New internet Service In Pattaya

[RichLB]

I posted this on another Message Board, but thought maybe different users come here. I wrote:
Yesterday I caught an ad on Thai TV about a new internet service. I didn't understand it, of course, but when I went to Lotus on Thepasit, lo and behold, there was a kiosk there promoting it.

It's called True Online, claims to not need a telephone line, has speeds up to 8mbps, and free (for 3 months) wifi connections throughout Thailand. All this for under 600 bant/month. the rest of the brochure is in techyspeak and I can't understand exactly what they're offering or how the connection is delivered. Calling their info line yielded 15 minutes of music after being told by some English speaking Thai service rep to hold the line. I gave up.

Has anyone here any experience with this service? Does it do what it claims? Is it available throughout Pattaya or only in wifi hotspots? Any info would sure be appreciated because the internet service I now have sucks big time.
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[Beachlover]

Is it a wireless/mobile broadband service? If so, speeds are normally slower and it might be slightly more expensive, but you have the convenience of being able to get access from your laptop when out and about.

[bkkguy]

It's called True Online, claims to not need a telephone line, has speeds up to 8mbps, and free (for 3 months) wifi connections throughout Thailand. All this for under 600 bant/month.

paying careful attention to the fineprint I think you will find that it is ADSL and thus needs a telephone line, is "up to" 8MB for "from" 600 Baht/month!

in Bangkok if you also have truevision (ex UBC) you can get a true online 8MB ADSL and 2MB wi-fi package for 1,199 (plus VAT), without truevision a 512K and no wifi package is 599 Baht (plus VAT) - of course these are maximum theoretical speeds!

if you don't have a telephone line then a wi-fi only package would be better but true wi-fi currently covers most parts of downtown Pattaya but not Jomtien

as far as I know Pattaya is the first location outside Bangkok to get this package

full details:
True HiSpeed Promo

Why would anyone even THINK that a new service like that would be better than they have (unless you are using dial-in over crappy phone lines)?

Any new service would be bottlenecked at both the overloaded ISP-in lines and the poor connection to outside Thailand still.

Maybe the service is already there? Search for wireless connections. What do you see? I would GUESS that a free service like that wouldn't require a password yet for 3 months. Did you connect?

Many western cities have experimented with wide free public wi-fi access but I have never known of much success.

While I haven't seen the ad you're referring to, I'm almost 100 percent certain it is based on cellphone technology. That is why it can claim that you don't need a fixed line or cable connection. Nor do you need to depend on specific hotspots. It should work wherever your mobile phone works, even as you are moving around in a vehicle.

What you are supplied when you sign on is, as romania said, a small device, not much bigger than a USB memory stick. This device too fits into your laptop's USB port. You secure your connection with a password. The device acts like your mobile phone, sending and receiving signals from mobile phone towers.

From my limited experience, the performance isn't great. It tends to be far less than advertised. It's good enough for email and checking Sawatdee Gay Thailand, but watching videos is sometimes frustrating, though I've also encountered good days, or good locations, depending on where I was. It should cost under $20 a month for a basic service.

[DCbob]

When I am there I have been using Sierra. It is a 30 hour per month at cellular dial up speed. Cost was 450 baht, but you can get additional hours for 100 baht. It is very slow. It also cost me 7,500 baht for the plug in to my port. So It was a hefty investment that I have been using for the winter months for last 3 years.
When I arrive this time, I am going to investigate this new concept. It cannot be worse than what I already use. I also use the hotspot when they are available, because they are sooooo much faster.

[bkkguy]

this is not Orange and not Sierra/HUTCH and not even true has the audacity to advertise their GPRS/EDGE connections over their mobile network as "high speed", and no mobile network in Thailand will have 3G before mid-next year the way the government is going with the licenses

all of the press coverage and advertising I have seen for the "new" true online service in pattaya does not mention dongles, GPRS/EGDE or 3G - it only mentions ADSL (via phone line) and a bundled wi-fi option - see the link above

bkkguy

[bkkguy]

Why would anyone even THINK that a new service like that would be better than they have (unless you are using dial-in over crappy phone lines)?

Any new service would be bottlenecked at both the overloaded ISP-in lines and the poor connection to outside Thailand still.

yes and no - yes the international connections are often overloaded but different packages use different routers (and thus different routes) and login servers at the ISP and this can make a significant difference

at non-peak times I have got download speeds close to the advertised 8Mb speeds from overseas servers - a significant improvement on the best speeds I used to see on my previous true 2Mb connection

your results may vary, and yes it will depend on the quality of your phone line. the distance from the telephone exchange, the way they configure the service for pattaya and the services you are trying to access - this site probably won't load that much faster for example!

bkkguy

It is one of the USB wireless adaptors. You buy time on the cards, just like you would for your phone. It is very handy compared to the free internet and fast-wifi that most places offer anyways.

You can access sites you may have a problem accessing from a private or public server, you can use the internet anywhere in the country, or while you are driving around. There are too many advantages to list.

Price on most of these setups I've seen though, is about 5-6kbaht for the USB wifi system, and then however many hours you want to get your card for.

[Patexpat]

Gentlemen I think you are you are all getting a little confused here!

Be aware of three different technologies:
1. WIRELESS LAN marketed as WiFi
2. GPRS/EDGE
3. Bluetooth.

My understanding is that TRUE have already installed high powered W-LAN access points covering beach road, but the reports I have is that it is very slow, and that to use it as BKKguy says you need to take a bundled package or already be a client of TRUE in some shape or form. You should not need an extra bit of kit to connect your laptop to this network, as all modern laptops have built in W-LAN capability unless TRUE have bastardised the technology in some way to force you to buy extra kit.

GPRS/EDGE uses the mobile phone network and has been available for ages - to connect you need a phone that can act as a GPRS/EDGE modem or as mentioned in some posts above, a seperate USB device. It's Ok for low level usage, but hopeless for streaming VDO etc BUT is very portable and works almost world wide with the correct SIM.

HUTCH have a very good system that uses a technology unique to the Hutch network. It is fast and reliable but very limited coverage.

Bluetooth is a wireless technology used for connecting devices, NOT (usually) to the internet.

Hope this clarifies what's what ..