Just lost a full day's pay because of a bad cafe wifi setup in Lisbon

Had a big video call with a new client yesterday, picked a cafe with good reviews. The wifi was strong at first, but cut out right as I was showing my portfolio. I had to use my phone's data to finish, which ate up my whole plan and cost me $85. The cafe owner just shrugged and said 'it happens sometimes'... Has anyone found a solid way to test a cafe's connection before you have to rely on it?

3 comments

3 Comments

parker_thomas5d ago

My buddy had the same thing happen last month. He downloaded a free speed test app and now runs it for a full minute before he even orders his coffee. He checks the upload speed especially, says that's what usually kills a video call.

lindab495d ago

My cousin in Omaha got obsessed with speed tests after her Zoom kept freezing during book club. She started running them on her phone, her laptop, even her smart TV. One night she called me, all excited, because she got a 12 megabit upload speed for the first time. She said it was like winning the internet lottery.

simonp474d agoTop Commenter

My old roommate in Chicago always said download speed was the only number that mattered. I argued with him about it for months. Then I tried streaming a game while my sister was on a video call and everything turned into a blurry mess. That's when I finally looked up what upload speed actually does. Now I check it first thing if my internet feels slow.