Samui Internet: "the Board Is Full" ?

[poorfarang]

Gahhhh.

Another internet thread by me, so sorry

So I just moved here from Bangkok yesterday. I found a wonderful brand new 1 bedroom house in mainam and really liked it. After speaking with the owner she told me that I could get internet in about 2 weeks, possible 3 weeks due to the holidays approching us.

My girlfriend confirmed that the neighboor had DSL so I knew that it was available in this area.

So I go have a visit to the dsl shop outside of Tesco and they tell me 3 weeks to get the phone line, THEN maybe TWO MONTHS for internet because "THe board is full in mae nam"

This is going to be a problem for me. I work on the net so I really cant wait that long. Can anyone confirm that it takes this long?

Also, what about those prepaid cards you can buy once you have a phone line, are those dsl speeds? Seems like it will just be dial up speeds to me but im not sure.

[sbk]

Prepaid cards are all dialup.

Sorry can't help you with "the board is full" problem tho.

If you don't mind paying through the nose you could get satellite.

check out the internet section for further info on other options.

[Wolfie]

Generally the pre-paid cards are for dial-up (56k)

What company is your phone line with? TT&T or TOT?

Two weeks to get the phone line installed sounds about right.

If its TT&T then the process to turn on the ADSL capability anbd set up your account normally takes 1 week. But with the upcoming holiday they might not be able to sort it this week.

If the line is TOT - then my (personal) advice is to cancel the phone line and get TT&T installed. I've heard lots of problems with the TOT ADSL in both performance and the time it takes waiting for them to turn it on and repair it if anything goes wrong.

Of course, this is all based off Phuket experiences, so Samui might be different

[Farma]

A possible temporary solution to assist when using dialup when you wait for dsl is "onspeed".

"ONSPEED is the solution for millions of Internet users who are frustrated by having a slow Internet connection and is a real alternative to Broadband. ONSPEED is a software download which utilises a unique 9 patent approved compression technology that increases your existing Internet connection speed by up to 5 times."

I haven't used it but know plenty of people who do and they are impressed. Do a search on the web and you will find plenty of links.

Hope it helps

Farma

[poorfarang]

No phone line yet. I was planning on calling today to get make appointment. So you are saying I should contact TT&T and have them run a line because they might be faster for internet?

Where is the TT&T office located? Is that the office at Tesco that I went to?

Thanks guys

[kdvsn]

Gahhhh.

Another internet thread by me, so sorry

So I just moved here from Bangkok yesterday. I found a wonderful brand new 1 bedroom house in mainam and really liked it. After speaking with the owner she told me that I could get internet in about 2 weeks, possible 3 weeks due to the holidays approching us.

My girlfriend confirmed that the neighboor had DSL so I knew that it was available in this area.

So I go have a visit to the dsl shop outside of Tesco and they tell me 3 weeks to get the phone line, THEN maybe TWO MONTHS for internet because "THe board is full in mae nam"

This is going to be a problem for me. I work on the net so I really cant wait that long. Can anyone confirm that it takes this long?

Also, what about those prepaid cards you can buy once you have a phone line, are those dsl speeds? Seems like it will just be dial up speeds to me but im not sure.

Is that neigbor's house close enough to your house that you might be able to strike a deal with him to connect a wireless access point to his DSL line and share the connection with you? Some of the newer wireless units have a pretty good range.

[poorfarang]

I was thinking about that myself but I didnt want to be *that* guy, expecially the day I move in.

Im sitting here at starbucks. 250 baht a day for wifi isnt bad but I dont want to come here everyday until its installed.

IPSTAR is not an option because I use Vonage and the lag would make it useless.

[Wolfie]

So you are saying I should contact TT&T and have them run a line because they might be faster for internet?

I would, if it were me having to rig up a new telephone. I've got Thai friends that claim they could get 512 ADSL for 500baht a month through TOT, they had to wait one month for it. 6 Months later they still dont have any ADSL. The one or two that did get the ADSL claim that the speeds are really slow, the lines always going down and they are generally dissatisfied with it.

I pay 800bhat a month for MaxNet TT&T ADSL (512) - very seldom do i have a problem, lines up 99% of the time and i seem to be getting a constant line speed.

So my opinion would be, yes go for TT&T and not TOT - again this is all experiences based of Phuket, and may differ from Samui - ask around, im sure some of the local Samui residents will be able to give you advice also.

Not sure whee the office is located, ask around i'm sure someone will know. If not you can probably get the telephone number off the web somewhere.

Good Luck!

[Rooo]

TT&T at Tesco Poor.TOT in Nathon .

[Malice in Wonderland]

No phone line yet. I was planning on calling today to get make appointment. So you are saying I should contact TT&T and have them run a line because they might be faster for internet?

Thanks guys

Be careful what's on display when they come and install it; I have two friends who were burgled a week or so after their line was put in.....

[Samui Coconut]

Applied for ADSL last week and was told approx. 2 weeks, but sure it will be 3 weeks due to Songkran. Live in Bangrak and number is already open but not connected yet. Cost was Baht 3,000.- which includes a router, a telephone set and a Baht 500.- vocuher for free calls. Monthly fee is Baht 800.- . Need to subscribe a year at least otherwise have to return/buy the router.

Actually a Thai friend of mine applied for me and you need the house registration of the owner where you live to do so. Good Luck !

[girlx]

try emailing ichiwawa.net and seeing where they have wifi spots in samui... i think you can get monthly acess for cheap from them but of course this wouldn't be at your home

[kdvsn]

try emailing ichiwawa.net and seeing where they have wifi spots in samui... i think you can get monthly acess for cheap from them but of course this wouldn't be at your home

ichiwawa.net looks interesting but the prices that they show on their web site sound exhorbinant to me. It says that they are charging 4 baht/minute for up to 100 minutes, 3 baht/minute for up to 500 minutes, and 2 baht/minute for upto 1000 minutes. That seems out of line considering that at a number of cybercafe's in Chaweng they will let you plug in your laptop for 1 baht/min.

I noticed also that this outfit is advertising that they have hotspot coverage on Lamai, Chawng Noi, and North Chaweng: http://login.samuinet.com . Do you happen to know if the are all that their cracked out to be? Their prices work out to less than 0.5 Baht/min even by thier most expensive plan.

[Samuian]

Hi, we have a busines in Mea Nam, Telephone Line is TT&T (Mae Nam Office) we have flatrate 1900.-/24hrs. ADSL line. Connection Speed (Cable/Router) up to 100Mbps! Very fast and only at peak hrs. slow or poor connection. The WLAN Speed with a Laptop is 54Mbps also pretty good.

I found the guys from TT&T very helpfull - for quick service you have to activate a "middleman" or if so, your thai wife/friend/partner and money alway talks - last not least: TiT!

[tjo o tjim]

Samuian-

Not to burst your bubble, but I'm afraid you are looking at the wrong numbers- that is your local connection speed. Check out the internet board for the Thai Visa international bandwidth tester(pinned) for your adsl speed.

[Samuian]

Samuian-

Not to burst your bubble, but I'm afraid you are looking at the wrong numbers- that is your local connection speed.

not bursting my bubble! made a bit wiser - thats how it works - never knew - user no crack!

here the results: Laptop

PC

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a348/Sam...ndwidthtest.jpg

as one can see they are quite different - but still i think it's fast, fast enough for me, if i only think back to the 56k modem days...!

[Samuian]

Samuian-

Not to burst your bubble, but I'm afraid you are looking at the wrong numbers- that is your local connection speed.

not bursting my bubble! made a bit wiser - thats how it works - never knew - user no crack!

here the results:

Laptop wlan to adsl router

PC - direct cable network - router - adsl:

as one can see they are quite different - but still i think it's fast, fast enough for me, if i only think back to the 56k modem days...!

[Rooo]

Samuian, I have posted this before.With TOT ADSL these are my results.http://www.wugnet.com/myspeed/speedtest.asp

Download speed 854 kbps

Upload.............. 420 kbps

quality of service 98%

round trip time 30 ms

max pause 161 ms

@854 kbps 1 mb file 10 sec

10 mb file 2 minutes

100mb file 16 minutes

Run the test.

[poorfarang]

TOT office is not telling me I will have to wait SEVERAL MONTHS for internet!

What the *** is this world comming to?

What are my options? I need internet asap.

1) Wait 2 weeks for phone line to get installed and use dial up cards

2) Use starbucks for a few hours a day ( I really need 24/7 access )

3) ???

[Samuian]

Results from wugnet:

down speed: 210 kbps

upload: 52.1 kbps

roundtriptime: 3026 ms

max pause: 94 ms

quality of servie: 96%

... these figures seem to change with general usage of the grid/net in samui, school holidays, weekends, the weather conditions etc.

my laptop (WLAN) shows very much the same results accept @ roundtriptime there is that incredible discrepancy of only 80 ms

towards 3026 ms on the PC... what does this tell?

the world is full with wonder - we are here to explore them - one never stops learning...

[OlRedEyes]

Had TT&T line and adsl installed 3 weeks ago in Mae Nam. Total 2 1/2 weeks.

TT&T are in Mae Nam. Their sales office is at Tesco.

[poorfarang]

My house is also located in Mae Nam. They are telling me that Mai Nam is "Full" and I have to wait for someone to cancel service or for the "board to get expanded" somhow.

This is really annoying.

Where in Mae nam are you?

[BattyBatty]

Mate, another option to consider....

Go to the D-Com shop on the ring road (drive with Tescos on your right, 2-300 meters on the right is the D Com shop).

I signed up for IPSTAR sattelite a couple years ago with them. They now have there own service, which is cheaper. I have no idea how they can offer 'there own service' but the guy showed me a leaflet a few months back and the rates are far cheaper than IPSTAR. Sattelite is ok, despite what you may read. Connection was fast and only went down for an hour or so a week. Wind, rain and heavy cloud cover did not ever affect speed.

Im suggesting this as you sound desperate. I have been in the same boat.... you can ask for as much advice as you want, but it is never that simple in Samui. It is an absoloute bloody joke how hard it is to obtain something as simple as a phone line and adsl.

Another option may be an under the counter bribe. If TT&T say you have to wait a few months, offer them 5 or 10 thousand. I dont know if this actualy works or not, but know of one guy who set up a web cafe and did the same with phone line and adsl fitted in 3 days. They initialy told him that he had to wait for lines to come available. For 5-10K, they will ensure as much. TiT.

If you do have to wait a month or 2, in the meantime you need daily usage. Starbucks is costly. A newish internet cafe in between Chaweng Cove Resort and Seascape Resort on the south beach road, Chaweng, offers wireless with you own little desk in the corner away from the main terminals for a monthly fee of around 2-3000 (depending on negotiation). The place is branded as a tourist info center, huge red sign outside. Next door to an indian restraunt.

Failing all of this, get back on your bike and hunt around for a house with ADSL allready in. This is not as easy as it sounds, but can be done.

Its a right old pain in the arse, isnt it? Complete nightmare in Samui, the whole ADSL/phone line thing.

[Samuian]

... If TT&T say you have to wait a few months, offer them 5 or 10 thousand. I dont know if this actualy works or not,

I didn't dare to mention this - but it's actually the "magic" key - money always talks! only offer them and make sure to pay NOT upfront - but AFTER you got a working connection!!!!!!! O(therwise you may just join the crowd of those who have been TiT'ed....!

for mor info contact by PM.

[BattyBatty]

Samuian

Interesting. So it is actualy true? I have heard one story as mentioned, and know of several whispers.... but was never sure if it was another Samui tale or not.

So how would you go about it? The girls that work the TT&T counter at Tescos dont seem completley sharp to me... I just cant picture them waking up to a backhander.

So how would you go about it?

[lom]

So how would you go about it? The girls that work the TT&T counter at Tescos dont seem completley sharp to me... I just cant picture them waking up to a backhander.

To start with , you have to understand the phone system in Thailand.

ToT has concession for the net and TT&T is just another operator using their services.

Therefore TT&T can't do anything when "The board is full" , neither can they do much to shorten the waiting time from ToT to get the line installed.

The girls at the TT&T counter has always been very helpful to me and are definitely more competent than the average shop attendent.

And there's no need for a backhander there, they will do the best they can if you don't start to abuse them just because you're another impatient customer.

[BattyBatty]

You are not presuming I have a tendancy to abuse slow staff, are you Lom?

Anyhow...

I asked for a phone line once. A simple question such as 'Hi. I live in Plai Laem. My house not have phone. Can i please order phone line' took 10 minutes to get over with 3 blank faces staring at me. I may aswell have been asking for a Cornetto. I filled out a form, and asked how long... 2 weeks was the reply. I enquired into some other related stuff, and then said goodbye with a final "so, 2 weeks then?" and was told 6-8 weeks. Go figure. I made a point of asking them if i should sign up for adsl before the line was fitted, to speed things up. Was told i cant, not until the line is up and running.

I went back 8 weeks later, and they had to get me write another form, as they could not find my details on the system. Patiently, and i stress patiently, i did as much. And was told 4 weeks. 4 weeks later i went back to get a lead time.... and thank god, they had my details. However, they were useless as the landlady, friend, GF or indeed any Thai National should have filled out the form and not me, owing to my visa status, no company etc etc.

So, off i go to grab a Thai friend. I chuck him a drink by way of a couple of thousand baht to sign up for me. He came with me, much high speed talking ensued for 30 minutes in which the term ferang and Mai Dai was used 95 times..... was then told by my friend "Interenet, no have Plai Laem. 6 months maybe but not now. Can have phone, but no internet"

That was my experience. Sure, they are happy smiley people down at Tesco TT&T, and I had no personal problem with them as a result of this crazy service - I have lived here long enough to just smile and plod on - but i personaly dont call that very competent.

Other people may have had different experiences. That was mine.

I had a very speedy service with CAT, over at Nathon. They came all the way from Nathon just to see if i could have adsl or not - knowing full well i didnt even have a phone line, they still came - i couldnt, as i was a mile or two away from the zone.

I trwaled the island looking for a house for rent with a phone line. This was not too easy, but when i did find a place i had to grab the number and go back to TT&T with the details so they could tell me if that area was adsl friendly or not. It never was. Conversly, the areas that are indeed adsl friendly never had a house for rent with a sodding phone line.

So, i gave up and got Sattelite.

[poorfarang]

How long does Ipstar take to be up and running?

What is the cost?

[BattyBatty]

I'll summarise it for you, if it helps;

If you dont mind the extra cost, i reccomend it as an immediate solution. The cost of the dish and install was 10,000. This included a modem, a very large dish (so make sure you have land space and will not obstuct anyones view). For the dish, you need a concrete foundation, circular shaped about 3 meteres across (again, ensure this is cool with house owner, should be fine). They will ask you in the shop to do this yourself.... let the language barrier work in your favour for a change and just play dumb, making out you have no idea what they mean, and they will do it for you.

The packages start at 2500, in stages of three or four. Go for the 5000 month package, its the only one worth having.

So, total money upfront is 10,000 dish/modem/install and 5000 for your first month. 15,000 all in. Then, 5,000 every month.

I had problems once in a while, but it was not too bad. It crashed once or twice a week for an hour or so. On three occasions over a 6 month period, the modem broke... they had to come out and swap. Living on the mainland this would not be too much of a problem, but owing to location i had to wait around 5 days each time..... plus, i had to pay for there boat fee (including car) and 'hotel in nathon for song khun'. Obviously, the hotel was just an angle to screw an extra 1000B out of me, but realising i may need these guys again, i paid it. Thailand IS Thailand.

All in all, it was fine apart from the problems mentioned above. Had the option of adsl/phone line been available to me, i would not have touched IPSTAR. I had no options however, so even with the problems mentioned, i didnt think it was that bad.

One warning though.... you are charged extra baht per byte for downloads over and above a set limit. The DCOM guy warned me of this, and i explained that i use it for work, around 8 hours a day mostly emailing and browsing the web, with some music and video downloads, but not too much. He told me not to worry, as i would only hit the limit if i download lots of stuff every day.

Then i got a bill, after 6 months for 19,000B, covering 6 months worth of extra download fees.

Subsiquently, i told them to bugger off, ripped the dish down and moved house. So, to summarise, its worth it for an immediate solution.... you can be up and running with quick internet in a week, regardless of location. However, be aware of the extra download fees... its a con. I didnt download that much, no <deleted> way.

[poorfarang]

I dont have 3 meters of space for a dish, the house had almost no land available.

Looks like I will have to wait this one out