Internet In The Boondocks?

[smogmag]

Hi Guys

Advice for a tachnophobe please (may be already covered in other forums bit I can't find it)

Mother-in-law lives way in the back of beyond - 1 bar on mobile phone with 1-2-call and 2 with DTAC.

Giving her a laptop during our next visit and want to be able to connect her to the internet for emails, photo transfer etc (so she can see the grand-kids growing up). Nothing needing a quick transfer speed.

She has an old mobile phone with 1-2-call - totally unsuitable as a modem but she likes it !! (she is 80 years old)

Have heard that I can buy a modem and SIM card for the laptop for around 1,200 baht?

Then we can pay around 200 baht per month for her to have 30 hours usage?

Can anyone with a better knowledge than mine point me in the right direction.

BTW - she is in Si Thep, Lop Buri province.

Many thanks in anticipation and apologies if I've duplicated.

Smogs

[Atmos]

Hi

Just from my exp when we lived rural Sa Kaeo province

Used AIS 12-call aircard

We had weak and variable signal strength - from my own exp 1 bar on the cellphone would not be enough for a connection, where we were 12-call was bst option, no signal at all for TrueMove, don't know re DTAC

But if you can get a signal, it's basically dial-up speed or worse, OK for text, extremely slow for big photos, useless for YouTube or Skype etc

We've moved and I used it here till our cable was connected - even with five/full strength and a transmitter within close range it is still far inferior to a wired connection

This is the link for the various AIS rates for data http://www.ais.co.th/12call/en/promotion_special.html

For example, top up the sim card with enough credit, then *138*33# and 'call', your account will be deducted 100 baht and you have 20hrs usage - they send a confirming SMS.

I continue to use this on my cellphone for when I'm travelling and leave the laptop behind.

I guess the thing for you is . . . you won't know until you try.

[smogmag]

Many thanks for taking the time. My MIL's phone does not have a modem so will I have to buy a dongle?

Thanks

Hi

Just from my exp when we lived rural Sa Kaeo province

Used AIS 12-call aircard

We had weak and variable signal strength - from my own exp 1 bar on the cellphone would not be enough for a connection, where we were 12-call was bst option, no signal at all for TrueMove, don't know re DTAC

But if you can get a signal, it's basically dial-up speed or worse, OK for text, extremely slow for big photos, useless for YouTube or Skype etc

We've moved and I used it here till our cable was connected - even with five/full strength and a transmitter within close range it is still far inferior to a wired connection

This is the link for the various AIS rates for data http://www.ais.co.th...on_special.html

For example, top up the sim card with enough credit, then *138*33# and 'call', your account will be deducted 100 baht and you have 20hrs usage - they send a confirming SMS.

I continue to use this on my cellphone for when I'm travelling and leave the laptop behind.

I guess the thing for you is . . . you won't know until you try.

[MAJIC]

Many thanks for taking the time. My MIL's phone does not have a modem so will I have to buy a dongle?

Thanks

Hi

Just from my exp when we lived rural Sa Kaeo province

Used AIS 12-call aircard

We had weak and variable signal strength - from my own exp 1 bar on the cellphone would not be enough for a connection, where we were 12-call was bst option, no signal at all for TrueMove, don't know re DTAC

But if you can get a signal, it's basically dial-up speed or worse, OK for text, extremely slow for big photos, useless for YouTube or Skype etc

We've moved and I used it here till our cable was connected - even with five/full strength and a transmitter within close range it is still far inferior to a wired connection

This is the link for the various AIS rates for data http://www.ais.co.th...on_special.html

For example, top up the sim card with enough credit, then *138*33# and 'call', your account will be deducted 100 baht and you have 20hrs usage - they send a confirming SMS.

I continue to use this on my cellphone for when I'm travelling and leave the laptop behind.

I guess the thing for you is . . . you won't know until you try.

Apart from the poor expectation of signal,and the frustration of slow connections and downloads,

which will certainly be even slower on a Dongle.

At 80 years old is your MIL Computer literate?

If not you may be wasting your money,on a going nowhere Computer!

Sorry to be pessimistic.

Edited June 9, 2011 by MAJIC

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Perhaps a modem with the option for an aerial, such as the Huawei E160. But there may be the option of CAT CDMA and by extension TRUE 3G. Perhaps a call to TRUE is in order.

Things are moving, albeit slowly in Thailand, so make enquiries with CAT, TRUE and TOT 3G. A Huawei E160 will cover you if TRUE 3G and or TOT 3G eventually offer coverage.

There is also the oft recommended D-LINK DWM-156 which is a better modem but doesn't have a connector for an external aerial.