Internet in Nairobi

Hi Hanniky,

Welcome to Expat.com

As your previous post was off topic, a new discussion has been created on the Nairobi forum for better interaction.

Thank you,

Priscilla
Expat.com team

lots of variety to choose from
Safaricom
Zuku
Access Kenya
I think Access Kenya provides the best home internet @ affordable rate

Leave ZUKU alone, they will make you pull your hair out, trust me

I'm not in Nairobi, but we did try a couple of different internet solutions. We settled on a 3G modem, with a Safaricom SIM, plugged into a wireless router. We are paying about the same amount per month, but the connection is a million times more reliable than the previous service provider we tried. Granted: the previous service provider was not a known company. They just insisted that they were the best, better and cheaper than Safaricom.

I also like having the 3G modem because, if the power goes out, but my laptop battery is charged, I can plug it directly into the laptop and still get online. Likewise, we can travel with it.

I buy 25 GB of data at a time for KSh 11499. It lasts us about 3 months.

. Fibre is only available in a very few areas of Nairobi. A 3G modem plugged into a router is the way to go in most area. Safaricom has the broadest coverage in Kenya, but it can be overcrowded at times, and your speed really slows down. In these areas other providers, like Airtel, can be better.

Buy a few different SIMs, and try it out on your smartphone first to see what works best in your area. You can test true speed on www.speedtest.net and www.pingtest.net.

The modems of the different providers are locked to their own network, so test before you invest.
The modems can however be unlocked. If you are computer savvy, look on the internet how to do it, if not, plenty of small stalls downtown can do it for you at a small price. I am however not sure whether this is strictly speaking legal.

You can buy 3G modems of Safaricom, Orange, Airtel and connect with Laptop. Different data bundles are available, you can choose according to your usage pattern.

It all depends which area you are in. Im in Upper Hill and have Zuku. Its OK and cheap and available at better speed than I have. If you Google a bit you can find advise on which provider is best in which area. But things do change fast in Nairobi!

Good luck!

We use Safaricom and tether our devices to the mobile, via blurtooth.  The speed is reasonable and quite acceptable for day to day use.