I Am A Happy Ipstar Customer

[croftrobin]

I am a happy IPStar customer. I have had my system now for 3 years - and it gets cheaper and cheaper every year!

My wife runs a business and an internet shop in the village and this also provides me with my internet access at home, which I have through a wireless router and a few repeaters on my property.

I use Skype and other VOIP packages to telephone mobiles and fixed line phones all over the world and I regularly download UK TV shows on Torrent’s.

To put things in perspective – I now only pay 7490 baht per month for an unlimited 1024/256 connection per month, last year I paid 10500 baht for a 256/64 unlimited connection. And before that my bills were 15k or so per month.

A satellite internet connection (2 way) in the UK will cost you:

@ 2000UK pounds (138,000 Baht) one off equipment fee ( NON REFUNDABLE)

& @ 1000 UK pounds per month (69,000 Baht) for the same connection I have now in Thailand) – (1024/256) (BUT NOT UNLIMITED)

I know as I have friends in the Scottish Highlands who use this for dealing. (Stock market not YaaBaa!)

When my system was installed I was provided with a UPS for the IPStar Terminal free (don’t know if that is still the case)

BUT if you do not use UPS’s for you PC’s and other equipment in Thailand (They only cost 2.5k for a reasonable one) then you obviously do not value your equipment which is plugged into the mains and must enjoy re-inputting data!

I live in the sticks (as some people call it) (Paradise to me!) and I am happy I do not have to make an international GSM call to my ISP in the UK @9.6k - as I happily did in 96/97/98 to collect mail on my laptop (And it only cost me £5 (340baht) per minute then!!!)

We must look at things in perspective; certainly internet access is not as reliable as it is in Europe.

ALL INTERNET CONNECTION METHODS ARE PROBLEMATIC IN THAILAND!

Look at the number of grumbles about True, JNET etc about ADSL connections in this forum.

Dial up access on land lines is just a joke as there is so much noise on the lines.

GPRS works (for me as a back-up or when travelling) but again network problems are regularly experienced!

What we should be saying is “good, month on month the external internet connectivity is growing and the price of connectivity is coming down”.

Do not come to Thailand and expect the same connection speeds you had when you worked/lived at home.

My experience with IPStar is that some people have been unlucky with a particular installer in certain regions.

However like all Service Industries, throughout the world, after a number of complaints by users, this is acted upon.

I am aware that CSLoxinfo have not renewed contracts for a number of installers/engineers as they were unhappy with the work carried out.

New contracts have been assigned in these areas and it’s just a matter of time before the cowboys are ousted.

If you are an IPStar customer then the last thing to remember is that the connection fault 50% of the time is completely out of the ISP’s hands as the problem is with the Satellite(s) Gateway on Thaicom2/3 or the new IPStar - so when you phone them with a problem 50% of the time they are chasing Shinsat up to fix the problem – so that’s why you are told to switch your terminal off for a period of time! (They are just buying time)