Dtac Gprs - Internet On Laptop - Useless

[ChickenTonight]

Im in Chiang Rai

My DTAC GPRS has become almost unusable recently.

I have used different nameservers but that doesnt resolve the problem.

Have reinstalled the software, been on the phone to customer care people (useless english and dont know what they are talking about, just seem to be following the standard set up instruction on their computer screens).

It works for MSN messenger, but doesnt work on the web well at all.

I have to keep controll refreshing the page to get it to find the web pages, it is almost unuseable and has been for the past 10 days. I keep getting the DNS error page.

I want to be absolutely sure I have the correct settings, can someone send them to me>? I have tried everything!! Customer support are useless.

Anyone else experiencing similar problems>? I am using the DTAC contract unlimited GPRS for 1000 baht a month.

Thanks

[ProThaiExpat]

If it ever worked correctly, your current problem may be weather and system load difficulties. I get DNS error messages when the international portals are jammed.

I have AIS GPRS 8 kilometers from Chiang Mai and have had more that the usual problem in the past ten days, but not to the point of being useless.

If it is a laptop, why not take it to a local repair shop and get help. I am assuming you are using a wirelss connection.

Edited September 29, 2005 by ProThaiExpat

[ChickenTonight]

Im in Chiang Rai

My DTAC GPRS has become almost unusable recently.

I have used different nameservers but that doesnt resolve the problem.

Have reinstalled the software, been on the phone to customer care people (useless english and dont know what they are talking about, just seem to be following the standard set up instruction on their computer screens).

It works for MSN messenger, but doesnt work on the web well at all.

I have to keep controll refreshing the page to get it to find the web pages, it is almost unuseable and has been for the past 10 days. I keep getting the DNS error page.

I want to be absolutely sure I have the correct settings, can someone send them to me>? I have tried everything!! Customer support are useless.

Anyone else experiencing similar problems>? I am using the DTAC contract unlimited GPRS for 1000 baht a month.

Thanks

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This doesnt make any sense. I just did a dns lookup, it seems the primary dns server for dtac is at csloxinfo and the secondary is at ksc.

So they dont even have their own nameservers? Seems a bit strange.

Have changed to using some other name servers but doesnt make any difference.

Also now experiencing problems with MSN messenger (which shouldnt use nameservers).

Strange that someone has had similar problems with AIS gprs too.

DTAC grps was great until recently.

I dont think its a transmitter problem as I have nearly full signal on my phone.

Ill try using a friends handset....

[ProThaiExpat]

I am "computer challenged" so know little.

I have learned in the last three years with AIS GPRS that the problems I experience are rarely with my equipment.

I have a Sierra Wireless card and have mastered its setup. Once I am connected to the AIS relay station in Chaing Mai, the problems are all with bandwidth, I have been told by those more knowledgeable than me.

When my system seems very slow in moving among messages in my Yahoo mail portal, I click again on the tab and often the move then occurs. I truly believe the following, but based only on my experience:

1. Once connected to the relay station, AIS equipment can't contact or get a response from an international website do to portal congestion and I get a "DNS message". I may being using the wrong terminology, the message has an icon on it with a blue i in a box and the language says "cannot connect to server", it encourages clicking on the "refresh button" or re-stting my browser settings. If this is not a "DNS" error message, I apologise.

2. Websites themselves can get congested, as the size of website servers do vary in size and volume. Often my search speed shows zero bytes being used on my counter, indicating to me that there is nothing going through the portal on the server connection I am on. I get the error messages at these times as well as other times when the website seems to be the problem

3. These error messages indicate a problem between AIS equipment and website computers or within the website servers, not my equipment.

Thus, since I can't do anything about it, I just try to accept this less than optimum service and await the day I cab get true broadband, whether it be the new TOT-Ipstar service or buddy broadband in my neighborhood.

When I use high speed internet connections in internet shops, I never have any of the problems I experience at home on my GPRS. I now have a phone line, I didn't before, but since I had dial up when I was in a condo and the serice was no better, I see no point in trading one poor service for another.

Edited September 30, 2005 by ProThaiExpat

[ChickenTonight]

My friend just got a free 30 days broadband though his phone line. He didnt even need a boradband on they somehow allow broadband through a standard modem and phone line. He just called the company (tt&a) and they switched it on.

No idea how this works but he says its lightning fast!

[yuyi]

This GPRS problem which you guys see (and me too ) is not a problem of the websites you visit, and also not a problem of international Internet connections. It might however be a problem of an overload of the local mobile phone network around you.

Also it is simply that GPRS is not ideal at all for data connections. It has a too long latency, which means it takes ages before data starts to move back and forth. Once it moves it is not too bad, but then the second problem kicks in: Data - timeouts. Your PC is waiting for a data packet from the Internet, and it doesn't come, it got lost on the way. If too much of that happens, the communication gets out of sync, and needs to reset -> You have to reload the webpage.

I think that these timeouts are mainly caused by the less than perfect installation of the technology in the mobile phone networks. As long as suppliers are selected by the kickback amount and not by the quality this will stay the problem here.

Due to this problem with GPRS and EDGE I did switch to Hutch CDMA, which works usually much better. 3 times GPRS speed, much less latency. But even here the problems started yesterday, International connections do get for almost all websites an "Access Denied" page by "proxy02.pacific.net.th"

Hmm, Hutch gets the International service by CAT, the monopoly for International internet connections in LOS. Hutch service does say the problem is known and lies with the CAT, and 1000 apologies.

So why does the CAT wants to block Yahoo and Google now?

[Ajarn_Jonesy]

This GPRS problem which you guys see (and me too   ) is not a problem of the websites you visit, and also not a problem of international Internet connections. It might however be a problem of an overload of the local mobile phone network around you.

Also it is simply that GPRS is not ideal at all for data connections. It has a too long  latency, which means it takes ages before data starts to move back and forth. Once it moves it is not too bad, but then the second problem kicks in: Data - timeouts. Your PC is waiting for a data packet from the Internet, and it doesn't come, it got lost on the way. If too much of that happens, the communication gets out of sync, and needs to reset  -> You have to reload the webpage.

I think that these timeouts are mainly caused by the less than perfect installation of the technology in the mobile phone networks. As long as suppliers are selected by the kickback amount and not by the quality this will stay the problem here.

Due to this problem with GPRS and EDGE I did switch to Hutch CDMA, which works usually much better. 3 times GPRS speed, much less latency. But even here the problems started yesterday, International connections do get for almost all websites an "Access Denied" page by "proxy02.pacific.net.th"

Hmm, Hutch gets the International service by CAT, the monopoly for International internet connections in LOS. Hutch service does say the problem is known and lies with the CAT, and 1000 apologies.

So why does the CAT wants to block Yahoo and Google now?    

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Some thinsgs to remember GPRS and EDGE technologies have two major problems right know.. ammount of traffic (Bandwidth) Is a major issue. This is something that PCS is seeing in the USA and I must confess had the same problems in Thailand 2 weeks ago. The other is that environmental issues can also be problems. ie weather storms clouds, distance from towners.... .

[ProThaiExpat]

Chicken: Your friend seems to have ADSL, a "piggy back" approach using existing phone lines. I have yet to hear of anyone getting ADSL outside of a 5 km distance from a telephone switching station.

Central Chiang Mai has ADSL, 8 kms north where I live, it is not yet available and I am on the TOT waiting list.

Perhaps it is in Chiang Rai, but your the first to mention it. Where does your friend live?

[Khun Bob]

I someone hit on the point earlier that the dns servers used may not be able to handle the load for international connections - also gprs is quite slow and may time out -

What i do is to force the site through a browser regardless of what it is ftp, https etc - this get the ip remembered and so when you use the app you want you get through. You can also try pinging the name you want or using a tracert which forces the name in the the dns's cache so that what you really want to use should work - may take a few tries though..

If anyone else has any other/better solutions/workarounds would like to hear...

[Bikkel]

yuyi,

You seem to have Hutch. I get mixed opinions about Hutch, being only available in Central Bangkok area. Is the reception good in Isaan (Buriram) and/or Kamphaeng Pet?

GSM reception seems to be different in each rice field in Isaan.

Edited October 1, 2005 by Bikkel

[Khun Bob]

Reception shouldnt be a problem in most places - all you need is a bigger, higher and possibly directional aerial...

[Bikkel]

You mean something like this?

From South park "Cartman gets an anal probe".

To much hassle to walk with that in Isaan.