New LTE pocket router. I'm loving it. DLink router on TRUE unlimited 12 month data plan

[impulse]

I've been fighting erratic network performance at the super cheap hotel(s) I stay in and finally had enough this week.  So I broke down and went to Fortune Town and bought a D-Link 4G LTE mobile router DWR-930M (1200 Baht) and signed up for a TRUE 12 month unlimited 15Mb/Second data plan (2990 Baht)  I'm thrilled with the difference over the hotel wifi that seems to get jammed up and unstable when they're at high occupancy like this week.  I'll be trying it on 2 more hotels this week as I travel upcountry for a few days.

 

But...  Could I have done better with the router or the data plan?  I threw myself at the mercy of the sales guy in the little kiosk and he only had the D-Link routers, and he recommended the TRUE plan.  Does anyone have a better router or data plan for portable wifi only? 

 

Or could I have done just as well with a hotspot and/or tethering?   Thoughts and experience welcome.  If you're living in Thailand with stable internet all the time, be kind.  Not all of us are lucky like that.

 

[BritManToo]

15 minutes ago, impulse said:

D-Link 4G LTE mobile router DWR-930M

Under 1,000bht on Shopee.

https://shopee.co.th/product/43263481/23261133116

[Centigrade32]

It hardly matters now, since you've already purchased it. 

The Unlimited SIM price is fine. You could have purchased a cheaper router, that is capable of 4G+ as opposed to just 4G. But in practice, with that SIM, the performance should be the same or similar.

 

https://shopee.co.th/(2วันเท่านั้น)-ZTE-Pocket-WiFi-4G-CAT6-รองรับ-2CA-Smart1-พ็อคเก็ตไวไฟรองรับซิม-ของแท้-มือ2-i.129230913.28662636981

599 baht unlocked and new. Or 499 baht new and locked to True, 

[impulse]

16 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Under 1,000bht on Shopee.

 

If I lived here, that's the way I'd have gone.  I'm struggling now to get my Lazada account to change my address, phone number and email address since I no longer live at the same place, I have a different phone number, and my gmail account is blocked in China.  Every attempt seems to require a 2FA using my phone number.   Which isn't my phone number any more.  (In order to change my phone number, I have to approve a 2FA test on my old phone number)   And my new phone number is associated with a Lazada account of some Indian guy with an Apple phone.  Can't wait for Lazada to open their customer service lines on Monday...   That's if they have live people answering.

 

You guys who live in Thailand have no appreciation for how lucky you are to have the stability of the same address, phone # and email.  It goes sideways when something changes.

 

[Centigrade32]

10 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Under 1,000bht on Shopee.

https://shopee.co.th/product/43263481/23261133116

 

Though the specs listed there are fake.

[Centigrade32]

Just now, impulse said:

 

If I lived here, that's the way I'd have gone.  I'm struggling now to get my Lazada account to change my address, phone number and email address since I no longer live at the same place, have a different phone number, and my gmail account is blocked in China.  Every attempt seems to require a 2FA using my phone number.  Which isn't my phone number.  (In order to change my phone number, I have to approve a 2FA test on my old phone number)   And my new phone number is associated with a Lazada account of some Indian guy with an Apple phone.  Can't wait for Lazada to open their customer service lines on Monday...   That's if they have live people answering.

 

You guys who live in Thailand have no appreciation for how lucky you are to have the stability of the same address, phone # and email.  It goes sideways when something changes.

 

 

But it's Shopee, not Lazada. You can open a new account within seconds.

[impulse]

Just now, Centigrade32 said:

 

But it's Shopee, not Lazada. You can open a new account within seconds.

 

I'll have to try it again.  Last time I tried to open a Shopee account, I was thwarted, but I don't remember why. I didn't make any extra effort because I liked Lazada.

 

For Lazada, I can't open a new account with my new phone number because they have that number tied to the previous owner.  Their instruction on how to unlink the number are indecipherable.  So I have to contact their help line, which is closed on weekends.

[impulse]

26 minutes ago, Centigrade32 said:

It hardly matters now, since you've already purchased it. 

 

That may be true for me, but I suspect there are others tuned in that may benefit from my mistakes.  Anyone who occasionally has crappy wifi when they're traveling and staying in cheap hotels or lounging in airports or train stations.  That's not just tourists... 

 

Though it's tough to justify $88 a year unless you're going to use it a bit.  It'll be more than worth it to me.  There have been a couple of times when the hotel wifi went tits up when I was in the middle of booking a cheap flight.

 

[Centigrade32]

14 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

I'll have to try it again.  Last time I tried to open a Shopee account, I was thwarted, but I don't remember why. I didn't make any extra effort because I liked Lazada.

 

For Lazada, I can't open a new account with my new phone number because they have that number tied to the previous owner.  Their instruction on how to unlink the number are indecipherable.  So I have to contact their help line, which is closed on weekends.

 

You seem to have a lot of problems where others have none 😊

 

Remember that you have a new TRUE SIM. Use that to create a new account via Lazada. But I don't see the point of that if the items are on Shopee.

 

 

[Centigrade32]

1 minute ago, impulse said:

 

That may be true for me, but I suspect there are others tuned in that may benefit from my mistakes.  Anyone who occasionally has crappy wifi when they're traveling and staying in cheap hotels or lounging in airports or train stations.  That's not just tourists... 

 

Though it's tough to justify $88 a year unless you're going to use it a bit.  It'll be more than worth it to me.

 

 

They don't need to buy a 12 month SIM. They can buy packages as and when. I don't know what $88 a year means. This is Thailand.

[impulse]

11 minutes ago, Centigrade32 said:

 

You seem to have a lot of problems where others have none 😊

 

Remember that you have a new TRUE SIM. Use that to create a new account via Lazada. But I don't see the point of that if the items are on Shopee.

 

I don't know many others who come to Thailand once a month on a visa run.  Most of the folks I know go the other way.  The True SIM is in a pocket router and can't respond to 2FA texts. 

 

It's like Gilda Radner said...  It's always something.

 

 

[Centigrade32]

3 minutes ago, impulse said:

The True SIM is in a pocket router and can't respond to 2FA texts. 

 

Yes it can. Sign into the router interface, go to SMS Inbox and there it will be.

[impulse]

3 minutes ago, Centigrade32 said:

 

Yes it can.

 

I just sent myself a text from my AIS phone.  The pocket router is just sitting there...  Nothing.  Nada.  Zip.

 

I logged into the router using the USB cable and I can see the text I sent, but I still can't respond.  I get "send failed".  The TRUE account doesn't include voice or text.  Data only. 

 

It's always one thing, or it's the other...

 

[Centigrade32]

12 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

I just sent myself a text from my AIS phone.  The pocket router is just sitting there...  Nothing.  Nada.  Zip.

 

I logged into the router using the USB cable and I can see the text I sent, but I still can't respond.  I get "send failed".  The TRUE account doesn't include voice or text.  Data only. 

 

It's always one thing, or it's the other...

 

 

Why do you need to respond? Copy and paste any link if necessary and paste it into your Browser. If it's a sequence of numbers, then just copy them over.

How is life so difficult for you? 😊

The TRUE SIM can handle Voice and SMS. Of course if you don't have any credit on the SIM....

[SMIAI]

19 hours ago, impulse said:

logged into the router using the USB cable

 

You don't need to be connected via the cable in order to do that.

[impulse]

22 minutes ago, SMIAI said:

 

You don't need to be connected via the cable in order to do that.

 

Thanks. 

 

I had eventually figured that out.  I was following the instructions on the box to go in and change the admin name and password, so I plugged it in (like it says on the box) and it became an "ethernet router" for a few minutes.  Then I unplugged it and was able to log into it via wifi.  I'm relearning.  It's been ages since I set up any routers.  And my brain leaks when I sleep.

 

I do appreciate the suggestions.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who's had problems with hotel wifi.  Hopefully, others can learn from my mistakes.

[impulse]

20 hours ago, Centigrade32 said:

Why do you need to respond? Copy and paste any link if necessary and paste it into your Browser. If it's a sequence of numbers, then just copy them over.

 

You've got me there.  I was recalling the olden days when I'd get a text and have to reply "yes", "no", or "cancel" to complete the exchange.

[madone]

21 hours ago, impulse said:

But it's Shopee, not Lazada. You can open a new account within seconds.

 

Shopee froze my account of nearly 10 years saying i need to prove i own my phone number even though it has been unchanged since i signed up, 

since then I have been limited to Lazada, which i prefer, but seems to have fewer options of late. Im finding all sorts of stuff I want on lazada is only available on shopee.  

[SMIAI]

13 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Thanks. 

 

I had eventually figured that out.  I was following the instructions on the box to go in and change the admin name and password, so I plugged it in (like it says on the box) and it became an "ethernet router" for a few minutes.  Then I unplugged it and was able to log into it via wifi.  I'm relearning.  It's been ages since I set up any routers.  And my brain leaks when I sleep.

 

I do appreciate the suggestions.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who's had problems with hotel wifi.  Hopefully, others can learn from my mistakes.

 

I did the same thing many moons ago. Didn't want to depend on 'free' WiFi and wanted to have a more secure connection.

[SMIAI]

8 minutes ago, madone said:

 

Shopee froze my account of nearly 10 years saying i need to prove i own my phone number even though it has been unchanged since i signed up, 

since then I have been limited to Lazada, which i prefer, but seems to have fewer options of late. Im finding all sorts of stuff I want on lazada is only available on shopee.  

 

Do you no longer have that phone number? If not, why not change the number in the account or simply create a new account? 

[madone]

9 minutes ago, SMIAI said:

 

Do you no longer have that phone number? If not, why not change the number in the account or simply create a new account? 

 

i can't edit the number, and I need to go to AIS to get proof the number is mine. I simply haven't bothered.

As for creating a new account, it hadn't occurred to me because -- guess what?  --  i already have an account. 

[SMIAI]

3 minutes ago, madone said:

 

i can't edit the number, and I need to go to AIS to get proof the number is mine. I simply haven't bothered.

As for creating a new account, it hadn't occurred to me because -- guess what?  --  i already have an account. 

 

Don't tie yourself up with irrelevant details. Unless you have some money or credit attached to the old account, just open a new one. I've done that so many times when I forgot log in details and needed to order something. In fact I often used the same number, after confirming that the number was mine via OTP.