Mini Review Of 4 Adsl Packages

[Firefoxx]

This is a review of four ADSL broadband packages available in Bangkok from True, Buddy, and CS Loxinfo. Feel free to add your own review. Speeds were tested at Speakeasy and other speed test sites in the US.

True Home Package: The good thing is that it's pretty cheap. The bad is pretty much everything else. Actual speeds are abyssmal, no matter what speed you signed up for... typically you will get around 10-20% of your actual speed for international transfers. Some people have had luck with it, but don't count on it. Reliability is pretty good, except for the very reliable cutoff every 24 hours. P2P is probably out of the question, since True does traffic shaping.

True SME Package: Not so cheap (2400/month for 2.5mbits), but not too expensive. Actual speeds are an improvement over the home package, but not by much... about 20-40% actual speed. This may or may not be my own imagination, since queries to True have produced answers ranging from "It's a different share ratio from the home package" to "It's the home package, just for SME LANs". Thing is that you need a phone line in your company name... individuals can't apply. Reliability is the same as the home package.

BuddyBB: Pretty darn cheap (500/month for 2mbits). Actual speeds for international web access are really good (1mbits, constant). The killer is that that's about all that is fast.... everything other than http traffic goes at a snail's pace. Also, the reliability is lacking, to say the least. There will be sporadic outages where your transfers (for everything, from games to voip to http) will just drop to nothing for a few seconds, and then resume (hopefully... if it hasn't timed out... like games). Payment is by scratch cards, apply at your local AIS store. I'd recommend this for anyone who does only web surfing and nothing else.

CS Lox SME: I only recently got this, so no long term impressions yet. It's the most expensive, at 2400/month for 1mbit (more expensive if you use a True line). However, it's got me quite impressed. Speeds are as advertised... I'm getting 850-900kbits from US sites. Not only that, p2p actually seems to work, and *at rated speed*. Reliability is great, with no 24 hour cutoff. Application was by phone, requiring only the faxing of some ID... an individual can apply. You also get a fixed IP.

[stumonster]

True Home Package: P2P is probably out of the question, since True does traffic shaping.

using utorrent right now on top 500 rock and roll songs , encryption on , 30+ seeds and getting 30-35Kbytes , cant complain about my 512/256 connection for its price at the moment.

[marquess]

This is a review of four ADSL broadband packages available in Bangkok from True, Buddy, and CS Loxinfo. Feel free to add your own review. Speeds were tested at Speakeasy and other speed test sites in the US.

True Home Package: The good thing is that it's pretty cheap. The bad is pretty much everything else. Actual speeds are abyssmal, no matter what speed you signed up for... typically you will get around 10-20% of your actual speed for international transfers. Some people have had luck with it, but don't count on it. Reliability is pretty good, except for the very reliable cutoff every 24 hours. P2P is probably out of the question, since True does traffic shaping.

True SME Package: Not so cheap (2400/month for 2.5mbits), but not too expensive. Actual speeds are an improvement over the home package, but not by much... about 20-40% actual speed. This may or may not be my own imagination, since queries to True have produced answers ranging from "It's a different share ratio from the home package" to "It's the home package, just for SME LANs". Thing is that you need a phone line in your company name... individuals can't apply. Reliability is the same as the home package.

BuddyBB: Pretty darn cheap (500/month for 2mbits). Actual speeds for international web access are really good (1mbits, constant). The killer is that that's about all that is fast.... everything other than http traffic goes at a snail's pace. Also, the reliability is lacking, to say the least. There will be sporadic outages where your transfers (for everything, from games to voip to http) will just drop to nothing for a few seconds, and then resume (hopefully... if it hasn't timed out... like games). Payment is by scratch cards, apply at your local AIS store. I'd recommend this for anyone who does only web surfing and nothing else.

CS Lox SME: I only recently got this, so no long term impressions yet. It's the most expensive, at 2400/month for 1mbit (more expensive if you use a True line). However, it's got me quite impressed. Speeds are as advertised... I'm getting 850-900kbits from US sites. Not only that, p2p actually seems to work, and *at rated speed*. Reliability is great, with no 24 hour cutoff. Application was by phone, requiring only the faxing of some ID... an individual can apply. You also get a fixed IP.

I agree with you re True, never really seem to get the advertised speeds. Yet it is still preferable to the old dial up! Cant' see anything really improving here (Bangkok/Thailand), unless the current telecoms set up is changed, to allow some real competition, that is not routed through CAT. The current situation here reminds me of what it was like trying to get a phone in England 25 years ago, only BT and Mercury, long waiting times and huge deposits. Now that things have opened up, services have improved on all sides. That is what is needed here!

[OneeyedJohn]

Can u tell me wot traffic shaping is please as i've suddenly lost all speed using P2P.When I first got adsl last month tt&t 256/128 Maxnet home everything was OK even better when i changed from IE to firefox.

When i just surf u have to close Bittorrent / Bitlord otherwise i keep getting timed out ..try again messages in my browser.

Thanks

[marquess]

True Home Package: P2P is probably out of the question, since True does traffic shaping.

using utorrent right now on top 500 rock and roll songs , encryption on , 30+ seeds and getting 30-35Kbytes , cant complain about my 512/256 connection for its price at the moment.

Agree on that point, have managed to get the latest Dr Who at about 40kps on the same package! During the last six weeks have managed to two seasons of Star Trek (Original), Catweazle and the third seaon of Sherlock Holmes. Better make the most of it whilst it lasts.

[OneeyedJohn]

have justdone test:-

Download Speed: 213 kbps (26.6 KB/sec transfer rate)

Upload Speed: 98 kbps (12.3 KB/sec transfer rate)

[The Coder]

Good info. Here is some additional issues to add from my experience about true's ADSL:

true's poor performance cannot be solely due to share ratios. If so, I would expect the connection to accelerate and be really fast by say 4am when the least number of people are active. It doesn't. It is as slow as ever and that's every single hour of every single day. They clearly cap individuals well below their subscription speeds. True tried hiding behind share ratios and said sometimes I could expect full speed so I cornered them on it (I never get even half, usually much less) to where they stopped using that excuse and fell back to just "no bandwidth guarantees" and wiped their hands.

Another problem with true is they have a lot of glitches. You hit a site and get a "Network or TCP Error". Sometimes it clears by refreshing. Sometimes you just can't get to the site for a long time. Sometimes google groups is totally inaccessible for hours. I know this is not a "server problem" as true likes to blame anytime something doesn't work because if I switch to VPN I can access the sites every time. I'd love to get them to fix this, but because of the intermittant nature, it would be hard to guarantee I could repeat it when a tech arrived. This problem occurs numerous times every day and some sites are more sensitive to it than others.

Another true problem is pings and packet loss. Sometimes you get 300ms to the US and sometimes it is >1sec. It's a spectrum that pretty much precludes FPS gaming and creates annoying dealys for other things. Other European and nearby Asian countries have very reasonable pings so it's not a distance issue.

Then there is the censoring. Not only is it annoying, but sometimes sites are accidentally blocked that shouldn't be temporarily.

Over the last few weeks they have had some very spotty reliability that there was a thread on. The connection doesn't go down, but there are at times 30 seconds of lag trying to do things and sometimes excrutiatingly slow speeds much slower than a modem. This problem comes and goes. Over time you get the sense true's links to the outside world are not very reliable and the "backup plan" they have in place to pick up the strain is basically nil. It's the worst of both worlds. A real business would either have a reliable front end or a backup that worked.

The problems are basically endless and as time goes on they just keep finding ways to make it more annoying rather than faster and/or better. They publicly downplay users who complain about the slowness as being an insignificant few. The impression I get is they are a bunch of corner cutters using shoddy equipment managed by people who don't know what they are doing with no appreciation for the end user. But is there a better alternative?

[marquess]

The problems are basically endless and as time goes on they just keep finding ways to make it more annoying rather than faster and/or better. They publicly downplay users who complain about the slowness as being an insignificant few. The impression I get is they are a bunch of corner cutters using shoddy equipment managed by people who don't know what they are doing with no appreciation for the end user. But is there a better alternative?

One of these days they will run out of corners to cut, hopefully by then we will have an alternative, not just someone who advertises aload of lies and then just collects the customers money and gives very little in return.!

[SoMeOnEnUlL]

CS Lox SME: I only recently got this, so no long term impressions yet. It's the most expensive, at 2400/month for 1mbit (more expensive if you use a True line). However, it's got me quite impressed. Speeds are as advertised... I'm getting 850-900kbits from US sites. Not only that, p2p actually seems to work, and *at rated speed*. Reliability is great, with no 24 hour cutoff. Application was by phone, requiring only the faxing of some ID... an individual can apply. You also get a fixed IP.

Thanks for the info. I might chage this plan! Coud you tell me how much are you getting at when you try with Downloader?! I've got 140KB/s with my 2Mbps shared line. I was thinking to upgrade to 4Mbps line.

Edited May 20, 2006 by SoMeOnEnUlL

[Firefoxx]

For True, like I said, you might get lucky. For others, you can have 500+ seeds in Bittorrent, and still get 1k downloads. Really, I'm not kidding.

Someonenull, I don't use downloader, so I can't say. My main concern is getting constant advertised speeds, with no silly limiters or gotchas, and so far the SME package is doing just that. They also have 4 megabit SME available, and if it's like this one, then it's probably worth it.

I'm not a big downloader, so I didn't go for anything beyond 1 megabit. I just want my line to perform when I need it.

Edited May 20, 2006 by Firefoxx

[SoMeOnEnUlL]

Thank! It will probably better than my 2Mbps'.

[Sulaphat]

The problems are basically endless and as time goes on they just keep finding ways to make it more annoying rather than faster and/or better. They publicly downplay users who complain about the slowness as being an insignificant few. The impression I get is they are a bunch of corner cutters using shoddy equipment managed by people who don't know what they are doing with no appreciation for the end user. But is there a better alternative?

This is a time-tested, widely used business model. It is particularly prevalent in, but by no means limited to, Thailand.

[george]

With Wi-Fi too costly, check out the ADSL deals currently on offer

BANGKOK: -- Internet service providers have a range of packages for broadband connection

Internet access now offers a competitive advantage for both providers and users. But unfortunately, wireless Internet (Wi-Fi) in Thailand is still too expensive for many people to access comfortably.

Bangkok and other cities in the Kingdom have a long way to go before they reach the Wi-Fi status of Seattle. That North American city - the birthplace of software tycoon Bill Gates - has become the most wire-free city in the United States, according to the annual survey of Intel Corp last year. With Wi-Fi Internet access available 24/7 right across the city, Seattle really is living up to its 'Sleepless' moniker.

But while most Thais may not yet be able to afford wireless service, ADSL-based broadband access allows Internet users to surf the Net faster than via a regular dial-up connection.

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) is a form of DSL, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional modem can provide.

Connecting via ADSL is faster than the dial-up system that many are used to.

However, connecting with ADSL also comes at a cost.

To start with, the specifications of your desktop computer or laptop must be compatible with the technology. You will also require an additional device such as a router to connect to the service.

Until recently the price of the ADSL service was rather high when compared with the regular dial-up connection. However, to attract more customers many Internet providers have slashed their prices and brought out special offers, heralding a price war among providers that can only benefit subscribers.

ADSL providers offer a monthly service that commits customers to the high cost of connection devices. But they will often waive the charge for the device if the customer signs up for a long-term contract for the service.

For example, True Corp offers a Bt2,900 router for only Bt1 if customers sign up to the service for at least one year.

There are currently plenty of ADSL providers in the market, including True, TOT, TT&T, CS Loxinfo, KSC, Buddy BB, Ji-Net, Samart, INET and I-SAN.

On average, ADSL offering data transmission at 256 kilobits per second (kbps) with unlimited usage time ranges between Bt500 and Bt600 per month.

As expected, the higher the speed, the higher the price.

As this monthly all-in tariff may be rather high for those who don't usually surf the Internet all day and night, TOT and True have brought out low-cost broadband packages.

TOT's campaign offers an access speed of 256kbps at a monthly fee of Bt290 for 30 hours, undercutting True's offer for a speed of 128kbps.

Additional hours cost Bt12 each up to a maximum of Bt585 per month, compared to a Bt590 maximum under the True package.

TOT subscribers are also offered unlimited surfing hours during the first two months after signing up.

Subscription to the service costs Bt500 and users have to stay with the service for a minimum of 12 months.

While the ADSL service may look more expensive than dial-up connection, when you take into consideration the time wasted while waiting for each page to appear when connected via dial-up, you may feel that a little additional money spent is worth it for the time saved.

Before signing up to a package it will pay you to have a look at Web boards that talk about the providers to get the latest on performance and services.

For example, because of the high number of customers that some providers have, the speed of the Internet may not be as fast as promised as many people have to share the connection.

To find the fastest Internet access and the best deal, you need to think faster and do some homework.

The world of the Net is supposed to open up your eyes, not fool you into giving your hard earned money away for nothing.

To get an overview of the Thai Internet scene, log on to www.adslthailand.com, where you will find up-to-date information about offers and can compare prices, services and promotions.

--The Nation 2006-05-22

[Firefoxx]

An update on CS Loxinfo's SME package:

I started using it on Friday afternoon, and had a few problems with it, but attributed it to my own internal setup. Late Friday night, I figured that I had all my problems fixed, and it was working as reported earlier.

However, today, which is a work day, it's not as rosy as before. Tests at speakeasy report varying results, from great as before (SF site), to only 300k (NY site). Some other downloads have also suffered, averaging around 400k, and not very stable. Bittorrent (tested with a new, heavily seeded/peered file) was working, but not all that fast. Other P2P applications had varying results, from so-so to really bad.

CS Loxinfo has a policy of limited P2P for its home customers, with throttled speeds during the day (weekdays only?), and maybe it's also affecting me? Or perhaps it's just a lot of users at the office of various SMEs. Either way, it's not as great as I had expected. I'll give it a week of more trials.

[melus]

Here's an update on True's SME package. This past week has seen a dramatic decrease in international speeds to 100 kbps tested on the speakeasy site. It doesn't even improve after midnight. All day yesterday (Sunday) was the same -- excruciatingly slow. Then at around 1:00 am as if someone programmed it, the speed shot up to 2,000 kbps. It's pretty obvious to me that now, no matter what package you're on, True is capping you. It has very little to do with the share ratio.

[marquess]

Here's an update on True's SME package. This past week has seen a dramatic decrease in international speeds to 100 kbps tested on the speakeasy site. It doesn't even improve after midnight. All day yesterday (Sunday) was the same -- excruciatingly slow. Then at around 1:00 am as if someone programmed it, the speed shot up to 2,000 kbps. It's pretty obvious to me that now, no matter what package you're on, True is capping you. It has very little to do with the share ratio.

It seems to me that here in Thailand you can almost advertise any service and take the money and not provide that service. Until that changes, it will only get worst!

[SoMeOnEnUlL]

An update on CS Loxinfo's SME package:

I started using it on Friday afternoon, and had a few problems with it, but attributed it to my own internal setup. Late Friday night, I figured that I had all my problems fixed, and it was working as reported earlier.

However, today, which is a work day, it's not as rosy as before. Tests at speakeasy report varying results, from great as before (SF site), to only 300k (NY site). Some other downloads have also suffered, averaging around 400k, and not very stable. Bittorrent (tested with a new, heavily seeded/peered file) was working, but not all that fast. Other P2P applications had varying results, from so-so to really bad.

CS Loxinfo has a policy of limited P2P for its home customers, with throttled speeds during the day (weekdays only?), and maybe it's also affecting me? Or perhaps it's just a lot of users at the office of various SMEs. Either way, it's not as great as I had expected. I'll give it a week of more trials.

I knew it.. I knew it!!! should have waited to read this before I changed my plans

[Firefoxx]

Sorry if I caused any problems, but I did say that it was an early assessment as I had just got the package.

Right now, I'm thinking that it's still better than True, but not good enough. The search is still on. I really really *really* am not happy that I'm paying as the result of the unthinking and selfish conduct of bittorrent abusers (normal bt users I don't blame).

[SoMeOnEnUlL]

It's ok! You haven't done anything. It's me who couldn't wait.. If it's worse than I thought, I'd bitch 'em and change back to shared line. We'll see!

Edited May 23, 2006 by SoMeOnEnUlL

[MartinBKK]

I've been using True's SME 1mbps service for a year and have hardly had any problems. I live in Sukhumvit and rely on the internet for my business. If it isn't working i don't make any money. I would estimate i have been unable to use the service for around 3 days since i had it installed and i have been satisfied with the speeds. It is nowhere near as quick as the UK however.

[Firefoxx]

It really depends on who will be satisfied with what speeds. There are plenty of people who are satisfied with their ADSL line, as long as it's on and faster than their old 56k dialup. Me, I can't really justify spending a premium for the SME service if it gives speeds that are only a bit higher than the home service. I am happy to pay as long as I get what I pay for.

True's one good point was their reliability. Their lines usually stayed up (with the very reliable 24 hour cutoff, ha). That is, unless their ineptitude got in the way and killed your line altogether. However, their speeds are terrible, in the 10-30% range, and their customer support (and even their sales reps) is a joke.

An update to the CS Lox SME package. I was unable to access all international sites (local sites were fine) all throughout yesterday until noon today. Their customer support was not very helpful, just saying that their techs were looking into the problem. I hope this is a one-off thing.

[nokmdk]

Using Buddy net for past few months, have had true and cslox as well before. Have to say on a whole buddy is the way to go. Dont understand the OP's first post about only the speed being good? I have great speed id say about 80% of the time. Only issues i have with them is when i do feel the need to call, they tell you they will inform their tech and have them call me back, never happens.

Using various speed test sites, i have gotten when i was told id be getting before i signed up.

If you do switch becareful, they will tell you to get package at AIS and then they have to have THEIR person come and set it up. Not needed, i was able to set it up with no problems in 2 mins.

[Firefoxx]

I did say that Buddy's speed is good, nay, excellent. Fairly constant 1 megabit speed to international sites throughout the day. The catch is, it's only for HTTP (web page) traffic. Everything else, to put it mildly, sucks. VOIP, laggy. Bittorrent, about 1kbps. P2p, nonexistant.

Also, as I stated before, the reliability is lousy. Very lousy. For web pages, this is not an issue, and you'll probably never even notice it. For constantly streamed stuff like online games, losing the data stream for a few seconds every now and then is a very bad experience, often resulting in a lost connection.

And like I said, I *do* recommend Buddy for anyone who wants a good web page surfing experience for cheap, and doesn't care about anything else. Oh, and their login mechanism is annoying, and that's an understatement.

[SoMeOnEnUlL]

I am now thinking it could probably be the demand vs supply problem.. TRUE is real su(k. no wonder, there are like 50% of internet users using their service.. They don't have enough bandwidth.

Neither do CSLoxinfo.. but, they are STILL doing good since they have less users who are STILL getting a reasonable SPEED so that not many people bitch' them at their call center (I am really happy with their support) and that would probably explain why TRUE support team is a joke.

Now, buddyBB, surely they are going to be third best but have yet to buy more badwidth.

One day, I might change to Buddy when CSLox become crowded and turn into no-better-than-TRUE.

[nokmdk]

Well, chance have it, i use buddy ONLY for online games and the wife for cruising the web.

You are right about the fact its not the best for games wise use.

I have to use a proxy going to another country and then i can play online game with no lags and no dcs at all. strange????? So i think there is something more to it..... then again at least i do have very little dowh times hehe.

If any of you know why i have to use a proxy to get online games to work good, id be very intrested in knowing how to fix the issue long term rather than searching for proxy ip each few days for game time.

[The Coder]

Well I think the simple truth is there is a LOT more going on than share ratios that slows things down. If an ISP doesn't like a certain thing (eg: file sharing), they just cripple it for everyone. If an ISP wants to cut its operating costs even more, it just artificially caps everyones bandwidth below their subscription speed. And so on and so forth. We may not know everything they are doing, but it's obvious speed blocks kick in various things all the time. I don't see this changing for the foreseeable future. It's the defacto hi-speed internet model in Thailand.

[MartinBKK]

Does CSloxinfo allow proxy access as i have found that KSC does not? Im looking for an SME service can any other users recommend a good one please?

Cheers

I should mention the reason i need a new service is i am moving homes and my new place doesn't have a TRUE line.

This is a review of four ADSL broadband packages available in Bangkok from True, Buddy, and CS Loxinfo. Feel free to add your own review. Speeds were tested at Speakeasy and other speed test sites in the US.

True Home Package: The good thing is that it's pretty cheap. The bad is pretty much everything else. Actual speeds are abyssmal, no matter what speed you signed up for... typically you will get around 10-20% of your actual speed for international transfers. Some people have had luck with it, but don't count on it. Reliability is pretty good, except for the very reliable cutoff every 24 hours. P2P is probably out of the question, since True does traffic shaping.

True SME Package: Not so cheap (2400/month for 2.5mbits), but not too expensive. Actual speeds are an improvement over the home package, but not by much... about 20-40% actual speed. This may or may not be my own imagination, since queries to True have produced answers ranging from "It's a different share ratio from the home package" to "It's the home package, just for SME LANs". Thing is that you need a phone line in your company name... individuals can't apply. Reliability is the same as the home package.

BuddyBB: Pretty darn cheap (500/month for 2mbits). Actual speeds for international web access are really good (1mbits, constant). The killer is that that's about all that is fast.... everything other than http traffic goes at a snail's pace. Also, the reliability is lacking, to say the least. There will be sporadic outages where your transfers (for everything, from games to voip to http) will just drop to nothing for a few seconds, and then resume (hopefully... if it hasn't timed out... like games). Payment is by scratch cards, apply at your local AIS store. I'd recommend this for anyone who does only web surfing and nothing else.

CS Lox SME: I only recently got this, so no long term impressions yet. It's the most expensive, at 2400/month for 1mbit (more expensive if you use a True line). However, it's got me quite impressed. Speeds are as advertised... I'm getting 850-900kbits from US sites. Not only that, p2p actually seems to work, and *at rated speed*. Reliability is great, with no 24 hour cutoff. Application was by phone, requiring only the faxing of some ID... an individual can apply. You also get a fixed IP.

Edited May 26, 2006 by MartinBKK

[SoMeOnEnUlL]

I've got my SME 1Mbps/512Kbps yesterday.. I changed it from my 2Mbps/512Kbps Home Plus.. The new package seems quite fast at browsing.. see the following speed test..

New 1Mbps/512Kbps SME

Old 2Mbps/512Kbps Home Plus

The only thing that I aware of the different in speed is when you use the downloader like DAP/Flashget. I've got average of 200KBps with old line and now I only get around 120KBps..

So, unless you needed a static IP and wanted a faster browsing at low speed(256/512), do not consider SME. If you are gonna use your internet for download, I suggest you go with one of the Home Plus. I gonna change it back to 4Mbps/512Kpbs

Edited June 1, 2006 by SoMeOnEnUlL