uninterrupted, (3) 24/7, (4) uninterrupted and (5) live streaming internet service on the playa --

Build & Bring you own.

[Guard Dawg]

Internet really? You miss the whole point of Burning man.

[Drizzt321]

Internet really? You miss the whole point of Burning man.

I can actually think of one or two artsy type things you could do with it. But not as a regular actual Internet service you'd use like at home. Yuck. There's a reason my phone goes off once the camp build team finishes arriving.

[Captain Goddammit]

I can think of a zillion artsy things you can do without it.

[Chowski]

If I can’t Instagram live feed my dancing on Robot Heart, I will have wasted all this money on my feather headdress! The world needs to know how awesome I am RIGHT NOW! Please, god, somebody pay attention to me.

[Guard Dawg]

I can think of a zillion artsy things you can do without it.

[Guard Dawg]

If I can’t Instagram live feed my dancing on Robot Heart, I will have wasted all this money on my feather headdress! The world needs to know how awesome I am RIGHT NOW! Please, god, somebody pay attention to me.

Sadly, It's the narcissism of millennials. The "Me, me, me and only me" selfie—selfish generation.

[DangerMouse]

I thought the whole point of going to Burning Man was to unplug from the default...

Wondering how long until MVs come with wifi jammers now.

[danibel]

My friend bought a burning-FI thingie and it didn't work. At all.

No idea if she is asking for or will receive a refund. She needed to check emails and had to run around and find a working wi-fi.

[Papa Bear]

The availability of internet has a lot of downsides, but to be fair, there are also folks who can relax and be more present if they have some kind of reliable connection to the outside world when needed.

High on that list is parents who have small children back home - especially if Burning Man is the first time they've left them in someone else's care for more than an evening or two. They may not talk to the kids every night, but knowing they can if something goes wrong is reassuring, and sometimes a quick midweek chat relieves a lot of stress and allows the parents to go back to enjoying themselves.

As far as BurningFi, we had one in camp this year (several people split the cost). It was fine during build week, but it turned out to be utterly worthless by the time the gates opened.

[some seeing eye]

Wondering how long until MVs come with wifi jammers now.

Although wireless jammers may seem like a cyberpunk brilliant brain fart, do not do radio jamming.

There is a lot of infrastructure like medical, emergency services and landing airplanes which need wireless. 99% of jammers are crap and they spill over into adjacent bands like GPS which has a very weak signal.

There is an effort by the camps who provide public WiFi to limit the length of time for sessions and use other technical means to limit gratuitous connectivity.

[TT120]

I had 5 bars of LTE service Friday of build week and I used it to coordinate the setup crew and other people coming in. Data slowed and then finally stopped flowing Sunday morning and that's when I put my phone in airplane mode and just used it as a camera for the rest of the week. I love airplane mode.....

When I got back to Reno and turned airplane mode off, my phone blew up for about 20 minutes straight with new messages and e-mails.

[Token]

And to add to SSE’s good call on not jamming ...

... jamming is a serious federal crime, fines are crazy steep and there is prison time.

[Elderberry]

When I got back to Reno and turned airplane mode off, my phone blew up for about 20 minutes straight with new messages and e-mails.

I had a similar experience two years ago, except all of the emails were notifications of charges made on my PayPal debit card. All fraudulent charges of around $100.00 each. All gift cards it turned out. Between my PayPal balance and what they got from my backup checking account, they managed to get me for just a bit over 5 grand.

Had there been internet service I would have been able to have caught this early.

Fortunately, it had a happy ending. PayPal and the bank refunded all of the money.

[XPTom]

On build Monday I was surprised to find full service.... at first.... less as thousands more showed up... almost useless by end of build week.... it was possible to check MLB scores and standings at 4AM. Hydration is key.... drink enough beer or such to avoid sleeping thru the night and missing the lull in demand.

[herotank]

BM is about isolating yourself from the world, flying, mixing with people from all over the world, dancing and enjoying all those vibrations that run through your body.