Tot Fiber 2U Now Available - Anybody Have Experience?

[Peterocket]

I met with the Phuket TOT managers yesterday reference the fiber optic service in Phuket and they confirmed that the domestic bandwidth and international bandwidth are the same if you use their service. (also backed up by the speed tests I have run)

IPTV with over 60 channels be rolled out in the near future too...

[RedCardinal]

I mentioned on the IT board, but maybe worth popping in here also - I spoke to the TOT FTTH guy in Challong a couple of weeks ago and he mentioned they are launching an a-sync Fiber 2 U product with 10Mb down 2Mb up in Q1 of this year. No pricing info from him, and installation will still be 3700B. Hopefully a nice reliable product with a good price point.

[Benjie]

yes, because there is no decent connection from Thailand to the outside world so what major difference is it going to make? A Faster ping time to Sanook.com?

You don't really have a point seeing as people are getting 3-4 mbps international on ADSL in their homes even when next door to each other, So the bandwidth is there, it's just whether or not CAT or TOT allow you twice what people are getting on ADSL.

[DougLee]

I have always understood that if you pay for 10mbit line, you are paying for 10mbit of domestic bandwidth. International bandwidth is shared by everyone and varies by provider and how much they are willing to buy. I read on this board CAT charges isps something like 15000B per mbit in intl bandwidth so therefore for every 1mbit is intl bandwidth there will be at least 40 people sharing that just to cover cost. Hence, no good connection outside Thailand.

i get 5mbps on international connections at any hour with 3bb.. so i doubt they share it with 40 people

Im on the 3mbps premier with a mixup putting me at 5

[BangTaoBoy]

I'm fairly sure I'm stating the glaringly obvious here, but I just took a look at the speed tests for the first time, and is TOT not so far behind everyone else on speed it's a wonder they have any customers? (I'm one of them now, but I don't think I will be in the near future)

Is it not also the case that fiber optic is undoubtedly not worth paying more for, as you are unlikely to get a particularly better service?

I only had a 5 minute look through the numbers, so could someone tell me if I've got that wrong but it seems to me that True or 3BB are the way to go.

Or perhaps it's just that the TOT packages are cheaper so you are just getting what you pay for?

[falkan]

If you do not have a telephone line, what are the options for internet providers?

The only thing I know, Cat Telecom, 3mbit 845tbh a month, i use that now!

Is there a faster alternative you recommend?

[woodyleonhard]

I'm fairly sure I'm stating the glaringly obvious here, but I just took a look at the speed tests for the first time, and is TOT not so far behind everyone else on speed it's a wonder they have any customers? (I'm one of them now, but I don't think I will be in the near future)

Is it not also the case that fiber optic is undoubtedly not worth paying more for, as you are unlikely to get a particularly better service?

I only had a 5 minute look through the numbers, so could someone tell me if I've got that wrong but it seems to me that True or 3BB are the way to go.

Or perhaps it's just that the TOT packages are cheaper so you are just getting what you pay for?

TOT packages generally aren't any cheaper. Mostly it's a question of inertia - people with TOT lines don't think about changing them - or a question of availability - 3BB and True don't pull lines everywhere.

You're absolutely right. Based on what I've seen, and what people have reported, TOT Fiber 2U is fast, but not considerably faster than packages that cost one-third as much.

There's a lot of speculation about contention - say, whether the 3BB "Premiere" packages, which theoretically allow up to 10 people on a port are any faster than the "Indy" packages which are theoretically limited to 20 per port. Of course, it depends. If your neighbor is on your port, and he's running torrent downloads all day, you're going to be slower. How much slower? Hard to say. Is Premiere necessarily faster than Indy? No way to tell. Look at the numbers people are reporting. I'm convinced that a lot of it is simply luck of the draw.

My advice for people who are getting speeds significantly slower than those posted by other people in Phuket: get a different line, from a different ISP. Doesn't really matter which one. Simply the act of changing will probably increase your speed.

[woodyleonhard]

If you do not have a telephone line, what are the options for internet providers?

The only thing I know, Cat Telecom, 3mbit 845tbh a month, i use that now!

Is there a faster alternative you recommend?

There are only three choices for wireless Internet in Phuket, right now.

GPRS is the slow, old wireless over the "2G" phone network. Expect 0.2 Mbps international download speeds.

CAT CDMA EV-DO is what you have. It works all over the island, and quite a ways out to sea. Speeds vary all over the place, but most people get 1 to 2 Mbps, international download. (Test your rig on www.phuketinternetspeed.com ) If you're much slower than that, drop me a line and I'll put you in touch with a guy here in Phuket who specializes in antennas for CAT cards.

HSPA (so-called "3G") service is available, but only along the westernmost part of the island, from the airport down to Nai Harn. I've clocked good speeds, from 2 Mbps or so in Patong to 5 Mbps in Cherng Talay/Laguna. To get HSPA, I recommend the True office in downtown Phuket Town, next to Robinson's. Check to see if they have an unlimited data plan. I have an unlimited plan, for B 800 per month, but I've heard that their current offerings all max out at 2 GB or so per month.

I gave a talk at the IBAP meeting two months ago about all of this. Some of the details have changed, but I talk about internet options every week at the Sunday morning Computer Clinics. They're free, sponsored by the Phuket Gazette.

[BangTaoBoy]

I'm fairly sure I'm stating the glaringly obvious here, but I just took a look at the speed tests for the first time, and is TOT not so far behind everyone else on speed it's a wonder they have any customers? (I'm one of them now, but I don't think I will be in the near future)

Is it not also the case that fiber optic is undoubtedly not worth paying more for, as you are unlikely to get a particularly better service?

I only had a 5 minute look through the numbers, so could someone tell me if I've got that wrong but it seems to me that True or 3BB are the way to go.

Or perhaps it's just that the TOT packages are cheaper so you are just getting what you pay for?

TOT packages generally aren't any cheaper. Mostly it's a question of inertia - people with TOT lines don't think about changing them - or a question of availability - 3BB and True don't pull lines everywhere.

You're absolutely right. Based on what I've seen, and what people have reported, TOT Fiber 2U is fast, but not considerably faster than packages that cost one-third as much.

There's a lot of speculation about contention - say, whether the 3BB "Premiere" packages, which theoretically allow up to 10 people on a port are any faster than the "Indy" packages which are theoretically limited to 20 per port. Of course, it depends. If your neighbor is on your port, and he's running torrent downloads all day, you're going to be slower. How much slower? Hard to say. Is Premiere necessarily faster than Indy? No way to tell. Look at the numbers people are reporting. I'm convinced that a lot of it is simply luck of the draw.

My advice for people who are getting speeds significantly slower than those posted by other people in Phuket: get a different line, from a different ISP. Doesn't really matter which one. Simply the act of changing will probably increase your speed.

Thanks for the reply. I will look to change soon. How about different packages from the same provider. It seems like 6Mbps packages are often performing the same as 10's. I guess maybe start at the bottom and work up. If you sign a contract, I'm sure it will be easier to upgrade your package than downgrade?

[LivinLOS]

i get 5mbps on international connections at any hour with 3bb.. so i doubt they share it with 40 people

Im on the 3mbps premier with a mixup putting me at 5

Just seems so variable.. I had exactly the same as you maxnet premier (I started when it was promised 2mbit but it kept upgrading) for 1090 (1166 IIRC with VAT) and got solid 5Mbit pretty much day and night.

Then you have other people on the same package, getting far worse speeds..

[DougLee]

Just seems so variable.. I had exactly the same as you maxnet premier (I started when it was promised 2mbit but it kept upgrading) for 1090 (1166 IIRC with VAT) and got solid 5Mbit pretty much day and night.

Then you have other people on the same package, getting far worse speeds..

From what i remember of my old 16 years old dslreports.com days, just a wrong setting in windows can lower your speed by quite a lot. I remember we had this little program to change TCP's and ports and packet sizes and it would fix a lot of people's problem. Most people seem keen on downloading any crap that passes through their monitor, a lot of those programs might alter their network configuration. Also half of the people having speed problem are probably infected with a trojan uploading illegal softwares or packets 24/7, there's thousands of kids running botnets of 10s of thousands of infected computer, there's gotta be a few in phuket.

[Peterocket]

I'm fairly sure I'm stating the glaringly obvious here, but I just took a look at the speed tests for the first time, and is TOT not so far behind everyone else on speed it's a wonder they have any customers? (I'm one of them now, but I don't think I will be in the near future)

Is it not also the case that fiber optic is undoubtedly not worth paying more for, as you are unlikely to get a particularly better service?

I only had a 5 minute look through the numbers, so could someone tell me if I've got that wrong but it seems to me that True or 3BB are the way to go.

Or perhaps it's just that the TOT packages are cheaper so you are just getting what you pay for?

In my opinion the service is quite a bit better. Pretty much 100% uptime (in 8 months has been down for 1 hour for maintenance) actual and consistent speeds of 10MB instead of speeds up to on ADSL lines. Plus the fact that the fiber service offers 20MB speeds which I believe arent available via ADSL in Phuket at the moment.

I have been told recently that by mid 2012 Phuket will have access to 100MB lines...I have to be honest though i'm not sure how likely it is!

[BangTaoBoy]

I'm fairly sure I'm stating the glaringly obvious here, but I just took a look at the speed tests for the first time, and is TOT not so far behind everyone else on speed it's a wonder they have any customers? (I'm one of them now, but I don't think I will be in the near future)

Is it not also the case that fiber optic is undoubtedly not worth paying more for, as you are unlikely to get a particularly better service?

I only had a 5 minute look through the numbers, so could someone tell me if I've got that wrong but it seems to me that True or 3BB are the way to go.

Or perhaps it's just that the TOT packages are cheaper so you are just getting what you pay for?

In my opinion the service is quite a bit better. Pretty much 100% uptime (in 8 months has been down for 1 hour for maintenance) actual and consistent speeds of 10MB instead of speeds up to on ADSL lines. Plus the fact that the fiber service offers 20MB speeds which I believe arent available via ADSL in Phuket at the moment.

I have been told recently that by mid 2012 Phuket will have access to 100MB lines...I have to be honest though i'm not sure how likely it is!

I'm glad your getting a good service, but the speed test figures imply that you are in the minority. I scrolled down through about 6 pages and 95% of the low speeds on the list were TOT. You can't argue with those figures!

[Peterocket]

I'm fairly sure I'm stating the glaringly obvious here, but I just took a look at the speed tests for the first time, and is TOT not so far behind everyone else on speed it's a wonder they have any customers? (I'm one of them now, but I don't think I will be in the near future)

Is it not also the case that fiber optic is undoubtedly not worth paying more for, as you are unlikely to get a particularly better service?

I only had a 5 minute look through the numbers, so could someone tell me if I've got that wrong but it seems to me that True or 3BB are the way to go.

Or perhaps it's just that the TOT packages are cheaper so you are just getting what you pay for?

In my opinion the service is quite a bit better. Pretty much 100% uptime (in 8 months has been down for 1 hour for maintenance) actual and consistent speeds of 10MB instead of speeds up to on ADSL lines. Plus the fact that the fiber service offers 20MB speeds which I believe arent available via ADSL in Phuket at the moment.

I have been told recently that by mid 2012 Phuket will have access to 100MB lines...I have to be honest though i'm not sure how likely it is!

I'm glad your getting a good service, but the speed test figures imply that you are in the minority. I scrolled down through about 6 pages and 95% of the low speeds on the list were TOT. You can't argue with those figures!

You arent talking about fiber 2 home though are you?

There is a difference between TOT's ADSL service and the Fiber service

[BangTaoBoy]

You arent talking about fiber 2 home though are you?

There is a difference between TOT's ADSL service and the Fiber service

I was talking about both of them to be honest, but from a different perspective. The normal TOT seemed to be achieving nothing but very low speeds, and from what I could see, the fiber service seemed good, but not proportionally to the cost. In other words it wasn't a great deal faster than other services that were half the price, so from a value point of view, very poor.

Like I said, I didn't scroll through all 16000 speed tests, just a couple of hundred, and that's what the numbers were telling me. Mr sandwich shop man then agreed, and he knows his stuff, so that's good enough for me. I'm ditching TOT asap.

[Benjie]

All fibre will do is give the ability for higher speeds, if TOT is still handicapping the bandwidth it doesn't matter what size the pipe is if they only allow drips through.

[falkan]

How can I check who is connected in my network?

I use TOT and logged into the router.

I use the Billion 5200RC/RD series router

Edited January 15, 2011 by falkan

[silp1979]

Does the PG ad list prices? Is the ad in the hard copy gazette? I don't see any ads in the online Gazette...that would make to much sense I guess. I'll have to stop by the office. My 4mb TOT line is no longer delivering the 600-800kbps stream I need from my Slingbox in the states.

I'm just back from a trip to the TOT office and a lengthy run of speed tests with the Fiber 2U line at the TOT office (which one would assume is as good as it gets).

Bottom line: international downloads in the 4 to 5 Mbps range, depending on where you're going, with higher speeds to Singapore. Not terribly impressive, but not bad. International uploads from 2 to 6 Mbps, which is quite impressive if you do a lot of uploading. Domestic downloads 10 to 12 Mbps.

Details, as always, on the Phuket Internet Speed Reporting site.

TOT Fiber 2U nominal 10 Mbps "Home" line is B 4,400 per month. Quite an improvement over earlier prices.

The ad in the Gazette (print version) says 100 Mbps, but that's just a marketing dream. Realistically, domestic download speeds in the 10 Mbps range are likely. That's just about fast enough to stream high definition TV, if it can be sustained.

you are dreaming about the speed, i have the 10/10 fibre package for a quite high fee 4400 THB about....the speed international it is very slow (1or 2 M), defeating the idea of the world wide web into a thai wide web....anyway in the morning it is good but evenigs can be very slow

[Peterocket]

you are dreaming about the speed, i have the 10/10 fibre package for a quite high fee 4400 THB about....the speed international it is very slow (1or 2 M), defeating the idea of the world wide web into a thai wide web....anyway in the morning it is good but evenigs can be very slow

I cant understand that. My corporate fiber connection has no international bandwidth restrictions. I consistently get 10MB international connections. Maybe the home package is restricted but that isnt my understanding. Maybe you can post some speed tests.

[RedCardinal]

you are dreaming about the speed, i have the 10/10 fibre package for a quite high fee 4400 THB about....the speed international it is very slow (1or 2 M), defeating the idea of the world wide web into a thai wide web....anyway in the morning it is good but evenigs can be very slow

They told me 2Mb international guaranteed on 10Mb package (which does make this relatively expensive compared to other premium provisions). I know of people getting partial refunds of monthly fees when their speeds go below the "guaranteed rate", but not sure how much pestering you'd need to do to get money out of TOT...

[thaitar]

Any idea if Fiber is available in Chiang Mai. I live less than 150 meters away from TOT office, and it'd be sweet to get such speeds. I'm currently on 3BB and it sucks.

[BangTaoBoy]

Any idea if Fiber is available in Chiang Mai. I live less than 150 meters away from TOT office, and it'd be sweet to get such speeds. I'm currently on 3BB and it sucks.

Perhaps you could take the time to walk the 140m and ask them, then you could tell us

[thaitar]

Any idea if Fiber is available in Chiang Mai. I live less than 150 meters away from TOT office, and it'd be sweet to get such speeds. I'm currently on 3BB and it sucks.

Perhaps you could take the time to walk the 140m and ask them, then you could tell us

I actually did. But there was nobody who could speak English well enough to talk about this. I don't speak any Thai unfortunately.

[woodyleonhard]

I actually did. But there was nobody who could speak English well enough to talk about this. I don't speak any Thai unfortunately.

TOT markets it as "Fiber2U" and in Thai it's pronounced "Fiber too you".

My understanding is that TOT has Fiber in Chiang Mai, but it may not be rolled out for consumers just yet.

Be careful what you wish for. If Fiber in Chiang Mai is anything like Fiber in Phuket, it ain't worth having.....

[woodyleonhard]

My corporate fiber connection has no international bandwidth restrictions. I consistently get 10MB international connections. Maybe the home package is restricted but that isnt my understanding. Maybe you can post some speed tests.

I would be very, very curious to see what kind of speeds you get internationally on an unbiased test. Using your corporate fiber connection, could you go to http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/ click on the link to San Francisco, and tell me what speed you get?

Fiber2U is the consumer side of TOT's FTTx Fiber service. They also have Fiber to the Office - which I think they advertise as a Fixed IP Fiber2U connection. Very expensive.

Where, physically, is your corporate fiber connection? (What city?)

TOT announced Fiber2U a year ago this month, at Royal Phuket Marina. The people I know at RPM who have the corporate version of Fiber2U complain about slow speeds and spotty service - but they haven't run speed tests yet.

[woodyleonhard]

you are dreaming about the speed, i have the 10/10 fibre package for a quite high fee 4400 THB about....the speed international it is very slow (1or 2 M), defeating the idea of the world wide web into a thai wide web....anyway in the morning it is good but evenigs can be very slow

It sounds like you have the TOT Fiber2U 10 Mbps package. Could you go to http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/ and click the link to test your speed to San Francisco? Better, could you do it once in the morning when it's fast, and again in the evening when it's slow?

And... where are you located, physically? (What city?)

Many thanks. There are a LOT of people who are interested in getting side-by-side comparisons. (And some of them work for TOT.)

[woodyleonhard]

How can I check who is connected in my network?

It's off-topic, but...

You have your network locked down with WPA encryption, yes?

See http://www.wikihow.com/Tell-If-an-Outside-User-Is-on-Your-Wireless-Network

[Alfahane]

I got a pricelist from TOT. It contains "Home" and "Business". What is the difference?

They say that Business is for "many computers" and Home for only one. A strange answer as a router can, to my knowledge, always be used. The price difference is about 50-150% extra depending of connection speed.

I'm at PHV Condo (about 200 meters past Simon Cabaret at the foot of the first hill towards Karon). Anyone know what the best connections avaiable are? TOT says 30/30 (Home 9500 B, Business 22 800B). True says no fiber available. Currently I have 3BB Adsl 12/1, it's OK but not in the afternoon. I work a lot via remote desktop so I would like something exeptional.

BTW, any changes in the experience of TOT Fiber2U since the creation of this thread?

[Valentine]

I got a pricelist from TOT. It contains "Home" and "Business". What is the difference?

They say that Business is for "many computers" and Home for only one. A strange answer as a router can, to my knowledge, always be used. The price difference is about 50-150% extra depending of connection speed.

I'm at PHV Condo (about 200 meters past Simon Cabaret at the foot of the first hill towards Karon). Anyone know what the best connections avaiable are? TOT says 30/30 (Home 9500 B, Business 22 800B). True says no fiber available. Currently I have 3BB Adsl 12/1, it's OK but not in the afternoon. I work a lot via remote desktop so I would like something exeptional.

BTW, any changes in the experience of TOT Fiber2U since the creation of this thread?

I have had Fibre 2 U 10/1 (1,490 Baht per month plus initial setup cost)for just over a month & was working well until a week ago when download speeds suddenly slowed from an average of 9,000Kbs to around 1,000. Strangely though, upload speeds remained pretty much the same.

Edited October 15, 2011 by Valentine

[Alfahane]

I have had Fibre 2 U 10/1 (1,490 Baht per month plus initial setup cost)for just over a month & was working well until a week ago when download speeds suddenly slowed from an average of 9,000Kbs to around 1,000. Strangely though, upload speeds remained pretty much the same.

What a shame. Did you contact TOT? A friend of mine in Chalong had problem with TOT and called them all the time to complain. Finally the service guy felt sorry for my friend and did some "just for you" magic and it has worked well since then. My friend dont really know what but thinks that the service guy changed to Business.

I visited the TOT office in Patong asking for the difference between Home and Business. Again and again they said Home is for maximum 5 computers, Business for more. It was obvious that they were repeating a script. They called a technician who vaguely claimed something like Business is more stable _within_ Thailand. For connections to Europe (that's me) Business will be no better than Home. Maybe this is something like 3BB Premium. "Better for international"... but only maybe.

Edited October 17, 2011 by Alfahane