gibbo1 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 On my next visit to ThailanId I hope to improve my internet reception by using a dongle attached to my lap top. In the past I used 1 2 call AIS on my mobile phone but reception was rather sketchy. Do any of the internet providers supply a dongle that a patch lead can be plugged into feeding into a 825-2100 Mhz 6.1db GSM/nNext G aerial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geronimo Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 <deleted> is a Dongle????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangkockney Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 <deleted> is a Dongle????? A device that is connected to a computer to allow access to wireless broadband or use of protected software. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sateev Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 What you're looking for is a USB GSM/GPRS adapter with external antenna (connector). Google says they exist. Google may know if they exist in Thailand, but you have to do SOME of the work, don't you? Hanging the 'dongle' out a window, at the end of a USB extension cable may help a fair bit, but I realize it's not what you're looking for. You want to take advantage of the high gain of the antenna you already possess. Something to consider, however, is that if your cellphone has the maximum number of signal bars lit, poor connection is probably NOT the bottleneck. Network traffic on the GSM side shows a marked difference by time of day, leading me to think that there may not be enough bandwidth down line. Poor signal is indicated by high bit error rate (BER), which translates into retries and latency. I find that in the late evening, my GSM phone fairly flies along, but during peak hours, slows to a crawl. If you already knew all this, go back to the first sentence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB1950 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) <deleted> is a Dongle????? Some people call it an Air Card, some call it an USB Modem. It's a mobile device that you insert a SIM card into and plug into a USB port on a computer, to receive internet service from a mobile phone carrier. However most cannot be connected to an external antenna. The ones I have seen have been used in Australia with Telstra's Next G Service. Hence the OP. There is a discussion about one here. Doubtful if it could be useful up country as most rural areas in Thailand don't have 3G services nearby. The 2G services are severely lacking in bandwidth in the rural areas. The best that could be obtained would be 55Kbps for GPRS or 220Kbps for EDGE. Edited October 31, 2011 by BB1950 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacnl2000 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Adapter ADPT-024 is not too expensive to perform additional tests at your specific location. Then I would try out a service that only comes available via a huge external antenna (in the northeast e.g. not 1 2 call, but dtac). Then internet performance might improve ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiLife Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I have been experimenting with a USB 3G dongle that covers all current 3G frequencies in Thailand The Vodafone K4505 ( all so sold under the ZTE brand ) it has an external antenna port ..... and I connected the USB Dongle to this type of external antenna ... using this '' pig tail '' antenna adapter lead ..... I then tried connection the USB dongle to the same external antenna but this time using an universal induction connector the same as this ... ( I had read people were getting better results using an Induction antenna connector rather that a direct plug option ) I then read how using a parabolic dish antenna gave excellent results , so I made one ..... Due to the long distance from my computer to the parabolic antenna I had to use a self powered USB extension cable the same as this one ... Out of all the above tests the home made parabolic antenna has so far given the best results .... having said that , both the induction and direct plug in external antenna connection options gave OK results. I live right on the edge of the AIS 3G coverage area ( according to the on line AIS coverage map ) I purchased the following parts in Thailand The Vodafone K4505 The Yagi external antenna The parabolic dish ( converted from a TV aerial ) The self powered USB extension cable The Induction universal connector I purchased on Ebay along with the '' pig tail '' lead Hope this helps . :jap: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wandrinstar Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I use the new Alcatell Air Card 1600 Bht from Lotus,and Edge pay card thing.Bunged into a Toshiba Gamer Laptop in the Car, it works well enough in 7/11 Car Parks for some reason. Slow as you would expect , but okay to post a few jollies here whilst having a. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) The Voda air dongle above is a good choice, CAT's aircard is also sound and works in most places in Thailand, I have both but rate the CAT aircard as the best - nice part about the CAT aircard is I can suspend service easily and resume months later from a different address, just by showing my passport at a CAT office. Edited October 31, 2011 by chiang mai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rakman Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I have been experimenting with a USB 3G dongle that covers all current 3G frequencies in Thailand <note: simplified previous post for space savings. The Induction universal connector I purchased on Ebay along with the '' pig tail '' lead Hope this helps . :jap: Very, very creative and nicely done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khaowong1 Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 The Voda air dongle above is a good choice, CAT's aircard is also sound and works in most places in Thailand, I have both but rate the CAT aircard as the best - nice part about the CAT aircard is I can suspend service easily and resume months later from a different address, just by showing my passport at a CAT office. Where can you get a CAT aircard? I live north of Lopburi city out in the country. And what will i have to pay for it? Thanks, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 The Voda air dongle above is a good choice, CAT's aircard is also sound and works in most places in Thailand, I have both but rate the CAT aircard as the best - nice part about the CAT aircard is I can suspend service easily and resume months later from a different address, just by showing my passport at a CAT office. Where can you get a CAT aircard? I live north of Lopburi city out in the country. And what will i have to pay for it? Thanks, Bill I've had mine for five years now and the price was very high when I purchased it, THB10k, I do understand that the prices of them has come down since and there are also usually lots of used ones for sale at the CAT offices, no idea on current price of the card I'm afraid but a trip to the CAT office will solve that - monthly cost is THB 845. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikster Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 (edited) The modems are here, though CAT didn't think to put the prices for the newer models on there - I believe the cheapest one is less than 3,000 Baht though: http://www.catcdma.com/en/product-modem.rhtml Note that one of these models has support for an external antenna. Note also that only modems sold by CAT will work on the CAT network. One thing you have to know about CAT is that they're a state owned company and the one thing that they absolutely cannot do is sell anything. Don't expect them to be professional in this regard. Technology-wise they're OK though. CDMA has been super reliable for a long time for me. Where is "upcountry"? CAT CDMA only works wherever Hutch doesn't work - even though it's now the same company (CAT bought Hutch), they haven't figured out data roaming yet. It will probably take them 5 years. I doubt you'll need an external antenna. I've used CDMA all over the north and central never had an issue. Unless your house is out there in the jungle you should be fine. Edited November 2, 2011 by nikster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ1 Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 If you dont already have an account with Cat, they will not let you sign up until the modems come out. I telephoned them on monday in Ubon Ratchathani and they said the earliest the new modems will arrrive is January. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibbo1 Posted November 7, 2011 Author Share Posted November 7, 2011 Thank you all for the useful information. The area upcountry that I will be spending the most time in is near Kaeng Khroo. As suggested I am researching and at the same time increasing my knowledge of the subject, as I am somewhat challenged by modern technology. I found a useful site that may be of interest about available Dongles http://www.aliexpress.com/store/600825.contactinfo.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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