Will They Work In North America?

[Tony Clifton]

We have:

cordless phones

all in one fax/copier/printer

Belkin Router.

Will they work in N. America?

[britmaveric]

Yes - most electronics are dual voltage - so shouldnt have a problem.

[Tony Clifton]

We`re only keeping anything that works with adapters so I`m more worried about incompatibility with the phone line signal.

Same for phones and router?

I just don`t want to bother moving the stuff there and realize there`s a difference as in PAL/NTC with DVD players. etc.

[geriatrickid]

Belkin will work, but for the other stuff, why not dispose of them? The cost of shipping although marginal is incremental. Considering the lifespan of these things anyway, you might be better off just buying new.

[Tony Clifton]

We may ship enough to partially load a container or fully a smaller one, if small items as these can be saved as well. We`re trying to figure out on the cost of buying it all over again v. shipping. by boat.

[sjaak327]

Your router and all in one will work fine in the US. I would assume your cordless phone should work too, providing it has a standard RJ11 connector.

[onethailand]

Umm...

Most computer equipment (with the exception of notebooks) is not dual voltage. I would suggest you check the equipment first.

If it is not dual voltage, it won't be worth your while to ship the router or the cordless phones (which suck here by comparison anyhow). Voltage regulators eat plenty of electricity (at least the ones I've seen).

The all-in-one might be worth saving, but if it's old I'd say don't bother - might as well sell all those things here and buy new in the US, which gives you warranty service as well. Computer stuff is inexpensive in the US anyhow.

[lopburi3]

Unless designed for the specific market the items are probably not approved for use there and may be illegal. In the case of the phone, if using unauthorized frequency or power, it may lead to a police visit.

[britmaveric]

Dunno every thing I have electronic wise rates 110-240, so I'm certain pretty certain unless its very old you shant have a problem.

[lomatopo]

Easy enough, just check the specifications on the "bricks" (the AC/DC converter) or the equipment itself. You're looking for wording like : "AC: 100-240 v; 50/60 Hz".

A lot of bricks sold here are just 230/50, but then you can source a new brick in the U.S. The router may or may not be useful in the U.S. A lot depends on the type of broadband service you end up getting. If it's just a 4 port ethernet router then you might have a use for it.

Not sure about the phones/fax machine; you'll need to look at the interfaces, but they should work.

Most of this gear is dirt-cheap in the U.S.; probably better wait and see what you need first, but if its free to ship then throw it on the boat.

Ignore the comment about a potential "police visit"; that's just inane.

[lopburi3]

Not if the phone is on an unauthorized frequency in the US. It may be found and there will be a police visit if it is.

[autonomous_unit]

If your all-in-one is an inkjet based printer, there's a pretty good chance it won't survive the ocean voyage. Most inkjets need to be powered up pretty frequently to prime the printheads and keep them from drying out. The extended trip without power and without climate control could easily cause this to happen. That's why they are usually delivered new with a seal pasted across the printhead and also the printhead wrapped in a vapor-tight bag.

So, just bear in mind the possibility when you are determining whether it is worth it or not... if there is no additional cost to throw the printer into the container, is it even worth your hassle to pack it up etc if it may not work on the other end? (Don't answer me, just ask yourself...)

You might also want to acquaint yourself with current US prices on a site like techbargains.com (no affiliation for me), as you may be surprised just how dirt-cheap all these electronics bits are back there!

[CosmicSurfer]

Umm...

Most computer equipment (with the exception of notebooks) is not dual voltage. I would suggest you check the equipment first.

If it is not dual voltage, it won't be worth your while to ship the router or the cordless phones (which suck here by comparison anyhow). Voltage regulators eat plenty of electricity (at least the ones I've seen).

The all-in-one might be worth saving, but if it's old I'd say don't bother - might as well sell all those things here and buy new in the US, which gives you warranty service as well. Computer stuff is inexpensive in the US anyhow.

If it's a desktop computer, all you should have to change is the Power supply in the case.. not a Big deal... all other components should work fine after that...

OR... Just pull out the hard drives and buy a new unit there.. then reinstall the Hard drives.. they will work fine.

Guarenteed.

CS

[Tony Clifton]

Desktop PC?

All the boxes I've ever owned had a switch at the back to alternate from 110 to 220.

Just had a look at all the ''bricks'' on my power bars and a few I have in a drawer, they're all rated 100-220v, except for the Panasonic Wireless phone and another one that mentions 220-240v, I guess those won't like 110v.

Edited April 24, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[onethailand]

Unless designed for the specific market the items are probably not approved for use there and may be illegal. In the case of the phone, if using unauthorized frequency or power, it may lead to a police visit.

Right.

However, cordless phones in Thailand are way old, hard to find 2400 Mhz for example. In fact, many of the brands sold in Thailand are actually discontinued US models! So the chances of having one on an unusual frequency not approved for use in the US is quite unlikely.

Power is an issue though, as is shielding. But I doubt the police will come knocking, they've got more important things to do

I'd be surprised if hubs/routers had dual-voltage - certainly I've never seen one except those meant for traveling.

Power supplies in desktop computers - the majority of them are now dual-voltage, and even if they weren't they're inexpensive to replace in the US.

Britmaveric - did you buy all your equipment in Thailand?

[britmaveric]

Faire bit was bought in thailand.

[onethailand]

Faire bit was bought in thailand.

LOL.

If you buy in Asia, there's often a chance that the power block will get switched - saves on cost - and in the past, there was a good chance you wouldn't get the software as that also costs more.

At least, this was true in the past. These days, more and more product gets shipped with its original contents. However, if you buy product which is destined for the SE Asian market, and it is not meant to be portable, you will get a fixed 220-240 power block most of the time. Easiest way to tell this is if the product box is printed in Thai/Vietnamese/Bahasa/Chinese

It goes without saying that cheaper or no-name brands don't usually have dual voltage.

If you buy in the US, sometimes you get a fixed 110-120 power block. Most product shipped to other countries usually gets the dual voltage power block.

Mobile telephones usually have dual voltage adapters - but cordless phones usually do not.

[Tony Clifton]

Looks like we've decided on a fully loaded container, I'll just throw the lot in boxes and figure out the adapters over there if it's worth it.

[jstumbo]

Full container shouldbe around $3000, delivered to your home if it is on the west coast?

[britmaveric]

Dunno looked at all my electronics from thailand/japan - power bricks all 110-220. Also looked at yank electronics and they are 110-220 too. I've come to conclusion this is a standard.

[jstumbo]

Dunno looked at all my electronics from thailand/japan - power bricks all 110-220. Also looked at yank electronics and they are 110-220 too. I've come to conclusion this is a standard.

More so for an international brand that manufactures them in one place and finds it cheaper to not have multiple versions of their products. But when it is a domestic brand that is only sold in Thailand, or a domestic one in some other country like China, then it has a good chance of having one that is not good in the US.

[Tony Clifton]

Full container shouldbe around $3000, delivered to your home if it is on the west coast?

Wow, you ARE close!

20 foot container door to door Thailand to Montreal, 2840$.

I'm even throwing in a 12 ft. fishing boat I bought here.

It's well worth keeping all we have instead of buying all over once there, I lost enough already when i first moved here.

Neat 2 bedroom House in Chonburi for sale, near Amata, I'll add to classifieds when I have more details.

[LPCustom69]

That seems like a pretty good price to Montreal. Who did you use for the shipping?

Full container shouldbe around $3000, delivered to your home if it is on the west coast?

Wow, you ARE close!

20 foot container door to door Thailand to Montreal, 2840$.

I'm even throwing in a 12 ft. fishing boat I bought here.

It's well worth keeping all we have instead of buying all over once there, I lost enough already when i first moved here.

Neat 2 bedroom House in Chonburi for sale, near Amata, I'll add to classifieds when I have more details.