How can I access the internet in Shanghai?
Being the most wired city in Mainland China, getting internet access in Shanghai isn't that big an ordeal. There are loads of methods you can choose from:
High-Speed Access
ADSL is available from China Telecom and generally works pretty well. You have to jump through a lot of hoops to set it up yourself, so it's probably better to get your landlord involved. In my case, I also had to have a telephone engineer fiddle with my TV socket to get access. ADSL generally costs around 100 RMB per month, but you can pay for a block of 12 months for 1000 RMB.
Dial-Up Access
Dial-up internet access is available through Uninet or 163.com. You can buy internet access cards pretty cheaply. Public numbers sometimes work fine (like 96563 - username, dial, and password). ISP costs are around 4 RMB per hour for dial-up. Bear in mind the phone rate is an additional 4 RMB an hour just for making any kind of call.
As far as I know, dial-up access is dying a much-deserved death now that ADSL is cheap. This is mostly because people can fly to Hong Kong and back before a page finishes loading, but also because it can tie up your phone line something rotten.
Wi-fi
Several places in Shanghai offer free wireless hotspots, such as Ruzzi and Coffee Bean on Fuzhou Rd, some Starbucks and Sasha's. For a list of hotspots visit
ChinaPulse.com Hotspot Finder
There's also more information on
this thread for more on wi-fi in Shanghai.
Internet Bars
Internet bars are everywhere in Shanghai, with official estimates at about 1,600. In reality, however, this number seems rather off the mark. Although
they have a bad reputation when it comes to safety, internet bars are relatively cheap if you're desperate or just a wandering traveller in need of an internet fix. They charge about 10 RMB per hour of internet, with all the mucky keyboards and cigarette smoke you can inhale thrown in for free, accompanied by the peaceful ambience of overly-loud speakers blaring out sounds of battle. If you're really lucky, you'll get a working keyboard too...
Difficulty Reaching Sites?
Often, due to "various factors," it may not be possible to access some sites. There are various ways to fix this, but it's usually better not to publicise them. Ask around if you need advice -- there's bound to be a techie around somewhere who can find a way, often in exchange for a beer or two.
At the time of writing, these sites included
BBC News, anything at
Geocities and any sites under the blogspot domain (i.e. weblogs hosted by
Blogger) That's not to mention the, ahem, seamier side of the internet, a lot of which is blocked. Not that any of us here at Shanghai Expat have ever tried accessing it, of course...
Previously, some people have reported difficulty accessing Google's
Gmail, so you may want to set it up to
forward to another address just in case.
Thanks to:
88StoriesOfMadness and all others on the wi-fi thread, and Michael for the original version of the article
