Internet service for my laptop; i want it to work everywhere

[rideswings]

I have a laptop and I want it to be able to get internet anywhere in Thailand as I travel around. It has built-in wifi, but if I am in my car, wifi doesnt help.

I used to have a Dtac phone, and I would connect the laptop via USB to the phone to surf the net, but that was too slow for practical use.

Im looking for another solution. Anyone have any ideas of a way to get internet anywhere in Thailand on my laptop? I have 2 available USB ports and a network port.

Thanks!

[Jiu-Jitsu]

A USB modem or a mobile WiFi HotSpot(MiFi) are suitable to the task. The first from 790 baht. The MiFi perhaps double.

Some new Smart Phones can also create a WiFi Hotspot. What phone do you have now?

[rideswings]

A USB modem or a mobile WiFi HotSpot(MiFi) are suitable to the task. The first from 790 baht. The MiFi perhaps double.

Some new Smart Phones can also create a WiFi Hotspot. What phone do you have now?

I currently have an iPhone 3s but Im not on any data plan. I just top up my minutes at the 7-11 when I need to.

I also have an iPhone 4s but have not converted it to Thailand yet, it is still unbroken USA AT&T.

I have never heard of mobile WiFi...

[Digitalbanana]

Either a 3G USB stick tied to one of the GSM phone networks or just use a smart phone plugged into the USB or as portable wifi. You will have internet where ever there is a phone signal. If your in a big city like Bangkok there is also a lot of "free" wifi hotspots broadcast if you have some other existing plan - this can be cheaper sometimes.

[Chicog]

Go to all the telcos and price up the options.

Then look at their coverage maps.

[Pib]

I used to have a Dtac phone, and I would connect the laptop via USB to the phone to surf the net, but that was too slow for practical use.

You might want to give DTAC another try, especially if when you had the phone you were just using Edge speed. Below are some examples of DTAC Trinet 3G speeds I get here in western Bangkok and parts of Nakorn Pathom City which is due west of Bangkok about 40 kilometers. Note: results are DTAC Trinet...some are 850hz and some 2100Mhz...don't ask me which...but speeds are very similar on both frequencies based on my testing...there is one Wifi speedtest result in the below images...ignore that result...just look at the ones labeled "Cell"...all tests runs to the Speedtest.net STS Group server (not the DTAC server) in Bangkok.

Just using your phone in Hotspot or Tethered mode should give you just as good of speed as in Aircard-type device you plug into the computer. Sometimes when I'm driving around I just put my phone into HotSpot mode so family/friends riding along using their Wifi Only devices like a tablet or laptop can surf...and plug the phone into the 12V/cigarette lighter outlet to power the phone for long trips. Why buy another 3G devices when you already have a 3G device (i.e., a smartphone) that can provide you the same connectivity...and the phone continues to also work in phone mode so you won't miss any calls/SMSs while tethering/hotspoting the phone.

Edit: P.S. And don't forget when buying your 3G phone/device that depending on the price/model you buy it will come with certain maximum 3G/HSPA speed capability of either 7, 14, 21 or 42Mb. So if you buy a low end phone/device which is spec'ed for a 7Mb max 3G/HSPA speed then even if you are close to a 3G tower with few users/excellent bandwidth...like maybe over a 20Mb speed....your device would max out at 7Mb speed. Above tests were on my Samsung S4 with 42Mb capability. Personally, with Thailand 3G speeds now able to easily give you over 20Mb download speeds (I have gotten 20Mb plus speeds plenty of times....my highest so far is 24.52Mb) I would recommend your phone/device be capable of 42Mb if wanting to take full advantage of available speed.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

A USB modem or a mobile WiFi HotSpot(MiFi) are suitable to the task. The first from 790 baht. The MiFi perhaps double.

Some new Smart Phones can also create a WiFi Hotspot. What phone do you have now?

I currently have an iPhone 3s but Im not on any data plan. I just top up my minutes at the 7-11 when I need to.

I also have an iPhone 4s but have not converted it to Thailand yet, it is still unbroken USA AT&T.

I have never heard of mobile WiFi...

You just pop a SIM inside and it creates a WiFi Hotspot for up to eight devices.

[DerkMR]

I have been with TRUE MOVE for the last moths but only got EDGE connections in MOST remote areas.

You can check the coverage in the providers coverage maps...

My first step on my next stay is to buy a AIS data plan card at the airport. Wherever I checked with a foreign SIM to analyze coverage AIS was way better than TRUE - unfortunately as I already topped up my TRUE card for the complete 8 weeks stay

So I keep my old SIM for phone calls to the known number but take a dedicated phone to act as WLAN hotspot with the to buy AIS card...

Bye,

Derk

[Pib]

Coverage maps are definitely something to look at when considering which carrier to signup with but such maps definitely don't tell the whole story in terms of true coverage, sometimes whether it's 2G or 3G coverage, and strength of signal level which can impact speed. Not uncommon for some of the carrier's maps to show coverage over an entire province, neatly confined within the province borders, when in fact the coverage may be spotting within that province and predominately along main roads. Also, the coverage maps offered by various Apps are "crowd-sourced" maps which just means a person used that App at least once in that area...many times it won't tell you nothing about the speed, strength, or quality of the signal...just another broad stroke that a signal was picked up in that area. Definitely take coverage maps with a BIG grain of salt and try to get as much first hand info from folks using the service, hopefully in the area you will be using your 2G/3G device the most, to determine the best carrier...and the best carrier today may not be in the near future as upgrades by carriers is always changing the picture. Buying a couple of pre-paid/cheap SIMs from the different carriers to test the waters for at least a few days may be the best way to determine speed/strength/quality of signal.

[Cuban]

MiFi adaptor.

Multiple SIM cards for different ISPs as coverage varies.

LEARN about interference shielding and higher gain antenna's.

Either self-teach about the basics of technology or don't argue the toss about paying someone else to do that for you.

The level of return will depend on the effort you expend.

[iamariva1957]

AIS has a good service. I have itand it works no matter where I might be. Okay is is notthat cheep, but by western standards not expensive either. There are a few 'dead areas' but that is to be expected. But check them out. They should make it easier for you. True also has one... but I like AIS better for some reason.

[CharlieH]

Depends entirely where you are going, Ive seen service drop from one street to the next, from one building to the next, its unlikely if travelling around the country yiu will find an all singing all dancing sim.

Get a good one that seems to cover most and the rest adjust as you go.

Dongle is more convenient in my opinion but tethering with decent phone is also good option.

[Captor]

3G does only work in bigger cities so far. Forget about 3G in Ratchaburi for example. And I guess in many other places in same size as Ratchaburi.

Thailand has the worst internet on the planet. Even the countries in Africa have better internet. And that is same either it is WiFi, cable or 3G.

But of the 3G companies there are the Takhsin owned AIS is the best.

[Pib]

3G does only work in bigger cities so far. Forget about 3G in Ratchaburi for example. And I guess in many other places in same size as Ratchaburi.

Thailand has the worst internet on the planet. Even the countries in Africa have better internet. And that is same either it is WiFi, cable or 3G.

But of the 3G companies there are the Takhsin owned AIS is the best.

But never fear, although AIS has little 3G coverage in Ratchaburi "province as a whole" (but the main city has coverage), by the end of 2557 (2014) they are suppose to have coverage over the majority of the Ratchaburi province. Promises, promises. The map also shows coverage for the end of 2013 when they will have a little bit more of 3G coverage to Ratchaburi...not much more but some. AIS Coverage Map.

[Captor]

3G does only work in bigger cities so far. Forget about 3G in Ratchaburi for example. And I guess in many other places in same size as Ratchaburi.

Thailand has the worst internet on the planet. Even the countries in Africa have better internet. And that is same either it is WiFi, cable or 3G.

But of the 3G companies there are the Takhsin owned AIS is the best.

But never fear, although AIS has little 3G coverage in Ratchaburi "province as a whole" (but the main city has coverage), by the end of 2557 (2014) they are suppose to have coverage over the majority of the Ratchaburi province. Promises, promises. The map also shows coverage for the end of 2013 when they will have a little bit more of 3G coverage to Ratchaburi...not much more but some. AIS Coverage Map.

You are the born optimist :-)

[Cuban]

3G does only work in bigger cities so far. Forget about 3G in Ratchaburi for example. And I guess in many other places in same size as Ratchaburi.

Not quite true we are in the sticks in KK province and have a good 3G signal and fair bandwidth with True.

About 2Km from the cell-tower.

[BKKdreaming]

Edit: P.S. And don't forget when buying your 3G phone/device that depending on the price/model you buy it will come with certain maximum 3G/HSPA speed capability of either 7, 14, 21 or 42Mb. So if you buy a low end phone/device which is spec'ed for a 7Mb max 3G/HSPA speed then even if you are close to a 3G tower with few users/excellent bandwidth...like maybe over a 20Mb speed....your device would max out at 7Mb speed. Above tests were on my Samsung S4 with 42Mb capability. Personally, with Thailand 3G speeds now able to easily give you over 20Mb download speeds (I have gotten 20Mb plus speeds plenty of times....my highest so far is 24.52Mb) I would recommend your phone/device be capable of 42Mb if wanting to take full advantage of available speed.

How can you tell what speed your phone is set up for ?

I have a Samsung note , first generation....

thanks

[Pib]

Edit: P.S. And don't forget when buying your 3G phone/device that depending on the price/model you buy it will come with certain maximum 3G/HSPA speed capability of either 7, 14, 21 or 42Mb. So if you buy a low end phone/device which is spec'ed for a 7Mb max 3G/HSPA speed then even if you are close to a 3G tower with few users/excellent bandwidth...like maybe over a 20Mb speed....your device would max out at 7Mb speed. Above tests were on my Samsung S4 with 42Mb capability. Personally, with Thailand 3G speeds now able to easily give you over 20Mb download speeds (I have gotten 20Mb plus speeds plenty of times....my highest so far is 24.52Mb) I would recommend your phone/device be capable of 42Mb if wanting to take full advantage of available speed.

How can you tell what speed your phone is set up for ?

I have a Samsung note , first generation....

thanks

So many different versions and screen sizes for the Note. You could go to sites like GSM Arena or the Samsung site and look up the specs on your particular Note. But since you say it the first generation...probably a 5.3 inch screen, it's probably a 21Mb Down/5.76Mb Up machine, which means you can "almost" take full advantage of Thailand 3G speeds. I say "almost" since you can get more than 21Mb speeds in parts of Thailand. But if your particular area you don't get any speeds close to 21Mb you are probably not missing out on anything. And besides, when it comes to surfing, emailing, etc., a person ain't going to notice the difference between 21Mb or 10Mb...or maybe even 5Mb unless they are trying to download some big files.

Just today a little after lunch time in the Bang Yai Lotus in Nanthaburi (western Bangkok Metro area) I got a 25.67Mb down on DTAC TriNet 850Mhz using my Samsung S4.

[morocco]

I use AIS with Personal Hotspot on my iphone4 using bluetooth or usb cable. Go into AIS and I buy a package for 900 or 1000 bht a month. Comes with 5gb so if u download movies or music it goes quick but for all else it lasts good. Works all over Thailand. Of course u will need AIS sim card.

[mrfill]

I used to have a Dtac phone, and I would connect the laptop via USB to the phone to surf the net, but that was too slow for practical use.

You might want to give DTAC another try, especially if when you had the phone you were just using Edge speed. Below are some examples of DTAC Trinet 3G speeds I get here in western Bangkok and parts of Nakorn Pathom City which is due west of Bangkok about 40 kilometers. Note: results are DTAC Trinet...some are 850hz and some 2100Mhz...don't ask me which...but speeds are very similar on both frequencies based on my testing...there is one Wifi speedtest result in the below images...ignore that result...just look at the ones labeled "Cell"...all tests runs to the Speedtest.net STS Group server (not the DTAC server) in Bangkok.

Just using your phone in Hotspot or Tethered mode should give you just as good of speed as in Aircard-type device you plug into the computer. Sometimes when I'm driving around I just put my phone into HotSpot mode so family/friends riding along using their Wifi Only devices like a tablet or laptop can surf...and plug the phone into the 12V/cigarette lighter outlet to power the phone for long trips. Why buy another 3G devices when you already have a 3G device (i.e., a smartphone) that can provide you the same connectivity...and the phone continues to also work in phone mode so you won't miss any calls/SMSs while tethering/hotspoting the phone.

DTAC 3G Speed1.png DTAC 3G Speed2.png

Edit: P.S. And don't forget when buying your 3G phone/device that depending on the price/model you buy it will come with certain maximum 3G/HSPA speed capability of either 7, 14, 21 or 42Mb. So if you buy a low end phone/device which is spec'ed for a 7Mb max 3G/HSPA speed then even if you are close to a 3G tower with few users/excellent bandwidth...like maybe over a 20Mb speed....your device would max out at 7Mb speed. Above tests were on my Samsung S4 with 42Mb capability. Personally, with Thailand 3G speeds now able to easily give you over 20Mb download speeds (I have gotten 20Mb plus speeds plenty of times....my highest so far is 24.52Mb) I would recommend your phone/device be capable of 42Mb if wanting to take full advantage of available speed.

I found, in reality that I was able to send good quality skype video on the train from Bangkok to Nong Khai while outside was just fields. That was using DTAC - 650Bt for a month. Tethering was also available at reasonable speed anywhere I couldnt get a free wifi signal.

I was also able to watch live BBC TV using iplayer and a VPN.

I do have a MiFi box and took that along but never used it as the phone tethering did the job superbly (Galaxy S2)

My experience of the net (mobile) in Thailand was very good. Vastly better than the UK where coverage is often weak and patchy in rural areas.

[rideswings]

Thank you for all the help. I will try tethering to the iPhone 3s and see how that works. I had Dtac before, I might just try AIS and see how it goes.

All in all, it sounds like they dont want you to use it that much or it gets expensive, so I might do what I have done before, use it if there is no net shop nearby, and use it sparingly. 6gb wont get me very far...

[CharlieH]

Just a word of caution if you dont know, watch for the unlimited hype, in reality it is unlimited internet BUT after x amount of gb data the speed drops to 256k !! So be careful on packages and promotions.

[rideswings]

Just a word of caution if you dont know, watch for the unlimited hype, in reality it is unlimited internet BUT after x amount of gb data the speed drops to 256k !! So be careful on packages and promotions.

Thanks for that warning! I have discovered in life if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. haha

[Pib]

Yes, when they say "Unlimited", well, they are not lying but it just means after you use up your 3G/Edge allotment where you get the "full" speed up to 42Mb in theory but in reality something much less...after that amount you still can use an "unlimited" amount of data it's just the speed will be throttled to 384Kb, 256Kb, 128Kb, or 64Kb...depends on the plan.

If knowing you will probably exceed you allotment per month you probably should consider the "throttling" speed also...384Kb ain't so bad...but 64Kb would be like the original dial speed of yesteryears. Like me...I have a DTAC postpaid plan that provides 550 Voice minutes and Unlimited 2GB 3G mobile data...which for my particular plan means I get "full" 3G speed up to my monthly 2GB 3G allotment and then once exceeding 2GB I will be throttled to a 384Kb max speed until the start of my next billing month.