A bit late since I already bought an AIS 3G card today but...

Is AIS or DTAC better for Hua Hin? Does DTAC have 3G?

In any case, and for the record, True 3G is completely useless in Hua Hin. It basically doesn't work. It looks like a network problem. Speedtest shows that there are just very long gaps where nothing happens. Same thing when trying to use it for normal tasks - there are lots of timeouts, or things are unbelievably slow. Then it recovers. But even when it's working, it's pretty slow at 0.5 Mbit down and less than that up.

It was working OK last year so something must have happened... I am sure True has a task force of network engineers working around the clock to resolve it; right.

Have not had time to test the AIS card yet but it seems to be OK. Not mind-blowingly fast but now slow either.

I've used DTAC/Happy 3G in the Hua Hin/Cha Am area successfully, I think I averaged 8 Mbps/3 Mbps on the drive down and back from Bangkok many, many times. So great coverage/service all the way.

AIS should have coverage but many do complain about their 3G network, as it is obviously over-subscribed and cobbled together with random bits of gear they've weaseled from various suppliers over the years..

TrueMove H should have decent coverage, I usually get 2 Mbps/500 Kbps when I use TrueMove H 3G, so not sure what is wrong in Hua Hin. You should enable data roaming as you'll need that to roam onto the old TrueMove 1800 GSM network for lower speed 2G data when you are outside of TrueMove H coverage. Note that the old TrueMove network is scheduled to cease operation on 15 Sep 2013.

With AIS you might also enable data roaming as this will allow you to roam onto the TOT 2100 MHz network.

Great info on data roaming, I'll do that!

Meanwhile True seems to have fixed whatever was broken - getting great speeds 6.7MBit down and 1.69 up!

AIS 3G is at 5/1 which is also good.

I am thinking maybe it was just a network meltdown - the hordes from BKK over the weekend probably didn't help. Mind you I didn't test until Monday when they had already left, but maybe something crashed with 10s of thousands of people posting millions of pictures of whatever they were eating over the holidays...

Edit: Just need to remember to turn off data roaming when I leave the country. I have True roaming for making calls etc when overseas... reasonable rates for sms and calls, but data roaming is still crazy expensive.

I live in Hua Hin and use TrueMove H 3G+ all around the city.

Are the cellular data settings in your phone (APN, username, password, etc) properly set up? Occasionally on my iPhone they seem to just randomly disappear from the phone and my only clue is that I can't access 3G service.

(see: http://www.truemove-h.com/helpsupport_apnsettings.aspx# and http://support2.truecorp.co.th/detail.aspx?document_id=339 courtesy of lomatopo in another thread.)