Internet In Chiang Mai. We've Heard The Complaints, But What……

[Drew Aitch]

Hi forum.

Okay, so over time we repeatedly hear about the problems various folks are having with their internet as they look for alternatives, resolves, and sympathetic ears from those who give a toss!

But what about hearing from those of you who are contented customers? Is there anyone here who enjoys a good deal from their Internet Service Provider (ISP)?

If you guys could answer the following 4 questions, it might be useful to others. Oh, btw, this is more for those of you who use/need a good internet connection on daily basis. I don't think we can get a very clear picture from those of you who logon infrequently, look at a couple of sites for an hour or 2, and send the occasional email every once in a while.

1. Who is your ISP?

2. Where do you live (approximate location)?

3. What is the monthly charge?

4. How often are you online?

Please remember, this is for positive responses. There's a plethora of negative threads going on at any given time, which are also useful, but let's find the happy campers amongst us in this particular thread.

Cheers

Aitch

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

I use mine all the time for work.

TOT 4 mb

Central CM near Rin Kham intersection

about 1100 baht per month.

Have used TOT for years now and about 2 months ago it got really fast and increasingly reliable overseas due to these new undersea cables coming online.

Rocks !!! 3.5 mb download most of the time. A few times it has peaked at 5 mb. Of late doesn't seem to dip under 1.5 mb. As measured by speedtest to Seattle US.

[noise]

Every morning for 3 hours: 6 am to 9 am or so

TOT 3 mb for 790 baht (what is on paper)

3 km south of Mae Jo U on Hwy 1001

Stable connection; effectively get the same performance every day, day in and day out. Don't measure it as I can't do anything about it, but usually can count on getting streaming video (e.g., You Tube) until 9 am.

It is now 9:30 am so did a check: 3.6 MB down and 376K up from BKK; 3.4 MB down and 420 K up to Singapore; 2.74 MB down and 230K up to Hong Kong. No U.S. or European servers for testing on this site: speedtest.adslthailand

Afternoons and evening slow down. I do not download movies, etc., so can not speak to that. But no problem in downloading S/W updates, etc.

OVERALL: satsified as I do not know of anything better out here.

Edited December 17, 2009 by noise

[Thakkar]

Sansai area, just of ring road 121.

TTT maxnet (or whatever they call themselves now) Premier

Speed consistently over 2.5MB, often faster

On all day, often all night

Approx 1200 baht/mth

consistent and reliable, never been down (famous last words?).

A neighbor's using AIS 3G and raves about it. Cost 800 baht. I'm intrigued and tempted because I can take it anywhere and coverage can only improve as 3G, and later 4G get established. But I don't want to mess with what's working just fine.

[siamshot]

Maxnet 3 mb, 590b/month. Huey Kaew Road:

time ago, being TT&T very good,

changed to 3bb: not as reliable as before.

But as yesterday: very good connection, maybe the new US submarine cABLE?

Also TOT 3mb, 590b/month, Changklan Road/Anusarn, all time reliable, mostly fast enough, good service.

As of yesterday more speed on busy times, was possible watching TV during peak time (evening).

[briley]

TOT 2mb for 490pm - near CMU. Been with them for 5 years

Mostly get 2mb whenever I want it. Use the net all day every day for over 5 years. During that time a few breaks in service of an hour or so but no more. One period recently when I could not get web sites (everything else worked) for a weekend but that seemed to be a Thailand wide problem.

Compare to the UK. (hope the layout works)

............................Thailand (TOT).............UK (Plusnet)

Cost......................490pm........................660pm

Max speed down....2Meg (get 2Meg)...........up to 8Meg (get 3 meg)

Max speed up........512Kb..........................256Kb

Restrictions:

Monthly traffic........none (50G last month)...10Gig pm

speed restrictions...none.............................varies over the day and type of usage

connection probs....very few........................very few

[Drew Aitch]

Thanks guys, there's some really useful information there. Thanks for taking the time to post

One of the reasons i haven't moved condo yet is because i'm as nervous as hel_l about losing my reliable internet service. This is mainly based on reading so many negative reviews on this forum over time, and my ISP (TRUE), never seems to get slagged off. Unfortunately, they are not everywhere, and this has been the reason i'm reluctant to change residence, as choices of location are limited. I try to avoid buildings with wireless networks like the plague. Some blocks won't allow an independent connection in the room as they are taking a cut from the their wireless ISP company.

Wireless internet can be fast, but i think it's fair to say (based on experience), that it goes down more often than a hard wired connection, has more frequent performance tantrums, and takes longer to resolve issues, especially those that occur late evening or at weekends.

So here's my positive review.

1. ISP TRUE

2. My location is Nimmanhaemin Area

3. Including VAT i pay about 850 Baht/Mo (unlimited)

4. I'm online all day everyday uploading, downloading and often have multiple applications and sites open at any given time.

Cheers

Aitch

[thaimiller]

1. Cat Telecom 2/1 Premium Package

2. Maejo road near the rimping

3. 1975thb a month

4. Im online about 10 hours a day and never have any problems, I know its expensive but I wouldn't ever change back to Maxnet (or whatever its called now)

[XCom]

1. TOT

2. 10 metres from the TOT office (CM)

3. 590 baht a month

4. 24hours a day (downloading torrents etc. in the night)

I get a steady 1.8mbs a second which is fine for my package.

I notice TOT are doing 12mb for 1500 baht a month. Might have to look into that :-)

It makes me cry sometimes, I do miss my UK connection:

http://www.speedtest.net/result/422599247.png

Edited December 17, 2009 by XCom

[JimShortz]

1. TOT

2. Hangdong Road, just South of Tesco Lotus

3. 3mb package 590 Baht a month

4. 24hours a day (uploading and downloading torrents)

I am very happy with this package at the moment, except I would like a higher upload bandwidth to make it easier to maintain my upload/download ratio on The Box (private UK torrent tracker). Virtually 100% up time these days and I even get a good connection in the evenings and at weekends for the last few months or so.

If I queue a load of torrents I can get consistent download speeds between 250 and 320k. Unfortunately my average upload speed is only about 40/45k (peaks at about 58k) which means I need to leave my computer on a lot of the time uploading only to maintain a reasonable ratio.

[chirunr]

1. Cat Telecom 2/1 Premium Package

2. Maejo road near the rimping

3. 1975thb a month

4. Im online about 10 hours a day and never have any problems, I know its expensive but I wouldn't ever change back to Maxnet (or whatever its called now)

Hi Thaimiller,

I signed up last week for Cat Telecom's 2/1 Premium package -- same as you have, paying almost 2,000 baht/month. In a week's usage, the very best download speed I can achieve with servers in USA (San Francisco and Los Angeles) is about 1.8 MB/sec. Previously, I used TT&T's Premium (Maxnet) package, also 2/1, for which I paid just 1,090 baht/month, and I was getting download speeds routinely of 3.5 to 4.0 MB/sec.

Really a bummer, as I paid one year in advance, and CAT has a "NO REFUND" policy .

Unlike you, I regret very much leaving TT&T, and have to put up with inferior service for a year before I can cancel.

Any suggestions?

BTW, I'm located in Sritana Condo #1, about 200 meters from Kad Suan Kaew, and about 100 meters south of Huay Kaew Road.

Edited January 14, 2010 by chirunr

[Asmerom]

1. TOT

2. Hangdong Road, just South of Tesco Lotus

3. 3mb package 590 Baht a month

noise :

Every morning for 3 hours: 6 am to 9 am or so

TOT 3 mb for 790 baht (what is on paper)

3 km south of Mae Jo U on Hwy 1001

Mavellously useful and positive thread ; a real pleasure to read. Helpful and infomative.

Do the prices vary according to location are are there subtle differencies between these two seemingly identical packages ( priced differently) which are not immediately obvious?

Pity; no contributions from Doi Saket yet where I'm relocating. Maybe they get up later up country

[infernalman7]

I am quite happy with my True Cable.. best thing about it is the bandwidth.. not the ping though.

1. True Cable (they also have DSL max speed of 16Mbps but the cable max speed is 30Mbps)

2. Nimmanhaemin Rd

3. 30Mbps on the new promotion at 2200baht a month

4. Most of the day until 4am

[heybruce]

As stated elsewhere in this forum, quality of service varies widely based on provider and location. I started with TOT on Nimmanhamin and it was terrible, switched to CAT and it was ok, then went to True and have been pleased. It's not the high-speed internet you get in other countries, but it's pretty good for Thailand.

If relocating, make sure a provider that has good reviews can provide internet in your area. I was unable to use TT&T when I moved to Nimmanhamin because all the lines were full, whatever that means. I also had to wait months before a line for True was available.

[Thakkar]

<snip>

3. 30Mbps on the new promotion at 2200baht a month

4. Most of the day until 4am

I hate you

[bangkok blue]

TRUE seem very reliable so far, stream live video / sports 99% of the time with no problem, occasionally goes off for 2mins, maybe they reset the server at their HQ, but it's only once in a blue moon and only for 2mins. I'm usually on line from 4PM til midnight or later and weekends.

download 8.36MB/s, upload at 0.50MB/s rarely falls below 6MB during busy periods and that's very seldom. Only pay 1200bht and that's great value for money IMO and they chuck in free 2MB WiFi so my gf can use her laptop at the same time. Very consistent speed for international sites. Think they are trying to expand in Chiangmai as quickly as possible. I'm on Huay Keaw road and a new port opened up in August with 10 lines available and were snapped up in double quick time. I got the last one!

In the name of god don't go near TOT they went off at work for 2days leaving some people tearing their hair out!

[VerbalKint]

1. TOT

2. Santitham

3. 3mb / 590 Baht a month

4. 24hours a day

Stable at about 2.5 since about 2 months (before that, most of the time about 1.5 and lots of downtime)

[ManilaLover]

After years of tragedies and regularly waived bills with TOT and later Maxnet I moved to CAT 3G CMDA (mobile internet) the best internet I ever had in Thai, works flawless even half of the price of Maxnet (700 VS 1200) Only the first time it cost 7.000 for the USB (router) stick.

Recommended, no limits in use, other then with GPRS.

Note: CAT offers this service mainly in the north of Thailand, and Hutch in the south, check before buying.

[The_Doctor]

I just got the AIS 3G system and I'm very impressed. A wireless router cost me 4,900B (but you can get a usb stick cheaper). It now costs 800B per month for up to 30Gig bandwidth. The router is compact and slips in my laptop case so I have internet wherever I go in the Chiang Mai area so long as I have power. I highly recommend it.

[Thaifan2]

^ Sorry i am not computer literate .Whats the difference between a router and a usb stick ?.Is it wort paying the extra for a router ? What are the advantages of a router ? I just moved to CM and am looking for an Internet connection .AIS sounds good .I am in San Sai area.

[infernalman7]

TRUE seem very reliable so far, stream live video / sports 99% of the time with no problem, occasionally goes off for 2mins, maybe they reset the server at their HQ, but it's only once in a blue moon and only for 2mins. I'm usually on line from 4PM til midnight or later and weekends.

download 8.36MB/s, upload at 0.50MB/s rarely falls below 6MB during busy periods and that's very seldom. Only pay 1200bht and that's great value for money IMO and they chuck in free 2MB WiFi so my gf can use her laptop at the same time. Very consistent speed for international sites. Think they are trying to expand in Chiangmai as quickly as possible. I'm on Huay Keaw road and a new port opened up in August with 10 lines available and were snapped up in double quick time. I got the last one!

In the name of god don't go near TOT they went off at work for 2days leaving some people tearing their hair out!

I truly feel for you when it goes off... most of the time it cuts when I am playing Modern Warfare 2 (argggg) but it was intentional as True cuts the line to record the data usage every 24 hours.

I think True is probably the best kept secret in Chiang Mai right now ... thanks to no marketing whatsoever and limited coverage

[Drew Aitch]

Whats the difference between a router and a usb stick ?.Is it wort paying the extra for a router ? What are the advantages of a router ?

I too would like to know the answer to this if anyone can help? I suspect that the hardware option of a router is going to be more stable and consistent than a simple USB gadget?

Also, can anyone direct me to the offices of AIS 3G in CM?

Thanks in advance

Aitch

[tmifune]

Whats the difference between a router and a usb stick ?.Is it wort paying the extra for a router ? What are the advantages of a router ?

I too would like to know the answer to this if anyone can help? I suspect that the hardware option of a router is going to be more stable and consistent than a simple USB gadget?

Also, can anyone direct me to the offices of AIS 3G in CM?

Thanks in advance

Aitch

Me too. I will be in CM this May for at least 3 months and this would be a great option as I would not have to rely on a land line in what ever apartment/hotel I choose to hold up in.

[RogerL]

The location of AIS office in Chiangmai:

Coming from the old city toward the Ping River on Thapae Road. The office sits on the Southwest corner of the intersection of Thapae Road and Chang Moi Tat Mai(Kampaengdin) Rd.

There is a service number assignment dispensing machine at the far end (away from Thapae Rd) end of the office. I believe one option is for "foreign" service assistance - English speaking assistant. Bills can also be paid at this office.

The USB device draws its power off of your computer's USB port and can be used on only one computer at a time. It is easily portable. The wireless router

requires power from a wall outlet. Multiple wi-fi enabled computers can use the router at one time. The router can be transported but is larger than the USB dongle device and does require external power. I think they both have the same level of performance as far as providing reliability of connection service/speed. We use the wireless router as we have multiple computers on line at one time.

We moved this past November to a condo which did not have a land line. In our previous location we had TOT landline with TT&T internet service. That service proved satisfactory for us most of the time with the usual problems one sees in Thailand. I explored various options for internet and decided to go with AIS. We chose the 30GB package as did not know for sure how much bandwidth we would use. So far have not gotten to 15GB. But whatever you use over the package size is charged at the Baht/MB rate consumed. Service to date has been fairly good with just one weekend where the connection seemed to drop and pick back up on a quite frequent basis. Overall the AIS performance has seemed quicker (measured using Speakeasy) and more reliable than the old TT&T service. AIS has a service line number 1175 which from talking to others proves quite helpful in resolving problems.

AIS has a website at http://www.ais.co.th/3g/TH/. Unfortunately, it is mainly in Thai but can be used to monitor your bandwith consumption during the month. The amount showed consumed does lag the actual amount used at the time you are viewing the web site. I believe one payment option is to prepay for so much use time and then to renew for more bandwidth but think it best to have a one-on-one discussion with AIS representative on equipment, equipment cost and bandwidth cost options.

[Asmerom]

Drew Aitch,

As the originator of this informative thread I wonder if you will be summarising its results and maybe even simplyfying them for computer illiterates like myself. As I read through it I really can't detect any general conclusions to be drawn from it ; the contributions are so disparate. But maybe you can. Hopefully distinguishing between those with a telephone connection and those with a wieless connection and those relating to mobile phones. But maybe that's too boring a task and the thread is really just for geeks.

Its also worth noting that the majority of replies are located very close to the city and most within it. Strange that no one from more outlying areas has replied-- Mae Rim,Doi Saket,San Kamphaeng etc. Where are they?

Edited January 18, 2010 by Asmerom

[Greenside]

It's just a lottery, largely depending on where you live. Just a look at the way the phone lines are strung in the street - is it any wonder that some of the connections are dodgy?

My TOT connection was dismal for a whole year but then they did the free upgrade to 3Mbps last year and somehow from getting only a fraction of the advertised speed I get an almost constant 275Kb/s (that's close to 3Mbps) when connected to a torrent or site where the data's available at that rate.

I can tell you that the G-Mesh ADSL modem supplied by TOT is every bit as fast (though lacks some features) as the D-Link and Linksys equipment I already had.

[Drew Aitch]

Hi folks, and thanks for the recent replies.

I'll be popping down to the AIS building and will give a performance report hopefully at the end of next month including the location from where i'll be operating from.

While we're on the performance issue, to be honest i don't take a lot of notice of speed checks and the like. For me, all i'm concerned with is how the actual service is performing. I remember once when using a wireless set-up, my fastest and most reliable connection showed the weakest signal strength of just 1 bar, yet it was far better than the full 5 bar options.

Same applied for internet speeds. I know it sounds daft, but some of my fastest downloads and uploads don't make sense when looking at the KB/sec meter and estimated times. Faster than a speeding bullet on occassions, yet if you note the readings they should be dragging in the virtual sand. Go figure! So the only real tests i'm interested in is how the connection is actually performing, and so long as that's okay, then the little meter readings and progress bars can bugger off

Aitch

Edited January 18, 2010 by Drew Aitch

[Drew Aitch]

I just got the AIS 3G system and I'm very impressed. A wireless router cost me 4,900B (but you can get a usb stick cheaper).

I've just looked at their website and and the tiny USB device costs 3,290 Baht. I've never seen a USB device so expensive. One assumes it must be packed with miniaturised state of the art costly technology at that price.

I currently have unlimited usage with TRUE internet for just over 800 THB/Mo. Installation, including cable to room and modem, was free. The AIS 3G not only costs an arm and a leg when compared to TRUE, but it has limits on Bandwidth too. Let's hope it's worth it Stay tuned for a report at the end of Feb.

Aitch

[infernalman7]

I just got the AIS 3G system and I'm very impressed. A wireless router cost me 4,900B (but you can get a usb stick cheaper).

I've just looked at their website and and the tiny USB device costs 3,290 Baht. I've never seen a USB device so expensive. One assumes it must be packed with miniaturised state of the art costly technology at that price.

I currently have unlimited usage with TRUE internet for just over 800 THB/Mo. Installation, including cable to room and modem, was free. The AIS 3G not only costs an arm and a leg when compared to TRUE, but it has limits on Bandwidth too. Let's hope it's worth it Stay tuned for a report at the end of Feb.

Aitch

Seriously? 3300 Baht for a USB "3G modem" is probably the cheapest you can get in the world! Telcos in Australia are selling these for $299.

[Drew Aitch]

Seriously? 3300 Baht for a USB "3G modem" is probably the cheapest you can get in the world! Telcos in Australia are selling these for $299.

Yes, but doesn't Australia have one of the developed worlds poorest internet infrastructures? This would account for high prices as it is only with availability in services and choices that brings costs down in a capitalist society.

These super 3G USB Modem Stick are often given away for free when signing up with an ISP in the UK and Europe, and at the end of the day, anyone wanting reliable internet access 365 days a year usually signs up to a contact anyway.

Aitch