Mobile Wifi Router

[Fat Prophet]

I have a holiday home that gets used a few days each month. I am looking for a good/economical wifi option. I have seen a mobile hotspot router on Lazada that will directly accept a sim card. I can get a 6 mbps plan, which is cost effective. Does anyone use this setup in their home? Is the wifi signal strong and reasonably fast? Can you recommend a mobile router? Thanks for any help/guidance. FP

[Pilotman]

we bought a 'D' Link at Tech City (3,500 Baht) that works with a AIS SIM.  600 Bhat per month for the sim and gives us unlimited download and high speed.  never regretted it. We do our internet stuff off it, including streaming movies and of course, it fits in the pocket so goes everywhere with us. Great bit of kit. . 

[marcusarelus]

Why not just do it with your phone?  Go to settings - tethering and Mobile hotspot.

[Nurseynutcase]

I have a true-pocket portable wifi (same size as the old blackberry phone)  I got 4G cost about 3500 baht.  Now top-up annually for 3,900 baht 4G unlimited downloads.  Just moved house so did not bother installing broadband.  Beauty of is I can take it anywhere in Thailand knowing I have my own secure wifi.

 

Hope this helps.

[Sealbash]

Agree. We drive around Thailand for two weeks covering Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia borders. Used a mobile WiFi hotspot (AIS) for connectivity throughout the drive. Excellent service except for some very remote areas north of Chiang Mai.


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[JamJar]

If Truemove H works well in that location, the 4 Mbps SIM is good value for your occasional usage; https://www.lazada.co.th/products/sim-true-4g-4mbps-1-i124324116-s130158093.html

 

 

[JamJar]

3500 baht is crazy; https://www.lazada.co.th/products/huawei-e5573-322-4g-router-wifi-mobile-wifi-dongle-router-wifi-4g-wifi-hotspot-huawei-pocket-wifi-4g-e5573-i228287892-s348908580.html

[Pilotman]

18 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Why not just do it with your phone?  Go to settings - tethering and Mobile hotspot.

because it's expensive? 

[Pilotman]

19 minutes ago, Nurseynutcase said:

I have a true-pocket portable wifi (same size as the old blackberry phone)  I got 4G cost about 3500 baht.  Now top-up annually for 3,900 baht 4G unlimited downloads.  Just moved house so did not bother installing broadband.  Beauty of is I can take it anywhere in Thailand knowing I have my own secure wifi.

 

Hope this helps.

Yep, great in the car to keep the kids quiet as they watch movies. 

[JamJar]

2 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

because it's expensive? 

 

I'm guessing he means with a change of SIM....

[Peterw42]

Just now, Pilotman said:

because it's expensive? 

Why is it expensive ? the OP is talking about the same thing, internet via sim card then a device to share it wifi. a phone will do the same thing as a pocket wifi router. I use an old phone with a broken screen for just that purpose.

[Happystance]

I paid 600 baht for a cell phone with tethering capability. Came with a Sim. Top up anywhere. Easy to carry around, super cheap data plans, tether my lappy at will to my own secure network.

Plus I can call with it, surf internet, use GPS, alarm clock, mp3 player.

Far more capability than a dedicated hotspot device.

[Pilotman]

2 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Why is it expensive ? the OP is talking about the same thing, internet via sim card then a device to share it wifi. a phone will do the same thing as a pocket wifi router. I use an old phone with a broken screen for just that purpose.

Unless you have unlimited package on your mobile it is very expensive on 'pay as you go'.  A D link sim with an unlimited package is 600 Bhat per month with AIS. 

[JamJar]

4 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

Unless you have unlimited package on your mobile it is very expensive on 'pay as you go'.  A D link sim with an unlimited package is 600 Bhat per month with AIS. 

 

Everyone here quotes 'unlimited' without being specific. How about a screenshot of the actual plan?

[Fat Prophet]

25 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Why not just do it with your phone?  Go to settings - tethering and Mobile hotspot.

I have been doing that, but it is very slow and one of my computers will not recognize the hotspot. I was thinking of getting 1 fast sim (6 Mbps) and installing it in a router that would get better coverage for the entire house. I am looking at a TP Link AR400; it gets very good reviews, but it is not cheap (B4,000 on Lazada). This is better, I think, than installing faster sims in everyone's phones. But the latter is certainly an option. Thanks. 

[moonseeker]

Excellent solution. AIS has 6 mths. & 12 mths. plans at 4mbs or 6 mbs down. Very! cheap, ask their office for promotions. If you stream a lot HD and have several devices hooked up, better take the 6mbs. Works flawless!  MS>

[Happystance]

8 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

because it's expensive? 

I paid 600 baht for a cheapy tethering phone (but I tether my smartphone and lappy to it) plus 300 to 600 baht a month for unlimited data, depending on how much speed I want.

 

Seems cheap to me.

[sfokevin]

If your in a rural area and you go with the 4G router... I would recommend one that you can plug in a mimo antenna - this would give you better reception and faster overall speeds...

 

Here is an example:

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/huawei-b525s-65a-4glte-2ca-wireless-router-i290238645-s481428761.html?search=1

Add this type of Antenna:

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/maxnetic-antenna-4g-mimo-i112021968-s114697653.html?search=1

 

Here is a video to explain the antenna setup...

 

Edited March 17, 2019 by sfokevin

[Pilotman]

4 minutes ago, JamJar said:

 

Everyone here quotes 'unlimited' without being specific. How about a screenshot of the actual plan?

Yea, right. People can do their own research, it's all online, or available at the local internet provider shop in Tesco or Big C.    

[JamJar]

5 minutes ago, moonseeker said:

Excellent solution. AIS has 6 mths. & 12 mths. plans at 4mbs or 6 mbs down. Very! cheap, ask their office for promotions. If you stream a lot HD and have several devices hooked up, better take the 6mbs. Works flawless!  MS>

 

No...they don't, unless you have a SIM registered before the 1st of Feb.

[JamJar]

1 minute ago, Pilotman said:

Yea, right. People can do their own research, it's all online, or available at the local internet provider shop in Tesco or Big C.    

 

Then why waste people's time quoting 600 baht per month for unlimited if you cannot back it up? 

Just nonsense.

Edited March 17, 2019 by JamJar

[Peterw42]

6 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

Unless you have unlimited package on your mobile it is very expensive on 'pay as you go'.  A D link sim with an unlimited package is 600 Bhat per month with AIS. 

Are you saying AIS has data plan were the sim can only be in their D link router, so long as you pay your 600 baht the sim can be in any device cant it? all the carriers have unlimited, usually at the expense of speed.

[Pilotman]

Just now, JamJar said:

 

Then why waste time quoting 600 baht per month if you cannot back it up. A total waste of time.

It's not my job to back it up, I'm not an AIS salesman, I actually don't care one way or the other what others do,  just trying to help someone who asked.   

[JamJar]

6 minutes ago, Happystance said:

I paid 600 baht for a cheapy tethering phone (but I tether my smartphone and lappy to it) plus 300 to 600 baht a month for unlimited data, depending on how much speed I want.

 

Seems cheap to me.

 

More 'unlimited data' nonsense. Are you referring to 'capped speed' plans?

[JamJar]

1 minute ago, Peterw42 said:

Are you saying AIS has data plan were the sim can only be in their D link router, so long as you pay your 600 baht the sim can be in any device cant it? all the carriers have unlimited, usually at the expense of speed.

 

Nope. Not unless you have a SIM registered earlier than now.

 

[Pilotman]

Just now, Peterw42 said:

Are you saying AIS has data plan were the sim can only be in their D link router, so long as you pay your 600 baht the sim can be in any device cant it? all the carriers have unlimited, usually at the expense of speed.

The sim we were given by AIS was specifically for the D link and is blocked for use in a mobile.  Speed and availability has never been an issue for us and we use it extensively for steaming.  

[JamJar]

1 minute ago, Pilotman said:

It's not my job to back it up, I'm not an AIS salesman, I actually don't care one way or the other what others do,  just trying to help someone who asked.   

 

Helping how? Mentioning 600 baht for 'unlimited' but with no actual parameters? So what is the point of mentioning 600 baht at all? How is it 'helpful'?

It isn't.

[Peterw42]

3 minutes ago, JamJar said:

 

Then why waste people's time quoting 600 baht per month for unlimited if you cannot back it up? 

Just nonsense.

I think you will find all the companies have unlimited but its at a very slow speed 1mps etc, higher speed is not usually unlimited.

[JamJar]

1 minute ago, Pilotman said:

The sim we were given by AIS was specifically for the D link and is blocked for use in a mobile.  Speed and availability has never been an issue for us and we use it extensively for steaming.  

 

That's odd. How do they block mobile data usage? Sounds like nonsense.

[Fat Prophet]

1 minute ago, JamJar said:

 

Then why waste time quoting 600 baht per month if you cannot back it up. A total waste of time.

CAT has a "Promotion" through the end of this month on wifi data plans -- 1 Mbps is B1,200 per year. This is what I and my 2 daughters presently use and it is fine for e-mail and Youtube. The gf uses a weekly plan on AIS (not sure what it is). 4 Mbps is B2,500 per year and the 6 Mbps is B1800 for 6 months. I think that the permanent, whole house option with 6 Mbps is better, regardless of whether I upgrade to higher speeds on the phones when the current plans expire next month. I would not go above 4 Mbps on the phones unless I was doing the phone hotspot option. 

 

Can anyone suggest a tv over internet solution -- I also need to arrange for tv as there is presently no cable tv in the house. Thanks.