Internet Service at Mahogany Run STT

Used to have Choice wireless, the signal I picked up was from STJ. Was expensive, slow, and often down. They may have improved it though.

Now I have Innovative's DSL. Marginal. Just ran a speed test: (speedtest.net): .57 Mb/s down, .48 Mb/s up.

I also have a landline phone + cable from Innovative. Cable goes out frequently, phone has been so static-y as to be unusable since BEFORE the hurricane, despite multiple calls for service. Think it's time to ditch the phone and cable.

Your internet choices will depend on exactly *where* in MR you are.

Though you didn't ask, cell phone signal... on the Atlantic side of Mahogany Run AT&T's signal is weak and calls drop so frequently that I rarely use it. Texts seem to work better than voice in the presence of poor signal. Several times an hour my phone switches to one of ~4 British carriers whose signal strength is greater than AT&T's. I have set my iPhone's data roaming to "off", of course.

Thanks, Jules....

I have AT&T wireless and checked signal while I was in a unit the other day. It dipped a few times. But seemed solid most of the time.

A friend in the "tennis village" (?) has innovative DSL and says it's OK.

I called BBVI's STT office and had to leave a message. Still haven't heard back from them.

Your internet and cell might be substantially different at MR's Tennis Village vs Golf Village vs The Overlook, and even different units within those three locales. And I often have decent signal... until I make a call. Rarely am I able to talk for more than a few minutes before the call drops.

S'ok though, I hate talking on the phone 🙂

What is considered the best and most reliable. Seems like way overpriced, any thoughts. Does Innovative DSL work well?

What is considered the best and most reliable. Seems like way overpriced, any thoughts. Does Innovative DSL work well?

(croixcam changed the subject to STX, if anybody missed it)

On STX, I would say Broadband VI is the best on average, although you won't get anywhere near stateside speeds, and you may get some outages. Customer service is good, and they try reasonably hard to be a good ISP.

I'm moving to Mahogany Run shortly - any suggestions for best wireless card to get for my laptop? AT&T? Verizon?

Thanks!

Do we have Verizon here? I haven't seen their signal listed as a carrier at any time in the Settings > Carriers section of my phone (although I usually only check that while at home). I use AT&T for cell. As noted above, your cell signal will vary depending on exactly where you are within MR as well as other AT&T factors, perhaps atmospheric factors, local signal strength of BVI carriers, etc.

If you aren't on island and want me to check the signal outside of your planned building, shoot me a PM with the building # and I'll go over there. Caveat: cell signal outside of the building may not be the same as inside; signal on the parking side may not be the same as the balcony side, etc.

@Jules Good afternoon! We are considering moving to Mahogany run in Dec. Mobile internet is a concern. Could you please advise on a provider and speeds? We would be in building #19 lower unit. Thank you! Gary

Posted by: @casper62

Could you please advise on a provider and speeds?

If its at all possible, you'll want Starlink satellite internet. Its by far the best and fastest service in the VI. Lightening fast speeds of >200 mbps for $110/month. With a local provider, you'll be lucky to get 20 mbps at twice the cost.

Good morning. Can a starlink dish be set up on the patio deck of a unit facing the Atlantic and receive signal? Thank you!

@casper62 

Generally, in this area, the Starlink dishy points to the northeast.

If you download the Starlink app, it has an obstruction finding utility that will assist you.

There are a few VI Starlink user Facebook pages and several installers on STT and STX who can help you, although its super easy to install yourself.

However, I found out today that Starlink isn't offering service on STT at the moment because the cell is at capacity. But, Elon adds more satellites to the constellation every week so sooner or later it will open up again.

All this information is available on the Starlink website.

@vicanuck Thank you! We are considering moving there from Hawaii. I'm just trying to figure out how I can get reliable internet for working from home. 🙂 

@casper62 

BroadbandVI from Liberty (BBVI) and VIYA are both "reliable" as much as anything could be said to be reliable in the VI. But, they are both quite expensive relative to the bandwidth they provide. For example, at my business on St. Croix, I pay $299/month for BBVI's Business Platinum Package which suggests I should expect speeds "up to" 58 mbps. However, I check my speeds everyday and rarely ever see anything beyond 20 down and usually only about 15 down (I just did a Speedtest and got 14 down).

So, yes, we have reliable internet but super expensive and not what speed is advertised. This is why so many in the VI who had the means immediately jumped on Starlink. At $110/mth for >250 down consistently was a godsend and game changer, especially for internet dependent people like me (mine is installed at my home).

I just read this morning the Starlink is now available in Hawaii but that cell will fill up very quickly too, if not already filled.

@vicanuck Thank you for taking the time to reply! I think I will give VIYA a try when we get there. Hopefully that will do the job.