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Internet Access From Starbucks Etc.

Tom Kagai

By Tom Kagai
in IT and Computers

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Tom Kagai Advanced Member

Tom Kagai

Posted
Posted

I've seen many people sitting around in Starbucks doing stuff online from their laptop. I have a powerbook G4 (Mac) and it includes a chip for wireless access etc. (I hook into my ISP from all over the house all the time) but, my tiny brain is having trouble understanding what I need to do to get online in cafe's etc. I've noticed surftime cards available for sale in Starbucks, but I don't have a card slot on the machine and don't have a clue how I get to hook into their ISP, and also whether it's cheaper to just sit in the internet cafe at 1 baht/min. anyway?

Could someone please enlighten me?

Thanks. :o

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sajal Advanced Member

sajal

Posted
Posted
I've seen many people sitting around in Starbucks doing stuff online from their laptop. I have a powerbook G4 (Mac) and it includes a chip for wireless access etc. (I hook into my ISP from all over the house all the time) but, my tiny brain is having trouble understanding what I need to do to get online in cafe's etc. I've noticed surftime cards available for sale in Starbucks, but I don't have a card slot on the machine and don't have a clue how I get to hook into their ISP, and also whether it's cheaper to just sit in the internet cafe at 1 baht/min. anyway?

Could someone please enlighten me?

Thanks.  :o

yes most starbucks in thailand have a wireless hotspot where customers can use the internet wireless-ly. since your notebook does have a wireless chip then its probably compatible (im lost when it comes to macs).

i havent used the internet in starbucks but here is how most hot spots work....

u buy a prepaid card. this card(probably the surftime card u mentioned) has a login name and a password...generally a scratch card.

u power up yr notebook, turn on the wireless....log on to their SSID normally mentioned on the card or u could ask the staff for assistance. notmally all hot spots have a some sort fo instructions available...

then u try open any webpage(or some url on the card) on your browser, u will be redirected to some sort of login page. there u enter the login name and password on the card and ur in....

use the net ad u would do in your home....

i dunno the speed u would get in a cafe...neway 1 baht/min is expensive.....at home 1 mbps adsl costs me 990/month....thats unlimited...

so if u surf the net 1 hour a day in the cafe then thats gonna cost u 1*60*30 = 1,800 baht/month....

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buadhai Gold Member

buadhai

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You need to make sure that your Airport (wireless) card is set up to join any available network.

System Preferences -> Network -> Show: AirPort

AirPort tab: By default, join: Automatic (or choose the network you want to join)

Or, you can open Internet Connect and choose the wireless network from there.

If you've configured your machine to only join your home network, then it won't join any other network until you make one of the changes described above.

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Tom Kagai Advanced Member

Tom Kagai

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i dunno the speed u would get in a cafe...neway 1 baht/min is expensive.....at home 1 mbps adsl costs me 990/month....thats unlimited...

so if u surf the net 1 hour a day in the cafe then thats gonna cost u 1*60*30 = 1,800 baht/month....

Thanks "Devil Dog" & "mgnewman" That's told me everything I needed to know, and some. (particularly cool to know how to configure my own machine).

ThankUmakmak :o

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OldAsiaHand Silver Member

OldAsiaHand

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I use Starbucks' hot spots with a Powerbook running Safari all the time.

Just ask the cashier for an internet card. They come in three varities: 1 hour, 5 hours, and 20 hours. The only price I can remember is the one I usually buy, which is five hours for B600.

Then sit down and open Safari and the first browser window you see will ask for your user name and password. Type in the ones on the card you just bought and you're connected. Be sure to hit the 'yes' button when Safari asks if you want to save the information and from then on all you will have to do is open Safari and you'll be good to go.

One caution. Remember to log off when you're done. There is nothing to remind you to do that and it's easy to forget. You can either go back in Safari's history to the log on page and hit the log off button or, easier perhaps, type 1.1.1.1 as the IP you want to access in the URL window and hit return. That will log you off immediately.

Hope this helps.

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sajal Advanced Member

sajal

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tx a ton madsere.

i have dtac unlimited gprs....now will visit dtac site to sign up....then gotta move into starbucks...;-) ... anyways whats the speed you guys get in starbucks....i believe 11 mbps would be the connection between you and the accesspoint not the internet....

anyone run any speed test while on the starbucks hotspot?

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Noodles Silver Member

Noodles

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tx a ton madsere.

i have dtac unlimited gprs....now will visit dtac site to sign up....then gotta move into starbucks...;-) ... anyways whats the speed you guys get in starbucks....i believe 11 mbps would be the connection between you and the accesspoint not the internet....

anyone run any speed test while on the starbucks hotspot?

I downloaded a 100mb file at 17-18kbps and it took 1 hour 40 mins

Noodles

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sajal Advanced Member

sajal

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thanks noodle....was the file hosted in thailand or abroad...

madsere...can u gimme the full URL of the page to apply for the unlimites staubuks access? cant seem to find it on the english version site...

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OldAsiaHand Silver Member

OldAsiaHand

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tx a ton madsere.

i have dtac unlimited gprs....now will visit dtac site to sign up....then gotta move into starbucks...;-) ... anyways whats the speed you guys get in starbucks....i believe 11 mbps would be the connection between you and the accesspoint not the internet....

anyone run any speed test while on the starbucks hotspot?

I've run tests a couple of times when it seemed to be running so slowly that I became sufficiently annoyed to do it.

I never saw anything much over a standard 56k dialup speed, absolutely never over 100kbs. It depends on how many people are logged onto the particular access point , of course, as well as how many people are clogging up the KSC system, but don't count on much speed. The Starbucks hotspots work adequately for email, but I wouldn't count on doing anything heavy duty on them.

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Noodles Silver Member

Noodles

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thanks noodle....was the file hosted in thailand or abroad...

madsere...can u gimme the full URL of the page to apply for the unlimites staubuks access? cant seem to find it on the english version site...

The file was hosted abroad....and yes when other people started

using their note books it slowed down conciderbly.

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  • 3 months later...
lomatopo Star Member

lomatopo

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DTAC use KSC for internet connectivity and it's actually KSC that give the unlimited access.

http://wifi.ksc.net/index.php?lang=en

As a post-paid DTAC subscriber I've been quite happy using the free KSC service. Re-subscribing each hour can be a bit of a pain especially if you are in the middle of a session best left uninterrupted, but it's free.

However, today I recevied an SMS from DTAC (in Thai of course) with keywords like 'KSC', 'Hotspot' and '4 August'. I asked a friend to translate and I think it says that this free KSC WiFi access promotion ends tomorrow (4 Aug). I tried calling the DTAC Customer Service number unsuccessfully.

Does anyone have any information on this service?

If I learn anything more tomorrow I'll post back here.

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sajal Advanced Member

sajal

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its only thailand where i have never come accross a free wifi...<-- excluding generous or foolish neighbours.

i visit KL quite often...if im there on a sunday n have nuthin to do i can pass my day easily at starbucks there....free wifi...nice music around...open air...all at the cost of a large cappichino(no obligation for that also)....

for many things specially internet its very uncomfortable using if u r counting minutes left...

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Phil Conners Diamond Member

Phil Conners

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DTAC use KSC for internet connectivity and it's actually KSC that give the unlimited access.

http://wifi.ksc.net/index.php?lang=en

As a post-paid DTAC subscriber I've been quite happy using the free KSC service. Re-subscribing each hour can be a bit of a pain especially if you are in the middle of a session best left uninterrupted, but it's free.

However, today I recevied an SMS from DTAC (in Thai of course) with keywords like 'KSC', 'Hotspot' and '4 August'. I asked a friend to translate and I think it says that this free KSC WiFi access promotion ends tomorrow (4 Aug). I tried calling the DTAC Customer Service number unsuccessfully.

Does anyone have any information on this service?

If I learn anything more tomorrow I'll post back here.

I got the same message, wondered about it but forgot .. Just checked with DTAC CallCenter, they say it is just an advertisement about the service. Something about it being available every day from 4.00 (am) to 0.00 (midnight).

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lomatopo Star Member

lomatopo

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I've yet to get through to DTAC but I was able to use the one-hour DTAC-promotion free KSC service today, 5 August, so I'm still happy. (BTW, last year the service was free with no time limit on sessions, and you only needed one password.)

I did notice a slight change on the log-in page, they changed the DTAC link to "DTAC Corporate Customer", where before it was more generic, maybe just saying "DTAC Customers"? Maybe by "Corporate" they mean post-paid? AFAIK I am not a "Corporate" customer, but I am a post-paid customer. Also, I am not sure if they offered free KSC WiFi to pre-paid customers at anytime in the past?

I also noticed this promotion/banner:

"In order to celebrate the 11th anniversary of Internet KSC, from now – 30 September 2005, all types of KSC customers are able to use Internet with free of charge during Midnight – 06.00 AM"

DTAC use KSC for internet connectivity and it's actually KSC that give the unlimited access.

http://wifi.ksc.net/index.php?lang=en

As a post-paid DTAC subscriber I've been quite happy using the free KSC service. Re-subscribing each hour can be a bit of a pain especially if you are in the middle of a session best left uninterrupted, but it's free.

However, today I recevied an SMS from DTAC (in Thai of course) with keywords like 'KSC', 'Hotspot' and '4 August'. I asked a friend to translate and I think it says that this free KSC WiFi access promotion ends tomorrow (4 Aug). I tried calling the DTAC Customer Service number unsuccessfully.

Does anyone have any information on this service?

If I learn anything more tomorrow I'll post back here.

I got the same message, wondered about it but forgot .. Just checked with DTAC CallCenter, they say it is just an advertisement about the service. Something about it being available every day from 4.00 (am) to 0.00 (midnight).

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hansco Apprentice Member

hansco

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TIP : I use network stumler to find out the optimum position to connect to a stray hotspot while on travel....

normally signal above -80 is connectable...

Strangely enough that's what I used to find the 2 above access points!

Works great with a my lucent/orinoco silver (hacked to gold) card and a pringles yagi.

:o

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alesypalsy Senior Member

alesypalsy

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Bangkok fairly glows in the dark with wireless access points - there were 80 hotspots between my house and Fortune IT Mall last time I bothered to look (driving in a taxi with my PDA).

Sitting in my hotel on Sukumvit I have 2 open access point just by waving my laptop near the window.

The hotel has a TOT hotspot but why bother  :o

TIP : I use network stumler to find out the optimum position to connect to a stray hotspot while on travel....

normally signal above -80 is connectable...

Would you need a username/password to log onto these stray wifi areas, if so how do you manage it? i am no good at this sort of thing, also how can they say free wifi at starbucks if they are charging you for the card?

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