Internet Surfing With Edge

[whooliggen]

Hey,

A lot of talk on the forum about gprs/edge connectivity but not a great deal on its reliability. I bought as Asus EeePc for mobile computing in Bangkok (using Nokia E71 as modem and with both AIS and DTAC cards) and to be quite honest, it is unworkable. I connect just fine with both Sim's but rarely get more than 10 minutes before the signal drops/pages wont load etc etc. This obviously negates any real mobile computing and therefore the need for the computer (great, money well spent). This is the same whether static at home or out and about in the centre of town.

But there seems to be a great many people that rely on EDGE as their some Internet connection, so I was wondering whether this was a geographical thing or more simply just a case of luck of the draw? There is NO WAY I could rely on EDGE as a sole connection and would even say that it seemed infinitely more reliable 12-18 months ago.

Eager to hear your feedback...

Cheers,

W.

[dave_boo]

Hey,

A lot of talk on the forum about gprs/edge connectivity but not a great deal on its reliability. I bought as Asus EeePc for mobile computing in Bangkok (using Nokia E71 as modem and with both AIS and DTAC cards) and to be quite honest, it is unworkable. I connect just fine with both Sim's but rarely get more than 10 minutes before the signal drops/pages wont load etc etc. This obviously negates any real mobile computing and therefore the need for the computer (great, money well spent). This is the same whether static at home or out and about in the centre of town.

But there seems to be a great many people that rely on EDGE as their some Internet connection, so I was wondering whether this was a geographical thing or more simply just a case of luck of the draw? There is NO WAY I could rely on EDGE as a sole connection and would even say that it seemed infinitely more reliable 12-18 months ago.

Eager to hear your feedback...

Cheers,

W.

I've noticed that down in Samut Prakarn area the EDGE stability was much worst than what I've experienced up country.....

[ballbreaker]

Quality and reliability of service depends on location in Thailand and the time of day. I know my speeds are good except from 12 noon till 9 pm when they can slow down.

If your using Bluetooth for the PC to phone connection you might try using USB connection instead. I had the same problem you are having and when I switch off Bluetooth and connected using USB cable all was fine. Don't ask me why.

[whooliggen]

Quality and reliability of service depends on location in Thailand and the time of day. I know my speeds are good except from 12 noon till 9 pm when they can slow down.

If your using Bluetooth for the PC to phone connection you might try using USB connection instead. I had the same problem you are having and when I switch off Bluetooth and connected using USB cable all was fine. Don't ask me why.

I use the USB connection as opposed to the Bluetooth as that was far more troublesome than what it was worth...

When you say " I know my speeds are good..." - how exactly are you connecting to the net: viewing on your phone or using the phone/sim card as a modem for a PC/notebook etc?

[Tywais]

At home, EDGE is my only Internet link. I use DTAC and the USB cable to my SE k790i and the connection is on and stable pretty much all the time. This includes being connected on the weekends 12-14 hours each day. Have been using this method for a couple of years now. Check your signal strength meter on the phone. The strength makes a lot of difference in connection speeds and connectivity.

[whooliggen]

At home, EDGE is my only Internet link. I use DTAC and the USB cable to my SE k790i and the connection is on and stable pretty much all the time. This includes being connected on the weekends 12-14 hours each day. Have been using this method for a couple of years now. Check your signal strength meter on the phone. The strength makes a lot of difference in connection speeds and connectivity.

"You" were exactly who the post was aimed at. My signal strength is maximum, so that can't be a factor. Drops out whether on DTAC or AIS wherever I am and whether surfing on my phone or using the phone as a modem. So when you say you connect for up to 14 hours on the weekend, my mind boggles!?

Really am stumped as my mobile internet connectivity is decidedly, well, unconnected! Would seriously wish otherwise as have all the toys ready and raring to go!

[Tywais]

Any chance you can borrow another EDGE/GPRS compatible phone other then the E71 to test. The fact that you have problems with using just the phone browser also makes it look like the issue is there. Also, check the Nokia forums for issues with that model and Internet connectivity.

[whooliggen]

Any chance you can borrow another EDGE/GPRS compatible phone other then the E71 to test. The fact that you have problems with using just the phone browser also makes it look like the issue is there. Also, check the Nokia forums for issues with that model and Internet connectivity.

Have two phones, the E71 and the 3110 - but have the same issue with both. As I said, my mind boggles. If it was just an AIS issue I could go to them and similarly with DTAC - loads of people connecting here with Nokia, so they can't be the problem. When is 3G ever gonna rear its head???

[Mumbo Jumbo]

At home, EDGE is my only Internet link. I use DTAC and the USB cable to my SE k790i and the connection is on and stable pretty much all the time. This includes being connected on the weekends 12-14 hours each day. Have been using this method for a couple of years now. Check your signal strength meter on the phone. The strength makes a lot of difference in connection speeds and connectivity.

I all so connect to the internet using a SE k790i and DTAC, I purchased the SE k790i cradle and SE external antenna cable

and then installed an external DTAC mobile phone antenna on my house roof, and connected the k790i to the external roof antenna , this has made a big difference and the EDGE speeds better.

[Gary A]

I use both AIS and Dtac. To save swapping the SIM cards I use two different phones. There is no difference in speed between the Samsung Bluetooth and the Nokia data cable regardless of which SIM card I have in either phone. Both have good signals and the speed on both is up and down. EDGE is the only Internet connection I have. The Nokia E51 is a much better phone but I'm sorry to say that the old Samsung connects at the same speed using Bluetooth as the Nokia with the data cable.

[ballbreaker]

Quality and reliability of service depends on location in Thailand and the time of day. I know my speeds are good except from 12 noon till 9 pm when they can slow down.

If your using Bluetooth for the PC to phone connection you might try using USB connection instead. I had the same problem you are having and when I switch off Bluetooth and connected using USB cable all was fine. Don't ask me why.

I use the USB connection as opposed to the Bluetooth as that was far more troublesome than what it was worth...

When you say " I know my speeds are good..." - how exactly are you connecting to the net: viewing on your phone or using the phone/sim card as a modem for a PC/notebook etc?

I use phone connected to PC for access to internet.

[ballbreaker]

Any chance you can borrow another EDGE/GPRS compatible phone other then the E71 to test. The fact that you have problems with using just the phone browser also makes it look like the issue is there. Also, check the Nokia forums for issues with that model and Internet connectivity.

Have two phones, the E71 and the 3110 - but have the same issue with both. As I said, my mind boggles. If it was just an AIS issue I could go to them and similarly with DTAC - loads of people connecting here with Nokia, so they can't be the problem. When is 3G ever gonna rear its head???

A thought. Have you tried taking a look a your USB cable. I use a N73 phone and my connection use to dropout until I noticed that a slight movement of USB cable would cause. I feel the retention of the cable to the phone is not firm enough and I solved by making sure the cable sweeps upward as it comes off the phone. This seems to keep the cable contacts firmly seated against the phone connector.

[whooliggen]

A thought. Have you tried taking a look a your USB cable. I use a N73 phone and my connection use to dropout until I noticed that a slight movement of USB cable would cause. I feel the retention of the cable to the phone is not firm enough and I solved by making sure the cable sweeps upward as it comes off the phone. This seems to keep the cable contacts firmly seated against the phone connector.

Will definitely give that a try, though I'm sure I have tried it with numerous different USB cables. Also, it wouldn't explain the 10 minute drop-out when browsing on my phone...

It appears that all who have EDGE as their only internet connection available seem to have better luck with it as I've spoken to loads here in the smoke, with every available internet connection, that have poor results with it. May this be a traffic data overload in the city, whereas there isn't so much traffic upcountry? Just a thought...As I'm plain out of answers!

[mac.wheeler]

Will definitely give that a try, though I'm sure I have tried it with numerous different USB cables. Also, it wouldn't explain the 10 minute drop-out when browsing on my phone...

It appears that all who have EDGE as their only internet connection available seem to have better luck with it as I've spoken to loads here in the smoke, with every available internet connection, that have poor results with it. May this be a traffic data overload in the city, whereas there isn't so much traffic upcountry? Just a thought...As I'm plain out of answers!

I have used both DTAC and AIS all over the country while traveling, overall I found AIS to work everywhere, DTAC most places, DTAC was usually faster but dropped connection frequently, AIS was the most stable but was pretty slow at times.

I guess it just depends on how much load is currently being placed on the phone network in the area you are trying to connect from, I can imagine that Bangkok exhibits heavy network traffic at times.

[monty]

I too am sometimes connected for hours on end.

I have a PDA on which I often play internet radio, so any interruption in the connection is immediately audible.

I would try a different phone, because I had the same connection drop issues with my Sierra Wireless 775 aircard, but these connection drops disappeared completely after upgrading to the latest firmware!

What I do have sometimes during peak times is that the system stalls for a few seconds (often over 10), with firefox giving a time out error. Just refreshing/reloading the page gets things going again.