Internet Access

[euca]

Anyone care to advise in the matter of a wireless-fed internet connection. Have to admit I know so little of this I might have been reading about it when I was searching this forum for the answer. (Is this an 'air card', for instance).

I guess I have to buy a laptop, for portability and because I stay in the hills near Khao Khor where I have no phone line. I don't want a heavy up-front charge as you pay with CAT [bt6000 for a plug in – plug-in what?] Guess ideally I would prefer a monthly charge for unlimited hours. I read this might mean an AIS or DTAC SIM-card inserted into the computer so will it work as long as I can make a mobile phone call from the same location?

I accept it will be slower than landline [have been told this] and I don't expect to download large files, movies, music etc – don't know how to although I'd like to know.

I also fear problems with it demanding passwords, numbers,etc which I do not know/understand. All quite a turn-off, really. Any ideas?

Khao Khor is about 30-km Northwest of Petchabun, all uphill.

[siamect]

Yes if you don't have any phone line you need an Aircard... DTAC Air-Card "Life is Colorful" was 2700 incl 3 month prepaid I think 300 hours/per month.

But check if DTAC or whoever you buy from is covering your area...

You can always ask for help with the setup in the shop where you buy the stuff and ask that before you make up your mind... password, I think the sim-card itself containing that data so you don't need to worry.

Martin

[euca]

Yes if you don't have any phone line you need an Aircard... DTAC Air-Card "Life is Colorful"    was 2700 incl 3 month prepaid I think 300 hours/per month.

But check if DTAC or whoever you buy from is covering your area...

You can always ask for help with the setup in the shop where you buy the stuff and ask that before you make up your mind... password, I think the sim-card itself containing that data so you don't need to worry.

Martin

Thanks, Martin,

rgds,  Euca.

[phuket Mike]

Hi,

There are some very cheap air-cards available at computer shops in Thailand, made in China I believe. I have one it cost 1500 baht and works well with both DTAC and AIS prepaid, it is a very simple 5cm x 3cm white USB device that takes a SIM, in fact when I bought mine the SIM was included. The set up is very easy you just plug it in, the software installs from the device, you click connect and away you go. It can also be used for SMS. It's certainly not the fastest, but it is usable for normal web access

imobile also make a similar device that costs 1900 baht from imobile shops, elsewhere the same device is around 2500 baht.

You may want to consider buying a more expensive 3G device (AIS sell one for 3700 baht), this will work on the normal 2G GPRS/EDGE network the same as the device above, but then when 3G finally comes along (if) you can them get the much faster connection without changing hardware.

Mike