Best Internet Dongle For Kanchanaburi/Sangkhlaburi

[chiko930]

I'm going to be living in Sangkhlaburi (4hrs by bus away from Kanchanaburi) for the next 3-6 months and need a reliable internet connection for work. At the moment I have to rely on coffee shops but the connection keeps failing and I end up having to walk around looking for somewhere that works which wastes a good portion of my day.

So does anyone know which company has a mast closest to here and/or who will have the best coverage? I will be mainly using it for email and updating my website as well as internet searches etc. Also, any advice on price or which plan is best would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Chivas]

Haven't checked recently but I believe DTAC still have their unlimited internet package at 399 baht a month......

i believe thats only GPRS or Edge speeds but for what you want it for Edge is fine. Perhaps someone else can recommend a dongle. I use a Huawai (sp) which seems to accept all networks......

No doubt the resident know all JJ will jump in at some point and correct me but hopefully this helps....

[lomatopo]

It looks like both Truemove H (850 MHz 3G) and TOT (2100 MHz 3G) might have coverage in//near/around Sankhaburi in Chainat province.

There is no way for us to know if there might be 3G service in your exact location, nor am I even clear what your requirements are? Do you have a phone? A dongle? What is your usage? What is your budget?

Can you speak with anyone nearby to ask them what they are using?

If 3G is not a requirement or not available then GSM data, aka: 2G: GPRS/EDGE ~ 180 Kbps from AIS/One-2-Call, DTAC/Happy, TrueMove or TrueMove H may be your best/.only option.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/425412-smartphone-service-plans/

[chiko930]

Thanks for the advice

I asked someone at a phone shop there which company was the best and she said AIS though I'm not sure whether she understood what I was asking.

I will be using a dongle on my laptop. SOrry I'm not sure about usage in terms of MBs etc but I will be using it for a few hours a day, mainly for emails and updating my blog. I don't mind spending 1000-2000 baht a month for unlimited usage but need to buy a dongle too which may be expensive.

And sorry for sounding stupid but what is 3G? Will I only need it for a phone?

[lomatopo]

Again...

Do you currently own a telephone? If so please provide the exact brand and model number. The reason for this question is that you may be able to utilize your telephone as a modem obviating the need for a dongle.

If you plan to use use GSM data, aka 2G: GPRS/EDGE which is lower speed, ~ 180 Kbps then any dongle will work - they all support any/all GSM frequencies used here.

If you want to use 3G data, which operates at higher speeds ~ 2 Mbps, then you will need to first identify a service provider, then purchase a dongle which supports that service provider's exact 3G frequency.

Personally I would verify exactly, in person from another person with my own eyes, which service provider might offer 3G in your exact location, say TrueMove H/CAT My and/or TOT, and then purchase a dongle which (minimally) supports 850/2100 MHz 3G.

[chiko930]

Wow, sounds complicated. The problem is, I'm in bangkok so can't check in sangklaburi before I go back and I don't know anyone who uses 3G there. The only friends I have there all make do with cafe internet connection.

I have a sony Xperia X10... could I use this instead of a dongle? I remember I did this in the UK with the same phone but the connection was very bad, almost unusable. Would a dongle have better connection than using my phone?

If I get 3G data, does that also support 2G? So if for example I get 3G which doesn't work, could I still use 2G with the same aircard and dongle or would it not make any difference?

Thanks again for the help!

[chiko930]

I just asked someone who owns a guesthouse that seems to have the most reliable internet/wifi connection in sangklaburi and she uses TOT. Will this mean that 2G and 3G will work best with them as well?

[chiko930]

Sorry for yet another question but... would a mifi be better? And would I still need the dongle (I'm thinking the D-Link DWM-156 from reading posts on here) to connect to the net from the mifi? I think I will be going for TOT so can anyone recommend the best mifi?

[Sayonarax]

Why do non IT people troll this forum and give bad advice?

The main 3G network provider in Thailand is TOT. All prepaid 3G cards use this network and the price is 99B for a sim card with 500mb.

While AIS is the best network it doesn't offer 3G to its customers as they are still bitching about license fees with all the other crooks at CAT.

I would recommend i-mobile's 399 pack with 2.5gb of data with 60 days expiry.

Buy a D-Link 3.75G dongle at IT city or Banana IT for around 1300B, don't buy cheap crap Chinese one as they don't last. (Huawei are also fine)

TOT, DTAC and True Move all provide 3G services, check there website for service coverage.

Unlimited has it limit if you read the TOS

[chiko930]

Hmm now I am confused. I went to the top floor of MBK and a very helpful man (who first tried to sell me an imobile dongle) said that TOT and all other companies would not work in Sangklaburi, as even in kanchanaburi the connection is very weak. I tried to look at the coverage map but nothing is showing... I just get a plain map for the whole of thailand.

I don't understand why a portable wifi would be any different from a portable mifi... is it because they use 3G?

If what this man says is true then I think I will just have to install wifi into my rented apartment for the next 3-6 months which is annoying because a dongle or mifi sounded perfect. Unless there is another way to check coverage?

[lomatopo]

Wow, sounds complicated. The problem is, I'm in bangkok so can't check in sangklaburi before I go back and I don't know anyone who uses 3G there. The only friends I have there all make do with cafe internet connection.

I have a sony Xperia X10... could I use this instead of a dongle? I remember I did this in the UK with the same phone but the connection was very bad, almost unusable. Would a dongle have better connection than using my phone?

If I get 3G data, does that also support 2G? So if for example I get 3G which doesn't work, could I still use 2G with the same aircard and dongle or would it not make any difference?

Thanks again for the help!

You seem to be bouncing all over the place..

http://androidqueries.com/possible-use-my-sony-xperia-x10-modem-418.html

I believe you can use your phone as a modem, with the use of some additional software both on the phone and on your PC. In theory, for 2G, it (your phone) should work as well as any dongle. I think your phone also supports 900/2100 MHz 3G so assuming you have TOT coverage you may be able to use TOT (or one of their MVNO reseller partners like iMobile, IEC, 365, MOJO) 3G.

At this point I might try to tether the phone, and also look into which, if any, 3G services might be available. Then you can always purchase a dongle, having it mailed to you if need be, which might address your application. If you feel compelled to purchase a dongle now while in Bangkok then make sure it supports (minimally) 850/2100 MHz 3G

Do you currently have a SIM in your phone? If so, which service provider?

I already addressed the 3G coverage issue, so to reiterate when I look at the TOT 3G coverage map I see a tower in Sankhaburi, and when I look at TrueMove H and CAT My (these are the exact same network) I also see some coverage for that area.

A MiFi device creates both a mobile broadband connection (3G or 2G) and a small WiFi network, allowing you to connect multiple devices to it. This may be more than you require at present?

I just asked someone who owns a guesthouse that seems to have the most reliable internet/wifi connection in sangklaburi and she uses TOT. Will this mean that 2G and 3G will work best with them as well?

Not sure on this. Does she use 3G from TOT? TOT does offer a unique WiFi service called WiNET.

[chiko930]

Yeah sorry, I was panicking a bit as this is one of my last shopping opportunities in bangkok.

I have an AIS sim at the moment but I think from your advice I will buy a cheap TOT one with some airtime on and then tether my laptop to my xperia and see if it works.

I didn't know there was a mast in sangkla... the guy at the shop must have thought that as the connection isn't good in kanchanaburi, it would be even weaker further into the countryside.

Once I know that it works, I will consider buying a mifi so my partner can use her laptop as well.

Thank you!

[lomatopo]

If you get tethering working (do you still have Android 1.6?) then you could actually try AIS/One-2Call for 2G. Note that without a data plan you will pay 1 baht/min. so maybe try it for a few minutes, if it works OK then subscribe to a time-based data plan.

[chiko930]

I just wanted to say a massive thank you for the advice... I'm sitting here typing on my laptop through my phone in sangklaburi

I went to the TOT office in kanchanaburi and they said that it would not work in sangkla so I bought an AIS aircard instead. The connection is pretty slow so I am going to buy a TOT one just in case the lady I spoke to at TOT is wrong (or didn't understand what I was asking). Once I find the best connection I will be investing in a mifi/portable wifi so that both my partner and I can use our laptops at the same time.

Anyway thanks again for your help!