Before the kitchen and the terrace, check the signal. One quick speed test at 8 pm tells you more than a brochure.
Flat areas like Arenal and the Port are wired. Old Town usually has fibre, though older risers slow things. Up on Montgó and Tarraula you hit pockets. Around La Guardia, Balcón al Mar, and Granadella, one side of the street works, the other doesn’t.
Fibre if it reaches you. Roughly 30–45 €/month. Apartments are easy. Villas need a trench or a cable across a wall, so it takes time. Real numbers people here see: 300 Mbps down as standard, 600 in newer Arenal/Port buildings, uploads about a third, latency around 20 ms. Good for calls, work, streaming. Never trust “fibre ready” on a listing. Check the exact address on a coverage map and ask for proof of a live line. If you’re viewing, pair this with Buying Property in Jávea.
Fixed 4G if you must. SIM in a home router. About 30–40 €/month. Fine in spring. In July and August the towers fill and nights sag. Port/Arenal can hit 60–100 Mbps on quiet days. Indoors on Montgó can slide under 10 once everyone presses play. A directional antenna helps only if you can actually see the mast. Treat it as a bridge while you wait for fibre, or as backup for work.
Starlink for the gaps. Common in Rafalet, Les Fonts, upper Tosalet, plus scattered plots with clear sky. Put the dish where it sees sky, use the app’s Alignment tool, leave it alone. The current standard dish doesn’t motor. Typical here: 100–150 Mbps down, 20–30 up. Latency higher than fibre but fine for video calls and remote work. Budget mid-forties monthly after the kit, though we heard in some cases it’s cheaper, under 30 euros per month. Power draw roughly 50–75 W active and about 20 W idle, which matters on tight solar. Heavy rain or thick cloud can give some brief blips. If you rent the place out, remember connectivity shows up in reviews, so cross-check with Tourist Rentals in Jávea before you promise “fast Wi-Fi.”
What usually works where:
- Arenal / Port: fibre everywhere, 300–600, steady even in August.
- Old Town: mostly fibre, slower scheduling in older risers.
- Montgó / Tarraula: mixed pockets. Some fibre, lots of radio link or 4G, plenty of Starlink dishes.
- Balcón al Mar / La Guardia / Granadella: variable by elevation and trees. Plan 4G or Starlink.
- Rafalet / La Lluca: fibre lower down, satellite higher up.
Setup people forget: bring NIE and a Spanish IBAN. Contracts are usually 12 months with a small exit fee. Put a small UPS on the router and the fibre box so storm blips don’t kill meetings and interrup films. Mesh for thick stone. Router high and in the open, not behind a TV. One short ethernet to the desk beats another “booster.” These basics sit well next to Costs of Ownership and the practicals in Set Up Utilities in Jávea.
How to check a house properly: speed test at the gate, then by the TV point, then where a desk would sit. Do it again at 8 pm on a weekday. Ask the neighbour what they actually get and what they pay. If work is touchy, pair services: fibre plus a 4G SIM, or keep a Starlink kit ready to drop in. Tie this step into your viewing checklist from Purchaser’s Checklist so it never gets missed.
Coverage first. Pergola later.
