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How reliable is internet in Bangkok? Where's a good place to stay for an American?


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Posted
Long story short my new place in NYC won't be ready until December, so instead of jumping place to place (which is hell in NY) I decided to spend a few months in Thailand. Super excited!


Situation is I have an internet business, so I need fast and reliable connection at all times. Is that reasonable to expect in Bangkok? If so what part and what provider?


Also I don't know anyone in Thailand and I don't speak Thai so I would like to stay in an area that has a decent amount of English speaking folks.


Any suggestions or other advice?

Posted

A good place to stay for an American? Is that different to a good place to stay for an Englishman or an Australian?

I realise I am letting my petty paranoias show, but this OP has many hallmarks of WUS,

Equally, he may be just a dude asking a valid question.

I have my eyes open.

  • Like 2
Posted

A good place to stay for an American? Is that different to a good place to stay for an Englishman or an Australian?

I realise I am letting my petty paranoias show, but this OP has many hallmarks of WUS,

Equally, he may be just a dude asking a valid question.

I have my eyes open.

Anywhere next door to a MacDonald's will suffice me thinks

  • Like 1
Posted

A good place to stay for an American? Is that different to a good place to stay for an Englishman or an Australian?

I realise I am letting my petty paranoias show, but this OP has many hallmarks of WUS,

Equally, he may be just a dude asking a valid question.

I have my eyes open.

No it's any place with other English speaking individuals.

Posted

1. check visa requirements for that length stay.

2. My home Internet is very reliable, if it is off once a week, it is about five minutes. I use 3BB.

3. Settle near Chulalongkorn University or just get a hotel and look around. Language is not really a big problem altho very few general meetings of Thai speak much at all. Why worry so much ?

Posted

The internet's good pretty much anywhere in Bkk. Just sign up for the Mbps you need. I doubt you will run into a situation where they don't have the bandwidth to keep you happy. And I can vouch for 3BB reliability in my area near Victory Monument.

As for "Also I don't know anyone in Thailand and I don't speak Thai so I would like to stay in an area that has a decent amount of English speaking folks." I would humbly suggest you have it backwards. You are not half-circling the globe to be in NYC again. And I guess you chose Thailand because something about this country/culture/people appealed to you.

So dive in. Sign up for language classes, explore, eat out and do not worry. I'll tell you this from having been in a similar situation a decade ago: this is a hard country to get into trouble in if you are decently behaved and respectful of others.

Posted

Any suggestion's ?

Get a work permit ?

a work permit to run an online business?

Yes your working in Thailand

I'm not opening up a business there. I just need to be able to communicate with my employees in NY. I can't imagine this would require a permit.

  • Like 1
Posted

Internet is pretty reliable here, but you won't get an ADSL or cable connection for a few months. Minimum is usually a year. Get yourself an unlimited 3G plan.

Stay around Thong Lor or Ekkamai. Plently of English speakers around there and decent enough areas.

Ignore the nonsense on here about work permits. Nobody will care if you're working online.

Posted

Any suggestion's ?

Get a work permit ?

a work permit to run an online business?

Yep, you need a work permit to do that.

Welcome to Thailand.

  • Like 1
Posted

Internet is pretty reliable here, but you won't get an ADSL or cable connection for a few months. Minimum is usually a year. Get yourself an unlimited 3G plan.

Stay around Thong Lor or Ekkamai. Plently of English speakers around there and decent enough areas.

Ignore the nonsense on here about work permits. Nobody will care if you're working online.

Well done, you are encouraging someone to break the law, because no one cares. Wake up, immigration are clamping down.

Posted

Technically you need a work permit if you conduct 'any' business from within the borders of Thailand (paid, unpaid, or other). While many may tell you different, please note that there is a new Sheriff in town and they are making a lot of changes and enforcing the rules.

People post that the Internet is reliable, that is only for in-country connectivity. You'll find International Internet Gateway Service traffic another story altogether. While serviceable it really depends alot on your bandwidth and latency requirements.

Bangkok caters to a lot of foreign nationals so you'll find many of the locals working in the business and hospitality sectors can speak and understand English.

Please make use of the different forums available here on ThaiVisa. They are full of wisdom and advice.

Posted

As you have discovered, not even the most benign query escapes the incisive scrutiny of the sanctimonious scriveners resident on this forum.

You did not give any idea of what your accommodation budget is so hard to give specific recommendations but you will find the area of Sukhumvit Rd between Soi 1 and Soi 49 to be easy for Americans and all English speakers to live. The area between soi's 4 & 26 are the most intensely populated with Westerners and hotels and restaurants catering to their needs.

If you can afford a serviced residence such as JASMINE SUITES or CENTER POINT, you will get all the internet speed you need. Most hotels have decent internet but international speeds can vary greatly according to time of day.

Some time spent on AGODA.com or BOOKING.com will give you a pretty good idea of whats available for what price. For those who know how to use it, PRICELINE can get some great deals.

Posted

The internet in Bangkok is reliable... reliably unreliable.

Ok, kidding aside, it is generally good, but very slow in the evenings (6pm to midnight/1am) and on weekends or holidays.

Technically, yes, you would need a work permit to run an internet business.

Welcome to Thailand.

Posted

Well, my experience at Grande Centre Point Rachamadri between January and May of this year was that there were very few interruptions to Internet connectivity but the speed was not great. I was unable to play my Slingbox there but it plays very well here in Tokyo where I have a fiber optic connection. The connection in Central Food Court ( within walking distance from the hotel near Chidlom Skytrain Station) was quite reliable and faster than the hotel. If you can wrangle an ethernet rather than a wirelss connection wherever you stay, you'll probably get better speed. Good luck! I highly recommend the grand suites at Grande Centre Point. Truly five-star. Check their website (same as their name) and ask for the monthly rate. You really can't beat their central location and excellent service. Personally, I'll be there from Nov. 24 of this year through April 24, 2015.

Posted

Come to Pattaya, cheaper than Bangkok, much higher %age of foreigners and Internet everywhere.

Be aware that you need a visa to stay here that long and the back to back visas are history.

Be also aware that in the moment you do any kind of work anywhere in Thailand you would need a work permit for which you wouldn't qualify with the setup you have.

For more details on this see the visa and work permit section, half an hour of reading there should underline what I just said.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Posted

Hi

I use True (10M/1M 699 Bath/Month) Internet in Phaya Thai . (west Bangkok)

It works great. I only have lost internet when there is a power

break down which sadly occur on a weekly Basis :-(

But the internet is good :-)

Posted

Why Bangkok? Phuket has all the benefits and many other aspects. Hotels and residencias giving very good deals because bookings have fallen off. Internet pretty much as good/bad as Bangkok, I would say reliable for business purposes. I left NYC long ago, am very familiar with Bangkok (and with most of the world) and find Phuket is best choice.

Posted (edited)

The internet in Bangkok is reliable... reliably unreliable.

Ok, kidding aside, it is generally good, but very slow in the evenings (6pm to midnight/1am) and on weekends or holidays.

Technically, yes, you would need a work permit to run an internet business.

Welcome to Thailand.

my true internet in BKK is bullet proof 24/7 and has been for about 10 years now.

i would suggest any one experiencing contention issues like you discus may be using a shared line and not have their own dedicated connection

i have minor slowing on torrents during peak hours but rarely more than 10-15 percent.

i also find my 3 g more than adequate for work as well, though rarely uses it for that purpose

Edited by HooHaa

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