Internet speeds in Thailand are a joke

[JThai]

Speedtest. Let me know if there is a better one.

Don't use a Flash/Ookla-based testers like Speedtest.net for "international" speed testing as most of these testers can be easily fooled by local cache servers....multithreading can also cause unrealistic results for things like video streaming, general browsing, etc. Speedtest.net is fine for local/in country testing but easily fooled for download and/or ping in international testing. ISPs love people to use Speedtest.net for international testing as it almost always gives download speeds similar to domestic speeds. Then people wonder why does there video streaming pause, webpages load slow, etc., when they are getting such great Speedtest.net results?

Use a "java-based" tester like testmy.net. There a section on testmy.net that explains the pitfalls of using a Flash-based tester.

For example, I just ran a speed test to Dallas U.S.A. using Speedtest.net and Testmy.net. I'm on a True DOCSIS 15Mb/1.5Mb plan here in Bangkok. Below are the results...notice on the Speedtest.net results my download speed is very high...no way I'm getting that speed to Dallas. Now when I use the testmy.net tester to Dallas you will notice more real world download speeds...a speed I can believe based on performance I get in video streaming and other downloads.

Speedtest.net Results to Dallas

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Testmy.net Results to Dallas

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Hey Pib - testmy.net definitely shows a huge difference than Speedtest (1.2 mbs vs 12.9 mbs - I pay true for 13 mbs). But what to do? When I 1st came to BKK 6 yrs ago and had True and I knew I was in a different world from my US DirectTV satellite connection giving me nearly 1 GB (domestic). I moved to Hua Hin and had 3BB which was marginally better. On my return BKK, I had TOT for a year - suck speeds. Now I'm back at True for last 1 year and think TOT was even better.

BTW: Not too long ago I was talking with my Thai landlord and commented about Thai ISPs not having satellite. His reply - "Bill, they hook up every residence to a fixed line here because there's corruption money to be paid in the millions of individual hook-ups. A simple satellite dish eliminates all of that so don't look for a dish here anytime in the next few decades."

Oh well, least of my worries (as long as I don't throw my computer off the balcony some day).

LOL DirectTV giving you 1 GB? Yeah right. I don't know of any satellite provider providing anywhere near that. Satellite is an awful internet connection and only good if you have NO OTHER OPTION. Minimum latency of 750ms. What you probably had was DirecTV with bundled fiber internet connection. DirecTV hasn't provided real sat internet for a long long time.

And what the landlord said is total BS too. The real reason there is no satellite internet widely available is because it simply sucks.

Look forward to someone trying to say I'm wrong about this haha.