Shanghai - Post Report Question and Answers
Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?
Internet is surprisingly slow, relative to how built up the rest of the country is. This is probably because, you know, China. Be sure you install your VPNs before leaving. You'll want at least three to rotate through when one goes down, and it will. Facebook, all Google apps, WhatsApp all don't work there unless you have a VPN. The best ones are Astrill, Express, and PrivateVPN. - Nov 2020
If working for the US government, expect problems. - Oct 2016
Yes - so long as you realize that it is only high-speed WITHIN China. Anything outside of China is slow. It doesn't matter what you pay. It varies from about US$30 a month to more than US$100 a month. - Dec 2014
Yes, and pretty reasonably priced. My roommates and I each paid 50 RMB per month for generally reliable wi-fi (it occasionally got too slow and we would need to reset the router) that streamed video quite well and allowed for very clear Skype calls. - Aug 2014
The internet is VERY slow, the slowest in China. Get a VPN or you won't be able to access Facebook/ You Tube/ many news sites/ blogs sites/ etc. - Aug 2011
Yes, good enough, but not exactly super speedy. Cost can range from 25-100$ USD a month, depending on your needs. You WILL need a "VPN" service to access some normal sites (strongvpn was what I used, and it worked perfectly). - Dec 2010
Available at a reasonable price. - Jul 2010
Internet is shockingly bad for a world-class city. Frankly, it is an embarassment. Between heavy censorship, monitoring of your usage and REALLY low bandwidth for supposed high speed connections, you are basically looking at dialup speeds to U.S. or EUR sites, well those that aren't blocked. We pay about US$50/month for the worst service I've had since I left the dialup world back in the early 90's. - Feb 2009
Yes, service is not bad. It's about US$40 a month. - Jun 2008
