As a tourist in Mexico, you can be assured that you will be able to connect to the Internet in Mexico. Most Mexican hotels have Internet, even some budget ones. You will soon learn to cherish and hate the words, Internet Inalámbrico (in al AM bree co). It means Internet that is wireless or cordless or without cables! Whee! When a hotel desk clerk tells you they have, Internet inalámbrico, you will at first jump up and down in joy. Your joy will be short-lived, however, It means that, Si, they have wireless internet, but no, it may not actually be in your room. Thus, unless you are close to the hotel router or repeater, you will have to wander the halls blindly with your laptop in your hand, tripping over hidden pitfalls that lurk in hotel hallways, or go to the lobby or restaurant. I have found that getting a hotel room closer to the lobby often results in a stronger signal. Also, a hotel room with a balcony can give you a chance to find an Internet signal. Asking the bell man which rooms have the best signal is about as effective as asking him which room is the quietest - which is to say, not very.
Moreover, when you register, be sure to ask for the clave or codigo (access code). Desk clerks will proudly tell you they have Internet inalámbrico, but then forget to give you the code. Even hotels that have strong routers and a series of repeaters can be compromised by employees who share the code with their primos in the neighborhood, thus weakening it.
Still, we should be grateful for what we can get. Sometimes you will be astounded at the speed of your connection. Other times you will just get sleepy waiting for a download. But I remember the days when even a dial-up Internet connection was rare in Mexican hotels. And in those days I had an expense account and stayed in 5 Star hotels. Today, it's 3 for me.
If you prefer, there are Internet cafes everywhere, even in many small towns that you would hardly expect -- even in Real de Catorce, which is about as remote as most people will get. High-speed Internet connections are the norm in Mexico today. Most Internet cafes will let you connect your laptop computer at Internet cafes in Mexico. Internet cafes are dwindling because so many people have computers at home, or through their cell phones these days. I suspect they will go the way of the larga distancia or long-distance telephone offices.
