ISP to recommend for Prepaid Wireless in Pattaya - 11/2018?

[Grin Grasser]

AIS.  My baht load disappeared about 2-3 baht per day.  A tourist police tried to stop it, by punching the supposed stop code.  But, it did not work.  Other Thai's told me that they had the same problem with AIS.

 

TrueMoveH.  It seemed to work well up to a few months ago.  A week ago, I read in the newspaper that TrueMoveH said that it was not bidding on new band because it had adequate coveerage for several years.

 

About six months ago, I learned how to bluetooth tether my smartphone to my laptop.  I tried it with a TrueMoveH package costing 9 baht. 

 

When I returned to Thailand two months ago, I tried the 9-baht package again and nothing seemed to work.  On my hotel's wifi, I went to TrueMoveH web page listing internet packages.  But, it was gone.  The new web page was confusing regarding its packages.

 

However, one of TrueMoveH's texts was in English and offered a 39-baht package for 2 days of internet usage.  I tried it and it worked.

This month, I returned again.  The 39-baht package seems to result in an internet connection that is "LIMITED".  But, no internet.

 

So, TrueMoveH seems to have problems.

 

Any recommendation for a ISP on a prepaid basis (few days to a week) in Pattaya?  I like to get high speed and unlimited data, but now I just settle to get a responsive internet connection.

 

In Manila, the two major wireless broadband carriers seem to have the same problems.  I am lucky to get a connection for one hour in the morning, one hour in the afternoon before rush hours, and one hour in the early evening -- but weekdays only.  Weekends and after midnight, no wireless internet connection.

 

Maybe the same situation for TrueMoveH?

 

Thanks in advance.

[lapd]

I never had problems with baht disappearing from AIS.  Were you sending texts or did you have data enabled without a data plan?

[onera1961]

dTac has good packages (29 baht/day or 199 baht/7-day for 10 GIG of data). But their packages keep changing. Now I am on a 299 baht/30-day package for 5GIG data. And dtac turbo gives speed up to 45/30

[Grin Grasser]

1 hour ago, lapd said:

I never had problems with baht disappearing from AIS.  Were you sending texts or did you have data enabled without a data plan?

 

This happened several years ago.  At that time, I only used a cell phone, which had no capability to connect to the internet.  Thus, there was no way to turn on or turn off data.

 

In Manila, I had a similar problem of disappearing load on a Globe LTE prepaid dongle (called air card in Thailand).  I emailed Globe and their reply was that value-added texts were being sent to me, for which there was a charge and all I had to do was to reply with a Stop code.

 

On my AIS-sim, I was receiving many texts in Thai.  I do not read Thai.  The tourist police looked at those texts and I guess that is how he determined how to send a Stop code.  But, it did not work.

 

Several months ago, I read that the Philippine government had told the broadband carriers to stop sending value-added texts to customers and to refund their money.

 

Maybe the Thai gov did something similar?

[Grin Grasser]

1 hour ago, onera1961 said:

dTac has good packages (29 baht/day or 199 baht/7-day for 10 GIG of data). But their packages keep changing. Now I am on a 299 baht/30-day package for 5GIG data. And dtac turbo gives speed up to 45/30

 

Big thanks for your reply and lead.

 

I have been looking at the wifi connections appearing on my laptop.  I see one that reads. ".@3BB_WiFi".  I received a text from TrueMoveH when I topped up my load at a 7-Eleven.  The text said, I had received free wifi for a day and to do something with ".@True".  I have never seen the latter, even though I have slept around Pattaya.

 

I wonder if I am not close to a TrueMoveH network or its network is hidden to a wifi locator?

 

In any case, the next time I see a dTac office, I am buying a dTac sim and load.  I really need a private (not a hotel wifi) internet connection.

[lapd]

16 hours ago, Grin Grasser said:

 

Big thanks for your reply and lead.

 

I have been looking at the wifi connections appearing on my laptop.  I see one that reads. ".@3BB_WiFi".  I received a text from TrueMoveH when I topped up my load at a 7-Eleven.  The text said, I had received free wifi for a day and to do something with ".@True".  I have never seen the latter, even though I have slept around Pattaya.

 

I wonder if I am not close to a TrueMoveH network or its network is hidden to a wifi locator?

 

In any case, the next time I see a dTac office, I am buying a dTac sim and load.  I really need a private (not a hotel wifi) internet connection.

Those wifi hotspots are almost useless.  You gotta re-connect every time in every different location and data is often just a trickle if it works at all.  They are even less than useless now with 4G data everywhere. My guess is they will eventually be phased out. I don't think many people use them anymore.

[JamJar]

Deja vu?

 

 

 

[KittenKong]

On 11/1/2018 at 7:43 PM, Grin Grasser said:

Any recommendation for a ISP on a prepaid basis (few days to a week) in Pattaya?  I like to get high speed and unlimited data, but now I just settle to get a responsive internet connection. 

If you want high speed and unlimited data you will have to pay for it. You dont say how much you want to pay.

 

Assuming that you are unwilling to pay the price for high speed without a data cap, then the daily/weekly/monthly (29/150/500B) 4Mbs DTAC packages might suit you:

 

http://www.dtac.co.th/en/prepaid/products/recommended-add-on.html

 

Your main problem is that the providers change their packages every few weeks (some seem to do it every few days), so you have to keep checking back. Another problem is that the best value packages often dont appear on their websites at all. For example. I have a whole year of uncapped 4Mbs with True for 2500B (can be found for less from resellers).

[Grin Grasser]

I am running out of time.  My holiday in Thailand ends on Monday.

 

No time to find a dTac office and buy a sim and load.

 

So, Saturday night, I tried TrueMoveH again with another B39 package for two ays on internet.  The tether to my laptop worked after about ten minutes after phone subscription to the B39 package.  But, did not work for the next two days.  At the hour of the package end - exactly 48 hours - on Friday night, I received a text from TrueMoveH.  It was in Thai.  I presumed it was something about the end of the B39 package.

 

Late Saturday night, I phoned the code for the TrueMoveH B39 package.  There was nothing on my laptop's wifi locator list to show any TrueMoveH network.  About 10 minutes after my phone-in, I clicked on Connect on my  hotel's wifi on my  laptop's wifi locator and my tether link appeared.  I clicked on Disconnect on my hotel's wifi.

 

I clicked Connect to my smart phone's tether. Finally, I was able to conduct some private, personal transactions.

 

Two hours later, I powered off my laptop, without turning off the tether.  I left my smart phone on, which I had not done 3 days earlier.  However, I did turned off the tether several months ago and when I turned it on again, the tether worked.

 

I do not know if leaving my smart phone on made a difference or not.  But, on Sunday, I turned on my laptop and the the tether was still connected.  I was able to conduct more work on the internet.

 

As I post this Sunday night, my hotel wifi will not connect to the internet.  But, my TrueMoveH tether is connecting to the internet.

 

Maybe the above will add to the knowledge base for myself and others who transit in and out of Thailand and who use TrueMoveH on a smart phone tethered to a laptop.

 

Thanks to all, who help shed some light on this problem.