Thought I could work from a beach in Bali for a month, big mistake

I rented a villa with 'fast wifi' near Canggu, but the speed was under 5 Mbps after 10 AM. My video calls kept freezing and I missed a deadline because a file upload failed. The sun glare on my screen was so bad I had to sit inside all day anyway. I learned that 'work from anywhere' doesn't mean 'work well from anywhere'. Has anyone found a spot in Southeast Asia that's actually good for real work, not just photos?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant_torres1mo ago

So what's your actual minimum speed for real work?

miller.paul1mo ago

Man, I had to deal with a 10 Mbps connection for a month last year. It was fine for emails and basic stuff, but video calls would freeze if anyone else used the wifi. Honestly, I'd say 25 down is my bare minimum now just to avoid that headache.

logansullivan1mo ago

Honestly that whole idea of a minimum speed feels backwards. Real work gets done when you can focus without constant hiccups or waiting. A stable 5 down can be more useful than a shaky 50. It's less about a magic number and more about whether the connection stops being a thing you have to think about.