Tot Internet What Should I Be Getting?

[mark131v]

I have TOT internet 3-6 meg package and use strong VPN

I am a bit of a techno bif and I am hoping somebody could enlighten me on what I should be getting for this package

When I try to watch live TV or stuff on BBC i player or seesaw it is pretty much useless and I was wondering is this situation normal on the 3-6 meg package?

My computer is new and Hi spec and says I am getting 54.0 mbts but when i check my line with pingnet.com it says my line is a grade D and that explains why it is crap for TV etc

Is it worth my upgrading my package to sort this out?

I have been really unimpressed with TOT as their customer service has been none existent and the only thing they have been good at is finding excuses and fob offs, i wish I had gone with 3BB and still may cut my losses and do that but are they any better?

cheers

Mark

[Supernova]

My computer is new and Hi spec and says I am getting 54.0 mbts

54Mbps is the connection speed between you and your wireless router. It has nothing to do with your Internet connection.

[mark131v]

My computer is new and Hi spec and says I am getting 54.0 mbts

54Mbps is the connection speed between you and your wireless router. It has nothing to do with your Internet connection.

Thanks for the reply, a friend has just told me the same thing but it doesn't help me with is the 3-6 mbt package sufficient to watch live or online TV or am I going to have to upgrade or change providers, are there others with this package that are able to watch live or online TV?

[Pib]

As mentioned by SuperNova, the 54Mb connection is just the sync speed connection between your router and computer. Normally with a good TOT 6Mb connection, the 6Mb sync speed is between your TOT modem/router and the TOT DSLAM at their central station; the actual "data" rate will only be around 5.2Mb...the remaining Mb's are used as ADSL control bits.

Ok, you also said you are using StrongVPN...even with a good TOT connection the VPN server is going to determine the download speed you get and it's most likely going to be in the 500Kb to 2Mb range. Still more than enough to stream video "if" a smooth/consistent flow of internet electrons was occurring; but most likely you are not getting a consistent flow...you are getting bursts of speed...then a big slow down....then a burst...then a slowdown, etc. Non-pausing streaming video requires consistent/smooth data flow.

I've had the TOT 2, 4, and 6Mb plans....the 2Mb plan could not stream video worth a durn, the 4Mb plan did a little better but not much, and the 6Mb plan still gives a lot of video pausing. Can't speak to their higher speed TOT packages. But as mentioned, if your StrongVPN server is slowing things down, you could have a TOT 20Mb plan, but it's the StrongVPN server that's you ckokepoint. Or, the StrongVPN server may be able to provide smooth/consistent flow, but your TOT plan is not. One or both could be our chokepoint(s). My guess is it's the TOT plan. You can check the speed of different StrongVPN servers on the StrongVPN web site. Good luck.

Note: just a few days ago I got aTrue Cable Internet 20Mb plan installed; up to then I was stuck with the TOT 6Mb ADSL plan. Until True came to our moobaan, we were all a captive audience of TOT and 6Mb was the fastest plan they had to our moobaan. With TOT in most cases I could not stream video's such as YouTube videos without a LOT of pausing..so much pausing I just gave up looking at most streaming video; but now with the True 20Mb plan I can even stream High Definition YouTube videos without pausing.

[PattayaParent]

My computer is new and Hi spec and says I am getting 54.0 mbts

54Mbps is the connection speed between you and your wireless router. It has nothing to do with your Internet connection.

Thanks for the reply, a friend has just told me the same thing but it doesn't help me with is the 3-6 mbt package sufficient to watch live or online TV or am I going to have to upgrade or change providers, are there others with this package that are able to watch live or online TV?

I have the TOT 4mb package and have been able to watch live sports successfully the couple of times I've tried it, although not through a vpn.

[Cloggie]

Just be happy with whatever you get....

It's not about TOT, BBB or True (and all other ISP's) it's all about LOCATION.

In Pattaya I use TOT, perfect 7.5MB under the palm trees while other people in Pattaya say TOT doesn't and work so they have to use another ISP.

You just need to find out WHAT will work at YOUR location.

Check your neighbors, what ISP do they use and how fast it?

Cheers,

Cloggie

[mark131v]

Just be happy with whatever you get....

Good one Cloggie, couldn't agree more!

Why should I be happy with whatever I get?

I am paying for a service that I am not receiving, do you continue to pay for stuff you are not getting or do you try to sort it out or move on?

As for what the neighbors are using there is a selection as I have seen 3BB wifi but most people are on TOT, there is also a TOT server on the estate, I think 3BB has only arrived fairly recently

I can put up with crap service but what really gets me is the constant excuses and hanging around waiting for engineers who are often pretty useless when they bother to turn up when they say they will

[mark131v]

As mentioned by SuperNova, the 54Mb connection is just the sync speed connection between your router and computer. Normally with a good TOT 6Mb connection, the 6Mb sync speed is between your TOT modem/router and the TOT DSLAM at their central station; the actual "data" rate will only be around 5.2Mb...the remaining Mb's are used as ADSL control bits.

Ok, you also said you are using StrongVPN...even with a good TOT connection the VPN server is going to determine the download speed you get and it's most likely going to be in the 500Kb to 2Mb range. Still more than enough to stream video "if" a smooth/consistent flow of internet electrons was occurring; but most likely you are not getting a consistent flow...you are getting bursts of speed...then a big slow down....then a burst...then a slowdown, etc. Non-pausing streaming video requires consistent/smooth data flow.

I've had the TOT 2, 4, and 6Mb plans....the 2Mb plan could not stream video worth a durn, the 4Mb plan did a little better but not much, and the 6Mb plan still gives a lot of video pausing. Can't speak to their higher speed TOT packages. But as mentioned, if your StrongVPN server is slowing things down, you could have a TOT 20Mb plan, but it's the StrongVPN server that's you ckokepoint. Or, the StrongVPN server may be able to provide smooth/consistent flow, but your TOT plan is not. One or both could be our chokepoint(s). My guess is it's the TOT plan. You can check the speed of different StrongVPN servers on the StrongVPN web site. Good luck.

Note: just a few days ago I got aTrue Cable Internet 20Mb plan installed; up to then I was stuck with the TOT 6Mb ADSL plan. Until True came to our moobaan, we were all a captive audience of TOT and 6Mb was the fastest plan they had to our moobaan. With TOT in most cases I could not stream video's such as YouTube videos without a LOT of pausing..so much pausing I just gave up looking at most streaming video; but now with the True 20Mb plan I can even stream High Definition YouTube videos without pausing.

Cheers PIB

I have tried to load you tube with and without the VPN and you are correct, even though it is still crap without the VPN it is impossible without it....back to the drawing board

vmt Mark

[mark131v]

Just be happy with whatever you get....

Good one Cloggie, couldn't agree more!

Why should I be happy with whatever I get?

Have you read my post ?????

No mate I had not seen your other post but I have had a look and can completely emphasize with you now I have, they are a complete shambles from my experience and I think I will just bite the bullet an go with 3BB and see if they are any better, I am sure they cant be any worse

[Darrel]

Dont try and stream the BBC over a VPN. The combination of crappy VPNs and crappy Thai international connections just isnt up to it most of the time.

Use the iPlayer website with the VPN on, select the programmes for download in WMV format, pause the download, turn off the VPN, unpause the download. You will now get full speed from the download.

Once the download has finished just reconnect the VPN for the time it takes to start playback in WMP. Once playback has started you can turn the VPN off again.

A little bit fiddly but it works perfectly.

[bartender100]

Or register at TheBox which specialize in UK TV and Radio torrents, can normally find anything on there, very fast as well, don't use your VPN with it, also take a look at perfect privacy, a much better vpn service in my opinion

[mark131v]

Cheers Darrel and Bartender will give them a try

vmt

Mark

[negreanu]

For streaming services to Thailand use usvideo.org

it gives you much better throughput than a VPN provider because it's not routing through a third party server and is not SSL.

There is no better service for Hulu, Netflix, BBC etc. and with the added bonus of you don't need to connect / disconnect to a VPN or change country VPN for BBC

Edited June 26, 2011 by negreanu