Internet In Chiang Mai

[wally1k]

Hi

Personally I have given up on any decent internet service in CM. I had ToT and they were a disaster from the beginning. Finally I switched to a cat modem that uses the cell phone lines - not sure what it is called but it worked fairly well for about 3 months. Now they seem to be oversubscribed and the service is painfully slow. Here is an article I recently read about the state of the internet in Ching Mai. It certainly points to the truth of it as I see it.

Mai Bpen Rai you all.

Internet services in Chiang Mai

Getting on to the net in Chiang Mai is relatively easy; however, you may want to check out your options first. There are internet cafés all over the city, most costing 20 to 30 baht an hour (depending on the speed of their connection); all have ADSL (broadband), and the more expensive ones usually have good, fast computers and networks, but the more users in the café, the slower it can get. Furthermore the entire network slows down after 3.30pm with the additional load of school children playing games on line (a chronic problem). However, it is just as easy to get connected in your apartment or house by simply picking up a pre-paid card and dialling into the ISP using your phone line.

Most will find the old dial up method unbearably slow but if you would rather not pay to get ADSL installed in your temporary place of abode, then you should make sure you have direct, unsuspended, telephone access to the network (as apposed to via condo switchboard that charges by the minute or cuts you off every 15 minutes to free up lines). If you have a laptop it’s easier to buy a usb plug-in wireless receiver and sit in coffeeshops like Starbucks and Wawee which are usually free or have pre-paid access cards.

Getting ADSL installed in your new pad (if it doesn’t have it already), is a bit of a riddle. There are three main service companies, TOT, TTT (Maxnet) and True, and all three under deliver and are oversubscribed. Unfortunately (relative to efficient economies of scale in developed countries), broadband service here is poor value for money. The basic packages are 1000 baht for 4mb per second but you rarely get this and in some instances they only guarantee this speed from sites hosted in Thailand! They offer business packages for roughly 3000 baht which are supposedly not overloaded but we’ve found these also slow right down after 3.30pm when the kids all come home and jump on the gaming sites.

Ultimately it depends on which area you are in, and some businesses resort to subscribing to two lines as backup and to guarantee fast speeds. Other packages offer higher speeds for more monthly fees, but none are relatively good value. However, there is no bandwidth limitation on download per month. This ADSL penetration has reached the edges of the City District of Chiang Mai, and other pockets that are populated with a critical mass of those who can afford broadband. It’s rather hit and miss, so check first before renting or buying a place. Ask your neighbours who the supplier is in your area and then contact their offices. You might have to wait up to a month for a technician to arrive and install it. Expect it fail fairly regularly after that.

The arrival of 3G is Thailand’s big disgrace at present, with a planned auctioning of licences in late 2009 delayed as the various players, state enterprises and incompetent authorities argue over how to carve up this lucrative opportunity (and the inherent corruption that usually accompanies), so don’t expect any full roll out until late 2010 if you were thinking of getting online effectively with your smart phone. Subscribe instead to the painfully slow GPRS.

A final option is IPStar, offered by CS-loxinfo, which is now owned by True. It’s a unique system which relies on a satellite receiver dish and transponder to receive and send extra-terrestrial signals and requires hardware and an expensive installation fee (15,000 baht unless they offer one of their frequent specials). However it’s speeds a limited to 500 kb/p/s and it can be unreliable with delays in servicing.

None of the internet services in Chiang Mai are particularly reliable, and even then they all rely on a single supply cable from Bangkok managed by CAT. When they have problems and the whole city is affected, they are unapologetic, no refunds or compensation or contingency plan is offered. The Thais simple deal with it like everything else and say ‘mai pen rai’ (never mind). Therefore, relying on broadband services here for doing business can be testing.

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peace

walt

[wynzlo]

To tell you the truth, I'm quite surprised at how good my internet service is here. We are in a developing country after all.

[Donnyboy]

yes, it quite a mixed bag out there, some customers are not happy, mine has settled down now and running ok

[gotlost]

I'm OK. No problem.

[orang37]

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun Wally1K,

Sorry to hear about your experience with internet service : brings back the painful memories of months of tribulations with MaxNet over three years. In our neighborhood, we think MaxNet is the only possible choice, and we don't want any mobile-based access (too expensive). Our odyssey with MaxNet has taken us through three routers (the last of which the MaxNet tech took away ... leaving us with a cheap ADSL modem ... and has never returned).

For whatever reasons, MaxNet has been stable now for almost five months, and download speed is peaking near 400 kps which is a mighty fine improvement.

Having eaten "dog food" for three years with MaxNet, we are proably too brainwashed now to complain now that a better flavour of "dog food" is put in our kibble dish.

best, ~o:37;

[anonymouse]

To tell you the truth, I'm quite surprised at how good my internet service is here. We are in a developing country after all.

We are in a developing country but I wish they would forget all the spiel - at one point they were telling us that Chiang Mai was going to be the IT hub of South East Asia

[dvdcm]

My ADSL from TOT has also settled down (not far from the airport so maybe I'm just lucky).

[PeaceBlondie]

Outside San Kamphaeng - no complaints.

[infernalman7]

True Internet. Had complains a few weeks ago. Now it's back to normal. High speed available for ADSL on True is 16Mbps and on Cable is 30Mbps.

[chiangmaiexpat]

To tell you the truth, I'm quite surprised at how good my internet service is here. We are in a developing country after all.

Most organisations do not classify Thailand as a developing country any longer, but as an NDC. Anyway, I agree with your observation that Internet service in Chiang Mai is not quite as bad as described by the OP. There have been real improvements over the past few years. Although Internet access is slower and more expensive than in most Western countries, I am able to work from CNX without problems although my work requires being online all the time (most of the time, anyway).

Cheers, CMX

[Drew Aitch]

None of the internet services in Chiang Mai are particularly reliable

Actually, that's not quite right, or should i say TRUE 2 years with TRUE Internet and i have no complaints at all. Not one. And to think i'm online all day every day for most of the year.

I've since moved accommodation and now have AIS 3G for about the same price as TRUE (minus the initial cost of the modem ), and although it's early days, this service has also been very consistent and reliable thus far.

Cheers

Aitch

[wales01]

I have TT&T, problems day after day. When we call the customer care line they keep saying the optic is cut. There must be allot of optic being cut!!!!!!

[jingjoke]

Has anyone any recent experience with 3BB?

They installed the line from the street to the house and set up the router on thw 11th, but I have had no inet connection. It registers a yellow triangle over the network symbol at the lower RHS of the monitor. Was installed on the 11th and despite calls to their svc center at tel# 1530; I still have what my Windows Vista Home Premium describes as 'limited' connectivity - that is effectively nothing.

On Friday yesterday they said the line was down fm Bkk to the North,and should be fixed by 5PM Friday; nothing; and yet this morning they say because it's a new installation there seem to be new installation issues. I am located between Airport Plaza and Lotus.

It's been a week almost as they told me on the 8th to be at home on the 9th yet waited all day with calls to ask what's the word...nothing. On the 10th I spoke to the chap at 3bb ComputerPlaza who arranged for the techs to come on the 11th...they did but over an hour late. The 3BB folks are nice enough but is the product??

Thanks in advance for any insight. These inet cafes are becoming a real pain with all the gamers hammering their keyboards etal...cheers