Looking for advice on getting an Internet connection

[Al.]

I am looking for advice on how to go about getting an Internet connection in the village.

The village is miles from anywhere (at least that’s what it feels like) there is no telephone line in the house.

Does anyone have any experience on the best way to go about it.

I have thought about trying to get a phone line installed but have no idea how that would work how long it would take how much it would cost or if it would be possible to get a broadband connection if I did.

Another option I suppose would be a 3g dongle though with the total farce that appears to be going on with the 3g concession in Thailand at the moment I have no idea if it would work.

I am in Pattaya at the moment due to surface in the Buriram area in a couple of weeks.

The price of dongles I have looked at so far range from 1200 baht (3.6 mbps) to 3200 baht (7.2mbps) again if I went the dongle route any recommendation on the best network AIS, DTAC TRUE etc.

Even though I don’t expect to get anywhere near 3.6 mbps I will probably get a 7.2 mbps dongle just in case the powers that be ever get their act together and rollout 3g across the country.

Most likely just in time for it to be totally obsolete in about 10 years time.

I'm looking at the dongle more as a temporary measure at the moment just to tide me over, then again for all I know it may be my only option.

OK enough of my ramblings I would appreciate any help or advice anyone has to offer.

Thanks

Al.

[nookiebear]

I use an Edge Modem with AIS as my provider....a bit slow but better than nothing...

[boloa]

I live out in the sticks and  use my Nokia N72,download the PC suite to suite your phone and both 12call and Dtac do internet packages,I use 12call  ( *138 ) or call their help line and get the unlimited usage for 695 baht a month  .As Nookie's Edge Modem its slow but usable .

[lamui]

you can t use 3g, because here don t have.....
your house it s far from everyting, you ll  can have telephone line/adsl, but have to pay for cable from the nearest one, pay so much (about 100 Bt for meter). Can use edge with sim card telephone, but it s very very slow (can t use for skype, msn etc.)

[Al.]

Thanks for all the replies much appreciated

I will get a dongle here in Pattaya before I come up. I have found another shop that has AIS dongles 3.6 mbps is 1,400 and 7.2 mbps is 2600 both come with 600 minutes per month for 4 months free.

600 minutes a month is only 20 minutes a day nowhere near enough for me especially if it's slow so I will get a sim from DTAC and Happy as well that will let me compare them to see what works best.

3G is actually quite fast I borrowed a dongle (7.2 mbps) from a friend last time I went home and plugged it into my laptop the Internet was faster than my 3BB broadband here in Pattaya.

If the phone companies and regulators  ever get their act together and have a nationwide 3G service it would benefit everybody, but I guess as usual they are not interested in everybody only themselves arguing over who is going to make the most money out of it, in he meantime they are losing millions and the population is suffering. If Laos and Cambodia can do it why not Thailand.

Even when they do (if ever) get the 3G service up and running it wouldn't surprise me if they confine it to major cities and towns instead of less populated areas where getting a decent Internet connection it would seem is either impossible or prohibitively expensive and where it would be of most use.

I the meantime I will try to get a quote from TOT to install a phone line and put up with a slow connection, even if I can't use Skype at least I will be able to check my emails.

Once again my thanks to all of you that answered my post.

Al.

[SANGKA]

I was useing a bluetooth dongle, with  a Detac sim card ,bloody waste of time slow is not the word,

Don't waste yer money there must be a landline connection somewhere nearby, unless your name is Tarzan and you live in the Jungle.

[Dave the Dude]

There is very rarely the option for a Landline connection in most Isaan villages, Sangka.

The best start point is to see what your local school/clinic/wat/ other farangs have nearby.

[Admin]

These links may help:
http://www.buriramexpats.com/forum/index.php/topic,270.msg2156.html#msg2156
http://www.buriramexpats.com/forum/index.php/topic,2292.msg6735.html#msg6735

[Al.]

Just an update for anyone who's interested I bought a 7.2 dongle in Pattaya that is not locked to any network for 1590 baht, it came with an AIS One-2-Call net sim card free.

It worked Ok in Pattaya but where I am here in Buriram it is useless many times it wont connect at all and when it does it times out before any website has time to load.

Luckily I also bought a Happy sim card at the same time 69 baht includes 300 minutes.

The Happy (DTAC) sim works, it's not fast by any means but is perfectly usable for surfing the web emails etc.

Reading their website it looks like they do a month unlimited usage for 790 baht.

[boloa]

12call or DTAC.....all depends on where you nearest local Aerial is,go 2 or 3k down the roads and your findings could be reversed !!!!!

[Al.]

12call or DTAC.....all depends on where you nearest local Aerial is,go 2 or 3k down the roads and your findings could be reversed !!!!!

The thing that puzzled me is both AIS and DTAC are showing full strength on the meter i.e. 5 bars. When the dongle connects to AIS One-2-Call it shows C EDGE when it connects to DTAC Happy it shows P C EDGE. I have no idea what that means.

I do agree that in another location there may be different results for 69 baht its worth trying both to see what one works best for you.

I am now on the DTAC monthly unlimited plan that's advertised on their website at 790 baht it actually costs 845 baht when they add the VAT on.

Next step is to find out how much to get a landline installed

[nookiebear]

Best of luck re a landline,,,,If you are more than 1km from the nearest main run then I think you'll have a problem

[Starman]

I had a quote of 50 baht a metre for the cable. The nearest line to me is about 1500 meters away.

Gave it a miss. Using edge/gprs vis bluetooth on my Nokia N72.

Have heard that telephone company will come and do everything for you and only charge for connection, about 10000baht, if there are five or more people that need a line.

[Prakhonchai Nick]

I have tried nearly all in the past, and for the last 2+ years have settled for CAT CDMA. Best I've ever had in Thailand.

[Al.]

UPDATE

TOT have now said they will install a telephone line for 15,000 but I cant have a phone because they have no numbers available 

So I'm still on the Flintstone's 0.005G network