Chiag Mai Broadband Users - Where Be Thee?

[meadish_sweetball]

Why are there so few in the CM broadband community who have found their way to the Thaivisa offspin, the Expat Hub, where you get the most out of your broadband speed?

Eliminate the bottleneck out of Thailand and download and upload at the speeds your ISP originally promised you. A good community is in the making! (I am not getting paid to write this!)

The first post in this thread has the details:

How to start using DC++ for file sharing

Cheers,

Meadish

[sabaijai]

sweetball, i tried to get hi-net via TT&T, and they said my area (near wat u mong) was oversubscribed. any suggestions? seems like most folks i know in chiang mai with BB aren't very happy with the speeds.

your expat hub DC has rekindled my interest in seeking BB though. someone whose opinion i respect when it comes to IT suggested that True is the way to go.

also my dial-up service (csloxinfo) seems to have become slower than ever over the last three weeks or so ... all the more reason to try something new.

[Sangsom]

I am supposed to have here in Chiang Mai a DSL plus account for 512/256 kbps for a smiling 6000 baht per month. Besides the fact that at least 25% of the time they "have a problem" as a result of which I have no connection I also found out that I have average something like 220 kbps for downloading and not near 512 kbps! Considering their message that you might get 10-20% less due to all kind of circumstances than I should have at least 410 kbps or am I not getting this right?

This is all according to their own bandwidth test (Ji-Net).

This looks to me more like ordering 5 big shrimps in a restaurant but only getting 2 on your plate but still presenting a bill for 5 that cannot be disputed . . .

I have send them a fax - e-mail they tend not to reply to (funny for an Internet provider) but ignoring problems seems for many here the right way of getting rid of them - and am very anxious to hear what "problem" they got this time ready for the occasion!

[PeaceBlondie]

I'm very annoyed at my dial-up speed today; got kicked off numerous times, slower than molasses in January, etc. But the last time I tried to get info about high speed internet connections (or whatever they're called this year), I was too stupid to understand the answers.

I'm near Rincome intersection, northwest, on the superhighway. Too far out of town? 6000 baht per month for a 12 month contract and speed that's almost as bad as dialup? Lousy or non-existent service like -คตไจภตงหาดก่ๆจบภ-ึถ?

[meadish_sweetball]

I'm very annoyed at my dial-up speed today; got kicked off numerous times, slower than molasses in January, etc.  But the last time I tried to get info about high speed internet connections (or whatever they're called this year), I was too stupid to understand the answers. 

I'm near Rincome intersection, northwest, on the superhighway.  Too far out of town?  6000 baht per month for a 12 month contract and speed that's almost as bad as dialup?  Lousy or non-existent service like -คตไจภตงหาดก่ๆจบภ-ึถ?

Well, the truth is you cannot get advertised speeds for international connections because of the bottleneck out of Thailand. I don't get those speeds either, except for very rarely. However, you can get decent speeds within Thailand at a relatively low rate.

I am personally using True Cable Modem 512/256 at the moment. The promotion when I signed up was 1200 baht per month plus a one-time 2000 baht installation fee. This works pretty well so far, the technicians have been very quick to respond to my calls on the two occassions I have had problems. Only twice have I been without a signal during a period of six months. I think this is pretty good.

When you use a cable you bypass some problems with DSL, which to some extent depends on the quality of the telephone network. The cable modem cable is its own network.

So I guess this is what I would recommend at the moment given that True still offer the same promotion.

VERY happy to see the Expat hub has grown a fair bit in recent days. Keep coming in, and stay connected. The more the merrier, and the more files to share for all of us.

[PeaceBlondie]

Thanks, meadish - I wouldn't mind paying 1,200 baht/month and a 2,000 baht install. fee for internet service that's much more reliable than my current dial-up, esp. if it's much faster.

Do you have the internet website for True, in English, for Chiang Mai? Or the exact address here, or a phone number?

[sabaijai]

Thanks, meadish - I wouldn't mind paying 1,200 baht/month and a 2,000 baht install. fee for internet service that's much more reliable than my current dial-up, esp. if it's much faster.

Do you have the internet website for True, in English, for Chiang Mai?  Or the exact address here, or a phone number?

http://www.trueinternet.co.th/

Sounds like a very good option. Any limitations on where cable can be installed? I tried the cable 'search your area' function on their website, but got the reply ไม่พบข้อมูลที่ต้องการค้นหา (info searched can't be found).

[PeaceBlondie]

Yes, I went to the website, found the English icon, hunted all over, couldn't find anything at all at all at all about Chiang Mai. Many minutes and searches - forget it.

[meadish_sweetball]

Yes, I went to the website, found the English icon, hunted all over, couldn't find anything at all at all at all about Chiang Mai.  Many minutes and searches - forget it.

Sorry, I am not in CM at the moment so I don't have the relevant information handy.

If I remember correctly, TRUE's CM office is located in an office soi just before Chang Pheuak market on the left hand side, travelling along the outside of the moat away from Central and Com Plaza.

[ProThaiExpat]

Reading this thread make me feel better as I am on AIS GPRS and my service has been extremely slow to non-exitent for the past three weeks, must be the Thai portal to international connections you all speak of.

I am probably part a fairly large group of CMians who are waiting for broadband service outside the 5km limitation of DSL.

Am I wrong in hoping that the new Shin Satellite spoken of to go on line next year might provide reliable and fast satellite internet connections? I am willing to pay more for more speed.

Thanks for the dialogue guys.

[meadish_sweetball]

Reading this thread make me feel better as I am on AIS GPRS and my service has been extremely slow to non-exitent for the past three weeks, must be the Thai portal to international connections you all speak of.

I am probably part a fairly large group of CMians who are waiting for broadband service outside the 5km limitation of DSL. 

Am I wrong in hoping that the new Shin Satellite spoken of to go on line next year might provide reliable and fast satellite internet connections?  I am willing to pay more for more speed.

Thanks for the dialogue guys.

I am not sure about the effects of the Shin Satellite, but generally speaking I would not put too much faith in satellite internet. The obvious drawback is that your connection speed is greatly affected by the weather - clear skies means a good connection whereas rain or thick haze means a slower connection. My guess is other wireless alternatives or DSL might become available soon too, also, EDGE telephony/wireless internet is about to be introduced in Bangkok. If this project is successful, it might reach CM a year later.

All speculations though.

[PeaceBlondie]

Well, another 30 days with 'Pacific Net' and their 349-baht card goes by today, and we'll just buy another card for 30 more days. Boyfriend says that [even though the local boy-telecommunications multibillionaire is Prime Minister] Chiang Mai has only had much internet usage for about two years (large scale), so they're still in the Dark Ages of telecommunications.

Even meadish sweetball's fair description of where the True offfice was, didn't make sense to a 36 year resident of Chiang Mai. Nobody seems to know much. Oh well, maybe in year 2006.........meanwhile, thanks to one and all for your attempts. I guess we're just not ready to drive fast on the information supersoi.

[meadish_sweetball]

Even meadish sweetball's fair description of where the True offfice was, didn't make sense to a 36 year resident of Chiang Mai.  Nobody seems to know much.  Oh well, maybe in year 2006.........meanwhile, thanks to one and all for your attempts.  I guess we're just not ready to drive fast on the information supersoi.

I know the soi with TRUE's office is *somewhere* along the same stretch of the moat as Computer Plaza and Chang Pheuak Market, but I am not entirely sure about the exact location, so I guess that might be why it doesnt make sense to you. Could be that they are using the same mechanism as that for the walk-in closet in C.S. Lewis's Narnia books - only people who retain their inner child may see the passageway to the next world.

I suggest trying to call their service center in Bangkok at 02 900-9000 and ask for the phone number to their Chiang Mai office.

[chanchao]

Address is on their website. Under 'dealers'.

here:

http://www.trueinternet.co.th/dealer.htm#

Also there's a sign 'True' on that road.. after the computer malls on the left. It's where that row of fancy-ish looking shophouses is, where that expensive office furniture store used to be before they found out that they were way too expensive. (Modern Form?).

Oh, and join me in boycotting companies that don't e-mail and then request you send or receive stuff by fax. Screw them. Most recently this was the local office of one of the major insurance firms in the world. Really, what message does that send when you're Prudential or ING or whatever but unable to send an email.. obviously then your level of organization is not what you'd expect from a multinational company. It says in fact that you're just dressed up with that name and logo, but that in reality you're just some fringe locally run subsiduary.. Same level as the 60 year old Chinese uncle running the shophouse selling the same weighing scales the last 40 years. He can't email either. Same level.

Fax. Just say no. We're past that technology, I mean humanity as a civilization.

!

[PeaceBlondie]

I'll join you in another boycott: Thai companies whose websites are entirely in Thai, or which don't function. That's precisely why I'm still getting Pacific Net's 349 baht card each month: still haven't found a Thai website that really explains in English what internet service they have in Chiang Mai. I rant for minutes about it, so it's late and I'll spare you.

Maybe in the year 3007....

[jonm66]

fwiw, i got 256K true cable internet via media magic, located by on chiang mai land soi 7. they were helpful and didn't charge any more than going directly via true. i haven't experienced any downtime since installation 3 months ago nor have i noticed any big variations in speed. in other words, ###### good value for bt. 650 / month.

only problem is i'm probably moving to a new place with no phone line and no cable. my experience with AIS GPRS last year was not positive. have heard that DTAC GPRS is faster and more reliable? any thoughts? does chiang mai now have EDGE?

thanks

[micman]

Here's a quote from my Thai friend who works in the TOT ADSL department "You can expect to get 10% of whatever speed your ADSL is sold to you at."

512K will run at about 50

256k will run at about 25

In other words ADSL is about as fast as dial up here because it is so oversold.

Only advantage is you don't have to pay the phone company everytime you connect.