Bruno123

On 12/10/2021 at 12:21 PM, Sam Drucker said:

Have a few data points to add here.

 

I've had the same AIS prepaid number for more than 15 years now. Used to live in Thailand full time, but for the last 8 years been working in the States, and just visiting here from time to time. I just arrived a few weeks ago with my USA-purchased Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G (unlocked, SM-N986U1), and popped my Thai SIM card in when I got here. Signed up for a 5G data plan, but never got the 5G symbol; just LTE.

 

Went into an AIS shop in Bangkok, thinking maybe it was a configuration setting issue. They worked with it, then told me I needed a new SIM card. So in goes a new SIM card, they fiddled with my account settings on their computer, then hand the phone back to me (like we're all done.) I look at the phone, and it's just the same as when I walked in the door;  just an LTE symbol.

 

So I asked about that, they seemed puzzled, then asked a colleague. He says it takes 1 hour for everything on the network to reset. Okay, whatever. I go back to the hotel, it's still the same. Check the next morning, it's still the same. I realize "I don't know" still isn't part of the vocabulary here.

 

Fly up to Khon Kaen, see AIS 5G ads all over the place up there too. I check with an AIS office there. They worked with it there quite a bit, and with my account settings and packages. Three people huddled on it. Finally, they pulled one of their floor model Note 20 Ultra 5Gs, and popped my SIM card in it. Light it up, and it's got 5G. Put my SIM card back in my phone, and it's back to LTE. At least now we know it's a hardware/out of market equipment issue.

 

I thought with 5G those days would have been behind us. Unfortunately, not.

Any ideas here? Is it different 5G frequency bands used here, compared to the States? Or some other incompatibility?

 

One final point: The wife and daughter have US-purchased Galaxy A71 5G phones. Theirs don't pull in 5G either.   

2, 5, 41, 66, 71 mmWave/Sub6 - US-purchased Galaxy A71 5G (SM-A716U) is also missing n28.

Though it should pick up n41 wherever available.

The 5G bands needed for Thailand are n28, n41 & n258. The first two are the ones in current use.

47 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I was replying to Sam Drucker comments top of this page. 

Why don't you read this comment and get yourself up to speed. 

 

I've had a few friends from the States that came to visit me and they have had similar issues. 

 

My friend works in China, he came to visit me recently, has a Realme Q3 Pro 5G, has a 5G AIS sim but cannot get a 5G signal.

He's been into the Central Festival AIS office and the technician told him his 5G phone is not compatible with Thailand 5G network. 

That would be nonsense; since AIS use n28 and his phone supports n28. Even if they used n41, his phone also supports n41. So there must be another reason.

1, 28, 40, 41, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA

Try to imagine n41 not as a narrow band sitting on exactly one frequency. A phone supporting n41 will be able to see the whole frequency range.

9 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

It's quite easy to say someone is wrong

 

As I said,  I'm no expert.

 

 

Can you explain why a Chinese or American 5G phone using n41 band won't work in Thailand and vice versa?

 

. 

2, 5, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - SM-N986U

As you can see; the OP's phone does not support n28. The International version of the phone does support it; 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28, 40, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - SM-N986B

Truemove H is utilising n28 & n41. 

5 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Possibly, I'm no expert.

 

Can you explain why a Chinese or American 5G phone using n41 band won't work in Thailand and vice versa? 

How do you know that it won't work? It's only you saying so. Your information is outdated; n28 has the most extensive coverage here.

3 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

As I said, n41 band using different frequencies is going to cause conflict. 

You're not going to connect. 

...and I have stated that you are wrong.

32 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Yes, so that's the frequency range worldwide.

 

So, if you are Samsung, Apple, OPPO etc. you can manufacture your smartphone 5G chipset to communicate within this range. 

 

If America is using the 2500 Mhz frequency and Thailand is on 2600 MHz frequency there's a mismatch. 

 

So, your American phones 5G will not function in Thailand, it will revert back to the 4G signal 

Nope; that's not correct.

n41(TDD) is the same everywhere. You are likely mixing it with n7(FDD). 

1 hour ago, ed79 said:

Hi @fdsa, even as someone who used to work in IT support, most of this goes over my head ????

 

However can you advise; I'm looking at getting a 4G router from Aliexpress.  I found suppliers in Thailand only seem to sell old Cat4 models with crappy 11n wi-if.

 

For not much more I can get a Cat19 Huawei B818 from China.  I just want to make sure it'll work in Thailand.

 

Do you know what 4G frequency bands are used here (B1/3/5/7/8 etc)?

 

Cheers. 

AIS:

3G UMTS Frequency Bands

B1 (2100 MHz)

B5 (850 MHz)

4G LTE Frequency Bands

B1 (2100 MHz)

B3 (1800 MHz)

B28 (700 MHz)

B40 (2300 MHz)

5G NR Frequency Bands

n28 (700 MHz)

DTAC:

3G UMTS Frequency Bands

B1 (2100 MHz)

B5 (850 MHz)

4G LTE Frequency Bands

B1 (2100 MHz)

B3 (1800 MHz)

B28 (700 MHz)

B40 (2300 MHz)

5G NR Frequency Bands

n28 (700 MHz)

Truemove H

3G UMTS Frequency Bands

B1 (2100 MHz)

B5 (850 MHz)

4G LTE Frequency Bands

B1 (2100 MHz)

B3 (1800 MHz)

B8 (900 MHz)

B41 (2500 MHz)

5G NR Frequency Bands

n28 (700 MHz)

n41 (2500 MHz)

13 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

 

Yes; that is what I indicated earlier. n41 being the same everywhere.

7 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Yes, n41 frequencies are different in countries

n41, would be expected to be the same everywhere. 

TD 2500 is the 5G Band name; the operating bands from 2496 to 2690 MHz

Hence the article describing 2600 MHz(n41).

4 hours ago, mikebell said:

'464 rai of land from locals for a total value of 110 million baht; 450 rai were quickly bought by this company for 271 million baht at the end of that month,' bought by agents/family acting for Deputy Interior Minister Nipon Boonyamanee.  In Civilised Counties this is called Insider Trading.

You aren't the only one who doesn't think highly of him.

I think this article says it for you: https://nbtworld.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG210216142751908

Quote

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Nipon Boonyamanee, "lacks honesty, morality and ethics, and abuses his power for personal gain and for the benefit of his associates."

Has some choice words for some of the others too.

45 minutes ago, david_je said:

What do you think would be key pros and cons of getting new air card vs. pocket wifi? Thanks.

They are the same thing as long as they support RNDIS.

If you need to keep your number with AIS, you can change the SIM from PostPaid to PrePaid and then apply a 20 Mbps or 10 Mbps unlimited pack to it, for 300 baht per month or 200 baht per month respectively.

Otherwise a new SIM will have the same options. 

For the Wireless device; that depends on how much you are willing to spend. More money; more function. i.e: Carrier Aggregation, WiFi 5(ac) or 6(ax)

Comes down to whether you are a top of the range guy or if you just need the basics.

2 hours ago, phetphet said:

I got the info. from here:

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note20_ultra_5g-10261.php

...I use them often. Recognised the layout.

I didn't cross-check with any other references.

7 minutes ago, phetphet said:

I got the info. from here:

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note20_ultra_5g-10261.php

I know. ????

15 hours ago, Sam Drucker said:

Yes, I agree that there is some sort of "market-specific" factor going on here. I've had WiFi off; that didn't change anything re: network 5G. 

 

I remember the oppositee happening back around 2013 or so; I had a Note II I bought here, and using it in the States, it was okay on phone calls, and got internet, but it was only pulling in the previous generation (2G I think) at the time. 

 

So it seems like there are issues even today with current, top-end phones not operating optimally in markets outside of where they were purchased. 

 

It would just be nice to know specifically what those issues are, so perhaps the next time one can look closer at the specs to identify if there will be issues.

 

At any rate, I'm just here for 3 weeks this time, and it's working plenty fine with LTE for what my needs are during this short period.

Do you have 5G switched on?

There are also applications that can assist you in choosing a particular Band; n41 in this case and also tell you which Bands are operating in your area.

4 hours ago, phetphet said:

 

List below shows the US version SM-N986U and international version SM-N986B have different 5G bands.

As you say. It's not the end of the world.

5G bands	2, 5, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - SM-N986U
	1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28, 40, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - SM-N986B
	41, 66, 71 Sub6 - SM-N986W
Speed	HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G

Something wrong with that picture.....

AIS utilise 

n28 (700 MHz)

n41 (2500 MHz)

n258 (26 GHz)

n41 was the first band in use, to be followed by n28. SM-N986U lists n41; so it is strange that it doesn't work. SM-N986U1 should not be different from SM-N986U other than being unlocked.

44 minutes ago, Kan Win said:

 

Got it from TP-Link M7200 Pocket WiFi พกพาไปได้ทุกที่ (4G LTE Mobile Wi-Fi) | Shopee Thailand

 

True Sim 60 GB per month only paid for it one time. It will expire 02.01.2022 so ordered a year of unlimited Internet access in advance from Lazada 1,790/- baht. Should be here anon.

 

[ ซิมเทพทรู ] ซิมเน็ตไม่อั้น ซิมเทพ 10mbps 1ปี Unlimited ไม่ลดสปีด โทรฟรีในเครือข่าย True 1 ปี มีใบกำกับภาษี จัดส่งฟรี ซิมเทพธอร์ WPNmobile Sim | Lazada.co.th

 

I have a PR so I do not travel abroad, since there is no need for me to go anywhere, only in and around Kan at the moment. Will take it with me everywhere I go and fully charged up.  (Tip)

 

I am also a novice to routers, very easy to get things working the TP-link.

 

Good luck.

 

Win

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slightly baffled as to why they have two models so close to each other; 

https://www.tp-link.com/th/home-networking/mifi/m7000/

https://www.tp-link.com/th/home-networking/mifi/m7200/

https://www.tp-link.com/th/compare/?typeId=4692&productIds=45203%2C25769

The M7000 covers an extra band on LTE and might come with a power supply.

The M7200 allows you to connect the modem to your PC via USB cable as well as WiFi.

12 hours ago, recom273 said:

I don't own one, but you might want to take a look at these, but Im thinking about a x750 as a backup internet.

 

https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-e750/

https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-x750/

 

I do own a https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-mt300n-v2/ and they are really cool pieces of kit to own, when I bought one they were 500B but now almost double in price - but it depends upon what you want, they have some little features like a physical switch to toggle a VPN or TOR. The software on the 750 is pretty much the same, based upon OpenWRT.

 

I contacted the manufacturer and they are CAT6 capable of carrier aggregation, the only downside is they are more expensive than I would like to pay for a backup system.

You already have the Mango. You can attach a USB modem/MiFi/Smartphone tether to it for a back up system.

Take note with regard to the recommendation above;

Only the two models at the bottom of the list are CAT. 6 capable; the others are CAT. 4.

EP06-E is a CAT.6 module. EC25-E is CAT. 4.

https://shopee.co.th/GL.iNet-GL-E750-(MUDI)-4G-LTE-OpenWrt-VPN-Router-MicroSD-สูงสุด-128GB-แบตเตอรี่-7000mAh-OpenVPN-WireGuard-Tor-i.527959688.13009489835

6 hours ago, david_je said:

May I ask where you purchased and what SIM/data package you use with it? Any tips for this novice welcome. Thank you.

You can run a search on the model numbers to find alternative outlets.

Currently all three of the main networks are offering unlimited data, capped at either 4 Mbps, 10 Mbps or 20 Mbps, at 150, 200 and 300 baht per month respectively.

Alternatively, you can purchase a year of unlimited Internet access in advance, capped at a maximum bandwidth of 10 Mbps, from 1400 baht( equivalent to approx.117 baht per month).

11 hours ago, david_je said:

I have been using an old Sierra Wireless air card with AIS SIM to connect my laptop to internet in Bangkok, but it is slow and sometimes laptop does not detect the air card anymore. I'm thinking of switching to a pocket wi-fi which I can also use abroad with local SIM there. Can someone recommend a model they have used?

Depends somewhat on what kinds of speeds you expect. If happy with a 10 Mbps or 20 Mbps cap then I cannot fault either of the earlier suggestions on specification. TP-LINK covers one extra band on LTE: Band 20.

If wanting to take advantage of higher possible speeds, then look at CAT.6.

Even though I have a MiFi with me, I prefer to use my mains powered LTE router. But if you are pushed for space; then a MiFi will work.

A Smartphone will work; but not really suitable to be left plugged into the mains long term.

Have you signed into the Microsoft Store using a Microsoft account ever or used Microsoft PIN to sign in??

Anyway, you can see how Safe Mode looks to you: https://support.lenovo.com/hn/en/solutions/ht105328-f8-or-fn-f8-key-not-able-to-enter-safe-mode-in-windows-10-thinkpad

If no use, you can go in to enable the hidden Administrator account: https://www.isumsoft.com/it/enable-hidden-administrator-account-in-windows-10-without-login/

Once in you can revert back to a Local account from the current push to get you to use a Microsoft sign in.

2 hours ago, Russell17au said:

On 7th December when I shutdown one of my laptops it went into the automatic Microsoft Update before closing down and the following morning I started the laptop and it went through the usual update procedure before it opened the programs but when it came to the screen to sign in it was different because instead of the box under my name that I put my password in there was just a sign that said "sign in" and when I click on that it says "Just a moment" and the usual little wheel rotates but then it goes back to the "Sign in" screen and the computer does not open. I contacted Microsoft Support on December 8 and they told me it was a gliche in the system and to wait for 1 hour and try again. Well I waited and nothing changed so I packed the laptop away as it cannot be used and this morning December 10 I got the laptop out and tried it but it is still the same as December 8. Laptop unusable. Anyone else have any problems with Microsoft Updates?

It sounds as if a new feature version was installed. Somehow changed your Local account sign-in to a Microsoft account sign-in. But you don't have an associated Microsoft account, do you?