Will I Get Better Internet If I Have A Landline? And Landline Costs?

[mikey88]

I might be showing my tech ignorance here but, if i get the landline connected to my place at Chiang Dao....will i get a better, faster internet?

My friends up there report that their internet is so slow they almost can't use it...

Thanks for any help...

[OldChinaHam]

You would probably need to contact your internet service provider in that area. Find out which companies service that area, and then compare their pricing and performance. Someone here mentioned that it is always best to first speak with the neighbors in the area to get a more accurate idea of the internet speeds you can expect. Just contacting the local service providers I have found that what they are offering is about twice the cost I am used to paying, for example I was paying 900Baht for a 20Mbps connection in Taiwan, and now it looks like I will need to pay over double to duplicate that speed connection in CM. I am now looking for a good company. Additionally, having used a connection that was very stable and almost always supplied a connection which was just what the company promised, I am worried that I will contract with a CM service provider and then get locked into a contract, only to find that it is not stable and is also not consistently providing the speeds I was promised. The connection I had in the past also offered unlimited upload and download. The upload speed was something like 1Mbps, or maybe 2Mbps, I forget. The connection I used in the past was offered by a government telecom, and in CM I think I will need to deal with a private company. It will be interesting to see if more people can discuss their success in finding internet connections which put out consistently 20Mbps or greater at a reasonable price, with no limits or extra payments due for "excessive" uploading or downloading.

Edited May 28, 2013 by OldChinaHam

[PoodMaiDai]

You'll be lucky to get half of what they promise.

Then you have the international packages and the local internet. The local internet is the one where they offer you speeds of over 5Mbps. International packages usually run much slower than that even though they sell it at 5Mbps download and 1Mbps upload, I've never come close to getting those speeds while testing on a US based server.

If you're just using it for Facebook, email, or youtube, get the fastest local package you can afford because they use a CDN that will deliver to Thailand so it is not really like accessing a non-Thai website.

IMHO, the internet is WAY overpriced here and is a complete rip off for what you get.

[mikey88]

Thanks dor those answers...every bit of info is a help as i am just starting out in retirement here. What's the best for downloading movies? Or is that not even possible?

My main internet will be e mail and movies (if possible)...

I've seen some....not all....cable TV offerings and I'm not interested in about 98 percent of what's on....

So i was hoping for movie downloading.....any thoughts?

Cheers....

[qdinthailand]

You aren't American then. You get less for more in America - way less, for way more.

http://billmoyers.com/segment/susan-crawford-on-why-u-s-internet-access-is-slow-costly-and-unfair/

[Pormax]

Like you I am not thaty technically gifted regards computer/internet.

I live in the sticks and due to CAT CDMA changing/updating their service could no longer use their satelite connection. Thiswas not very good as regards speed but at least most of the time could use it for simpleoperations. Could not download films.

Just when I though I would have to do without internet, TOT erected a tower in the village and I was lucky to get a connection to it. At first it was quite good with no minimum problems. However during the last couple of months have had a lot of problems with very slow connection then many times losing connection altogether. During this last week it has been very unstable, frequently having no internet connection for hours then I would get a connection but so slow I could not load any web page. Sometimes (like now) it is okay. Technician came out a week ago and after checking the box on the tower came back with the 'thumbs up' sign saying it was a cable problem in the box. However when he went on the computer and did a speed check the problem remained and he said he would have to get his boss to come and have a look. Still waiting for this to happen even though I phone the call centre at least once a day when I have no connection.

The main problem I see in Thailand with internet, other than it is quite expensive for the service you require, the back up service if you have a problem is awful and if you live outside a main town then your options of what service provider you can get is somewhat limited.

[OldChinaHam]

You aren't American then. You get less for more in America - way less, for way more.

http://billmoyers.com/segment/susan-crawford-on-why-u-s-internet-access-is-slow-costly-and-unfair/

I was actually trying to find something similar in Chiang Mai to what I am used to in HK, Taiwan, Japan, S. Korea, Myokojima, similar in terms of bandwidth per Baht, and also reliability, and not having the connection almost be cut down to 5 Kbps during random intervals so that video streaming and even audio streaming is jerky, and being charged for downloading files that are larger than some arbitrary number of GB per month.

When I look at one plan here in CM on their website, I think I am seeing a "promotional" price of over 2500 Baht per month for 20Mbps connection with 2Mbps upload! This seems to me to be a crazy price. Crazy high. Last night I called some gal in BKK to verify this and all I got was "gibberish", and this lady was also regularly confusing Bytes with Bits and insisted they were interchangeable in Thailand when speaking about internet speeds.

I must make a decision on a provider this week and have something installed PDQ. I need to have service installed North of the Runway.

So I, like the OP, would be really MOST grateful if anyone here has any good ideas on this good Topic.

I have also really not understood why 3 neighbors whose houses are close together do not just purchase a very high speed ADSL line, or fiber to house if available, and then share the expense of the connection and monthly charges. This is what I have done in the past. Because if you can get a 50 Mbps line shared between three houses, you then find that there is a lot of bandwidth available for when someone suddenly wants to download a 4GB Dvd Operating System from Opensuse, for example. It comes down like FAST, man!

So if anyone here can shed light on what I should do North of the Runway, pls speak up here.

I want to pay about 800 900 Baht per month for decent speed.

I always feel the need for speed, 24/7.

And I can't tolerate when the line just "drops out" randomly throughout the day, that is like taking a hot shower on a cold day and having the hot water suddenly turn cold a few times after one has already lathered, or is lathering.

Tks!

[maps424]

And I can't tolerate when the line just "drops out" randomly throughout the day, that is like taking a hot shower on a cold day and having the hot water suddenly turn cold a few times after one has already lathered, or is lathering.

It looks like you are new to Thailand. Thai people have no basic minimum standard - in anything they do. I'm not putting them down, I'm just explaining the situation so you have a better idea.

That's why goods are often badly made, doctors occasionally (much more than in the west) make incorrect diagnosis, food often gives you diarrhoea here, mechanic's often change something on your bike which doesn't fix the problem you brought it in for, and so on.

Basically, things work "most" of the time, but you will have to learn to accept that things are often hit & miss here and simply fail quite often or you are going to be a very angry person.

Having said that, it is pretty damn annoying lol.

And regarding internet, it also has a lot to do with the area. If the cabling in an area is newer (or better laid), the internet will be more reliable. If it's not, it will be less reliable.

Edited May 29, 2013 by maps424

[mikey88]

so having a landline doesnt help...there is no cable connection via landline..

[OldChinaHam]

so having a landline doesnt help...there is no cable connection via landline..

You just need to install a telephone land line, also called a copper line, or a POTS line, which is just what you normally connect your telephone to inside your house. Then part of this copper wire carrying capacity is used for telephone frequencies and part is used for the ADSL which uses much higher frequencies than does the POTS part of the used frequency.

In other words, if you have a telephone connected in your house to the copper wire, or a wall jack, then you already have a land line. You only need to have your IP use this already existing line to also provide you with internet service. You do not need any additional wiring coming into your house.

In the future, we will all have fiber to home, and they do have this in other places, but probably not so much in CM.

Land line, using your existing copper wire, will provide fairly fast service, and you can get up to about 20 Mbps, or more over this wire.

Now, many homes in Taipei are using copper wire for 50Mbps connections with fiber coming to their building or to their street. But I do not know about this being offered in CM, or where.

Any more info on what is available north of the runway would be useful, too.

If you want to know more about how your land line divides up the frequencies used by POTS and ADSL over the same wire, then you can check the literature which shows how this spectrum is divided. I do not carry this around in my head, however.

[worgeordie]

Been out in the sticks a landline would be the only way to go I would have thought,

and that is if you can get in installed, also TOT does a wireless service ,an antenna

tall pole, so contact TOT to see what they can offer you.

Regards, Movies,Series, just Google (when you get connected), Movies streaming,

series streaming, no need to download,just stream from your computer to tv.better

if you have HDMI both on your computer and Tv.

Regards Worgeordie

[worgeordie]

By landline I am assuming you mean telephone line,TOT charges

100 bht p.m. line rental, you can just have your computer connected

or have a telephone as well.

Good luck getting it,depends how far away you are from excising

telephone lines.

regards Worgeordie

[mikey88]

That's all really helpful fellas....i do appreciate it.

They locals tell me the landline is just down the road and that I could get it hooked up...

I will try that...

I'll let you know the prices...

Thanks again...

[mikey88]

Yes Worgeordie....thanks for the info.....by landline i mean telephone line.

[khwaibah]

10mb and land line from TOT ruins me 720 baht per month.

[elektrified]

You aren't American then. You get less for more in America - way less, for way more.

http://billmoyers.com/segment/susan-crawford-on-why-u-s-internet-access-is-slow-costly-and-unfair/

And I can't tolerate when the line just "drops out" randomly throughout the day, that is like taking a hot shower on a cold day and having the hot water suddenly turn cold a few times after one has already lathered, or is lathering.

Tks!

You are obviously new to Thailand where not only the Internet is slow and drops out several times a day but you will no doubt find yourself without any water at all to take your shower for up to a day or two at a time. Better get used to slow Internet speeds and had better store some 50 gallon tanks of water too, to get through the day w/o water...forget about the hot water on a cold day...be lucky to have any water at all!

[tango]

MikeyB - 3BB installs a new line with a proper meter+ grounding rod; I like 3BB and seldom have had any downtime yet I've lived in three locations within, with the latest outside the city near Sansai. I use a wireless modem.

BTW, Chiang Dao is a lovely spot. Doubt if they are out that far because the number of customers per line may not be profitable. Established land line then will have to do.

[luther]

I live ten kilometers outside of Chiang Mai towards Mae Rim. I also own a house an hour and a half from Washington DC down the Potomac River. Internet at our house in Thailand is much more reliable and three times cheaper. When there's a real problem you call and guys are there that day.

[qdinthailand]

You aren't American then. You get less for more in America - way less, for way more.

http://billmoyers.com/segment/susan-crawford-on-why-u-s-internet-access-is-slow-costly-and-unfair/

And I can't tolerate when the line just "drops out" randomly throughout the day, that is like taking a hot shower on a cold day and having the hot water suddenly turn cold a few times after one has already lathered, or is lathering.

Tks!

You are obviously new to Thailand where not only the Internet is slow and drops out several times a day but you will no doubt find yourself without any water at all to take your shower for up to a day or two at a time. Better get used to slow Internet speeds and had better store some 50 gallon tanks of water too, to get through the day w/o water...forget about the hot water on a cold day...be lucky to have any water at all!

A cold day? In Chiang Mai? OK, a few days a year, first thing in the morning, it is chili. Which is why you should shower at night before going to bed, and forget about that morning habit.

And, the water is never 'cold' here. It may be tepid, but never cold.

As to internet: as a former American (well, still American, just not living there anymore), I find the internet service here in Thailand both reasonably fast, and inexpensive. As to service interruptions, there have been a fair amount in the past, and they happen often still - same as the power going out often. Hard to complain about not having internet when you have no power; the least of your troubles. Although not as frequent, my water is 'off' without notice or explanation, and it usually lasts for most of the day - way longer than the power or internet outages.

[DavidMavec]

I live ten kilometers outside of Chiang Mai towards Mae Rim. I also own a house an hour and a half from Washington DC down the Potomac River. Internet at our house in Thailand is much more reliable and three times cheaper. When there's a real problem you call and guys are there that day.

I've had the same experience as you. People here whine too much.

[Pormax]

I live ten kilometers outside of Chiang Mai towards Mae Rim. I also own a house an hour and a half from Washington DC down the Potomac River. Internet at our house in Thailand is much more reliable and three times cheaper. When there's a real problem you call and guys are there that day.

I've had the same experience as you. People here whine too much.

Sometimes people whine for a good reason.

I have no alternative to using TOT landline. Worked resonably well for the first 3-4 months though at times speed dropped off. This last month have had many periods of no connectivity. In the last 15 days I have phoned the call centre everyday as lately IF i get a connection then it is either reasonable for short periods of time or so slow that I can't bring up any web page or it goes off completely for up to 4 or more hours at a time.

Last Thursday (a week ago today) a 'technician' came to our house to check the internet on my computer even though they were constantly told that the problem was the same for the other 9 users in our village as my wifeI had checked this out.

He left to check the tower and the box and came back with thumbs up saying there was a bad connection on cable in box. Then he checked my computer again. No he says that not the problem will have to get my boss out to check. No one came. TOT call centre gave me a telephone number for main office in our area (no English spoken, so wife called) The answer she got 3 days ago was 'we send technician out to check'.

Still no sign of technician and still having the same problem. Called again today and yet again was told a technician will come to check. Problem is not told if one day, 1 week or even to wait one more month for him to come.

Someone has said that this problem has occurred only since they have changed to 3G in this area. How good that information is I don't know but the call centre will not admit to this and I get the same answer every time. 'Will pass your problem to the technician in your area'.

Good custome service? I think not!

Maybe all the technicians are in 'Luthers' area as he does not have any problems getting a problem sorted.

I think this justifies a good whine.

[elektrified]

I live ten kilometers outside of Chiang Mai towards Mae Rim. I also own a house an hour and a half from Washington DC down the Potomac River. Internet at our house in Thailand is much more reliable and three times cheaper. When there's a real problem you call and guys are there that day.

I've had the same experience as you. People here whine too much.

Sorry but Internet in Thailand is NOT more reliable than in the USA (or Europe, Japan, and Korea for that matter). That is really an exaggeration.

[luther]

I live ten kilometers outside of Chiang Mai towards Mae Rim. I also own a house an hour and a half from Washington DC down the Potomac River. Internet at our house in Thailand is much more reliable and three times cheaper. When there's a real problem you call and guys are there that day.

I've had the same experience as you. People here whine too much.

Sorry but Internet in Thailand is NOT more reliable than in the USA (or Europe, Japan, and Korea for that matter). That is really an exaggeration.

I am sure it varies depending on where you live in the US and where you live in Thailand, but we got rid of our landline in the US when a limb fell on the line and the Verizon woman said that a repair truck would be in our area eleven days from then. Back in my area of Va. crappy "high speed" interenet is fifty seven bucks per month for two megabytes unless you buy a two year contract. Yes, the internet here can suck for days at a time, but I find that getting rarer and rarer.

[mikey88]

It's a helpful discussion. Thank you. Does anybody have an extra comment on prices...Going with the landline at 100 baht a month for the line...what can i expect on top for the net? In Australia I'm on 2 gig a month and i pay $20 a month for that and it's reliable and fast enought for me...but I'm not streaming movies here. What size data allowance do you think i might need for movies and any idea on prices? Much appreciated....

[PoodMaiDai]

Some reading...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_in_Thailand

http://royal.pingdom.com/2010/11/12/real-connection-speeds-for-internet-users-across-the-world/

Quickly looking around, I found a 2010 report that said Thailand was 64th in the world for internet speed.

[luther]

3BBB

10 MG = baht 599, 30 MG = baht 1200

http://www.3bb.co.th/3bb/product/details/2253

[Sicarius]

I am using the TOT 10Mbit in Hangdong for ~650Baht. A few months ago it would drop occasionally during the day, but the last couple months the internet hasn't dropped even once. Speedtests usually give me about 8 or 9 Mbit. Uploading is pretty abysmal tough at about 0.5 mbit and even uploading a torrent at 2/3 kb/s will completely screw up the connection.

[PoodMaiDai]

I am using the TOT 10Mbit in Hangdong for ~650Baht. A few months ago it would drop occasionally during the day, but the last couple months the internet hasn't dropped even once. Speedtests usually give me about 8 or 9 Mbit. Uploading is pretty abysmal tough at about 0.5 mbit and even uploading a torrent at 2/3 kb/s will completely screw up the connection.

Because you don't have the international package.

Most foreigners don't even know this exists and gets the faster Thai connections, but those are for websites within Thailand or for sites with a CDN (Content Delivery Network) that has servers all around the world, such as Facebook, Google, Youtube, and so on.

If you are accessing a non-Thai site and not one of the internet giants (Facebook, Youtube) you are not getting the speed you think you're getting, that is why it is so slow even though you were sold 10Mbps download.

[mikey88]

Some people have advised about 'streaming' movies and english speaking shows......in your experience is this going to work considering my situation ie .... Out in Chiang Dao ...away from town...hopefully with a fixed telephone line installed...?

[OldChinaHam]

It's a helpful discussion. Thank you. Does anybody have an extra comment on prices...Going with the landline at 100 baht a month for the line...what can i expect on top for the net? In Australia I'm on 2 gig a month and i pay $20 a month for that and it's reliable and fast enought for me...but I'm not streaming movies here. What size data allowance do you think i might need for movies and any idea on prices? Much appreciated....

Yes, I second your interest in obtaining more information on prices. I have contacted several providers here by phone, but I still cannot figure out what they are really offering. The ONLY thing I have to compare to is what I was paying last, which was 900Baht for a 20Mbps very stable good service and unlimited upload and download connection, not in Australia but in Taiwan. Now I must duplicate this here in CM, and I still do not have a clue what is the best option. The wireless option which is offered in most places in CM is completely unreliable compared to what I am used to.

Edited June 1, 2013 by OldChinaHam