True Docsis internet.

[casualbiker]

I just had the True 30/3 docsis internet installed (no fiber optic yet) the in Thailand speeds are impressive 42 up/ 3.3 down. But go international and True REALLY throttle the connection. Example: Hong Kong server 14.89 up/ 3.27 down. So my question is: how can I improve my download speed to China?

[ukrules]

Getting a VPN in Bangkok would give you very fast comms between you and Bangkok. If the VPN has access to fast international traffic than it will work faster when you route the traffic via the VPN and have access to a faster international connection. This is one scenario where a VPN will increase the speed instead of decreasing it as it will avoid the artificial throttle applied to international traffic by your local ISP, you're routing around the problem if you like.

Without something like the above it depends on what you're downloading and how you're downloading it.

If you're just downloading single files from a web server somewhere than a 'multi threaded' download manager which makes lots of separate connections and splits large files into smaller chunks will greatly increase the speed. This technique works very well on 3BB.

International connections are often throttled to 150 KB/s on 3BB depending on where you're connecting to but if you open up ten of them at the same time you can get 1500 KB/s which for me maxes out my connection.

There is a browser which has this multi threaded byte range request capability built into it by default, it's called Citrio. Otherwise there's the 'free download manager' open source program.

Edited November 15, 2015 by ukrules

[casualbiker]

^^^^ it's not really for downloading. It's for using Skype and the Chinese equivalent QQ. Funny enough standard 3BB didn't actually throttle the connection. I'm on the 3bb 15/1 and even to the HK server I got almost those figure's.. It's just a little annoying. I was expecting a little throttling just not half!!

[RichCor]

Think you have your Download and Upload items reversed.

And you're not going to exceed the provisioned account speed from your ISP, whatever that is, at least not without deploying some dedicated compression algorithms that hardly anyone goes to the bother of doing.

[casualbiker]

Think you have your Download and Upload items reversed.

And you're not going to exceed the provisioned account speed from your ISP, whatever that is, at least not without deploying some dedicated compression algorithms that hardly anyone goes to the bother of doing.

Yup.. I didn't notice that. Lol

I'm just going to complain tomorrow. And tell them if it doesn't change. Come and get the modem and stuff... Cancelled!

Edited November 15, 2015 by casualbiker

[SoiBiker]

I think your expectations are a little too high when it comes to international bandwidth from Thailand.

[casualbiker]

Well the fact that I was getting international 15/1 from a 15/1 3bb connection. I presumed that I'd get at least 20/3 from a 30/3 connection.. In country I'm actually getting 40/3... It's actually not much to hope for!!

Edited November 15, 2015 by casualbiker

[Pib]

Well the fact that I was getting international 15/1 from a 15/1 3bb connection. I presumed that I'd get at least 20/3 from a 30/3 connection.. In country I'm actually getting 40/3... It's actually not much to hope for!!

What speed tester are you using to do your speed tests?

[casualbiker]

Speedtest.net

[Pib]

Speedtest.net

Beware...as a OOKLA/Flash-based speed testers can sometimes be easily fooled by local/hidden/in-Thailand cache servers which can result in false/high download speeds and false/faster-than-light ping times. Should be no affect on upload speeds.

You might want to use something other than Speedtest.net for your international speed/ping testing to confirm the speed you are getting. testmy.net (java based) is a good one...you can select Hong Kong as the test server.

For example, I'm here in Bankgok on a True DOCSIS 15MB/1.5Mb, a few minutes ago when I used the True speed tester which is OOKLA/flash-based (like speedtest.net) and I got over a 20Mb download speed to Hong Kong....did the test again and only got 1.63Mb. Used testmy.net (java based...much hard for local cache server to fool) to their Hong Kong server several times and only got around 2Mb.

[SoiBiker]

http://speedof.me/ is pretty honest, too.

[Pib]

http://speedof.me/ is pretty honest, too.

How do pick a specific server to test to...it automatically tested to Singapore. It gave me over a 16Mb download speed and a 49ms ping . But lines between Thailand and Singapore are pretty fast...not hard getting a good international speed between Thailand and Singapore.

[SoiBiker]

http://speedof.me/ is pretty honest, too.

How do pick a specific server to test to...it automatically tested to Singapore. It gave me over a 16Mb download speed and a 49ms ping . But lines between Thailand and Singapore are pretty fast...not hard getting a good international speed between Thailand and Singapore.

Actually, I'm not sure you can - I just use different VPN servers to test to different locations.

[Pib]

http://speedof.me/ is pretty honest, too.

How do pick a specific server to test to...it automatically tested to Singapore. It gave me over a 16Mb download speed and a 49ms ping . But lines between Thailand and Singapore are pretty fast...not hard getting a good international speed between Thailand and Singapore.

Actually, I'm not sure you can - I just use different VPN servers to test to different locations.

From reading up on it, I don't think you can either...it just picks the one closest to you.

[casualbiker]

Update: True just keep telling us to turn off the router and the "problem" should be fixed.. It obviously doesn't fix it. Daytime the speeds to the HK server can get as high as 19 down / 3 up. Then slowly it goes down through out the afternoon/evening. Get to about 8pm it plummets to 3 down/ 3.2up. Which is bloody unusable!!! Bangkok speedtests show 42 down/3.2 up....rant over!

[SoiBiker]

True's international bandwidth does seem pretty messed up at the moment.

I find the same is often the case with most ISPs here, though. They just don't seem to have the capacity to meet the demand for international traffic all the time.

[casualbiker]

The technician that came today just plugged his laptop into the modem and reset it. He then checked the settings after that he did a speedtest to ADSL.com Bangkok server. I mentioned that if I wanted Bangkok I would just jump in the car. Test Hong Kong.. After a bit on his phone, he did.. Much lower figures.. So I then showed him my speedtests from the last three days.. It showed the gradual decline from 2pm to 5pm.. Then stable at 10Mbps until 8pm then a slow decline to 3-4Mbps.. Also showed him the 3bb results which stay stable at 10Mbps from 5pm..before that usually 14-15.... His response.... Oh!!!!

Ohh and tonight.. Slightly faster but still got a low of 5Mbps.. At the moment it's 10Mbps.

Edited November 18, 2015 by casualbiker

[elfpattaya]

I had the True Docis (30/3) for about 2 years, everything was OK until about 6 months ago. Then had the same problem, International speeds OK during the day rubbish in the evening starting from about 5 p.m. gradually getting worse until it was totally unusable.

I am based in Pattaya, and I questioned on this website whether anybody else was having same problems. It appeared that everyone in Bangkok was OK but people in Pattaya were having problems, so maybe the Pattaya server.

So same problem as OP, I telephoned them everyday for about 2 months, giving me all sorts of stupid excuses.

Eventually got rid of them and now have AIS Fiber, had it for about 2 months so far everything good. (touch wood).

[casualbiker]

Well. The last thing an English speaking senior adviser told me was that yes they have oversubscribed my village and yes when all the TV's go on that is taking bandwidth (they run through the docsis modem) and they will check to with technical to see if they can increase the bandwidth to the village! I said last chance because if I don't get at least 50% at all times I'm cancelling. The wife had already been told that we would need to pay 4,400baht to cancel the internet and another 2,500b to cancel the TV (which I didn't want) boll***s to that! I told her I'm not paying anything as it is them not providing a service. I was told it's only the shop that can make that decision.. Saturday morning should be fun then, when I take the whole lot back including the cabling. Lol

[casualbiker]

Well I took it all back to the shop Saturday morning. Cabling the lot! To be be told that they would call a technician to check the problem.. I said bit late as there's all the cables. I'm cancelling. They said "you have to call the call centre" I said they sent me here STOP wasting my time and cancel it. They were insistent that only the call centre could cancel. So I told them to call the call centre and sort it out. After about 20 min of faffing about I got annoyed raised my voice and told them STOP WASTING MY TIME get it sorted.. Finally. They gave me a form saying cancelled. I told them i wasn't paying anything as it was their problem. Will just wait for bill now!

[SoiBiker]

To be honest, it sounds like you just made a bit of a scene for no reason, when it would have been simpler to just make a phone call. Your choice, I guess.

Good luck getting decent international bandwidth elsewhere. They all seem to be having issues at the moment.

[casualbiker]

To be honest, it sounds like you just made a bit of a scene for no reason, when it would have been simpler to just make a phone call. Your choice, I guess.

Good luck getting decent international bandwidth elsewhere. They all seem to be having issues at the moment.

I made the phone call. The call centre TOLD ME to GO TO the shop to CANCEL. The call centre had also told me that it was only the shop who could process the cancellation on return of the equipment!

I'm already getting better international from 3bb than TRUE were giving and that's on a 15/1 connection.. I'm getting 15/1 amazingly.. Compared to True's evening speeds of 3/3!

[pj123]

Getting a VPN in Bangkok would give you very fast comms between you and Bangkok. If the VPN has access to fast international traffic than it will work faster when you route the traffic via the VPN and have access to a faster international connection. This is one scenario where a VPN will increase the speed instead of decreasing it as it will avoid the artificial throttle applied to international traffic by your local ISP, you're routing around the problem if you like.

Without something like the above it depends on what you're downloading and how you're downloading it.

If you're just downloading single files from a web server somewhere than a 'multi threaded' download manager which makes lots of separate connections and splits large files into smaller chunks will greatly increase the speed. This technique works very well on 3BB.

International connections are often throttled to 150 KB/s on 3BB depending on where you're connecting to but if you open up ten of them at the same time you can get 1500 KB/s which for me maxes out my connection.

There is a browser which has this multi threaded byte range request capability built into it by default, it's called Citrio. Otherwise there's the 'free download manager' open source program.

Where would I find a VPN that would speed up international traffic? Would this involve changing settings in my router?

By the way, I would be wary of Citrio: http://genxpose.blogspot.com/2014/12/citrio-browser-avoid-it.html