Just Got Tot 9 Mbps

[ChiangMaiThai]

I'm in the centre of Bangkok. TOT is the only option in this building. I signed up for the promotion 9Mbps/512Kbps. Installed yesterday. I wanted this so I could watch Apple TV - streaming TV and downloading shows etc.

To my dismay, I have found that the connection is so slow that streaming is impossible and even a youtube clip requires a minute or two to load.

Since yesterday I have tested many times at speedtest.net. I very rarely get over 1Mbps to any international server. Sometimes it makes it up to 2. The ping is super slow, sometimes over 1000.

This is really a complete joke. Does anyone have a package with TOT that actually does what it is advertised to do? I don't expect 9Mbps all the time, but come on, at least 3 or 4 to international servers.

Every time I get a new internet connection in Thailand, I realize how backwards the place is. I get better speeds with my mifi than I do with my home internet - of course it only works in Bangkok since they can't sort out the 3G licenses.

Any suggestions most welcome. Anyone at TOT I can call who will actually help?

[devdrinker]

If internet is important to you then you could try a TOT business connection (less contention and traffic shaping) although expect to pay 5x the price.

[CharlieH]

Welcome to Thailand, this is just so typical of almost ALL services, totally over subscribed and no one gives a shi*

In time you'll become as de-sensitised as the rest of us and will adopt the preverbial "mai pen rai" to all things and just accept thats the way it is here.

[Supernova]

I suggest the OP look into the possibility of getting JI-NET as his/her ISP. If you can't get TRUE or 3BB and are stuck with a TOT line, this is the next best option. Unlike other major providers, JI-NET only offers 2Mbps starting at Bt930 per month. Yes -- it's slower and costs more than the competition, but reliability is second to none. I had their DSL-Max Lite service for 3+ years; until my old TOT line just wouldn't take it anymore.

FWIW, I've been using True 9M/1M for several months, not very happy with it.

Edited June 11, 2011 by Supernova

[ChiangMaiThai]

I will look into Ji-Net thanks. This was a one year contract so I am sure they will screw me if I try to get out of it. I guess they have no one to answer to though if they advertise 9Mbps and then deliver 300 Kbps. To be fair, it gets super fast speeds within Thailand. Great.

That I can be in the centre of the business district of Bangkok in an expensive condo and can't even watch a youtube video without waiting 2 minutes for it to load pretty much sums of the state of Thailand's internet.

[Supernova]

Since yesterday I have tested many times at speedtest.net. I very rarely get over 1Mbps to any international server. Sometimes it makes it up to 2.

Not too long ago I came across a thread where the OP was having a similar problem. Turns out he was only connected at half the rated speed. Check your router stats, make sure your line rate or sync speed is at the speed you paid for; 9M = 9216 Kbps downstream.

Also check to see that SNR margin and Line Attenuation are at acceptable levels. If there's physical line trouble (internal or external), switching to another ISP on the same line won't make any difference.

See also:

Line Stats - Explanation

Edited June 11, 2011 by Supernova

[coconutter]

Something wierds going on with tot.the last 3 days my torrents are running at a 5th of what they were b4,i got 6mb connection,tested just now on thaivisa speedtest,11 mb wow never seen that b4,but torrents are still running painfully slow.mayb it will sort it self out in nxt few days as usually i have no complaints at all..

[arkom]

Know exactly how you feel...I also have the same package as you and it just sucks. The fastest I have gotten from this package is about 7 mbs, after 6pm and on weekends it drops down to between 1-3 mbs. I complained to TOT many times and they don't really care, the last time the technician came out they tested the line and told me that my download rate was 9 mbs.

They did a speed test on their laptop and it showed 2 mbs, and gave me some bullsh_t answer that they were inaccurate and the server most likely had a lot of traffic. As of now I am getting 2 mbs on this package.

[ricku]

Did you really expect it to be 9mbps?

That is just like expecting Thailands 3G-network to be like real 3G, which it totally isn't!

Edited June 11, 2011 by ricku

[DonaldBattles]

I have had TOT on Silom Road for many years and it runs good. In Chiang Rai it is a different story, I have to keep 2 phone lines and modems if I expect to be able to operate one. Most of the time I am away from Chiang Rai for a month at a time and TOT simply cuts both lines off. I think they do this to save their limited band width. After some long drawn out calls and finally a visit from TOT technician they started to check the phone lines. The voice lines work well and I told that the problem was in their network. They diddled at my computer and diddled some more. Finally the guy demanded 300 Baht cash for another splitter. There was nothing wrong with the splitter and both lines were the same but he said he only changed one. He put the old splitter in pocket and moved on. Since then both lines are working OK as they don't want to receive the wrath I give them. These people will make every excuse possible about why your system does not work. They will bullshit you to death if you listen. As I am fluent in Thai I keep telling them that they are talking to a professional engineer not a 10 year onld kid. AMAZING!

[happyjune]

If you want decent internet, Go to Cambodia or Laos , Vietnam or Malaysia.

[roban]

Apart from the low and "wavering" speeds, I find the instabilty of my line more annoying.

I have a 4MB ToT ADSL.

Regular Resyncs every day, some days 15-20 times.

Rain, wind, etc., everything causes breakdowns.

I have to administrate some Servers in EU, via VNC/SSH/RDP, and the breakdowns really suck.

Contacted TOT, and the "technician" confirmed that the line (cable) ist just crap.

The only solution, apart from moving, is forcing the ADSL modem to sync with a lower speed.

I have a german Router (Fritzbox), which can do this with a custom firmware.

So, syncing with 1.5-2 Mb instead 4 MB reduces the resyncs up to 80% compared to my (not cheap) Zyxcel Router.

Does anyone know a Router/Modem here in Th, with the same feature? (I ask, because the builtin Modem from my Fritzbox, is not the very best)

Edited June 12, 2011 by roban

[Supernova]

^ Some routers will allow you to force the SNR margin higher, thus dropping your line speed to improve stability. Do keep in mind, this change is not permanent. Removing power from the modem will clear this setting. The first method involves adjusting the SNR via Telnet:

1. Open a Command Prompt window

2. Type telnet 192.168.x.x (enter the router IP or the default gateway address)

You will be prompted to enter a username and password to access the CLI -- should be the same login used to access the Web UI.

3. Once you're logged on, type:

adsl configure --snr XX

Replace XX with an integer. This value should be a percentage of the target margin set by your ISP. For example, if the target margin is 10 and you want to force it to 15, use "adsl configure --snr 150" (15 being 150% of 10). Wait for ADSL to retrain (about 30 sec), then check your router stats to see if there's any decrease in speed along with an increase in SNR.

This command works on most modem/routers equipped with a Broadcom chipset. I know it works on my TP-LINK router; don't know about other chipsets though. Consult the manual for your device.

Alternatively, you could use the DMT Tool which allows you to tweak, among many other things, your Downstream target SNR margin. The DMT Tool is version specific, so be sure to download and run the correct version for your modem/router.

WARNING: This tool does not work on all lines and routers, it can in fact cause more problems than it solves, especially if you are not familiar with the technology. Recommended for advanced users only.

Edited June 12, 2011 by Supernova

[roban]

in my case (Zyxel P660-HN)

the command is

wan adsl targetnoise [Value]

But unfortunately, it doesn't have any effect.

so I stuck with my german Fritzbox..

[Supernova]

in my case (Zyxel P660-HN)

the command is

wan adsl targetnoise [Value]

But unfortunately, it doesn't have any effect.

so I stuck with my german Fritzbox..

Valid values for target_noise_margin: -31 ~ 32

according to the CLI Reference Guide [PDF].

You're not the only one who can't get it to work; many others also have the same problem. Some say the offset needs to be expressed in hex format. I messed with this back when I had ADSL on my old TOT line and couldn't get it to work either.

BTW, Zyxel modem/routers don't work very well on TOT lines (in my experience). Perhaps you should look into the possibility of using a Broadcom based device like SpeedTouch or TP-LINK. These work great, especially on long lines with high attenuation and low SNR.

Edited June 12, 2011 by Supernova

[Crushdepth]

Next month's TOT advertisement:

10 MB broadband*

* Speed not guaranteed.

[skippybangkok]

Sorry, but what was your expectation from the Turtle Organization of Thailand?

[roban]

Valid values for target_noise_margin: -31 ~ 32

according to the CLI Reference Guide [PDF].

You're not the only one who can't get it to work; many others also have the same problem. Some say the offset needs to be expressed in hex format. I messed with this back when I had ADSL on my old TOT line and couldn't get it to work either.

BTW, Zyxel modem/routers don't work very well on TOT lines (in my experience). Perhaps you should look into the possibility of using a Broadcom based device like SpeedTouch or TP-LINK. These work great, especially on long lines with high attenuation and low SNR.

Yes, while "googeling", I noted, most people had the same problem with "targetnoise".

Zyxel P-660HN-T1A:

usage: gain value should be snr margin(dB) * 512

I tried it with decimal and hex values...nothing.

But ok, nerver mind.

Which reliable speedtouch/TP-link Router/Modem combo would you recommend?

(Must not be the cheapest model!)

Are there any models, which can be flashed with openwrt/ddwrt?

Edited June 13, 2011 by roban

[ChiangMaiThai]

To be fair to TOT, they sent three technicians to my place yesterday. They changed some settings on the modem and now to some int servers at some times, I get 2-3Mbps or so. To other servers at other times I get 500Kbps or less. And ping is always 500 - 1000.

Whatever speed I am getting, you can forget about streaming live TV with Apple TV. (With a genuine connection of 4Mbps this would work no problem.)

They basically told me that in reality, I need a fixed IP address at an expense of 'many thousands' of Baht a month to get any kind of consistency. I told them that my office uses TRUE and we get super quick ping and speeds always of 6-8Mbps to all servers all the time. They seemed confused and went on about how TOT is the leader in the provinces, but in Bangkok there is so much competition and on and on.

Long story short. Pay a lot more and your live TV might work.

He also said that his S Korean customers were amazed at the speeds that we consider 'hi-speed' here. Apparently 100Mbps is the standard there. I know it's been discussed before, but why can all these other countries in Asia offer amazingly fast speeds, but Thailand struggles to offer anything more than a few Mbps?

Edited June 13, 2011 by ChiangMaiThai

[Supernova]

Which reliable speedtouch/TP-link Router/Modem combo would you recommend?

(Must not be the cheapest model!)

The last router I bought was a TP-LINK, which I purchased two years ago out of necessity after the Billion I had been using got "fried" during a thunderstorm. At the time, I didn't care about price or specs -- I just needed to get back online so I went with the basic model. I'm still using that same router to this day alongside the Zyxel 1-port WiFi router from True, which serves as a wireless access point.

Price generally depends on the feature set. Whether you opt for something cheap or expensive doesn't really matter, IMHO. Spending more doesn't always get you a good product. Your best bet is to read reviews as well as user feedback before deciding what to buy.

Are there any models, which can be flashed with openwrt/ddwrt?

Look here -

http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/start

Edited June 13, 2011 by Supernova

[roban]

...

He also said that his S Korean customers were amazed at the speeds that we consider 'hi-speed' here. Apparently 100Mbps is the standard there. I know it's been discussed before, but why can all these other countries in Asia offer amazingly fast speeds, but Thailand struggles to offer anything more than a few Mbps?

I can understand your frustration..100%

It is the same thing, like many others, relating to foreign (non Thai) interests.

1. TOT the dinosaur! Bad Corruption. They only like to earn money, but not to invest..(for example 3G, or reliable adsl cabling)

2. International bandwith is expensive, compared to local

3. Most of the Somchais, can read/write Thai only, so no need for international bandwidth, as they only visit Thai websites.

4. Because Thailand is the "center of the world", everything is ok, correct and shiny, so no need to care about, especially Farangs.

5. And hey, "if don't like it, don't buy it" mai pen rai :jap:

I think, they will get the bill for their ignorance, some day...

[Supernova]

3. Most of the Somchais, can read/write Thai only, so no need for international bandwidth, as they only visit Thai websites.

Agreed -- the language barrier does play a big role.

If Thais had good command over the English language, they would never surf Thai websites. The demand for international bandwidth would increase tenfold.

[roban]

The last router I bought was a TP-LINK, which I purchased two years ago out of necessity after the Billion I had been using got "fried" during a thunderstorm. At the time, I didn't care about price or specs -- I just needed to get back online so I went with the basic model. I'm still using that same router to this day alongside the Zyxel 1-port WiFi router from True, which serves as a wireless access point.

I think, i will do the same and buy one of the basic models and run it in "bridge mode".

The wireless/voip/sip part can be done by one of my other Wlan/n routers.

One question: are the newer tp-links generally based on Broadcom chipsets? Not easy to find informations or chipset specs.

[Supernova]

One question: are the newer tp-links generally based on Broadcom chipsets? Not easy to find informations or chipset specs.

I believe so.

FWIW, I have the TD-8810 V1 (white cover). These may still be around...

[Semper]

3. Most of the Somchais, can read/write Thai only, so no need for international bandwidth, as they only visit Thai websites.

Agreed -- the language barrier does play a big role.

If Thais had good command over the English language, they would never surf Thai websites. The demand for international bandwidth would increase tenfold.

And the international speed would be even lower.