Free Wifi Hotspots In Chiang Mai

[Chicog]

Apparently there are now 3,000 free Wifi Hotspots in and around Chiang Mai. To get a username and password you have register here:

http://www.ais.co.th/ictfreewifi/

It's only 5-10 hours a month but handy as a backup facility.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Yeah, have used this for a while. I think I recall there was a charge for this before (something small) but the charge never materialized on my bill. I guess this now shows it's free.

We need more hot-spots on Loi Kroh though. That's where most of my use is, and it's sometimes tough to get enough signal.

[zippydedodah]

i just signed up and it says my password is only good to 30th of this month... anyone been using it for awhile? do you have to sign up again every month? or do they automatically send you renewal every month? what's up with this?

thanks

[mesquite]

You get what you pay for.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

i just signed up and it says my password is only good to 30th of this month... anyone been using it for awhile? do you have to sign up again every month? or do they automatically send you renewal every month? what's up with this?

I never signed up again. As soon as it sees a 3bb hotspot in reach then it connects. I think it uses magic.

[USNret]

Darn, I just purchased a 10-hour subscription on 3BB. I coulda got it for free.

I had heard that Thailand now requires registration of all internet account, including public wifi, so they can "keep track" of who's doing what online. I didn't believe it cuz last time I bought a prepaid 3bb card (back in January) it didn't ask my name.

Now (in April) I bought a 3bb card, it asked for name & passport number. I gave them fake data, and it came right back & said "Invalid number." So I re-entered using all my correct info, and that was accepted. I had entered Thailand just a few days earlier on a tourist visa.

As a systems engineer, I have to give them credit to reach this level of integration. Somehow, their private sector wifi providers have access to very current immigration data including passport numbers. I don't much like it from a privacy perspective, but I admire it from the perspective of information integration.

Hopefully, that will be my last purchased airtime. Getting 10 free hours a month from ICT & 3bb should be sufficient.

[USNret]

Adding to this discussion... My experience with signing up for paid service (10 hours for 60 baht) works good. My wife tried signing for the same thing, but with free service. Her response at sign up: "Service is full for today. Try again later." This was in Bangkok. So it sounds like they limit the number of new free accounts per day. Since she tried it only once, we have no idea how hard it is to sign up for the free wifi with AIS or 3bb.

[hml367]

Remember don't confuse 3bbWifi/TrueWiFi with ICT free WiFi by 3bb/True.

ICT Free WiFi by True seems to work in more places than ICT Free WiFi by 3bb (AIS) in regards to where I go in Chiang Mai.

AIS you have to sign up every month. True lasts for about 3 months.

this is my experience with ICT Free Wifi 3bb on my Smartphone and ICT Free WiFi by True on my wife's phone.

AIS sign up on line or when you connect, True I can only find signing up when you are in range of a ICT Free WiFi by True and can sign up at that time.

Another thing was True allowed 30 minutes either per day or per connection - I don't remember which. I think AIS you could connect for the monthly allotted time.

MSPain

http://www.ais.co.th/ictfreewifi/

TrueICT.pdf

[BuffaloRescue]

Remember don't confuse 3bbWifi/TrueWiFi with ICT free WiFi by 3bb/True.

ICT Free WiFi by True seems to work in more places than ICT Free WiFi by 3bb (AIS) in regards to where I go in Chiang Mai.

AIS you have to sign up every month. True lasts for about 3 months.

this is my experience with ICT Free Wifi 3bb on my Smartphone and ICT Free WiFi by True on my wife's phone.

AIS sign up on line or when you connect, True I can only find signing up when you are in range of a ICT Free WiFi by True and can sign up at that time.

Another thing was True allowed 30 minutes either per day or per connection - I don't remember which. I think AIS you could connect for the monthly allotted time.

MSPain

http://www.ais.co.th/ictfreewifi/

I see telcos in thailand dont make things any less confusing either!

[hml367]

I have the hardest time signing up for True. AIS I can sign up... BUT... I have to catch it when their signup page is working.

[LRimmler]

I just signed up for ICT Free WiFi AIS and found an access point at Fortune Town and it worked quite well. I hope to use it at MBK when I go looking at second hand phones. It should be a good way to test them out.

Question: Does anyone know how to query the amount of time you have left on the 5 hours? I gather it's important to logout when you're finished so your time isn't drained. The time also ends at the end of every month so you have to signup again every month.

[bobl]

Anyone use True's hotspots? Are they any good do they have decent coverage?

Considering I have an unlimited 3g package on my phone (which I need because I'm out in the sticks so no 3bb/whatever), since the subscription includes unlimited wifi I'd call that "free" (insofar as it doesn't cost me anything over and above what I need to pay anyway).

That said, I've never had the opportunity to try it (or rather, never taken the opportunity on the very odd occasion it's arisen) and I'm wondering if it's worth bothering...