Things To Know About Internet Connections In Pattaya

[DonTron]

We recently bought the 6Mbit down / 1 Mbit up line from C.A.T. and no matter what they did they couldn’t get it above 2Mbit.

Here is why....

C.A.T. has their lines and cross points in SOUTH Pattaya and here you can actually get 6Mbit, but if you live in Center, North, East or Jomtien - then you can maximum get 2Mbit down and 1Mbit up (some really lucky people have got it a bit above 2Mbit thou). So fact is they will happily sell you the 6Mbit line, but only give you 2Mbit.

Another point is that C.A.T. often will bring the cable to your house. According to their own technicians this cable is too thin and too bad quality for even 2Mbit internet (my electrician confirmed that). If you ask them, they will replace the cable against a large fee (approx 10.000) but they wont tell you which cable they will put instead.

And last thing, C.A.T. have no line security. Let me explain this as easy as I can. Once in a while our modem will throw us off C.A.T.s line and on to the servers of either LEK Hotel, Aiyara Hotel or other exciting things. Once we are there our persistent IP numbers (which we paid for) are all screwed up, but something else happens too - I get FULL ACCESS to the servers and computers of the Hotel. And let me tell you, there is no security on these servers, not even passwords. So if anyone want to see the accounting and bookings of Aiyara and other hotels, or want to know what’s on their guests notebooks - just let me know

We confronted C.A.T. with this security breach and they even confirmed that this was a big problem for them. As their technician said "we lack the skill to fix it", never thought I should hear a Thai say that.

So what alternatives are there...

TOT telecom is, like the word says in German "TOT!!" (dead). You will never get this above 1Mbit or even 512Kbit. Also they got virtually no service or technicians and they really dont care about their costumers at all. TOT is just a dead fish which you should never ever get.

TT&T is at the moment the best. We bought the 6Mbit there and it really IS a 6Mbit. I can get download speeds over 400 kb/sec which is really good for Thailand. In fact I just downloaded 26 Gigabytes in just 5 days - and that’s impressive!

The only downside of TT&T is that its not always up. We got at least 6-8 hours of downtime each month. In Europe this would be considered unacceptable, in Thailand its considered REALLY GOOD! :-)

So be careful what you pick for your Internet.

[JimmyTheMook]

They all suck and another reason Thailand remains in the dark ages when it comes to proper technology.

[LukDod]

They all suck and another reason Thailand remains in the dark ages when it comes to proper technology.

While true, compared to the West, Korea and Japan, but I've been quite happy with TT&T for the last few

years, especially since upgrading from their erratic 'Indy" connection to the 'Premier' where less users share

the bandwidth. My minimal 2048/1024 connection has been never down and I get consistent 200+/100 kBs u/d speeds.

Not bad for 1090-Bt/mo.

[kedawi]

That sheds a lot of light on what I already suspected to be the case.

Thanks,

nice piece of information, clearly put.

[foxxx]

isnt cat and tot the same company?

[anothertorres]

TOT techs just left my house. What a joke. I am paying for 2MB service and they basically explained to me that if I move to the "Business" package (which is umm... 2MB), I could actually get 2MB. Ha! So, for 3000Bt more a month, I could get the same package, fuc_king brilliant!

Does anyone have an old AOL disc I can borrow?

[anothertorres]

isnt cat and tot the same company?

i believe every DSL line runs to CAT lines no matter which service you have.

[dogit]

Had CAT for 2 years and hardly ever get any trouble

[kedawi]

CAT TOT TT&T are all different companies but they have to use the same infrastructure in most circumstances.

TOT are just a joke.

THe problem as I see it is not simply one of reliability, it is getting an internet connection that is anywhere near the advertised speed. If you are an occasional domestic user, you may not notice this, especially if you have migrated from dial-up. However if you download music, video etc, or send large files re business, you will find the whole Thai internet experience rather frustrating

[frenchFARANGbkk]

Hi,

And what about True? Do they provide DSL connection in Pattaya ?

So the best way to get a good internet connection when living in Pattaya is to live near CAT building in South Pattaya ?

Thanks !

[frenchFARANGbkk]

No help ?

Thanks.

[Spoonman]

FrenchFARANGbkk, True now has adsl2+, had mine installed last week (Soi Khao Noi).

Edited October 26, 2009 by Spoonman

[johng]

Sophon cable TV in conjuction with CAT are offering a new fiber optic service.

[jcowle]

Sophon cable TV in conjuction with CAT are offering a new fiber optic service.

Is any one using the Sophon Fiber Optic service, and if so what have been your experience of the service.

Regards

John

[Spoonman]

Sophon cable TV in conjuction with CAT are offering a new fiber optic service.

I bet that 4mb connection is just thriving with reliability.

[frenchFARANGbkk]

FrenchFARANGbkk, True now has adsl2+, had mine installed last week (Soi Khao Noi).

Thank you, but how much is it, and does it work well ?

True better than TTNT ?

[Spoonman]

FrenchFARANGbkk, True now has adsl2+, had mine installed last week (Soi Khao Noi).

Thank you, but how much is it, and does it work well ?

True better than TTNT ?

Ive never had TT&T, they fuc_ked me over when i was first trying to get connected so ive never been back.

Im on a True's 8mb package @1199B per month, so far it has been fantastic, am loving the 12 minutes it takes to download a movie.

[webfact]

Moved to Internet & Computer Forum

[SurfRider]

.

"Moved to Internet & Computer Forum"

Where is THAT Forum? --- A search turns up nothing -- How about a clue or preferably a Link?

.

[SurfRider]

.

"Sophon cable TV in conjuction with CAT are offering a new fiber optic service."

Does anyone know the source of this information and/or the flier?

We talked with CAT/Pattaya and they know nothing about it. They handed it off to CAT/Bangkok and no response.

A call to the number on the flier results in the normal clueless person answering who has no idea what you're asking about.

Has anyone checked this out or been able to get any specific information?

Do they have a demo set up somewhere in Pattaya where it would be possible to do some speed tests, and other tests on the quality of the service?

.

[webfact]

.

"Moved to Internet & Computer Forum"

Where is THAT Forum? --- A search turns up nothing -- How about a clue or preferably a Link?

.

Thaivisa has a Forum portal page where all forums are listed.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/

[johng]

.

"Sophon cable TV in conjuction with CAT are offering a new fiber optic service."

Does anyone know the source of this information and/or the flier?

We talked with CAT/Pattaya and they know nothing about it. They handed it off to CAT/Bangkok and no response.

A call to the number on the flier results in the normal clueless person answering who has no idea what you're asking about.

Has anyone checked this out or been able to get any specific information?

Do they have a demo set up somewhere in Pattaya where it would be possible to do some speed tests, and other tests on the quality of the service?

.

I picked up the flyer from thier new office on South Pattaya road which is on the opposite side of the road to Friendship supermarket and a bit further on towards the third road junction.

The woman in the office said that they do not share customer info with Sophon so you can't just say "I have sophon tv now install some internet"...you have to give the new lot your details again then the engineer will check availabilty etc..etc

She also said they run a new cable to your door I asked if they could include TV and Phone service on the new cable this really threw her

I think it will only be internet such a pity because they could/should offer a digital TV package with nice clear picture and sound

( yes a dream )

It was recommended that if I wanted to use "International" internet sites the premium package would be the best option

There didn't seem to be any demo equipment in the office but it had only been open for 2 days when I stumbled across it.

Edited November 1, 2009 by johng

[SurfRider]

.

Thanks for your comments on the visit to Sophon.

Did you discuss any details of the various speed options? The options on their flyer are not clear ( see below ).

If you assume the claim of 4 Mbps and 10 Mbps to be true, what are they trying to say with the designation 2/1? CAT's existing 2/1 service is allegedly 2 Mbps up and 1 Mbps down ( in reality, it's more like 1.7/.35 on a good day )

Since Sophon is designating their 2/1 as PREMIUM, are they expecting people to believe they're delivering 20 Mbps?, or is it simply a basic TiT error? I doubt many people on the planet, if any, have 20 Mbps service!

Assuming their 2/1 is the same as CAT's, that would indicate that their claim of 4 Mbps is really only .4 Mbps and their claim of 10 Mbps would be only 1 Mbps.

If that's the scenario, it's no better than CAT is already offering and CAT Internet has been around a lot longer than Sophon-- so opting for Sophon could involve some serious unknown and unnecessary risks.

If, as she seemed to indicate, they can't even use their existing cable infrastructure to deliver Internet and they need to run a dedicated cable, Sophon Internet makes no sense at all!

I didn't understand your comment "do not share customer info with Sophon" -- They *ARE* Sophon, so what's the sharing issue with Sophon all about?

Any stabs at clarity from anyone would be most welcome.

.

[johng]

what are they trying to say with the designation 2/1?

I would imagine that would mean 2Mbps down 1Mbps up.

why no mention of up speeds on the other packages ??? TIT

What I think they mean by premium is that "International" internet should be more reliable and faster than on the other packages.

I didn't talk to her about traffic shapping,contention ratios, blocked ports or mail server.

I didn't understand your comment "do not share customer info with Sophon" -- They *ARE* Sophon

Yes exactly TIT again

Sophon could involve some serious unknown and unnecessary risks

That nice Mr Kadafi has taken the plunge so maybe he ( she? ) can elaborate

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Sophon-Broad...ya-t310527.html

Edited November 1, 2009 by johng

[frenchFARANGbkk]

How much cost CAT ADSL packages ?

Would you advice CAT more than TRUE or TT&T ? (I can't even imagine using TOT internet, but maybe i am wrong ?)

Thanks.

[mahjongguy]

I have had Sophon Internet's "10mb" service for 2 weeks now.

The speed is as advertised. Averages 10mb down, 0.5mb up. Connecting to the USA usually gets around 2mb.

The reliability is nothing to brag about. Two outages of about 30 minutes and a number of 2 minute outages.

Compared to TOT's 2mb ADSL service: it costs 50% more and the overall experience is about 50% better. So, up to you.

If I lived closer to central Pattaya I would be able to get 4mb service from TOT. I might even be able to get 8mb service from True. But, I am in Jomtien and the length of the phone lines from TOT's prohibits ADSL faster than 2mb, so I will enjoy my Sophon Internet cable service and hope that they improve their skills at keeping their server running smoothly.

[mahjongguy]

NOTE: I can see where Sophon's "2/1" service confuses people but it's not a typo.

Cable modem service is shared at the local physical level. If you convince your neighbors to get the service then you will see your average speed decline. This is different from ADSL, which is only shared at and beyond the central office's router.

The "2/1" service gets you a "private line" to Sophon's server and thus guarantees a more stable minimum level of service. It also gets you a full megabyte of upload bandwidth. But, you won't get more than 2mb down. Since the cheaper service currently zooms along at 10mb, why pay extra now? Wait until they've got more customers per segment than they really should, then upgrade.

[samuitone]

FrenchFARANGbkk, True now has adsl2+, had mine installed last week (Soi Khao Noi).

Thank you, but how much is it, and does it work well ?

True better than TTNT ?

Ive never had TT&T, they fuc_ked me over when i was first trying to get connected so ive never been back.

Im on a True's 8mb package @1199B per month, so far it has been fantastic, am loving the 12 minutes it takes to download a movie.

Spoonman...

What's the procedure for getting true ?? Is it available throughout Pattaya ??

Cheers

[stolidfeline]

What is the point of such low speeds on cable?

[Lammbock]

I don't know if True is available in Pattaya. But here in Bangkok it is the best u can get. I luckily living in a area where we can get up to 16MB connection. For my self i got 12MB. Download trough Rapidshare up to 1.6MB/s. Just downloaded the hole series "Married with Children" in my language with are somewhere between 50-60GB in 3 days.