Most Reliable High-Speed Internet On The Pattaya Dark Side?

[NanLaew]

Anyone on the dark side near the Highway 7 spur and rural road 3240 (Chaiyaphonwitti) can recommend an ISP for me? The house is in one of the older villages, so not totally out in the boonies. Near the crocodile farm.

I used to have 3BB (formerly TTT) when I was living off Soi Photisan a few years ago and it was mostly crap due to the type of subscription I had plus a very dodgy land line. My 3BB in Udon has been mostly great especially after 3BB separated themselves from the telephone line and ran a direct wire into the house.

Thanks,

NL

[monty]

You'll have to look around.

Check out True, they offer fiber on the darkside, although not sure in your location.

The internet quality itself can go up and down speedwise as well, but the actual media (fiber till the distribution point, then coax into your house) is much more stable then any ADSL line.

If not available, do check 3BB, nowadays they pull dedicated wiring into your house instead of using old existing phone lines like they did in the old TT&T/Maxnet era.

[jimmybkk]

I'm not far from you and I'm very happy with True.

[Mobi]

I'm up at Mabprachan so it may not be relevant to your area, but certainly BTV provide a very good Internet service these days. It did go very bad for a while, but they must have upgraded as their 10MB connection seems to regularly run at over this speed.

During the bad BTV period I went into see 3BB in BIG C in Pattaya Klang and gave them my address. They checked on their computer and said they could offer me a connection. No phone line were needed as they had spare 'ports' in my village. The price is about the same as BTV and I now have a 14 Mb connection which also runs in excess of the stated speed. It has the additional advantage of not going down during power cuts like BTV does, but of course you will need a UPS to keep your modem running.

I ran them both for a while and can recommend them both. Suggest you enquire in 3BB for your area.

[NanLaew]

Thanks monty, jimmybkk and mobi for the information on 3BB, True and BTV; especially since my wife mentioned (after I made the OP) that having Thai TV would be nice at the new place! I will expand my search for television as well as broadband.

I will see what Truevisions offer but reluctant to pay their prices for loads of stuff that never, ever gets looked at. I mean I never look at it and I am sure she who must be obeyed only watches certain channels. A friend of mine has a dish and box from 'Grammy' that he seems quite happy with for television. Anyone else using that system?

Edited June 9, 2013 by NanLaew

[Baboy]

I'm up at Mabprachan so it may not be relevant to your area, but certainly BTV provide a very good Internet service these days. It did go very bad for a while, but they must have upgraded as their 10MB connection seems to regularly run at over this speed.

During the bad BTV period I went into see 3BB in BIG C in Pattaya Klang and gave them my address. They checked on their computer and said they could offer me a connection. No phone line were needed as they had spare 'ports' in my village. The price is about the same as BTV and I now have a 14 Mb connection which also runs in excess of the stated speed. It has the additional advantage of not going down during power cuts like BTV does, but of course you will need a UPS to keep your modem running.

I ran them both for a while and can recommend them both. Suggest you enquire in 3BB for your area.

Mobi,

thanks for the info re 3BB. Am moving to Mabprachan soon. ( Behind where Mulligans used to be). The Ouback bar has 3BB & streaming sports is excellent . Will check it out thanks for the advice.

[Gone]

There was another thread about this a couple of weeks ago you might want to look at too. True 12g's for me but now I think they have 14g's

[NanLaew]

Time to bump this one.

Mrs NL moved in while I was overseas and has TMN Cable TV running a couple of separate locations in the house so I won't be bothering with BTV. Just saw an advert for TMN Wi-Fi on their info channel and their website also shows TMN Hi-speed Internet; all in Thai so does anyone have any experience with that option?

Off to see what 3BB has on special right now.

[Mobi]

The last time I checked out TMM for someone a few months ago, it was VERY expensive - like a really crazy price - they even admitted as much themselves when I went to their office. They didn't seem to care and I can only assume their internet allocation was full.

Of course it may have changed by now so you need to check it out.

Or maybe price is no object....

[juliusk]

I only have experience with TMN with the set-up box for the extra TV channels and just the regular cable tv.

Further more i will advice to contact 3BB as its quite good lately, have a TOT backup connection and both are quite stable.

[NanLaew]

Thanks for the updates. I will call TMN and see what their internet deal is. Their cable TV looks adequate for the wife but I took a quick surf the other night and found there's a fair amount of farang dross as well, such as BBC World News, Fox, bvn, DW and brain-deadening football. If it's cheap enough, it may serve as backup.

I think 3BB will be the primary provider.

(having said that, the 3BB service guys have been at my neighbors 3 times in the past week so I will as him what his experience is)

Edited September 5, 2013 by NanLaew

[Mobi]

BTW since I upgraded to AIS 3G 2100 (at no extra cost) the 3G is so good (H+ 95% of the time) that I can use it as a backup. I set my phone as an internet hub and my Lap top internet connection and is good enough for browsing, emails etc,( but not heavy downloads, as that will use up my so-called 'un-limited' AIS usage).

So far 3BB has been so reliable that I haven't needed to do that, like I used to with BTV internet.

Another advantage with 3BB is that it stays on during the ever more frequent power cuts, provided your modem is on a UPS.

Good luck with 3BB

[NanLaew]

BTW since I upgraded to AIS 3G 2100 (at no extra cost) the 3G is so good (H+ 95% of the time) that I can use it as a backup. I set my phone as an internet hub and my Lap top internet connection and is good enough for browsing, emails etc,( but not heavy downloads, as that will use up my so-called 'un-limited' AIS usage).

So far 3BB has been so reliable that I haven't needed to do that, like I used to with BTV internet.

Another advantage with 3BB is that it stays on during the ever more frequent power cuts, provided your modem is on a UPS.

Good luck with 3BB

I can confirm that TMN internet are paeng mahk, quoting 1070 baht for 10Mb service and whopping 8000 baht for a 40Mb line. There was also about 4000 baht for modem, setup and other 'one-time' charges.

I am currently also using my AIS 3G unlimited internet (799 baht month + tax) tethered with my android phone which is handy until I leave the house with my phone! But I think I have eaten up my 'unlimited' allowance already as it was a lot slower this morning.

Edited September 5, 2013 by NanLaew

[Phil Conners]

As Monty already replied, TRUE and 3BB are both very good and stable ISP's, mostly the problem is with old and corroded "last mile" phone cable and/or the cabling inside the house. TRUE offeres DOCSIS internet-over-cable in many areas on the dark side, which gets around the poor phone line issue.

You don't need to subscribe to TV to get DOCSIS. If you're just after Thai TV just get one of the local satellite installers to set a FTA system up for you, cost is only 2000 baht, all incl, no subscription costs. There seem to be installers offering this all over the dark side these days.

[giddyup]

I have True Online fibre optic for around 700 baht a month. The speed is supposed to be 12mb but I've been getting around 17mb. Had a few connection problems in the early days, but the last 12 months or so it's been nearly perfect.

[NanLaew]

Anyone know of 3BB or True needs to see a copy of the rental agreement before running an installation? Or is it show the passport, show the address, pick a service, draw a map and pay the money?

[Phil Conners]

None of them ever asked a rental agreement from me, but who knows...

[NanLaew]

None of them ever asked a rental agreement from me, but who knows...

Probably OK these days. I recall the old TTT Maxnet needed the house rental contract before they would put the Naklua home account in my name but that was a long while back.

[Phil Conners]

Actually come to think of it - I've had the 3BB account since forever, it started out as a TT&T/Jasmine account, over Maxnet to 3BB, so I honestly don't remember what was required back then 10 years ago.

To sign up for the TRUE line I first went into one of their shops, and they asked me for a lot of paperworks. I just walked out and later had Mrs Conners requesting the installation by phone. After that they just came around and installed it, no questions/papers asked. A couple of weeks later they called her to ask if she could pop in with a copy of her ID when convenient. The moral of the story is, the easy way to get things done here is leave it to the natives.

[NanLaew]

The saga continues...

Popped into True and they found the house on their interactive map and we are outside their ADSL and DOCSIS service area. Then I hit up 3BB and their 'interactive' file folder of village maps, found the house, typed it into her computer and she said that ' sorry, the line is full'... oh bugger! Since Mrs NL already has cable TV via TMN (and their broadband is paeng mahk) I don't want to run BTV just for internet access (I hardly watch television as it is). Their website aint there today!

Since my AIS 3G simply hurtles along out here, I was wondering what the other options are with either AIS, True, CAT, etc., with a 3G/4G HSPDA dongle-enabled modem/router? I don't really want to fork out on more bloody hardware but I don't want the house internet be dependent on my android smartphone being 'at home'. I already have a decent TP Link modem/router with wifi as I have more than smartphones and tablets that need access at any one time.

Since this hardware will ultimately be SIM driven (?), I would like a monthly billed option rather than prepaid and find that someone has maxed out the monthly while I was away. Who would be the 'least hassle' provider in that regard, ie. deposits, proof of home rental and other paperwork and hoop jumping?

[Phil Conners]

If BTV internet is less expensive than TMN why not just change? I doubt TMN show any Thai program that BTV don't, and in the worst case, as I mentioned before, just buy a 2,000 FTA Thai satellite system.

[NanLaew]

If BTV internet is less expensive than TMN why not just change? I doubt TMN show any Thai program that BTV don't, and in the worst case, as I mentioned before, just buy a 2,000 FTA Thai satellite system.

Television of any type is a really low priority for me and since the wife set up the TMN all on her own while I was away, I prefer to set something up on my own rather than get her canceling stuff she's happy with. It is a viable option however so we may do that if push comes to shove. She's not a great internet user anyway but path of least resistance is always best. I think she said her TMN contract is only 6 months and so is the house lease so maybe I will stick with 'temporary' options as 3BB lassie said '1 year contract' before even looking up the address!

Edited September 9, 2013 by NanLaew

[lomatopo]

I would talk with neighbors to see what they might be using for broadband internet access. This usually gives an idea on what the option(s) might be in a particular development/location.

You can also take a look to see what WIFi APs are nearby, often people name their network using the service provider as part of the name. And if you see a lot of APs you know there is probably fixed broadband available.

I's also look into the wireless solutions like AIS AIrNET, TOT Wi-NET and 3BB Wireless.

Edited September 9, 2013 by lomatopo

[NanLaew]

Judging by the stickers on utility poles in the village, a lot probably use BTV (good reports) or TMN (expensive) and the rest use 3BB (oversubscribed and unavailable). There may be others who have other options with CAT or TOT. As I get to know more neighbours, I will ask. They are forming a home owners association (village committee) so the meetings would be a good time to ask them.

I used the Network Signal app on my phone last night to find out where the nearest cell tower was and it's less than 200m away and indicated 7.2mb/s HSDPA so that probably explains why my AIS internet has been the fastest I have seen anywhere in Thailand. We are out in flat country here and there's nothing but single story houses between the tower and my house.

On a hunch last night, I also bought a TP Link TL-MR3020 portable 3G/4G Wireless N Router; cost 1000 baht. This morning, after digging out the old AIS 3G USB dongle and testing it, I took the AIS SIM from my smartphone and stuck it in the dongle (the original AIS Freedom SIM has long since expired). I plugged that into the new gadget and I am currently accessing the internet through that. It looks like the speed is what I expect. I will get a new AIS 2100 SIM, check if there's a newer/faster dongle and see if I get the really impressive results that lomatopo experienced when he tested the basic smartphone/SIM jig in Bangkok.

Is there a dedicated AIS store in Pattaya or, if the best choice is Tukcom for dongles, what floor would be best? I would assume it may somewhere in the huge mobile phone sales floor?

Edited September 10, 2013 by NanLaew

[NanLaew]

So far, so good.

Edited September 11, 2013 by NanLaew

[Phil Conners]

I don't mean to throw a spanner in your gearbox, but you do know that the "unlimited" of AIS is at best 4 GB of data/month, after which you're dumped down to GPRS speeds (think dialup)? I average around 100 GB data/month without much effort.

[NanLaew]

I don't mean to throw a spanner in your gearbox, but you do know that the "unlimited" of AIS is at best 4 GB of data/month, after which you're dumped down to GPRS speeds (think dialup)? I average around 100 GB data/month without much effort.

No spanners Phil. I am aware of the (un)limited AIS data services having been using them on various devices in LOS since before 3G didn't officially exist. I am not a huge downloader of torrents, I don't game online either. Everyone else in the house is less connected than I am so I think I will tick over nicely on this for as long as this house is where my hat is hanging. Of course, if the wife suddenly reckons BTV is a better deal and changes her cable television service, then like the cheap farang I am, I will be all over that!

[Pattaya Pat]

Evening all,

I thought I'd bump this thread rather than starting a new one.

I've had enough of TOT and want to change, my main beef is with their upload speed (download ok) I use VOIP, with VOIP it is important to have a decent upload speed, at the moment my upload speed for a 10mb line is a pathetic 0.37mb I have complained but it doesn't make much difference.

It looks like a toss up between 3BB and True...any advice or are they both pretty much the same standard. I live on SSCC.

Cheers.

[Pattaya Pat]

Following on, could someone tell me how much it is for say a 10-12mb line with true and 3BB

Thanks.

[Phil Conners]

If TRUE DOCSIS (Internet over Cable) is available in your area they have a 599 baht/month 10/2 mbps promotion right now.

3BB only offer 10/0.5 mbps ADSL for the this price, but if money is no issue and it's available in your area, they have a 1,200 baht/month promotion for 30/3 mbps FTTx (Fiber) that appears to get rave reviews by those who have it.

So for 599 baht/month + vat the best package right now for VOIP is IMO TRUE DOCSIS. DOCSIS also seems more resilient to bad weather than ADSL. Unfortunately TRUE's proxy server is often very slow and the content outdated, so for http traffic (general browsing) I prefer 3BB.