Best Broadband Internet In Chiangmai

[bangkok blue]

Seems there are loads of companies here that all offer hi-speed interenet, however heard some are more reliable than others. Wanna be able to download movies, Lost, prison break and hopefully live sports streams such as the EPL and cricket.

What speed and what company would you recommend is the best for doing this? Thanks.

[hill16]

CAT I believe are quite good. They have an office on the Superhighway opposite the Big C and close to the big cop shop. Don't even consider TOT, for the love of God!!!

[Greenside]

Do a search (top right hand corner of this page) for the many recent threads on this subject. Basically there is no consensus: it depends where you live, the physical state of your connection, how many others in your building/street/moo ban are downloading gigabytes of movies, the day of the week, the weather and the exchange rate.

My TOT connection is working well this month but last month I was looking for a new supplier.

[khunphil]

Hi,

TT&T phone line, and Maxnet Premier 2Mo ( around 1000Bt ). Forget Maxnet Indy (1, 2 or 3 Mb) if you want to download from PeertoPeer.

If you can have a new phone line, with clear signal, this is better.

Enjoy

Philippe

[tigerbeer]

CAT telecom.

[JoshCM]

Just upgraded from 1M to 3M for the same price $599 (TOT).

Great deal, good connection & speed so far...

[meadish_sweetball]

Some people seem to get by ok on a TT&T Maxnet Indy package, but I think that is the exception rather than the norm (or they don't have very high requirements) since it is cheap for a reason - Maxnet Indy make no guarantees that p2p will work (and although I don't know for sure, my guess is they will packet shape such traffic routinely and as needed to maintain surfing and email ability for everyone sharing the same bandwidth) so in your case it is probably not a good idea.

I am in the process of switching from TT&T Maxnet Indy because FTP transfers are essential for my work and they have not worked reliably.

Also, I've had major problems using Skype from computer to computer to Europe (cut off calls, garbled speech) - Skyping to Singapore works fine though. When using speed test sites to international servers, the speed fluctuates wildly up and down.

Speeds exclusively within Thailand and to Malaysia/Singapore appear more or less as advertised though.

[heybruce]

When I had TT&T Maxnet regular, service was hit and miss. After I upgraded to Premier it was generally fast, in the 100Kbs range, and reliable. I moved to a place where TT&T was not available and got TOT, and immediately started looking for an alternative--service alternated between acceptable and non-existent, with non-existent service being the state for extended periods. On one of my many calls to customer service the representative told me that TOT had problems delivering service over all phone lines with numbers beginning with 053, which is a lot of Chiang Mai. I now have CAT internet standard service, I get international download speeds over 200 Kbs late at night and under 20 Kbs during the day. I will probably do much better if I upgrade to their higher end service, but that costs around 2000 baht a month. I also have CAT's 3G wireless internet service, speeds are usually between 20 to 40 Kbs, but there are frequent disconnects/reconnects, it's not a stable service. Lots of people rave about True cable internet, but it's not available everywhere.

Everywhere in Chiang Mai, "good" internet service means download speeds of a few hundred Kbs, you aren't going to break the 1 Mbs level until someone does some major upgrades to the infrastructure.

[ollylama]

the problem is it really depends on where you are in the city. some people have great results with maxnet, some terrible. same for tot. presently i have tot and no real problems (touch wood). but at my previous house tot was a nightmare.

the main issue is that you might get fast speeds for local websites, but international traffic is choked down to a fraction of the advertised speeds, making skype problematic for instance.

[Greenside]

the problem is it really depends on where you are in the city. some people have great results with maxnet, some terrible. same for tot. presently i have tot and no real problems (touch wood). but at my previous house tot was a nightmare.

the main issue is that you might get fast speeds for local websites, but international traffic is choked down to a fraction of the advertised speeds, making skype problematic for instance.

Exactly. Best just to ask a neighbour or two and see what works around your chosen location. Skype seems to have rules of its own - I get good sound and decent video to the West Indies at almost any time but can hardly ever get to connect just across town. It's nuts.

[carlosacao]

Can anybody recommend a good broadband provider in the Sankampaeng area (eastern part, near Ban Thi or Mae on)?

Thanks.

[meadish_sweetball]

I had a talk to CAT today and I have decided not to switch to their service - there is currently a two week waiting time for new installations, which indicates that "everyone" is now migrating from their previous packages to CAT... and I am in doubts whether CAT can handle the onslaught of new customers... so I think I will stay with Maxnet for a while longer after all, their service is bound to improve at least a little if everyone is leaving them.

[StevieH]

I had a talk to CAT today and I have decided not to switch to their service - there is currently a two week waiting time for new installations, which indicates that "everyone" is now migrating from their previous packages to CAT... and I am in doubts whether CAT can handle the onslaught of new customers... so I think I will stay with Maxnet for a while longer after all, their service is bound to improve at least a little if everyone is leaving them.

good call that mate, i've heard of a lot of people migrating to CAT here and i don't imagine they've budgeted enough bandwidth for this demand. can't imagine they paid for too fat a pipe so it could be a letdown.

[tigerbeer]

Can anybody recommend a good broadband provider in the Sankampaeng area (eastern part, near Ban Thi or Mae on)?

Thanks.

I am at Buakkhang, San Kampheng and get good speeds on their 2Mbps package. TOT i mean.

[carlosacao]

Can anybody recommend a good broadband provider in the Sankampaeng area (eastern part, near Ban Thi or Mae on)?

Thanks.

I am at Buakkhang, San Kampheng and get good speeds on their 2Mbps package. TOT i mean.

Great to hear tigerbeer, I'll try TOT then, thanks. By the way, where is Buakkhang? like in relation to San Kampaeng city center? I'm new here and still trying to get to know the area better.

[tigerbeer]

Can anybody recommend a good broadband provider in the Sankampaeng area (eastern part, near Ban Thi or Mae on)?

Thanks.

I am at Buakkhang, San Kampheng and get good speeds on their 2Mbps package. TOT i mean.

Great to hear tigerbeer, I'll try TOT then, thanks. By the way, where is Buakkhang? like in relation to San Kampaeng city center? I'm new here and still trying to get to know the area better.

Buakkhang is East of San Kampheng but within the district. On highway 1317. Near the THursday morning market at the junction where the Police box is. btw, thats a wonderful market to get whatever you want. its huge!

You need to go to TOT in San Kampheng town opposite then Barnchang Petrol STation to get TOT internet. Nice and helpful people working there.

[carlosacao]

Can anybody recommend a good broadband provider in the Sankampaeng area (eastern part, near Ban Thi or Mae on)?

Thanks.

I am at Buakkhang, San Kampheng and get good speeds on their 2Mbps package. TOT i mean.

Great to hear tigerbeer, I'll try TOT then, thanks. By the way, where is Buakkhang? like in relation to San Kampaeng city center? I'm new here and still trying to get to know the area better.

Buakkhang is East of San Kampheng but within the district. On highway 1317. Near the THursday morning market at the junction where the Police box is. btw, thats a wonderful market to get whatever you want. its huge!

You need to go to TOT in San Kampheng town opposite then Barnchang Petrol STation to get TOT internet. Nice and helpful people working there.

Thank you for the info. I actually didn't know about the thursday morning market, I'll go there tomorrow to explore.

[blakegeee]

I currently have True which has been dependable for the last 2+ years but the 256K speed just isn't realistic anymore and True isn't willing to give me a competitive speed for a competitive price. They actually suggested that I go to another company.

Anyways, I am in the SE corner of the old city and I am now considering CAT. My friend says that they are the best ISP around but I am wondering how people in the neighborhood like them. Also does anybody know what prices/speeds they are offering? Their website has no english.

I was about to sign up for the 3MB maxnet for 590b then they told me that its not much good for websites outside of Asia. Another friend of mine reported that is was fine for most websites but some international websites were absolutely un-useable until he upgraded to Premier service for 1090b. He has absolutely no complaints about this Premier package but there is a big difference in price between 590b-1090b. Thats why I am wondering if CAT has a good service around 600b per month. I am not seeing much info on here from CAT users.

Thanks for any info!

Edited April 17, 2009 by blakegeee

[cmsally]

You must have True cable as I don't think Chiang Mai has True ADSL

I have True cable , costs approx 950Bt/month works more consistently than my TT&T which is 4mb (mostly good but can occasionally be slow for no reason)

[blakegeee]

You must have True cable as I don't think Chiang Mai has True ADSL

I have True cable , costs approx 950Bt/month works more consistently than my TT&T which is 4mb (mostly good but can occasionally be slow for no reason)

Yes thats right, I do have True Cable internet. I think they offer 1MB for 950bt per month. To me that seems a little expensive for the speed. If CAT can offer 2 or 3mb for less than 1000b and its good, that sounds like a better option. Anybody know what they offer?

[heybruce]

You must have True cable as I don't think Chiang Mai has True ADSL

I have True cable , costs approx 950Bt/month works more consistently than my TT&T which is 4mb (mostly good but can occasionally be slow for no reason)

Yes thats right, I do have True Cable internet. I think they offer 1MB for 950bt per month. To me that seems a little expensive for the speed. If CAT can offer 2 or 3mb for less than 1000b and its good, that sounds like a better option. Anybody know what they offer?

They have a 4/1 Mbps package for 1090 a month, but of course you're not going to get those speeds. Currently I have the 2/1 Mbps plan for 890 a month. I usually, but not always, get speeds fast enough for internet radio during the day and can download files at 200 to 300 kbps late at night--not great but a huge improvement over my TOT service.

They also offer a 2/1 Mbps premium service 1890 a month that has lower contention ratio (or a "fatter pipe") for international websites, they say some of the internet cafes use it. It might get you close to the 1 Mbps speed, but of course you're paying for it. Your True cable service may be as good as you're going to get. If there is real high speed internet service for a reasonable price in Chiang Mai, it is a closely guarded secret.

[heybruce]

Anyways, I am in the SE corner of the old city and I am now considering CAT.

This is a bit off topic, but what kind of accommodation did you find in the old city? I'd like to live in that area, but didn't think there was but guest houses.

[blakegeee]

Anyways, I am in the SE corner of the old city and I am now considering CAT.

This is a bit off topic, but what kind of accommodation did you find in the old city? I'd like to live in that area, but didn't think there was but guest houses.

I live nearby in a room in a residence building, but the internet is actually for our little bamboo bar "Lost Hut" at the very end of Moon Muang Soi 1.

[heybruce]

Anyways, I am in the SE corner of the old city and I am now considering CAT.

This is a bit off topic, but what kind of accommodation did you find in the old city? I'd like to live in that area, but didn't think there was but guest houses.

I live nearby in a room in a residence building, but the internet is actually for our little bamboo bar "Lost Hut" at the very end of Moon Muang Soi 1.

So not a condo or apartment, more like renting a room in a house?

[blakegeee]

Anyways, I am in the SE corner of the old city and I am now considering CAT.

This is a bit off topic, but what kind of accommodation did you find in the old city? I'd like to live in that area, but didn't think there was but guest houses.

I live nearby in a room in a residence building, but the internet is actually for our little bamboo bar "Lost Hut" at the very end of Moon Muang Soi 1.

So not a condo or apartment, more like renting a room in a house?

Its just a room in an apartment building. Pretty simple but clean tiled and painted room with hot water and small balcony. But its cheap and the location is really convenient for us. We don't spend much time there anyways. We just sleep there after we close the Lost Hut and then get ready in the morning. Its all we need really.

[heybruce]

So not a condo or apartment, more like renting a room in a house?

Its just a room in an apartment building. Pretty simple but clean tiled and painted room with hot water and small balcony. But its cheap and the location is really convenient for us. We don't spend much time there anyways. We just sleep there after we close the Lost Hut and then get ready in the morning. Its all we need really.

Ok, thanks for the info. Doesn't sound right for me, I need room for a desk, books, computer, and I like to have a small kitchen. I don't think I'm going to find that in an apartment or condo inside the old city.

[blakegeee]

Its just a room in an apartment building. Pretty simple but clean tiled and painted room with hot water and small balcony. But its cheap and the location is really convenient for us. We don't spend much time there anyways. We just sleep there after we close the Lost Hut and then get ready in the morning. Its all we need really.

Ok, thanks for the info. Doesn't sound right for me, I need room for a desk, books, computer, and I like to have a small kitchen. I don't think I'm going to find that in an apartment or condo inside the old city.

Ya right, you will definitely pay a lot more if you did find it in the old city. By being a bit out of the city it is much cheaper. Apparently Nong Hoi is a cheap area that isn't too far. There are supposed to be quite a few small houses for rent around there but I haven't had a chance to look into it for myself yet.

[chirunr]

CAT I believe are quite good. They have an office on the Superhighway opposite the Big C and close to the big cop shop. Don't even consider TOT, for the love of God!!!

WRONG WRONG WRONG

Until November 2009, I used TT&T's Maxnet "Premier" service, which cost me 1,090 baht per month. I test regularly using Speedtest.net, connecting to a server in San Francisco. I regularly got download speeds of 3.5 to 4.5 Mbps.

Then in December I moved (to near Kad Suan Kaew), and waited a month for CAT to connect me to their Hinet "Standard" service, at a cost of 990 per month. It was so slow as to be useless (could never connect to YouTube, BBC Radio, etc.). A week ago, I went to CAT's main Chiang Mai office on the Superhighway, where they told me that if I switched to their "Premium" service, at a price of 1,790 per month, I would experience a vast improvement. That, plus many other recommendations (such as the one above) on ThaiVisa and elsewhere, caused me to go to CAT's "Premium" service.

Outcome: ATROCIOUS. GHASTLY. HORRIBLE. ABOMINABLE. In many tests in the past week, I have never gotten a download speed higher than 1.9 Mbps. Long long waiting times to connect to websites, especially overseas ones. When I carry my laptop to a neighbor's place and test his TT&T Premier service (1,090 baht/month), I never have gotten downloads less than 3.1 Mbps, and get connections to foreign websites in a flash.

Result: CAT gives little more than half the speed at almost twice the price. I asked CAT for improvement, which seems to petrify them. I asked for cancellation of the service and a refund of my 21,000 baht, which I paid for a year in advance; of course, they refused. Reminded again that TIT.

Learn from my experience. My suggestion is to turn your back on CAT, and run as fast as you can.

[wehugheog]

CAT I believe are quite good. They have an office on the Superhighway opposite the Big C and close to the big cop shop. Don't even consider TOT, for the love of God!!!

WRONG WRONG WRONG

Until November 2009, I used TT&T's Maxnet "Premier" service, which cost me 1,090 baht per month. I test regularly using Speedtest.net, connecting to a server in San Francisco. I regularly got download speeds of 3.5 to 4.5 Mbps.

Then in December I moved (to near Kad Suan Kaew), and waited a month for CAT to connect me to their Hinet "Standard" service, at a cost of 990 per month. It was so slow as to be useless (could never connect to YouTube, BBC Radio, etc.). A week ago, I went to CAT's main Chiang Mai office on the Superhighway, where they told me that if I switched to their "Premium" service, at a price of 1,790 per month, I would experience a vast improvement. That, plus many other recommendations (such as the one above) on ThaiVisa and elsewhere, caused me to go to CAT's "Premium" service.

Outcome: ATROCIOUS. GHASTLY. HORRIBLE. ABOMINABLE. In many tests in the past week, I have never gotten a download speed higher than 1.9 Mbps. Long long waiting times to connect to websites, especially overseas ones. When I carry my laptop to a neighbor's place and test his TT&T Premier service (1,090 baht/month), I never have gotten downloads less than 3.1 Mbps, and get connections to foreign websites in a flash.

Result: CAT gives little more than half the speed at almost twice the price. I asked CAT for improvement, which seems to petrify them. I asked for cancellation of the service and a refund of my 21,000 baht, which I paid for a year in advance; of course, they refused. Reminded again that TIT.

Learn from my experience. My suggestion is to turn your back on CAT, and run as fast as you can.

Interesting point.

I have been using TT&T premier for a while. It's fine. Although I get a GREAT ping ~45ms (no typo) to networking4all servers in Amsterdam (tested often and yes the up/download speeds are fantastic!), the rest of Europe is abominable (~400ms + and thus up/download speeds s*ck). What's up with that?!?!?!

I was at Airport Plaza today to ask at CAT what their lines cost etc.etc. They have a store there with a CAT SDSL 2mb/2mb line for, I guess, showing off what they can do to potential customers.......I would think. The same ping mentioned above was 759ms and other places in Europe ~200-250ms higher then my "cheap" TT&T line. I stick with my TT&T.

Testing is done with speedtest.net of course. Try it out.

Question though: Can I tunnel all my IP traffic to i.e. networking4all and basically from there get onto the real web? That would make my connection in Chiang Mai fantastic! Maybe rent a server and VPN or so? Any1 have tips/does something like that?

[rcjoop]

Before you reroute your traffic to Amsterdam think first.

I also get aroud 45 msec for a ping tp networking4all but let's do a simple calculation:

Distance Chaing Mai - Amsterdam about 10k km, speed-of-light around 200k km per sec

and ping is a round trip delay meter so the distance travelled is 20k km.

The time the light needs is 100 milisec, without any router computer etc delay :jap:

If you think ping of 45 is real, there must be some bridges for sale somewhere