Free WiFi Internet in Pattaya

A friend has finally persuaded me to visit Thailand for the first time and I will be arriving next week. My question is about тАЬfreeтАЭ Internet access. My friend says that to use an Internet cafe I will have to show identification and have my visit recorded. I wonтАЩt be doing that. I will be bringing my laptop and I want to know how easy it will be to find home or hotel WiFi connections without passwords in Pattaya that I can piggyback just by sitting in a nearby coffee shop. I use my neighbour's WiFi here in Sydney as he hasn't put a password on it so I guess he intends to give free access to me.

Shouldn't be a problem to find a bar or restaurant that offers free wifi. I noticed that an ad for Bondi Beach Bar (right on Dong Tan beach) mentioned having wifi.

[gearguy]

last time I was in Pattaya I was able to get a connection at Panaroma. I don;t think they have WiFi, but the beer bar down the soi on the corner does.

[davidwilsoon]

Le Cafe Royal (hotel) has free WiFi you do need the WEP password which you can request when you check in. I believe that the Ambiance Hotel also has free WiFi which is also secured. I see free WiFi signs everywhere - coffee shops, shopping centers, etc. Sometimes though a "service" is discontinued but the sign is not taken down or the service does not function and no one knows anything about the service.

The Le Cafe Royal WiFi has been very reliable.

In summary you should find plenty of places to connect.

[DCbob]

Tukcom has free wifi.
Many restaurants have free wifi.
Sorry, but cannot remember name but there is free wifi in a small bar/real estate entering Sunee Plaza from Soi VC where the motorbike taxis are waiting (down the street is Crazy Dragon)
Most Hotels and guesthouses has wifi. TwoGuys and Howards are the ones I remember right off the top of my head.
And you can connect by LAN in most of the Internet Cafes for the same price as using their machines. So go and have some fun, and stay in touch with people and places by your own computer.

Thanks for the many helpful suggestions but using the WiFi of an Internet cafe or getting the WEP from hotel rather defeats the purpose which as anonymity (and freeloading but that's a by-product of anonymity). I kinda thought saying that I wasn't prepared to provide my ID to an Internet cafe would have been a bit of a clue there.

[firecat69]

Don't know where you got your info. I have been in a hundred internet cafes in Bangkok,Pattaya,Chiang Mai. Not once have I ever been asked for ID.

[stevehadders]

I stay at Le Cafe Royale reguarly - yes you need the code provided by reception. However the signal from Ambiance is v strong and I normally log onto it - no password needed - I guess you could pick it up from Panorama and the surounds

Don't know where you got your info. I have been in a hundred internet cafes in Bangkok,Pattaya,Chiang Mai. Not once have I ever been asked for ID.My friend showed me this. Has the law changed? http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thailand- ... 06147.html (http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thailand-s-Internet-Law-Begins-Aug-t206147.html)

[TrongpaiExpat]

Don't know where you got your info. I have been in a hundred internet cafes in Bangkok,Pattaya,Chiang Mai. Not once have I ever been asked for ID.My friend showed me this. Has the law changed? http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thailand- ... 06147.html (http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thailand-s-Internet-Law-Begins-Aug-t206147.html)

You are new to Thailand. It was enforced for a good week then ignored. Same-same helmets on Motocys, parking on the sidewalk, boot-leg DVD, brand names and software, sex shows, and prostitution. Laws in Thailand are more like suggestions. Mai pen rai and sa bai sa bai.

I bet you were one of those kids that reminded the teacher that she/he forgot to give a homework assignment when the bell rang.

Though, not to give you the impression that it's the wild west over here. Certain laws get enforced under certain circumstances but not consistently. Drugs and underage are notable exceptions generally speaking. Stay clear of both and you will not likely have any dealing with the authorities.

Have a good time.

[allieb]

Thanks for the many helpful suggestions but using the WiFi of an Internet cafe or getting the WEP from hotel rather defeats the purpose which as anonymity (and freeloading but that's a by-product of anonymity). I kinda thought saying that I wasn't prepared to provide my ID to an Internet cafe would have been a bit of a clue there.

And just why do you want to cover your tracks with anonyminity, what do you intend to get up to? And freeloading you sound like a mean cunt. Perhaps you should also be asking the location of free soup kitchens. Put some orange robes on and shave your head. You might get a free meal in a temple

And just why do you want to cover your tracks with anonyminity, what do you intend to get up to? And freeloading you sound like a mean cunt.Since you ask so politely I'm a journalist and I always cover my tracks by using an Internet connection anonymously. Authorities can only track down the owner of an Internet connection, not who was using it at the time. I'm very conscious that there's no free speech in Thailand - http://www.reuters.com/article/artsNews ... 4820080903 (http://www.reuters.com/article/artsNews/idUSBKK9474820080903) and http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 898991.ece (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6898991.ece) . I see you live in a semi-totalitarian country so I would imagine you already know the dangers of someone trying to track you down.

[allieb]

And just why do you want to cover your tracks with anonyminity, what do you intend to get up to? And freeloading you sound like a mean cunt.Since you ask so politely I'm a journalist and I always cover my tracks by using an Internet connection anonymously. Authorities can only track down the owner of an Internet connection, not who was using it at the time. I'm very conscious that there's no free speech in Thailand - http://www.reuters.com/article/artsNews ... 4820080903 (http://www.reuters.com/article/artsNews/idUSBKK9474820080903) and http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 898991.ece (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6898991.ece) . I see you live in a semi-totalitarian country so I would imagine you already know the dangers of someone trying to track you down.

So you don't mind your neighbour being under watch for some of the stuff you are afraid to send openly.

So you don't mind your neighbour being under watch for some of the stuff you are afraid to send openly.Shit happens.

[allieb]

So you don't mind your neighbour being under watch for some of the stuff you are afraid to send openly.Shit happens.

Just the kind of answer I would expect from a tabloid gutter press journalist. If indeed you are who you say you are, there have been plenty before you wrighting bad shit about Thailand. Hope you do get caught by the authorities if that's your game

[firecat69]

Doubt you make a living as a journalist, because you can't spell (wrighting) or use spell check?????

[TrongpaiExpat]

So you don't mind your neighbour being under watch for some of the stuff you are afraid to send openly.Shit happens.

Just the kind of answer I would expect from a tabloid gutter press journalist. If indeed you are who you say you are, there have been plenty before you wrighting bad shit about Thailand. Hope you do get caught by the authorities if that's your game

He did not say he was Andrew Drummond. He said he was new to Thailand and Drummond certainly is not. Tabloid gutter press writer Andrew Drummond has his own web site and would not likely be slumming on this board.


http://www.andrew-drummond.com/

I wouldn't call it "slumming" if Andrew Drummond posted here.

As low as this board is, Andrew comes from a place even lower.

I guess democracy has no friends here either. I have no interest in reporting on Thailand's sleaze; it does a very good job of that itself. I just wonder what you guys will be doing and saying when the civil war that's coming breaks out.

[Beachlover]

A friend has finally persuaded me to visit Thailand for the first time and I will be arriving next week. My question is about тАЬfreeтАЭ Internet access. My friend says that to use an Internet cafe I will have to show identification and have my visit recorded. I wonтАЩt be doing that. I will be bringing my laptop and I want to know how easy it will be to find home or hotel WiFi connections without passwords in Pattaya that I can piggyback just by sitting in a nearby coffee shop. I use my neighbour's WiFi here in Sydney as he hasn't put a password on it so I guess he intends to give free access to me.

I heard the cops in Queensland have implemented a strategy to either catch out freeloaders.... or at least warn those with unprotected connections.

[Beachlover]

Plenty of hotels have free Wi-Fi in Pattaya. This is unlike Phuket where almost every hotel I've come across wants to charge you for it.. Grrrr

[Brad the Impala]

I guess democracy has no friends here either. I have no interest in reporting on Thailand's sleaze; it does a very good job of that itself. I just wonder what you guys will be doing and saying when the civil war that's coming breaks out.

You know so much about a country that you have never visited, and know so little about.

I heard the cops in Queensland have implemented a strategy to either catch out freeloaders.... or at least warn those with unprotected connections.They can only warn those with unprotected connections; catching freeloaders is beyond their capabilities. You'd think they would have better things to do with their time.

[cdnmatt]

You'll be fine for anonymity in Thailand. Internet cafes don't require IDs, and generally hotels only have one or two wireless routers for the building. So if they tried to track you, it wouldn't point to you directly, but instead only to a list of guests staying at that hotel at that time. That, and lots of bars / cafes offer free wi-fi. Just order a coffee / beer, and ask for the password. There's also free wi-fi available at Starbucks, McDonalds (I think), and various other places.

Unless you're planning to start bashing the royal family, me thinks you're being way too paranoid. Or why not just invest $10 into a proxy, and brush up on encryption a little bit? Problem solved!

[jinks]

This is unlike Phuket where almost every hotel I've come across wants to charge you for it.. Grrrr

Then stop at Club 17, they have encrypted wifi with separate repeaters on each floor.

Oh yes, its free to guests, if you want the password PM for it.

The worst place is Koh Samui, all access sewn up needing access cards which are sold by the hotels.
I did find one coffee shop and Starbucks of course, where access was free.

if you want the password PM for it.



How do you think the owners of Club 17 would feel about your giving out their password to non-guests?

[Beachlover]

Doubt you make a living as a journalist, because you can't spell (wrighting) or use spell check?????

Andrew Drummond has heaps and heaps of typos on his website... surprisingly enough. Journalists are not always good spellers.

[Smiles]

Thanks for the many helpful suggestions but using the WiFi of an Internet cafe or getting the WEP from hotel rather defeats the purpose which as anonymity (and freeloading but that's a by-product of anonymity). I kinda thought saying that I wasn't prepared to provide my ID to an Internet cafe would have been a bit of a clue there.
In Patong (last March in fact) I was once asked for my passport in an internet cafe. I didn't have it on me, but I wouldn't have given it anyway ... there are lots of internet shops in Patong: this one just happened to be the closest at the moment.

Other than that single instance, in 10 years of using (probably hundreds now that I think about it) internet cafes in Thailand I've never been asked for ID of any kind to sit down and start hammering away.
Mr Andrew, you stew too much, worry about Other-Peoples-Governments too much, and project 'anal' way too much.

I've made it to Pattaya and located some free WiFi. I'm not sure who is letting me read the Thai Political Prisoners blog via their WiFi and then the proxy server I use for these sort of things but their speed is lousy.

Thai Political Prisoners (http://thaipoliticalprisoners.wordpress.com). I see from another thread that 29 November could be interesting.

[cdnmatt]

I've made it to Pattaya and located some free WiFi. I'm not sure who is letting me read the Thai Political Prisoners blog via their WiFi and then the proxy server I use for these sort of things but their speed is lousy.

Again, you're being way too paranoid. Just don't go around bashing the Royal Family, and I'm sure you'll be fine.


I see from another thread that 29 November could be interesting.

I thought you were a journalist doing work on / in Thailand? You had to find out about the red shirt protest from a Gay Thailand message board? Then again, I guess they only hope for 1,000,000 people and to overthrow the Thai government, so it's an easy fact to miss.

Just don't go around bashing the Royal Family, and I'm sure you'll be fine. I thought you were a journalist doing work on / in Thailand? You had to find out about the red shirt protest from a Gay Thailand message board? Then again, I guess they only hope for 1,000,000 people and to overthrow the Thai government, so it's an easy fact to miss.I try not to limit myself. I guess your second question/statement is one interpretation of what I wrote but reading some of the other threads here I see that focusing on the minutiae of what and how someone writes borders on an obsession with some contributors. I'm having to watch everything I write just in case I see a good turn of phrase that someone else has used and I get accused not of plagiarism but actually of being that other person. Do you guys get out much?

I guess democracy has no friends here either. I have no interest in reporting on Thailand's sleaze; it does a very good job of that itself. I just wonder what you guys will be doing and saying when the civil war that's coming breaks out.You know so much about a country that you have never visited, and know so little about.Maybe I should have answered this comment earlier. Australia's newspapers have stories most days on events in SE Asia. Almost weekly there is lengthy commentary. A few months ago for example there was a commentary article about Thailand that said in summary "Who would have thought ten years ago that Thailand would be a failure as a democracy and Indonesia a success." It then went on to catalogue the military and judicial coups in Thailand versus the relatively free and fair elections in Indonesia. You don't have to visit anywhere to know already something about that country if you bother to do some background reading first.

[Thai Dyed]

I guess democracy has no friends here either. I have no interest in reporting on Thailand's sleaze; it does a very good job of that itself. I just wonder what you guys will be doing and saying when the civil war that's coming breaks out.You know so much about a country that you have never visited, and know so little about.Maybe I should have answered this comment earlier. Australia's newspapers have stories most days on events in SE Asia. Almost weekly there is lengthy commentary. A few months ago for example there was a commentary article about Thailand that said in summary "Who would have thought ten years ago that Thailand would be a failure as a democracy and Indonesia a success." It then went on to catalogue the military and judicial coups in Thailand versus the relatively free and fair elections in Indonesia. You don't have to visit anywhere to know already something about that country if you bother to do some background reading first.

Another armchair political scientist! What a sad and gullible buffoon you are Andrew. You actually believe what you read in the papers? And in a country that spawned the likes of Rupert Murdoch? What a fucking pathetic joke!

[attachment=1:348g9b13]I am the news.jpg[/attachment:348g9b13]
[attachment=0:348g9b13]Rupert knows best.jpg[/attachment:348g9b13]

A few months ago for example there was a commentary article about Thailand that said in summary "Who would have thought ten years ago that Thailand would be a failure as a democracy and Indonesia a success." It then went on to catalogue the military and judicial coups in Thailand versus the relatively free and fair elections in Indonesia. You don't have to visit anywhere to know already something about that country if you bother to do some background reading first.

Your own background reading, and that of whoever wrote the "commentary article" you refer to, was clearly superficial at best as the answer to their question was anyone who had spent anytime or done a little research on the two countries. The "military and judicial coups in Thailand" have been going on unchallenged since "democracy" was first introduced and are anything but a particular feature of the last ten years - if anything, in terms of casualties on the streets, the last ten years have been comparatively mild (and I do stress comparatively).

If you want to make political or any other judgements that is your privilege, but if you are unable to support them with any personal knowledge or any valid research then your value as a journalist is zero.

If you want to make political or any other judgements that is your privilege, but if you are unable to support them with any personal knowledge or any valid research then your value as a journalist is zero.Thanks for that insight. Any suggestions on a useful implement to slash my wrists?

However, having done some research and remembering that the timeframe I gave was "who would have thought 10 years ago" that at that time (1999) Thailand had gone through three peaceful changes of government following a coup and a military-installed government. Maybe people hoped that Thailand's history of coups and bloodshed was behind it. Thailand went through a further two elections (both won by Thaksin) before the old habits reasserted themselves. I guess Gone Fishing is saying that the elections from 1995 to 2005 are a freak of Thai history before reverting to a "norm" of coups and bloodshed. What a depressing thought that there are people who believe that Thailand is incapable of anything better and that that is all its people should expect.
1992 Chuan
1995 Banharn
1996 Chavalit
1997 Chuan (again)
2001 Thaksin
2005 Thaksin

What a depressing thought that there are people who believe that Thailand is incapable of anything better and that that is all its people should expect.To paraphrase Miranda Priestley, they have never heard of Me. Perhaps this is their punishment.

[andrewcraig]

Andrew if you dont answer any more this will die a natural death , hopefully. Thanks for the info.good stuff.