Looking for room, computer and internet in Bangkok

[christianpfc]

Looking for room, computer and internet in Bangkok

If everything goes alright, I will shortly move into a room in Bangkok (Lak Si area) and start working in Thailand in February. (Save your congratulations for a confirmation topic or update on a previous topic because I need so sign work contract and get work permit first.)

Finding a room should not be a problem (I should get somthing to my standards for 3-4000 Baht per month). I am pondering wether I should get a room that already has aircon, fridge, hot water, Farang toilet or a completely bare room (for a lower rent) where I would have to have these things installed at my cost and leave them when I move out. But this will be solved by availability in the area where I want to live (in walking distance to my work place). (I did not forget to include a TV, I think I wonтАШt not need a TV.)

I will need a new computer (i.e. new to me), I have a used desktop in mind, I think a two year old computer with four year old software will be sufficent for all my needs. As far as I know, flatscreens are cheap now, so I will not bother with a cathode ray tube monitor. Can anyone give advice on bying used computers (PC, Windows, refurbished and tested) in Bangkok? I will use it for writing texts (word), reading articles (pdf), watching porn and for internet and camfrog. I just realized that I never bought a computer.

Finally I will need internet. If there is a telephone cable in my room, would it be the best solution to get internet via phone cable? If no cable is in my room, should I get a cable or get internet via WiFi or a mobile phone contract for internet? Which operator should I chose (I want to have direct access to sawatdee-gay-thailand)? As you might be able to conclude from my questions, I am not very knowledegeable about the subject of internet, but I am willing to learn.

I would be grateful for other advice on how to chose a room (and computer and internet) as well, stuff you might not think of at first and realize days or weeks later that they are important. E.g. a 7-eleven, a laundry service, an internet cafe and a bus stop within walking distance would be nice.

[cdnmatt]

Can't help except for the internet. As for that, True Internet hates gay people! Don't go with them. Besides, I signed up for 20mbps with them, they hooked it up, it was working great for the first couple weeks, then broke. After they "fixed" it, it became unusable. So I've just stuck with 3BB, and they're great, with no complaints.

Another option for internet is the 3G pre-paid aircards. I have an iFox Aircard which looks like:

http://news.siamphone.com/upload/content/Image/ifox/ifox_aircard_hspa800_03.jpg

Can't remember, but I think it was 2400 baht for the actual modem. You just stick it into your USB port on your computer, and that's it. Then you can get top-up cards at loads of places (eg. cell phone shops, bookstores, etc.) which cost 214 baht for 1000MB. Good speed from my experience, and you can watch Youtube for example without it buffering. I don't use it often, but it's good to have around if I want to get out of the house and work in a coffee shop or pub, or if the internet here goes down.

[Mancs]

Though it sells mostly new IT stuff, Pantip Plaza has some used PC's and laptops at the back of one of the floors. New computers did not seem cheap in Thailand when I last looked so that must keep up the value of used gear. The tip that was posted here, if any network blocks this site, as it does at my favourite hotel in bkk, is to use turbohide.com to access it.

[pong]

IN BKK-big city there is free wifi (dont know how safe that can be....) among ANY govt office, school or citypark.
As already told on anotehr forum- there is a Phantip-style IT-city big store along Chaeng wattana-near Laksi train station. Seems there is now a brand new gay sauna opned up right behind that place. Tesco and a little further a giant BigC (former Central) are along Phahonyotin-toward sapan Mai and also beside ChWattana-toward the brand new govt big centre.
For about all 2nd hand stuff: indeed, it does not discount very much in Thailand, much less as in the west/US. But that does not mean you can fetch high prices yourself when wanting to sell.....

[christianpfc]

Ok, I will avoid True Internet if they are the ones who block SGT. On my recent holidays, I used hidemyass to circumwent blocking of SGT, in some cases it worked, in others it was slow or worked incomplete (i.e. you could only read, but not log in; or the presentation of the website was distorted).


Seems there is now a brand new gay sauna opned up right behind that place.
If you have details, please let me know.

[ceejay]

You may find this post from January by Dodger interesting. He has actually done what you are planning on doing - rented a Thai room and equipped it Western style:
post244643.html?hilit=%20toilet#p244643 (http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/post244643.html?hilit=%20toilet#p244643)