Unlimited Internet connection for a few months per year?

[ChomDo]

Hi,

 

My parents stay at their Bangkok apartment 2-3 months a year and they would need an Internet connection for monthly use with unlimited data. I used to get the cheapest yearly Internet from TOT, but it's not really worth it to pay for 12 months and use it only 2-3 months.

 

Is there anything offered that would suit visitors like this? Last time we asked around there seemed to be only yearly packages with monthly payment (router/WiFi) and mobile data sim cards with limited data.

 

[KittenKong]

32 minutes ago, ChomDo said:

mobile data sim cards with limited data.

 

Unlimited packages now available:

 

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1001601-which-thai-mobile-network-has-the-cheapest-data-package/

 

The 4Mbs packages should be very suitable for a couple of months use in Bangkok for normal purposes. Be sure to read the specific pros and cons of each provider.

[ChomDo]

What an argumentative and confusing thread that was but thanks anyway. Got a headache trying to go trough it. Also, I could make no sense of the outcome to help my case.

 

My parents watch internet TV all the time and need a fast connection. They would need it for 2 months starting soon (Dec+Jan). This May they asked all the providers an non of them seemed to have a unlimited monthly package for them. All required a one year commitment or were limited data mobile packages. 

Edited November 18, 2017 by ChomDo

[KittenKong]

3 hours ago, ChomDo said:

What an argumentative and confusing thread ....

 

I wont deny that.

 

 

3 hours ago, ChomDo said:

My parents watch internet TV all the time and need a fast connection.

 

Well, the various unlimited usage 4mbs packages at around 500B/month would probably suit them. What does the TV provider specify as being a minimum speed connection for their service? I used a 4mbs package for international TV streaming recently without any trouble at all.

 

Failing that the faster more expensive packages offering 6mbs etc should cover it. And, as mentioned in the thread, one provider currently doubles up the 4mbs bandwidth for free for a few weeks/months as a promo, so that might suit also. Difficult to say without knowing more about the TV service. I think that one provider mentioned also has an unlimited uncapped package at under 2000B/month, which would not be unreasonable for just a couple of months.

 

All those packages you can pay for monthly or weekly/daily (more expensive of course) with no long contract, and so you can test them for very little cost.

 

Otherwise it may be that the building they live in has a cable TV supplier that can also do broadband in some form or another, in which case there may be no minimum subscription requirement. This is the case in my Jomtien condo.

 

Edited November 18, 2017 by KittenKong

[ChomDo]

1 hour ago, KittenKong said:

 

I wont deny that.

 

 

 

Well, the various unlimited usage 4mbs packages at around 500B/month would probably suit them. What does the TV provider specify as being a minimum speed connection for their service? I used a 4mbs package for international TV streaming recently without any trouble at all.

 

Failing that the faster more expensive packages offering 6mbs etc should cover it. And, as mentioned in the thread, one provider currently doubles up the 4mbs bandwidth for free for a few weeks/months as a promo, so that might suit also. Difficult to say without knowing more about the TV service. I think that one provider mentioned also has an unlimited uncapped package at under 2000B/month, which would not be unreasonable for just a couple of months.

 

All those packages you can pay for monthly or weekly/daily (more expensive of course) with no long contract, and so you can test them for very little cost.

 

Otherwise it may be that the building they live in has a cable TV supplier that can also do broadband in some form or another, in which case there may be no minimum subscription requirement. This is the case in my Jomtien condo.

 

Thanks for the info. I've been checking out all the packages again, but it might still just be better for them to take the cheapest TOT WiFi for a year (they stay at their BKK apartment 2-3 months a year). The problem is mainly the limited data in all the Thai so called "unlimited" mobile data packages. I don't think they would mind paying 2000b per month for 2 months if the 4G really was unlimited. I mean even the better ones are limited to some 15-20 GB of 3G/4G data. If they go over that limit then the speed would be reduced to the very low one that I usually have to use when my 3G/4G data limit is used up. Like you said, I did notice some data packages for 2000B/month, but the 3G/4G data still has some limit, so for that price maybe I would still choose the WiFi option (probably faster and more stable connection and no limits at least). 

[GreytMan]

47 minutes ago, ChomDo said:

Thanks for the info. I've been checking out all the packages again, but it might still just be better for them to take the cheapest TOT WiFi for a year (they stay at their BKK apartment 2-3 months a year). The problem is mainly the limited data in all the Thai so called "unlimited" mobile data packages. I don't think they would mind paying 2000b per month for 2 months if the 4G really was unlimited. I mean even the better ones are limited to some 15-20 GB of 3G/4G data. If they go over that limit then the speed would be reduced to the very low one that I usually have to use when my 3G/4G data limit is used up. Like you said, I did notice some data packages for 2000B/month, but the 3G/4G data still has some limit, so for that price maybe I would still choose the WiFi option (probably faster and more stable connection and no limits at least). 

 

Whilst the other thread was convoluted, it does appear that you are unable to comprehend the most clear and simple statements.

 

KittenKong has outlined to you unlimited capped speed packages.

It appears that you have ignored that and gone off at a tangent.

 

Once again, there is no data limit attached to the packages mentioned.

 

If they arrive on or before the 23rd of December, I recommend that they go for one of the DTAC double speed packages.

 

You pay for an unlimited 4Mbps connection, but receive a 8 Mbps connection for up to sixty days, at a cost of 535 baht per 30 day period.

As long as they have at least 535 baht on account, it will auto renew for a second month. Simply make sure that there is less than 535 baht on account so that it doesn't renew for a third month.

 

https://www.dtac.co.th/en/prepaid/products/net-no-limit-double.html

 

Better all round would be their 10 Mbps(speed double to 20 Mbps for eight weeks) package. but it is only offered weekly. In this case, best to top up the SIM with 1750 baht to cover the eight week period.

 

But of course in this case, there would need a 4G MiFi compatible with the frequencies utilised in Thailand.

From which country are they travelling? Perhaps one can be sourced from there.

[KittenKong]

1 hour ago, ChomDo said:

The problem is mainly the limited data in all the Thai so called "unlimited" mobile data packages.

 

Whilst I readily admit that Thai websites are hideously complex and rarely provide the necessary information, that thread does provide links and descriptions for the various unlimited (in quantity) packages provided by all the various providers. They also have other packages that are limited in quantity, but those are not the ones I was suggesting. Greytman has provided one of those links again but others are available. And as he points out, you would probably need a suitable 3/4G mini-router/hotspot. Some of the service providers here will bundle a suitable one with the SIM, if you prepay enough. If you pre-pay less they may offer a discount on one. But even to buy they are not expensive.

 

I still think that one of these packages could be very suitable for your parents, and easy to renew once a year as long as they remember to extend the validity of the SIM to the full 360+days before leaving. This can be done for well under 50B with most providers.

Edited November 18, 2017 by KittenKong

[PerkinsCuthbert]

1 hour ago, KittenKong said:

 

Whilst I readily admit that Thai websites are hideously complex and rarely provide the necessary information, that thread does provide links and descriptions for the various unlimited (in quantity) packages provided by all the various providers. They also have other packages that are limited in quantity, but those are not the ones I was suggesting. Greytman has provided one of those links again but others are available. And as he points out, you would probably need a suitable 3/4G mini-router/hotspot. Some of the service providers here will bundle a suitable one with the SIM, if you prepay enough. If you pre-pay less they may offer a discount on one. But even to buy they are not expensive.

 

I still think that one of these packages could be very suitable for your parents, and easy to renew once a year as long as they remember to extend the validity of the SIM to the full 360+days before leaving. This can be done for well under 50B with most providers.

Be aware too that DTAC double-speed unlimited data packages will block torrents.

[GreytMan]

1 hour ago, PerkinsCuthbert said:

Be aware too that DTAC double-speed unlimited data packages will block torrents.

 

Do you have experience of this?

[wump]

When I had a condo in Bangkok I could sign up with 3BB for with no yearly contract. Just rented the equipment for 700 Baht. Monthly fee was around the same.

 

@ Op: Is there no public wifi near your place? They are usually just 99 Baht a month.

[KittenKong]

2 minutes ago, wump said:

@ Op: Is there no public wifi near your place? They are usually just 99 Baht a month.

Worth trying certainly, but probably not fast enough for international TV streaming which the OP's parents want to do.

[ChomDo]

3 hours ago, GreytMan said:

 

Whilst the other thread was convoluted, it does appear that you are unable to comprehend the most clear and simple statements.

 

KittenKong has outlined to you unlimited capped speed packages.

It appears that you have ignored that and gone off at a tangent.

 

Once again, there is no data limit attached to the packages mentioned.

 

If they arrive on or before the 23rd of December, I recommend that they go for one of the DTAC double speed packages.

 

You pay for an unlimited 4Mbps connection, but receive a 8 Mbps connection for up to sixty days, at a cost of 535 baht per 30 day period.

As long as they have at least 535 baht on account, it will auto renew for a second month. Simply make sure that there is less than 535 baht on account so that it doesn't renew for a third month.

 

https://www.dtac.co.th/en/prepaid/products/net-no-limit-double.html

 

Better all round would be their 10 Mbps(speed double to 20 Mbps for eight weeks) package. but it is only offered weekly. In this case, best to top up the SIM with 1750 baht to cover the eight week period.

 

But of course in this case, there would need a 4G MiFi compatible with the frequencies utilised in Thailand.

From which country are they travelling? Perhaps one can be sourced from there.

I guess I missed the point at first, and I couldn't find any such totally unlimited packages when I searched for them. Anyway that deal sounds good. I'll suggest it to them. At least they could try if it's good for them first.

 

They do have a router from their country that has a sim slot and it should work fine here. If the router can not be used then they would just have to have it in their phone and share the connection as hotspot, right?  

[wump]

So is there a phone line? Since op is willing to pay 4,000 Baht for 2 months 4G he might as well pay 590 a month a get a fixed line contract for a year with free router (3BB).

 

Alternatively, DTAC offers unlimited 4G from 1100/month with postpaid. I don't know the current situation but in the past farangs could easily sign up for postpaid by putting amount x on their user account.

[wump]

Just now, ChomDo said:

I guess I missed the point at first, and I couldn't find any such totally unlimited packages when I searched for them. Anyway that deal sounds good. I'll suggest it to them. At least they could try if it's good for them first.

 

They do have a router from their country that has a sim slot and it should work fine here. If the router can not be used then they would just have to have it in their phone and share the connection as hotspot, right?  

Correct but a bit of a hassle. Mifi-only routers are not that expensive. That said, I'm pretty sure their router from at home will work.

[GreytMan]

4 minutes ago, ChomDo said:

I guess I missed the point at first, and I couldn't find any such totally unlimited packages when I searched for them. Anyway that deal sounds good. I'll suggest it to them. At least they could try if it's good for them first.

 

They do have a router from their country that has a sim slot and it should work fine here. If the router can not be used then they would just have to have it in their phone and share the connection as hotspot, right?  

 

 

If it is only a 3G Router, discourage them from the Max speed 1605 per month packages, as they will be limited to 4 Mbps on those packages.

Tethering from a phone is also a possibility, but less reliable.

[ChomDo]

2 minutes ago, wump said:

So is there a phone line? Since op is willing to pay 4,000 Baht for 2 months 4G he might as well pay 590 a month a get a fixed line contract for a year with free router (3BB).

 

Alternatively, DTAC offers unlimited 4G from 1100/month with postpaid. I don't know the current situation but in the past farangs could easily sign up for postpaid by putting amount x on their user account.

I was checking the 3BB already but would have to call them to get more info. That sounds good if they offer monthly WiFi contracts. Yes there is a phone line and currently the TOT router is still there. I had yearly contract with TOT (about 450b/month) for a couple of years but just cancelled it last year. So if I want to use that again it would be about 5400b per year.

[wump]

From my experience only I would say a fixed line is better than relying on 4G but that highly depends on the carrier.

 

During peak hours 4G likes to drop out or slow down with some providers but your fixed line will usually be relatively stable. That said, there is some provider where even the fixed line drops out on a regular basis so read up before choosing a provider.

 

If TOT was working fine (in your area, that is) then I would just stay with it. Nothing more annoying than constantly being switched down to 144p when watching Netflix or having the video buffer all the time.

[ChomDo]

26 minutes ago, wump said:

From my experience only I would say a fixed line is better than relying on 4G but that highly depends on the carrier.

 

During peak hours 4G likes to drop out or slow down with some providers but your fixed line will usually be relatively stable. That said, there is some provider where even the fixed line drops out on a regular basis so read up before choosing a provider.

 

If TOT was working fine (in your area, that is) then I would just stay with it. Nothing more annoying than constantly being switched down to 144p when watching Netflix or having the video buffer all the time.

Yes totally agree. The 4G isn't always that reliable here, but I might tell them to give it a try first if it's just a bit over 500b per month instead of 2,000-3,000b per month (if they take the TOT WiFi for a year but use it only 2-3 months).

 

I wonder how come Dtac can have unlimited 4G for just 500b when I saw that other providers (actually Dtac also) has some 4G packages with like 30-80GB 4G data limit for as much as 2,000b per month. Of course those packages include lots of free calling time. Yesterday I picked up a Dtac brochure and it had about 10 different packages but not this one. Great to know now that an unlimited 4G data package does exist and for a much cheaper price than all those other packages! 

[wump]

6 hours ago, ChomDo said:

I wonder how come Dtac can have unlimited 4G for just 500b when I saw that other providers (actually Dtac also) has some 4G packages with like 30-80GB 4G data limit for as much as 2,000b per month.

It's all a big scam. Data is virtually free for the providers once the infrastructure is established. In my country you can buy 1 GB for as much as 40€ but can also have unlimited for 60€. Same probably applies to Thailand.

[KittenKong]

10 hours ago, wump said:

From my experience only I would say a fixed line is better than relying on 4G but that highly depends on the carrier.

 

During peak hours 4G likes to drop out or slow down with some providers but your fixed line will usually be relatively stable. That said, there is some provider where even the fixed line drops out on a regular basis so read up before choosing a provider.

 

I used my True 4mbs unlimited 4G connection every evening for a week for watching international TV because the wifi in my hotel kept buffering for the same usage, even though there was hardly anyone staying in the hotel. The True connection was perfect. OK, I know that's just one example of one provider over a very limited time-frame.

 

Apart from that I used the connection extensively for Spotify on my car stereo when driving around (I didnt even know it could do that until it started playing on its own when the Bluetooth connected!), and never had any dropouts with it, except of course in mountainous areas with no phone coverage at all. OK, I know that the bandwidth requirements for Spotify are much lower than those for streamed TV.

 

So I still think that one of the 4mbs monthly mobile packages at around 450-500B could suit the OP. Got to be worth trying.

[Trollmann]

I use 4 Mbps unlimited 4g Internet from true. I paid 2500 baht one time fee for the sim and there is 12 months unlimited use included. It works very well and I use more than 150GB every month and that for the price of about 200 bath a month. You can buy shorter time and lower speed if you like. I bought mine from http://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?q=4g sim true unlimited

Edited November 19, 2017 by Trollmann
additional information

[ChomDo]

8 hours ago, wump said:

It's all a big scam. Data is virtually free for the providers once the infrastructure is established. In my country you can buy 1 GB for as much as 40€ but can also have unlimited for 60€. Same probably applies to Thailand.

You mean unlimited 4G data for 60€? In my country I always get a sim card with unlimited 4G data and unlimited calls for about 15€ per month. That's why these deals in Thailand feel very expensive and often very limited (and of course slower). 

[ChomDo]

4 hours ago, KittenKong said:

 

I used my True 4mbs unlimited 4G connection every evening for a week for watching international TV because the wifi in my hotel kept buffering for the same usage, even though there was hardly anyone staying in the hotel. The True connection was perfect. OK, I know that's just one example of one provider over a very limited time-frame.

 

Apart from that I used the connection extensively for Spotify on my car stereo when driving around (I didnt even know it could do that until it started playing on its own when the Bluetooth connected!), and never had any dropouts with it, except of course in mountainous areas with no phone coverage at all. OK, I know that the bandwidth requirements for Spotify are much lower than those for streamed TV.

 

So I still think that one of the 4mbs monthly mobile packages at around 450-500B could suit the OP. Got to be worth trying.

Sounds good alright. For sure worth a try for around 500b instead of the yearly WiFi.

[ChomDo]

4 hours ago, Trollmann said:

I use 4 Mbps unlimited 4g Internet from true. I paid 2500 baht one time fee for the sim and there is 12 months unlimited use included. It works very well and I use more than 150GB every month and that for the price of about 200 bath a month. You can buy shorter time and lower speed if you like. I bought mine from http://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?q=4g sim true unlimited

That sounds like a great deal for a year alright. I guess for someone who spends around 2 months in the country, the unlimited 4G (upgraded to 8Mbps until Dec 23) from Dtac would probably be the best option at the moment.

[KittenKong]

13 hours ago, Trollmann said:

I use 4 Mbps unlimited 4g Internet from true. I paid 2500 baht one time fee for the sim and there is 12 months unlimited use included. It works very well and I use more than 150GB every month and that for the price of about 200 bath a month.

 

Which package is that?

[Trollmann]

1 hour ago, KittenKong said:

 

Which package is that?

http://www.lazada.co.th/true-sim-net-true-4g-unlimit-4-mbps-unlimit-17011107.html?spm=a2o4m.search.products-list.3.1ef4e300qT52vE&ff=1

 

This is the sim i bougth. I paid the postman who delivered the sim at my home and went to the nearest true shop to register the sim before it can be used. Now it has even lower price 2399 baht for one year free use limited to 4 mbps speed. Shipping is free and pay when receive. There is many options 8 months, 12 months, 16 and 20 months sim pacakes to buy and 1 or 4 mbps. You get free use within that time and never have to fill up the sim card in that period. If you choose to call someone within true network you pay only one baht for one hour of talking. 

[KittenKong]

9 hours ago, Trollmann said:

This is the sim i bougth. I paid the postman who delivered the sim at my home and went to the nearest true shop to register the sim before it can be used. Now it has even lower price 2399 baht for one year free use limited to 4 mbps speed. Shipping is free and pay when receive. There is many options 8 months, 12 months, 16 and 20 months sim pacakes to buy and 1 or 4 mbps. You get free use within that time and never have to fill up the sim card in that period. If you choose to call someone within true network you pay only one baht for one hour of talking. 

 

Interesting, though I do wonder how they can discount it so much.

 

I also wonder what the Thai text at the bottom of the advert says after the word "remark".

[Trollmann]

31 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

 

Interesting, though I do wonder how they can discount it so much.

 

I also wonder what the Thai text at the bottom of the advert says after the word "remark".

 

after the word remark: It just says it is type prepaid sim and that the sim card must be registred at any true shop or true agent before it can be used and that it is valid 1 year (after registration) and that there is no need to fill up with money after it has been bought (to use internet)

 

[Trollmann]

Translation

[WorriedNoodle]

On 11/19/2017 at 7:35 AM, Trollmann said:

I use 4 Mbps unlimited 4g Internet from true.

Yes, the wife bought one of these SIMs, put it in a wifi hotspot device in car so kids can surf Youtube.