Internet Service options - problem solving solution needed

[dannywla]

We currently live in a new condo, near Cosy Beach. We tested the speed and it's less than needed to download streaming files. Download Reading was 2.62Mb/s Provider shows 3bbb, but since the condo has been completed 6 months the service has been consistently worse.

I am fortunate to have True cellular service; 2 gb on iPhone and 5 gb on iPad external service, so I can always resort to no wi-fi and pull a decent enough signal to stream my true anywhere HDTV and sporting events.

What options have my fellow Pattaya users resorted too to insure decent download speed at a affordable price? We are being told by CAT that too bring in your own line they want 45,000 baht for installation plus another 1500 baht a month for service.

Is there a external device that one has that can be used as a hot spot and with no less than 10 gb as a option. True offers one in Bangkok, and you can take it with you and that becomes your wi-fi signal. We do not have True hard wired in our condo.

[2fishin2]

Best you can do is get a dedicated line to your init. If you are getting 3bb wifi then that means it is a provider to your condo building. 1500 a month is WAY expensive.

[KittenKong]

If your building has a shared wifi connection (which is fairly common in buildings here) then you can pretty much expect it to be underpowered, especially at peak periods. I imagine that your building has been getting fuller since it opened and that probably explains why the service has been getting slower.

The answer is to get your own connection. Check other suppliers like 3BB as they should be able to provide ADSL for around 700-1000B per month plus installation fee.

As your building is new it may be that the quote you were given is for fibre, and if so you should consider going with it as the service is much better than ADSL. Maybe other suppliers can provide fibre in your building also: ask them.

You may also find that your cable TV provider can offer a broadband connection.

As for stand-alone hotspot devices, yes 3G/4G mini-routers are cheap and will work as well as the 3G/4G signal on your phone does but your problem will be with the amount of data you can use. Just buy one anywhere and slot a SIM in.

Other options might be the 100B/month wifi provided by all the usual phone names. Depending on where your nearest access point is you may get a good signal. It's certainly wont cost a fortune to test it out.

[KhunBENQ]

Bet it is shared WiFi (some antennas around the building)?

Friend of mine in Jomtien had the same and was very unhappy.

It took quite a while to get a dedicated line.

"all full" was the answer he understood.

Now he seems happy.

[tropo]

OP, do you mean 2.62 MB/s or 2.62 Mbps. 2.62 MB/s = 21.96 Mbps?

If it's the later, that's a decent speed for Pattaya if it is consistent.

You say you live "close to Cosy Beach". I live in Cosy Beach and really, you're either IN Cosy Beach or you're not as it's an isolated area with one road in and out.

If you live IN Cosy Beach, you should be able to get CAT Fiber Optic. I have it and it is extremely reliable. Perhaps the CAT people are confused as to your location. If we have it in Cosy Beach, there's a good chance it is available in the entire Pratumnak Hill area as Cosy Beach is usually the last place to get anything.

Affordability is a bit vague as that depends on budget. The cheapest CAT Fiber Optic service (called CAT On Net) runs at 4,200 + tax per month, For that you get 35 Mbps/5Mbps. This is the type of service that many apartment/condos/hotels use. I got CAT because it was the very fist fiber optic service available in Cosy Beach. 3BB hadn't made it there yet (as of July last year) but were available in other areas around Pratumnak Hill. They have a very cheap entry level package for about 1,200 (promo), but I suspect this service is very highly shared and won't be anything near as reliable as a CAT service. I can't remember the exact installation cost but it was around 5000 baht. As an existing CAT adsl customer I got a discount.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

You can buy the TRUE MiFi for 1499 baht at the TRUE outlet in BIG C Extra Pattaya Klang. It simply utilises the data stream from a standard mobile SIM and creates a WiFi signal. Though it's only 3G. Their 4G MiFi is a ludicrous 3590 baht. I can pick them up for !500 baht in the UK. Their 10GB package is 8 to 900 baht per month plus VAT. They also have a 14GB package for 1000 to 1100 baht.. You can buy a generic or unlocked MiFi for less, so that you can use any network's SIM.