Home internet: True or AIS?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

try the new AIS Fiber if possible, it is fast, reliable, no up and down, never any problem 50/15 for 590 Baht!

pdc

After years of dealing with the various frustrations of True's spotty cable internet service and equally spotty customer service in BKK, I just ditched them this week and finally was able to sign up for 3BB's Fiber to the Home (FTTH) service of 100/10 Mbps for 1200b+ per month.

Thus far in my testing, it's way faster for both domestic and international (tested U.S. and Singapore servers) than the prior 30/3 MbpsTrue Online package that I was paying 799b+ a month for, which also included a mobile phone SIM I didn't use and cable TV I didn't watch.

I don't really care about 100 Mbps for Thailand connections, for the most part. But with True, I was getting about 1.5 Mbps to the U.S., and with 3BB, I'm getting 4-5 Mbps. And that I DO care about.

In the end, the final straw with True was they did something with their network, and for the past year or so, my upload speeds, even domestically, had been HORRIBLE. Supposedly has a 3 Mbps upload plan, but what I was getting was often less than 300 Kbps, even for basic things like Hotmail and Gmail. Had them out many times, they switched routers, changed all the lines, etc etc., and never did fix the problem. And for that matter, never could explain why suddenly, after years of no problems, their upload speeds had gone to h**l, at least for my location.

Plus, I really came to "enjoy" waking up for the day, sitting down in front of my PC to do some work, and finding my internet connection was dead. Call True, can't get thru on their phone line to English support, and it seemed they'd often turn off their voicemail menu option for English support during those times. And then eventually, I'd get a phone recording telling me their service was going to be out for most of the day for "network improvements." Well, if they're going to do like that, how about doing the work during off hours when people aren't trying to work. Or, at least, posting or sending some kind of advance notice to affected customers so they'd know ahead of time and could plan accordingly. But of course, never did like that.

Or, have a scheduled True service call, and wait at home during the appointed time. They don't show or call. Call them, they promise the tech is coming later. Wait at home for the rest of the day. The tech never shows, and their customer service never calls back.... That's the kind of stuff you can expect, if you ever have to deal with them for customer service.

Can't speak to AIS, since their fiber isn't available in my BKK neighborhood as yet. But in terms of customer service, I've always found AIS (whom I use for my mobile service) to be excellent, especially their English call center. The various flavors of True... not so much.

See my 3BB FTTH test results here below:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/906767-3bb-fibre-quietly-upgraded-to-100-mbps/?p=10714664

Edited May 7, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Straight8]

I have True signal up and down in strength all the time

And mine is stable 99% of the time.

[gandalf12]

Slows to a crawl whenever it rains, leading me to suspect crappy wiring down my sub-soi around Asoke. (Or everyone gets on the Interweb when the weather sucks)

If you are not connected by wire or fiber then expect the speed to vary with rain. Normally the attenuation over 300MHz is very significant in radio based systems

Sadly, I have to confess that I have 2 wires coming into a junction box on my balcony and nary a clue where those 2 wires lead on their side. I thought I was connected by wire... I guess for all I know, those wires may lead to a satellite dish on the roof, though I figured I was somehow connected to that ungodly rat's nest of cables on the poles at the street in front of my apartment building.

Which begs the question, is there a resource (link) that explains in English the different connection schemes for the internet options here in Thailand? Cable, fiber, frequencies, bandwidth, limitations, idiosyncrasies, caveats, etc?

Have a look at this link, it may help. It isnt a real technical piece of work but may be of use to you. If you need something more technical let me know. http://compnetworking.about.com/od/wirelessrouters/bb/wirelessrouter.htm

[MyFrenU]

As a side note I believe the True DOCSIS connections are a dedicated,single IP address to your house only,unilke the normal broadband which is bundled to 20-30 or more for the same IP address.I have to say the Customer Service in Bangkok was always excellent and I never had any problem at all,believe me I dumped their Platinum Package cable TV deal years ago when they lost the English Premier League and didn't knock a single satang off the bill,so I have less than zero reasons to recommend anything from them!

[impulse]

One more time, back from a short trip and no luv from True ADSL using a Zytel or TP-Link router. Resets, on-off, unplugging- all the usual things haven't worked and it's the weekend so I have no translator to call their service line.

Off to Fortune Town to buy a Belkin router and if that doesn't solve the problem, I'll be switching providers.

I've had to do about half my web surfing this year by tethering my cell phone, and it's time for a change.

[lopburi3]

If you are in Bangkok on an older True phone line (rather than installed for internet) that was installed under the old New York Telephone contract (first major phone line upgrade in Bangkok) believe they installed remote loopback terminators which is a known negative factor for ADSL. I had the issues but after many calls to fix something was done outside home and had no further issues.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

As a side note I believe the True DOCSIS connections are a dedicated,single IP address to your house only,unilke the normal broadband which is bundled to 20-30 or more for the same IP address.I have to say the Customer Service in Bangkok was always excellent and I never had any problem at all,believe me I dumped their Platinum Package cable TV deal years ago when they lost the English Premier League and didn't knock a single satang off the bill,so I have less than zero reasons to recommend anything from them!

I don't believe that's correct. AFAIK, the normal True cable internet service is based on Dynamic IP address assignments. They do have fixed IP address services, but those are more expensive and not the normal consumer plans they offer.

I had True DOCSIS cable internet for the past many years, and it was always Dynamic IP, and their service plans specified it as such.

[impulse]

Quick tip: If you want a Belkin ADSL router, Fortune Town ain't the place to go. They have 'em on Lazada, but I was headed out for lunch anyway. May as well have been looking for unicorn eggs.

I felt kinda bad after the 8th shop... I was very polite and patient the first 4 or 5, explaining that the multitude of ADSL routers they did have were not what I wanted, I wanted to try a Belkin, blah blah blah. By the 7th or 8th, I was a little short- "if you don't have a Belkin, I don't want what you have, thank you". That's when it was time to come home and regroup.

[JWNY]

On 6 May 2016 at 3:22 PM, patyh said:

IMHO, if I only need internet and do not need cable TV from True, I would go for AIS.

As AIS is a new player, their network is not as congested as True. furthermore, they have more bandwidth than True.

AIS is also indirectly controlled by Singtel so the people handling the network is pretty knowledgeable..

My experience with their customer service so far has been top notch. Fast and helpful response. With True, it's always a 24 hours wait.

It may be because AIS is still new, but hey so far they are doing a pretty good job.. And for their price? Why not give them a go?!

Hi Patyh,

 

could you kindly recommend an AIS package of basic Internet and tv? 

 

Many people including my agent recommended True but I'm seeing too many horror stories. 

 

My prepaid sim card is AIS and so far so good. 

 

Thank you in advance. 

[patyh]

11 hours ago, JWNY said:

Hi Patyh,

 

could you kindly recommend an AIS package of basic Internet and tv? 

 

Many people including my agent recommended True but I'm seeing too many horror stories. 

 

My prepaid sim card is AIS and so far so good. 

 

Thank you in advance. 

 

AIS basic internet is essentially powered by something like a android TV box. So, if you want to avoid the hassle, then the AIS playbox is a good pick. 

 

The plan with AIS playbox starts at 888 for a 50mbps plan. If you are a existing AIS post paid subscriber, the you can get 10% off. 

 

If all you do is just simple web browsing and TV watching, then 50mbps plan is more than enough. Heck, it's more than enough for me considering how many stuff I stream online nowadays. 

[JWNY]

Hi Patyh,

 

Thank you for your kind reply.

 

Before your insights. I was beginning to think that my condo agent or other Thai friends have a bias-ness with using TRUE.

 

I will check this package out from AIS and also True before making a decision. Wishing you a nice weekend

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 5/8/2016 at 0:53 PM, impulse said:

Quick tip: If you want a Belkin ADSL router, Fortune Town ain't the place to go. They have 'em on Lazada, but I was headed out for lunch anyway. May as well have been looking for unicorn eggs.

I felt kinda bad after the 8th shop... I was very polite and patient the first 4 or 5, explaining that the multitude of ADSL routers they did have were not what I wanted, I wanted to try a Belkin, blah blah blah. By the 7th or 8th, I was a little short- "if you don't have a Belkin, I don't want what you have, thank you". That's when it was time to come home and regroup.

 

Every time I go to FortuneTown for tech shopping, it makes me a little crazy. Of course, there are small shops all over the place, and only very generally organized by type of products being sold. I always go in knowing exactly what I want, but trying to find the shop or shops that may have that particular item sometimes feels like a tortured Easter Egg hunt.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

15 hours ago, patyh said:

 

AIS basic internet is essentially powered by something like a android TV box. So, if you want to avoid the hassle, then the AIS playbox is a good pick. 

 

The plan with AIS playbox starts at 888 for a 50mbps plan. If you are a existing AIS post paid subscriber, the you can get 10% off. 

 

If all you do is just simple web browsing and TV watching, then 50mbps plan is more than enough. Heck, it's more than enough for me considering how many stuff I stream online nowadays. 

 

I think overall, if you were to read all the various posts on the subject here on TVF, you'd find that AIS's relatively new fiber internet service is getting overall good reviews and performance statistics from those who have it.

 

The other obvious benefits are AIS offering discounted prices to those who already have their prepaid mobile service, and also offering the pretty much free Android TV box that will support their upcoming partnership with HBO and enable local streaming of the various HBO channels that formerly were on TrueVisions cable.

 

True Online says they have fiber internet, but a lot of what they actually still use is older-style co-ax cabling that perhaps runs down your street and into your home. True also was ridiculously overpriced for a long time, and remained that way until AIS and 3BB started eating their lunch (stealing their customers away) with much better and more affordable fiber services of their own.

 

This seems to be a rare example in Thailand where competition is really working and benefiting consumers.

 

 

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

I have AIS Fibre (or Fiber). It's my landlord's, actually. So I don't know the specs but it's been surprisingly fast and reliable. It's the happiest experience with internet in Thailand that I've had. 

[tutsiwarrior]

On 5/6/2016 at 11:24 AM, KhunBENQ said:

I can only give you my personal impression from reading here in the forum and I read about everything on internet access.

True gets endless complaints about being ridiculously slow, having erratic performane.

They are big in marketing/advertising, overselling like mad.

As said this is just an impression from what I read here.

Things can differ from district to district.

I have ToT fibre, ToT being the most cursed ISP in the forum, particularly in Pattaya (where most reports come from).

I live remotely in upcountry and being very satisfied with them.

As written above: local experience counts.

 

I've had ToT for various laptops since 2003 from dial up to the present fiber optic service...sure there's been probs but no more or less than other providers, everyone complains when there is bad weather, etc...I leave that stuff up to the step daughter (who has an iPhone) who knows more than I do...maybe the ToT connection is better than the others in our area in Suphanburi?

 

 

Edited February 26, 2017 by tutsiwarrior

[JerryinTH]

AIS fiber all the way. 

We have True in our house and AIS in our condo. It's heaven and hell. 

True sometimes gives me 2mbit, sometimes 50mbit. AIS is always constant. 

AIS has less customers than true, meaning less people using the same line etc.. my vote goes for AIS!

 

[choudens]

with AIS your service is never disconnected whereas TRUE to be disconnected is something happening every day and sometime for days in a row!!

[brewsterbudgen]

As a True Online customer for many years, I am delighted to have switched to AIS fiber.  Half the price (for 6 months), faster speeds and, most importantly, very few dropouts.  In the last year, True have been a nightmare!

[patyh]

1 minute ago, brewsterbudgen said:

As a True Online customer for many years, I am delighted to have switched to AIS fiber.  Half the price (for 6 months), faster speeds and, most importantly, very few dropouts.  In the last year, True have been a nightmare!

 

I've had three providers before.. Here's a summary:

 

True in my old place: Terrible.. Frequent Drop of service.. Take them ages to get it back online.. Speeds was terrible.. 

3bb VDSL at my new place: Great so far, good speed.. can be spotty during peak hours even though I'm one of the few using VDSL, most of the people in my estate are using ADSL.. I wonder why.. 

AIS at my condo: Great speeds, no issue with streaming.. Has yet to drop connection. 

[Spaniel]

How about price?      Many replies but no one has mentioned price.     I have True and pay B640 per  month.

[patyh]

15 hours ago, Spaniel said:

How about price?      Many replies but no one has mentioned price.     I have True and pay B640 per  month.

 

For AIS, if you were to get a plan together with the AIS playbox (Their TV set-top box) then the plans are as follows:

 

50mbps @ Baht 888/month. 

100mbps @ Baht 1,100/month.

 

If you were to only get the internet package without their set-top box, then the plans are as follows:

 

30mbps @ Baht 590/month.

75mbps @ Baht 890/month. 

 

If you are a current AIS subscriber, then you get a 10% discount on the above price, and if you are a AIS serenade customer, you get a further Baht 100 discount off then 10% discount. I find what AIS provide a very good deal if you are currently a AIS customer.  

[brewsterbudgen]

21 minutes ago, patyh said:

 

For AIS, if you were to get a plan together with the AIS playbox (Their TV set-top box) then the plans are as follows:

 

50mbps @ Baht 888/month. 

100mbps @ Baht 1,100/month.

 

If you were to only get the internet package without their set-top box, then the plans are as follows:

 

30mbps @ Baht 590/month.

75mbps @ Baht 890/month. 

 

If you are a current AIS subscriber, then you get a 10% discount on the above price, and if you are a AIS serenade customer, you get a further Baht 100 discount off then 10% discount. I find what AIS provide a very good deal if you are currently a AIS customer.  

Also if you "migrate" from True, they will give you a 50% discount for the first 6 months.

[patyh]

Just now, brewsterbudgen said:

Also if you "migrate" from True, they will give you a 50% discount for the first 6 months.

 

Which makes it the best deal you can get presently.. Just hope they don't be like true or 3bb, overselling their plans until everyone slows down.. 

[JWNY]

thank you guys, really enjoying my AIS playbox package.

 

Looks like i have to tup up THB299 for HBO and footy. Overall still a good deal

[HampiK]

I just received CSloxinfo. So can't tell yet about service.
But 35/15 for 590baht (first 4 months 100 baht)
So seems for me till now OK

[Thai Ron]

True DOCSIS been solid for 6 years down here in leafy Sukhumvit 23.

50 Mbps gives me 6.1 MBps on torrents and crisp, buffer-free streaming on Netflix........at the same time

Part of a package Truevisions/Truemove-H/Fixed line and Trueonline for 2999.

I'm probably getting a duff deal considering just how crap Truevisions is but can't be bothered to go through all the aggro of changing to someone like AIS and I don't want to lose the DOCSIS.

[patyh]

On 4/15/2017 at 1:42 PM, Thai Ron said:

True DOCSIS been solid for 6 years down here in leafy Sukhumvit 23.

50 Mbps gives me 6.1 MBps on torrents and crisp, buffer-free streaming on Netflix........at the same time

Part of a package Truevisions/Truemove-H/Fixed line and Trueonline for 2999.

I'm probably getting a duff deal considering just how crap Truevisions is but can't be bothered to go through all the aggro of changing to someone like AIS and I don't want to lose the DOCSIS.

 

Are you staying in a Condo or a landed property? 

 

AIS provides their internet services through fibre optic cable which are much better than DOCSIS. 

 

AIS currently have their AIS playbox which is essentially an Android Box but will support their newly bought HBO channels soon.. It's also much cheaper... So, I highly recommend you give AIS a try since their internet services has been working great for me so far in my apartment. 

[threefurryfaces]

Is it possible to get True cable TV service on AIS fibre?


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[patyh]

On 4/21/2017 at 8:14 PM, threefurryfaces said:

Is it possible to get True cable TV service on AIS fibre?


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

 

Nope. 2 Different provider.. 

 

You could however get the AIS playbox which does offer subscription to stuff like HBO. 

[dubyadee]

Anyone know the total cost of AIS PlayBox platinum package (HBO) + 100MBPS fiber?  Cheers