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PostPosted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 2:31 pm 
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You can now apply for some kind of document that lets you live in Costa Rica for a year if you are working from a foreign company that pays you at least 3k a month and you are working by remote control on your computer. I would do this but I have an elderly mother that is about to turn 90 and I do not want to leave her in the USA alone for that long now that my father passed away about 8 years ago. My Mom is getting very forgetful although she can still function on her own it looks like she is starting to go down hill.

You get get a wif fi hot spot box unit thingamajig for your cell phone and have a plan that works internationally. You would have to be near a compatible cell phone tower. :mrgreen: :wink:


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 3:48 pm 
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floridajohny wrote:
You can now apply for some kind of document that lets you live in Costa Rica for a year if you are working from a foreign company that pays you at least 3k a month and you are working by remote control on your computer. I would do this but I have an elderly mother that is about to turn 90 and I do not want to leave her in the USA alone for that long now that my father passed away about 8 years ago. My Mom is getting very forgetful although she can still function on her own it looks like she is starting to go down hill.

You get get a wif fi hot spot box unit thingamajig for your cell phone and have a plan that works internationally. You would have to be near a compatible cell phone tower. :mrgreen: :wink:


I wish my Mom were still around, I'd do the same thing. She made her departure mid July at 88 yo.


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 3:52 pm 
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sb_boise wrote:

I wish my Mom were still around, I'd do the same thing. She made her departure mid July at 88 yo.


So sorry for your loss. May she RIP.

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 3:53 pm 
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Miamiheller wrote:
sb_boise wrote:

I wish my Mom were still around, I'd do the same thing. She made her departure mid July at 88 yo.


So sorry for your loss. May she RIP.

Thank you, appreciate that.


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 4:07 pm 
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sb_boise wrote:
floridajohny wrote:
You can now apply for some kind of document that lets you live in Costa Rica for a year if you are working from a foreign company that pays you at least 3k a month and you are working by remote control on your computer. I would do this but I have an elderly mother that is about to turn 90 and I do not want to leave her in the USA alone for that long now that my father passed away about 8 years ago. My Mom is getting very forgetful although she can still function on her own it looks like she is starting to go down hill.

You get get a wif fi hot spot box unit thingamajig for your cell phone and have a plan that works internationally. You would have to be near a compatible cell phone tower. :mrgreen: :wink:


I wish my Mom were still around, I'd do the same thing. She made her departure mid July at 88 yo.

What's stopping you? Claro Unlimited 4G internet plan is c44mil a month ($72). My hovia uses it with Zoom for her her classes just fine, both inside CR but also to Barcelona, Spain. It works in San Jose, La Fortuna, Puerro Viejo and Quepos. It did get spotty in Perez Zeledon.

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 4:36 pm 
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Boynton wrote:
What's stopping you? Claro Unlimited 4G internet plan is c44mil a month ($72). My hovia uses it with Zoom for her her classes just fine, both inside CR but also to Barcelona, Spain. It works in San Jose, La Fortuna, Puerro Viejo and Quepos. It did get spotty in Perez Zeledon.


That's a good plan. Good deal for sure. So I was just saying that I'd make the same decision to stay in the U.S., in favor of taking care of her if she were around still. ( I also should have called more - so easy to think they'll be around forever.. so I want to tell you guys with your Madre still around, pick up that phone more )


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 5:27 pm 
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I'd definitely take advantage of this except I lost the custody battle during the divorce and had to keep the K*ds.


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 9:40 pm 
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Take care of your mother. You are lucky to have her and she is lucky to have you care for her!

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 10:45 pm 
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floridajohny wrote:
You can now apply for some kind of document that lets you live in Costa Rica for a year if you are working from a foreign company that pays you at least 3k a month and you are working by remote control on your computer. I would do this but I have an elderly mother that is about to turn 90 and I do not want to leave her in the USA alone for that long now that my father passed away about 8 years ago. My Mom is getting very forgetful although she can still function on her own it looks like she is starting to go down hill.

You get get a wif fi hot spot box unit thingamajig for your cell phone and have a plan that works internationally. You would have to be near a compatible cell phone tower. :mrgreen: :wink:



You are under no obligation to stay an entire year, all it appears to be is a new type of visa that lets you work instead of being under a non working tourist visa. You can travel back and forth as needed, I haven't checked the details but I doubt it mandates that you stay in the country a certain numbers of days in that one year period.


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 04, 2021 8:36 am 
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Flabuck wrote:
floridajohny wrote:
You can now apply for some kind of document that lets you live in Costa Rica for a year if you are working from a foreign company that pays you at least 3k a month and you are working by remote control on your computer. I would do this but I have an elderly mother that is about to turn 90 and I do not want to leave her in the USA alone for that long now that my father passed away about 8 years ago. My Mom is getting very forgetful although she can still function on her own it looks like she is starting to go down hill.

You get get a wif fi hot spot box unit thingamajig for your cell phone and have a plan that works internationally. You would have to be near a compatible cell phone tower. :mrgreen: :wink:



You are under no obligation to stay an entire year, all it appears to be is a new type of visa that lets you work instead of being under a non working tourist visa. You can travel back and forth as needed, I haven't checked the details but I doubt it mandates that you stay in the country a certain numbers of days in that one year period.


It is mostly a hollow advertising ploy. 'Digital Nomads' have been doing this for years under the radar and just exiting the country every 90 days by land or air on a border run. I did this for 4 years while waiting for my residency to be approved. It got a bit complicated during lockdown, but what didn't?

If you have are emotionally tied to the US (family, desk job, possessions) you will remain a tourist monger, that is one game. If you can carve out an extended vacation (30 - 90 days) you can stay at an ApartHotel / AirBNB for much cheaper than a hotel. Much fewer services also (restaurant, cleaning, laundry, shopping). It will give you a taste of what a nomad or resident experience might be. No need for a special visa, just tell them your are here for tourism. You may have to hunt a bit for high speed Internet, but there are daytime coworking sites around.

Otherwise you can be a nomad, traveling to multiple countries on 90-180 day tourist visas, that is just a different game. CR allows unlimited 90 days visas, Colombia allows 90 day visas but only 180 days per year, Mexico allows a 180 day tourist visa. There are lots of countries to see and almost all of them have decent Internet, FedEx, DHL, etc.

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 08, 2021 4:36 pm 
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Boynton wrote:
sb_boise wrote:
Claro Unlimited 4G internet plan is c44mil a month ($72).


Is this that?

https://www.claro.cr/en/personas/servicios/servicios-moviles/internet-movil/

I have questions. Does the modem connect to the computer with an Ethernet cable, or something else? Does rain effect how well the modem receives the signal? I've heard of that being an issue. Can I pay the bill online?

I need high quality Internet while I'm in San Jose and the Wifi I've had access to where I've stayed and will probably stay doesn't cut it so I'd love to learn about the options.


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 08, 2021 5:40 pm 
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Bookie wrote:
Boynton wrote:
sb_boise wrote:
Claro Unlimited 4G internet plan is c44mil a month ($72).


Is this that?

https://www.claro.cr/en/personas/servicios/servicios-moviles/internet-movil/

I have questions. Does the modem connect to the computer with an Ethernet cable, or something else? Does rain effect how well the modem receives the signal? I've heard of that being an issue. Can I pay the bill online?

I need high quality Internet while I'm in San Jose and the Wifi I've had access to where I've stayed and will probably stay doesn't cut it so I'd love to learn about the options.

My best advice is to speak directly with Claro. Go to one of the malls during the afternoon and there is generally a manager or other staff member who speaks English and can explain the options. You will get some upsell, but that is the price you pay.

Given that, I will describe my experience which may or may not answer your questions. Both my hovia and I have generic Claro mobile phone accounts with 4G. You won't find 5G here yet. Her account is Postpago, mine is Prepago (prepaid).

With Postpago accounts, you choose a plan that has the amount of data you need. She has the unlimited account for 44mil. She has no Internet or CableTV in her apartment so she uses the mobile hotspot on her iPhone to connect her MacBook via bluetooth. With this, she can participate in Zoom classes to UNIBE (university in CR) and to a university in Barcelona, Spain. She also streams Netflix to her TV via an AppleTV device. You can also tether (connect) a MacBook to the iPhone hotspot via USB with a special cable, but I have never bothered.

I have both Internet and CableTV included in my apartment rent so I only use my iPhone's hotspot when I am away from home. For this reason, I have a Prepago (prepaid) account. With a Prepago account, you can either add minutes as you go or you can buy 'packs' that include minutes and data but expire after certain time (ie 30 days). Since I live here full time, I just add minutes as I need them. I also like having the Claro option if my home Tigo account goes down.

Performance
I use the iOS app 'Net Analyzer' to monitor my connections. I also use NordVPN. I use USTVGO to watch US cable TV including sports. I connect my iPad or MacBook to my iPhone hotspot as needed. I get 10 to 15 Mbps download and 5 to 7 Mbps upload using my Claro 4G connection. This is consistent in Escazu, Amon, Otoya, Curridabat, and San Pedro. This specifically includes the SL and Hotel Taormina. I have not tried the Castillo.

There are a number of settings you can tweak on your phone that can impact performance. One of these is 'Low Data Mode'. This setting will cause your device to perform certain updates less frequently with the aim of reducing data usage. Depending on your needs, you may want to make sure this is off. You will however burn through your allotment of minutes faster. Since hovia's plan is unlimited, she has this turned off. Since I use pay-as-you-go minutes, I make sure mine is on.

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 11, 2021 8:19 pm 
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Thank you Boynton for that information. You've given me a pretty clear picture of what's involved, and I especially appreciate the download speeds you provided.


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 11, 2021 8:37 pm 
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One additional bit of info. You can pay the bill / add minutes online directly with Claro if you have a CR bank account. Otherwise you can use llamacostarica.com to pay. The site charges a small commission.

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2021 9:25 am 
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My condolences on your mother passing. As to the questions about the modem I mentioned in my post, I do not know the answer. I am not that technically savvy.


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