differentbutsamesame

I'm also getting a workable speed at the moment but i;m wondering how long it will last...

Thanks for the translation. I got hold on a TRUE customer rep. and my zyxel router is scheduled to be replaced by a Nlink 1 port wifi router early next week.

However, i don't understand why all Zyxel routers have "problems". The firmware has to be updated manually so there's no way all Zyxel routers are bricked. I think something bigger is going on and they are just trying to win some time by replacing a few routers.

Since there's no English version, here's a translated one

TrueOnline is aware of the problems customers have been experiencing with our ZyXEL products (P-660HW-T1 v2 (4port with WiFi 11g 54M) and P-660w-T1v2 (1 port WiFi)). We have been working closely with ZyXEL to resolve the issue.

TrueOnline takes full responsibility for what has happened and will be issuing new modem/routers to all customers who have had problems with the aforementioned devices.

Customers can apply for a replacement modem/router by contacting TrueOnline Care Center 1686, visiting our Facebook page, True Care Chat, or www.trueonline.com website. Please provide your name, ADSL phone number, and your contact details so that we may contact you.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

There's an ongoing thread about this issue RIGHT HERE.

Note: The thread is in Thai, so have someone translate it for you. Those experiencing frequent disconnects or connection dropouts whilst using ZyXEL modem/router (supplied by True) are advised to call 1686. This problem has affected a large number of users in many areas. No one seems to know what's causing it... But interestingly, those using True ZyXEL devices seem to be having the most problems. BTW, I doubt flood waters have anything to do with it since the problem began in late September.

I tried to call TRUE but their customer supportline seems to be disconnected, i constantly get a busy signal.

So i tried to open a webchat with them.... There is/are 87 people ahead of you. Please wait... LOL

Well, at my uncle's house in Nontaburi, I didn't get any Internet signals at all for two days. Must be the weather and the floods causing all that...

At my parent's house at Samut Prakan it's okay though...

Yeah it must be the floods. Makes me realise i need an extra satelite internetconnection for my business in case the mainline will be disrupted.

Yes I have noticed this over the past two weeks or so.

Not only that but I keep getting disconnected every 10 minutes or so.

Me too, the router loses the adsl signal twice each hour or so.

Where are you located?

TRUE internet is running very slow. Websites take ages to load or timeout and downloading at max. 40 kbyte/sec.

Is anyone else experiencing a slow connection from TRUE internet in BKK?

Investing over a million dollars in these cheap looking trying to look slick excuses for condos, imitating so called "American or European life" style, that get old tatty and discarded the minute the last unit is bought, are just a waste of place that spoil Bangkok horizon line, is a total waist of money

The sheer concept of a Champagne bar is such a nonsense nouveau riche and vulgar it's not even funny.

Funny, you exactly match the type of person i described in my previous post. Maybe the sticks is a better place for you to live in.

I don't know if Luke is trolling but the man has a point. This forum attracts a lot of "lower class", cynic old men who get a kick out of ridiculing anyone who's succesful and not being shy of expressing that. The survey done by Thaivisa amongst members proofs that. As long as you don't ask any serious questions or mention your young age you'll be fine on Thaivisa. I'm glad the psychographics on this forum do not reflect the ones in the real world.

A little update:

AUA: I don't like it, the school looks shabby and not all teachers are native English speakers.

British council: Good teaching but unreliable. Courses often do not have enough participants so the student must wait a long time to start the next term.

Wallstreet: I'm not so sure about their teaching methodology. A lot is done on the computer and only 1 hour daily practicing English with a teacher together with a few other students. All teachers are native English speakers, that's a big pro.I find the speed of teaching a bit slow though. It will take 6 months to complete the beginners course.

EF and ECC i didn't visit yet.

I'm a bit stuck so any recommendation is welcome.

I'll probably have to start looking for private lessons.....

Pretty unlikely you will find it ANYWHERE in Asia, since dark skin is considered undesirable.

The more I think about this, the more I giggle uncontrollably...

Boots had the stuff in stock for a long time "Sateev". I've been told new self tanners are on it's way, it will take a while though because it's imported from the UK.

You find it funny that one likes to have a light tan or that asians (and indians) try desperately to look white?

I think there's a market for it in Bangkok. There are lots of pale skinned foreigners who like to have a tan but don't like to sunbathe or just don't have the time to do it.

Where can i buy self-tanning lotion in Bangkok? I've visited a few boots shops but it's sold out everywhere.

I'm currently using a few strong anti-acne medications so i have to avoid the sun if i don't want to get heavily sunburned.

I know about the spraytanning shop in BKK but that's not what i'm looking for.

DSL downstream/upstream speed 11776 kbps / 1197 kbps

LAN 100M/Fullduplex

WAN 54M

DSL line status as of today from my TRUE Zyxel router:

noise margin upstream: 27 db

output power downstream: 9 db

attenuation upstream: 8 db

I have to say the connection started to get laggy after the heavy rainfall and thunderstorms this week. If the problem persists i will call TRUE customer service.

The problem is very likely your half-open connection and established connections (particularly if you use public torrent trackers).

Limit the half open to 15-20

Limit concurrent connections to below 200.

A quick remedy is to shut down your torrent client, turn off the PC, restart your ADSL modem, turn the PC back on, DO NOT USE TORRENT CLIENT, test connection.

Quite likely your connection speeds will be fine. Then try to open your torrent client, and after 5 minutes check your connection speeds overall again. Probably not so fine anymore.

If the connection is still crap even after following the above steps, the issue is most likely the transparent proxy servers that handles logging on behalf of the government and the implemented policies.

There are (legal) ways around this, but according to forum policies I am not allowed to speak of it publicly.

No offense, but I do know how to configure a bit torrent client.

How many times do I have to say it? TRUE THROTTLES TORRENTS. How would you explain downloading at 400-500KB/s, then all of a sudden, speed is reduced to 30-40KB/s and stays like that for the next 14 hours or so?? This occurs EVERYDAY at 11AM precisely.

If you're on True ADSL and don't notice anything, chances are you're downloading from local peers -- which btw, aren't subject to traffic-shaping rules. I can download at my full rated speed (9Mbps) whenever I connect to local peers, 24/7. However, the same cannot be said of "non-local peers", which all face the axe come 11AM. I've verified this time and time again. Same old sh!t.

Well, TRUE's connection has been very laggy for a few days. Anyone else noticing the same? Time-outs and very laggy responses. Looks like there's something wrong with the nameservers.

I've had no such problems on my True cable 20Mb plan here in Bangkok. Late last week I was noticing some little slower than normal speed during the evening....really nothing to complain about it, but this week it's been all good/very normal/very good speed.

Consider yourself lucky to be on cable.

ADSL has been pure crap for over a week now. Even the locals are starting to complain... Something is definitely going on, I just don't know what it is.

Since when does TRUE offer cableinternet? I thought they only offered ADSL?

I have a 10mbit connection with TRUE.

noise margin upstream: 27 db

output power downstream: 9 db

attenuation upstream: 8 db

Is that too low? I'm experienceing timeouts and a laggy connection as well since a few days.

Edit: after resetting the DSL line i get this:

noise margin upstream: 27 db

output power downstream: 12 db

attenuation upstream: 8 db

Still too low?

Well, TRUE's connection has been very laggy for a few days. Anyone else noticing the same? Time-outs and very laggy responses. Looks like there's something wrong with the nameservers.

TRUE has been really slow last couple of days but it seems to run fine today.

http://speedtest.trueinternet.co.th/

Last Result:

Download Speed: 9906 kbps (1238.3 KB/sec transfer rate)

Upload Speed: 1011 kbps (126.4 KB/sec transfer rate)

Latency: 34 ms

Wednesday, August 24, 2011 11:35:44

speedtest.net server BKK

speedtest.net server LA, CA

Which area of Bangkok is she in?

Remember she will learn with other people, if her level is higher than theirs she might get bored, also the teacher will be concentrating on all members of the class and not one. She could buy private classes at a language institute, which will cost her over 600baht per hour.

In Sukhumvit. Any location along the Sukhumvit BTS route between Siam and Onnut will be fine.

600 baht per hour for private lessons is quite fafordable indeed. Maybe she can mix private lessons to improve her speech with regular lessons in class. Or will that interfere with eachother? Each institute / private teacher has his own method of teaching.

Out of the schools you mention I would recommend British Council.

I know a few people who have worked at AUA and they told me that many of the teachers working there have no education and can't teach grammar. (no offense to any of you working there now). On the other hand I have met some people who have studied at AUA and completed several levels and their English has been excellent.

Personally I wouldn't recommend ECC. One of my Thai undergraduate students works there as a part time teacher and she has told me many stories of the foreign teachers who work there. I won't repeat what she said.

Another school is EF. I don't know much about them but they seem like professional teachers.

Basically the schools are pretty much the same, in that there are both good and bad teachers.

Thanks for the info. I have never heared of EF but i'll look it up.

I believe you always get what you pay for so it will probably be british council or wallstreet, maybe mixed with private lessons.

A Thai lady wants to learn English pref. full time from monday to friday. Her knowledge of the english language is basic.

She'd like to learn all aspects of the language, new words, writing, grammar, pronunciation/accent etc.

I came up with a few schools in Bangkok after reading several posts on this forum;

AUA

British council (probably the best?)

Thaiwalen

ECC

Has anyone around here have experience with one of these schools?

She requires the teachers to be native English speakers because she'd like to learn an English or American accent as far that's possible.

You get what you pay for. I happily pay my staff more than the usual rate and throw in some bonuses now and then (if they have been proven trustworthy and won't leave within a few months). A higher salary and bonuses usually keeps them motivated. A few thousand baht per month extra is nothing for most of us but can be a big impact on quality of life for the staff's family. To pay your live-in maid 5k per month (in Bangkok) is just degrading especially if she has a family to support.

Gyms are a poncey overpriced rip-off

get yourself sown to Suan Ben (park next to emporium).

You can jog around a beautiful park for free

They've just put in a load of free machines (Bench press, Hill climbers, Sit up Machines)

All free - As fitness should be

High roller. The cheapskates in Thailand keep amazing me.

Confront the husband and tell him to control his bitch. Then gang up with your neighbours and beat him up.

Otherwise just move out and go live in a decent building, it sounds like you live in some cheap place so you get what you pay for.

There seems to be a wide spread belief/fear that it might cause skin discoloration.

Fractional laser treatment is not what is usually meant when you take about laser resurfacing as it is non-ablative. If it is non-ablative fractional laser treatment you want, a bit easier to find.

Still though dermatologists in Thailand are overwhelmingly geared towards Asian skin and Asian concepts of skin beauty i.e. whitening the complexion. Evenb when using fractional laser they are apt to focus on trying to remove any and all small freckles rather than doing what most westerners want. This even if you explain at great length that you are not after whiter skin and do not mind the odd freckle/beauty mark but rather want XYZ. I speak from bitter, money-wasting experience.

Which laser treatments or light treatments did you undergo? Which ones do you find a waste of money?

The one i mean is probably ablative, i know somebody who did it a few years ago. Her face was bloody and swolen for 5 days or so but the result was very impressive. Fine wrinkles were gone and deeper wrinkles were a lot less noticebale.

Dr. Wichai at St Louis is very good. Successfully treated my nephew for skin similiar to yours (mixture of acne scars and new break outs of acne) using green laser phototherapy. Wasn't cheap though.

Thank you Sheryl, i will definately visit dr. Wichai. Costs are not a problem, i just want to get rid of the acne, old scars and spots for once.

Based on your posts on thaivisa I see you have a lot of knowledge about healthcare in Thailand. Do you know if laser resurfacing is done in Bangkok?

yes but very hard to find as not popular with Thais.

Dr. Wichai does it. He does several different types so need to discuss thoroughly with him what your concerns are/desired outcome. Some types are better for removal of surface skin (scars, blotches etc0 while others are better for stimulating collagen and treating wrinkles.

Why isn't it popular among Thais? Isn't the fractional laser superior in comparison with the weaker lasers they use in most Thai clinics?

Dr. Wichai at St Louis is very good. Successfully treated my nephew for skin similiar to yours (mixture of acne scars and new break outs of acne) using green laser phototherapy. Wasn't cheap though.

Thank you Sheryl, i will definately visit dr. Wichai. Costs are not a problem, i just want to get rid of the acne, old scars and spots for once.

Based on your posts on thaivisa I see you have a lot of knowledge about healthcare in Thailand. Do you know if laser resurfacing is done in Bangkok?

I've quite bad skin and it's getting worse no matter what stuff i put on my face so it's probably time to visit a good dermatologist.

My skin has some old acne spots (still breaking out), sun damage and it's easily irritated. I need a dermatologist who's also literate in the anti-aging field and can create a complete treatment over a longer period of time for me. I'm not interested in a one-time treatment because skin needs time to heal and improve. There are a lot of Dr.'s in Thailand who are more like salesmans than real dr.'s. Can anyone tell me if the following list of dr.'s is still good to go?

Dr. Orawan

Dr. Chittapon - bumrungrad

Dr. Niyom Tantikun - bumrungrad

Dr. Paritas Sukriket , M.D. - samitivej

Dr. Wichai of St. Louis Hospital

Dr. ?? At Yanhee hospital

Dr. ?? at skin hospital asok

I'd also like to give the Yanhee and skin hospital a visit.

P.s. What's the name of the machine that can create deep tissue images? I've seen it on a dermatology documentary a while ago but i forgot the name of it. Do the better dermatologists in Bangkok use such devices to map the skinproblems?

"Did bodybuilding.com stick something not allowed in Thailand into the package so the customs need to verify i ordered it so they can throw me in Bangkok Hilton?"

Yes. It's a new marketing plan they recently came up with to get rid of repeat customers.

Like bully marketing yes, in some niches it does work.