Traveling with a lap top

[kellis]

Can anyone provide me with information regarding rules or regulations to bring a lap top computer into Moscow from the USA.
Thank you, Karen

[Dr_Woland]

Hi Karen

I carry my laptop abroad to and from Moscow 5-6 times a year at least. There are no regulations *at all* about laptops, you are free to bring whatever computer gear you like. I sometimes even carry two (I have a palmtop for "travelling light" too). The only regulations are for communications devices - satellite and digital phones, which you are technically supposed to declare on arrival (an obscure Ministry of Communications ruling which the Customs guys don't seem to care about anyhow).

Voltage in Russia is 220v ac, you will need a standard european 2-pin power jack. Most laptops can accept voltages from 90v through 260v with no problems, but check the power adaptor in the middle of the cable, it should be labelled with what voltages it will accept.

For getting online, you will need an RJ-11 to Russian jack adaptor, but practically any store selling electrical goods sells them for less than $1. Almost any Metro station will have a guy outside selling cheap walkmans, mini radios, cables, batteries, multi-way power-jacks etc, and he'll almost certainly have a phone-jack. Ask for a "mejdunaRODnaya telePHONnaya razVYETka". It has 5 metal prongs the size of the ones on US power-jacks, in this shape:

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There are different brands, what you want ideally is one with TWO RJ-11 inputs (almost all of them have this) so you can plug-in the phone and the modem without having to keep switching things over. There is another kind which allows you to "plug-through" a Russian phone whilst leaving your modem line plugged in.

If you get completely stuck and cannot find what you need at all, go to Metro station Kuznetsky Most. Outside the exit is a courtyard full of little shops, all selling electronic gear, bootleg software etc. If you turn left from the metro exit, there is a store which sells every kind of adaptor, extension-cable, bi-way switch etc you could possibly ever need, and the staff are reasonably helpful. The courtyard there is a bit dirty and depressing, but it hides one further little treat. After the store I mentioned is a cafe, but go one more door and there is a tiny doorway marked "KOFE-BEAN". Inside is Moscow's friendliest little coffee-store, with a range of coffees that is almost equal to anything you'll find in Seattle, and lovely staff too. Drink it there, or have them grind the fresh beans to take-home :-)

Internet - buy an Internet Card. It's like a pre-paid phone-card, only it is valid to just one number, the local node. Expect to pay around R400 for 15 pre-paid hours, longer-length cards offer tiny savings above that. Use your DUN-wizard to set-up the connection. Avoid "Russia On-Line" cards, the set-up is a nightmare, requiring online sign-up in Russian only, and the service is appalling. "Cityline" is ok, you can buy their cards at any branch of Gutabank. There are some better cards than that, but you have to make a special trip to go and buy them. The card will usually state on it the modem phone number, the username, the password (scratch-off for your security). Also it gives an SMTP server, which you MUST use - you'll find you cannot send mail through your regular smtp server. You can continue to use your favourite POP3 or web-based email settings, however :-) The new SMTP server is entirely invisible to your correspondents, however :-)

Don't forget to set your dialling to PULSE - tone-dialling is not available in Moscow yet! Internet connection speeds are not great, you will be lucky to get 28,000 , at busy times it can turn-out more like 16,400 or even 12,800 sometimes :-( Expect to have to redial 5-6 times to get connected - best to set your auto-redial to about 20, put the modem-speaker on "high", and go and make a cup of coffee meantime till you hear the beeeeeeeeeeep....

In case no-one else tells you, the place to get tech stuff cheaply in Moscow is at "Gorbushka", the weekend nerd-market at Metro Bagrationovskaya, but go early, it officially shuts at 3pm. As you come out of the metro, the general market (food, clothes, diy goods) is behind the metro. The electronics hardware is in the big building opposite the cinema (on 3-4 levels), and the bootleg music and software cd's are on sale in the park at the top of the road (unless the police have raided it again :-)

Another place to look is Mitino, but there's no metro there, and that's more for "household electrical".

Dr W.

[kellis]

Message for Dr. Woland, Thank you so much for all the information you provided.

[Dr_Woland]

you're welcome - if you get stuck, you can always drop me a line. BTW, there are several internet cafes around Moscow these days too :-)

Neil