3bb vs ais fiber vs true online ( fttx)

[lemonjelly]

My “True Fibre” connection goes completely down for about 12 hours twice a week on average... and that’s for the Ultra Speed or (something like that) package, the engineers come by, twiddle around with the router but it never seems to get better 

[mahjongguy]

When I recently upgraded my 3BB service to 500/500 I could get that speed from one PC but not the other. No matter which browser, turning off anti-virus, etc., the one PC could only to to 300 to 350 Mbps.

 

Then I got this app

https://www.speedtest.net/apps/windows

which avoids any browser or system interference.

 

Results are consistently around 530/530 on both computers.

[Pib]

44 minutes ago, mahjongguy said:

When I recently upgraded my 3BB service to 500/500 I could get that speed from one PC but not the other. No matter which browser, turning off anti-virus, etc., the one PC could only to to 300 to 350 Mbps.

 

Then I got this app

https://www.speedtest.net/apps/windows

which avoids any browser or system interference.

 

Results are consistently around 530/530 on both computers.

I have a AIS Fibre 300/100 plan.  When I use Speedtest.net or nperf.com speed testers within a browser I get a little of 300/100.   

 

However, when using above app (I just downloaded/installed it) it reports a download speed of a little of 300 which is correct, but for upload speed it reports around 200Mb once it finishes test....but during the early part of the upload test it's showing 500-600Mb upload speeds which ain't right....that's just way too high....and like I mentioned at the end of the test it's reporting around 200Mb upload speed. 

 

Not too sure the app is reporting/testing correctly on my Win 10 system.   But hey, speed testers in general can provide speed results all over the map.

 

Edit: Forgot to mention that running speedtest.net within a browser during the upload test the upload speed always starts around 50Mb and then slowly works its way a little past 100Mb.  But with the speedtest standalone app it was reversed....it starts off in the 500-600Mb ballpark and then slowly works its way down to around 200Mb which is double my plan's upload speed.  Yeap, speed testing programs can give differing results all over map. 

 

[Pib]

I uninstalled the standalone speedtest app from the MS Store.   I then went to the Chrome store and downloaded the speedtest.net extension for Chrome.  When running it I get valid results...none of this jumping up to around 600Mb on the upload speed. 

 

I also noticed if I run the speedtest from the speedtest.net weblink in comparison to running the extension, while the download speed results are basically the same and react the same during the download test for the upload speed test when using the app extension is "smoother and does not struggle to get above 100Mb" like when running it from the browser webpage.   Also with the Chrome extension you can not select the location/server you want to test to...it just defaults to some unknown local area test server....but I still like it for a way to quickly do a speed test to ensure my local connection is up to snuff. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 4/2/2019 at 8:38 PM, dr_lucas said:

Wasn't talking about commitment, 3BB & True clearly & deliberately throttle the intl speeds.

 

FWIW, I was having a phone conversation today in English with a 3BB networking team guy on the subject of international connection speeds (and privately on my part) weighing whether I want to downgrade to something less than my current 500/500 fiber package.

 

Apart from all the techno geek stuff we got into, the 3BB networking guy was insisting to me that they are no longer throttling their fiber customers international data connections (though he pretty much admitted they had been doing so in the past).

 

Now, for clarity's sake, that doesn't mean that NO ONE is throttling international bandwidth here, so presumably some limits are being imposed further out the line from 3BB. Otherwise I ought to be getting 500 Mbps down internationally, and obviously no one here is.

 

The 3BB guy also insisted to me that they no longer are offering or providing their former pay extra international internet use packages, which from reports here never was really clear whether those provided any actual benefit or not.

 

But the thrust of the guy's comments to me was that I ought to be getting faster international speeds with faster 3BB plan choices, and that a 200 Mbps plan should not have the same international bandwidth speeds as a 500 Mbps plan. Whether that's actually true or not, I remain unconvinced and probably will explore further in the near future.

 

 

[Pib]

I've been with AIS Fibre for years and after chasing faster and faster packages over the years (i.e., 50Mb, 100Mb, 200Mb, and now a 300Mb plan) and doing plenty of speed testing with various multi and single thread/stream testers I've come to the conclusion that anything faster than a 200/100 package for "international" speed purposes, repeat, international speed is pretty much wasted money.  And actually if excluding Singapore as an international location, then anything about 100/100 plan is pretty much wasted money when reaching out to the US/EU.  Even if streaming 4K video you only need around 25Mb speed.

 

Over the last few months AIS Fibre tweaked their Power4Maxx packages which includes home internet, Playbox TV, mobile data SIM, and free Wifi to where they increased the download and/or upload speed and made minor changes in Playbox TV and data SIM pricing/speed.   Just enough of a change a person wants to upgrade their package to get something a little better....like a little faster download or upload speed at the same or lower price than your current package.   

 

Like around 3 months ago my plan was 200/50...then AIS tweaked the package to 200/100 at a slight lower price so I called and upgraded as AIS does not do automatic free upgrades....or at least they never have for me.....now in another 12 month contract period. 

 

And within a month of me upgrading to 200/100 they tweaked the package again by going to 300/100 at the same price as the 200/100 plan so I called and upgraded again....once again into a new 12 month package. 

 

Heck, I'm expecting over the coming months AIS will offer a 500/100 Power4Maxx plan at the same price I currently paying for my 300/100 plan...and I'll call and upgrade again although my international speed will not increase and I will not even be able to take advantage of this high speed for domestic/Thailand download speed because most of my home connections are via Wifi where around 250-275Mb is about the fastest download speed I can get based on where I use my devices within my house...that is, meters and meters away from the Wifi router with walls and furniture degrading/slowing down the max Wifi speed I can get.  Plus some of computer equipment/devices don't have Wifi circuits that can deal with any Wifi speed much faster than 300Mb. 

 

But if I can get a faster speed at the same price as my lower speed plan (but which will not really provide me any faster international speed) then I'll probably still upgrade....why not, it's not costing me anything extra....and maybe pulling up a webpage on the Bangkok Post will be one-tenth of a blink of an eye faster.  

 

Yeap, for "international" speed purposes I figure plans "faster" than a 100/100Mb plan are not really worth their money (more of nice to have); and for "domestic" speed purposes if primarily using Wifi connections in your residence plans above 200/100Mb speed are pretty much wasted money (more of nice to have).   

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On the subject of 3BB fiber plan speed downgrading, I took the plunge today via a visit to 3BB's service counter on the 4th floor of CentralWorld, just across from the Krungsri Bank branch there. As usual, the two young girls working there spoke zero English, so had my wife along to translate.

 

Basically, I downgraded from the current 500 Mbps plan to their 200 Mbps plan, with a drop in the monthly fee from 1284b to about 750b including taxes. The change is due to take effect next week when my new billing period begins...

 

A few of the particulars...according to the 3BB staff there:

--there's no fee or surcharge for making a plan change (assuming you're not locked into any kind of existing agreement that would prevent that).

--you can change up or down as often as you like.

--whomever is the account owner needs to bring along their ID document for 3BB to take a new photocopy of.

--they also confirmed they're no longer offering their former supposed international internet add-on.

 

On the subject of downgrading, knowing I was going to take a stab at it, I've been doing a lot of speed testing this week internationally with my current 500-500 plan. So I should have a pretty good baseline for comparison starting next week when my plans changes to 200-200, and I start looking at what if any impact that has on my international connection speeds.

 

While I was there, I also asked them about their "we don't trust farangs" surcharge -- to wit, if you're a Thai new subscriber, they'll allow you to start with just a one month payment. But if you're a foreigner new subscriber, they'll want a 6 month advance service payment upfront, according to the CW staff.

 

But what I was glad to hear that I hadn't known before..... is that once the Thai wife or otherwise has opened a new 3BB account for your home and it's been running, they said they'll allow you to change ownership of the account to a farang WITHOUT invoking the 6 months prepayment penalty... So that's kind of a nice option, that might be useful for some among us here.

 

[Pib]

TG,

   You and I arrived Thailand about the same time a little over a decade ago and we have talked our internet plans over the years, costs, domestic and international speeds, etc., in many TV internet related topics.  Generally wishing we could get faster plans at a fair price.   

 

    But now it seems both of us have reached the mountain top in having a plan...having a speed...that satisfies us when considering what we truly need in speed and considering current technology limitations like attainable real world Wifi speeds within our residences.

 

    When I first arrived Thailand  a little over a decade ago I had one choice for an ISP in my western Bangkok moobaan..and that was TOT ADSL at 2Mb....latter they upgrade capability to ADSL 4Mb...and then to ADSL 6Mb.  Along comes True DOCSIS (cable) for my moobaan and I switch to True Cable 15Mb....then to 20Mb....then back to 15Mb because of pricing and international speed being no better on their 20Mb plan.  Then AIS Fibre came to my mooban with fiber being strung everywhere to replace copper lines....started off with a 50Mb plan...then to a 100Mb plan....then to 200Mb...and now at 300Mb.  And going from the AIS 200Mb to 300Mb plan was not because of the need-for-speed it's just the 300Mb plan because available at the same price as my 200Mb plan so I upgraded but that locked me into another 12 month contract.  

 

    I could go with an AIS Fibre 500Mb or 1000Mb plans, but I have tested the 1000Mb plan a few times with free one day upgrades and I just can't take advantage of all that speed because most of my home connections are via Wifi, the international speed to US/EU is really no better than lower speed plans, and unless you are downloading huge files "all the time" the typical person just don't need such high speed for.....not even for streaming 4K video where only around 25Mb is needed.

 

    And my current 300Mb plan is probably where I'll set for a good while simply because since the majority of my home connections are via Wifi where around 250Mb is about the best I can consistently get in the locations my devices are used around my two story home.  And since US/EU international speed is really no better on the 300Mb plan compared to the 200Mb plan, I can now say until until my Wifi speed capability greatly improves through new technology/devices (802.11ax...Wifi6 will help some) anything faster than a  200 to 300Mb speed plan is just wasted money--at least for me.    I feel like I have finally reached the mountain top....satisfied with my internet plan and speeds....little to no urge for a faster plan.  Wonder how long that feeling will last.   ????   

 

    But I do now when I check the AIS Fibre website about once a month for new plans it's not looking for "faster" plans; instead, it's looking to see if my current speed plan has been replaced with another plan of very similar/same speed but at a lower cost.   And since AIS Fibre does not seem to do automatic upgrades/switches to equivalent new plans (at least they never have for me) a person needs to call to switch to the new plan.

 

    Yeap, I think I've reached the internet mountain top for "my internet needs."       

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

28 minutes ago, Pib said:

    Yeap, I think I've reached the internet mountain top for "my internet needs."       

 

Pib, I haven't reached any conclusions about the topic of downgrading. I'm just going to do a test and experiment, based on the comments of others here that their INTERNATIONAL dl speeds were not materially degraded when they downgraded their high-end Thailand ISP plans. That's particularly why I wanted to know and make sure I could change back easily, if I didn't like the new downgraded plan.

 

According to my latest testing, with 3BB's 500-500 (inside Thailand speeds) plan, I'm typically getting anywhere from 50 to 150 Mbps right now on ethernet speedtests using TestMy.net's LA or SF servers. And then on the lower end of that range when the U.S. connection is 5 GHz wifi instead of ethernet. So, I'm gonna find out real quick next week whether the change to a 200-200 plan impacts that or not.

 

And then once I have those comparison before and after international results starting next week, I'll be able to decide whether it's worth it for me to continue paying for the 500-500 Thailand plan (and the international subset I'm getting from that), or whether I'm just wasting money on the higher priced plan because downgrading doesn't impact my international at all.

 

The home wifi networks speed top ends really isn't an issue for me, because the inside Thailand 300-500 Mbps connections are ones I rarely use. But the 50-150 Mbps I'm getting right now INTERNATIONALLY at home is well within the top capacity of my mostly 5 GHz, AC home wifi network. And when I add a U.S. VPN connection to that, the speeds drop further. So for now, I don't see the wifi network top end as a limiting factor for me.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 6/2/2019 at 11:31 AM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

once I have those comparison before and after international results starting next week, I'll be able to decide whether it's worth it for me to continue paying for the 500-500 Thailand plan (and the international subset I'm getting from that), or whether I'm just wasting money on the higher priced plan because downgrading doesn't impact my international at all.

 

Well, early this week, 3BB completed the downgrade of my home fiber plan from the prior 500/500 plan to a downgraded 200/200 Mbps plan at my request. And I've since then had a chance to do a lot of comparison speed testing using the same tests / times / details both before and after the change.

 

And as a result of that, I can confirm what others here have previously posted as regards to 3BB fiber downgrading, and that is that the downgrading has absolutely ZERO slowdown impact on the international connection speeds I was getting to U.S. connections. At least when making the 500 Mbps to 200 Mbps plan change as I have now done.

 

I focused my before and after testing on direct Ethernet connections as opposed to using wifi, in order to eliminate any broadcast interference variations. And I used the Netflix Fast.com site (single stream, 60 second test), as well as the TestMyNet SF, LA and TX servers each using their 200 MB download package tests. Same browser, same computer, same time of day, etc etc.

 

And for each different test, I typically ran 4 successive tests of each type, and then took the average of the 4 successive tests as the representative value for that test. Both before and after. And the result was no loss of speed for my internet connections to the U.S.

 

The change from 500 to 200 Mbps means my monthly 3BB bill is going to decline from 1284b now to about 750b moving forward. Until and unless 3BB finds a way to add international performance value to their higher priced, higher rated Thai internet packages, I'm going to opt to save my money and spend it somewhere else.

 

 

 

[Pib]

TG,
Good test results/summary...thanks. But keep in mind when browsing in-Thailand websites they will now pull-up approx one-tenth a blink of an eye slower.[emoji6]

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

11 hours ago, Pib said:

TG,
Good test results/summary...thanks. But keep in mind when browsing in-Thailand websites they will now pull-up approx one-tenth a blink of an eye slower.

 

FWIW, the 4 consecutive test averages I got with the downgraded 3BB 200/200 plan, via Chrome browser and a direct Ethernet connection between 7 and 8 pm, were the following:

 

--TestMyNet SF server -- 110 Mbps

--TestMyNet TX server -- 92 Mbps

--TestMyNet LA server -- 80 Mbps

 

In each case, those values were actually a bit higher than the exact same tests I had run several days earlier with the same parameters under my prior 3BB 500/500 plan.

 

 

 

[Pib]

TG,

I just ran testmynet tests to the same servers at a little after 7pm on my AIS Fibre 300Mb plan and only got around two-thirds the speed you were getting.  

 

And when also testing to their Singapore server I was getting around 160Mb (averaging 4 tests).   Tested to Singapore since a lot of US/EU websites are supposedly mirrored there.

 

Of course, run the tests again on a different day and time and get different results.  Like I've been able to pull a little over 200Mb to Singapore using testmynet....but this don't happen often....usually it's around the 160Mb speed when averaging a bunch of tests.

 

The results show a 200Mb plan will pretty much give you the max international speed for most folks.   Higher speed plans will give you higher domestic speed, but probably will not help much (if any) for consistent faster international speeds.  

 

Yeap, I'll probably be be staying with my 300Mb plan for the foreseeable future as that gives me the maximum international speed....no use paying for a 500Mb or 1000Mb plan if my international speed does not increase proportionally in comparison to lower speed plans. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

39 minutes ago, Pib said:

Yeap, I'll probably be be staying with my 300Mb plan for the foreseeable future as that gives me the maximum international speed....no use paying for a 500Mb or 1000Mb plan if my international speed does not increase proportionally in comparison to lower speed plans. 

 

I'd be willing to pay 3BB more (heck, I have been paying 3BB more until now) for better international speeds. But if they're not going to provide that via their higher priced plans and 500 Mbps has no international advantage over 200 Mbps, then why pay extra?

 

I'm willing to pay for better international speed, but they're apparently not willing or able to provide it.

 

[muratremix]

20 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I'd be willing to pay 3BB more (heck, I have been paying 3BB more until now) for better international speeds. But if they're not going to provide that via their higher priced plans and 500 Mbps has no international advantage over 200 Mbps, then why pay extra?

 

I'm willing to pay for better international speed, but they're apparently not willing or able to provide it.

 

If everybody reduces their speed and company makes less and less money, do you think they'll keep it that way? 500 Mbps probably has more priority in international connections than 100 Mbps package. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

19 minutes ago, muratremix said:

If everybody reduces their speed and company makes less and less money, do you think they'll keep it that way? 500 Mbps probably has more priority in international connections than 100 Mbps package. 

 

Dunno about 3BB's 100 Mbps package... But between the 500 and 200 Mbps packages, there's absolutely no difference/benefit based on international connections at least between TH and the U.S.

 

And curiously, along the way, 3BB has discontinued offering the international add-on package that used to supposedly offer enhanced international speeds. I'm not sure of the reason why... But perhaps it's because 3BB the company says THEY are no longer throttling their customers' international connections like they used to...

 

So presumably, the chokepoint is somewhere further up the line, perhaps at the Thailand-international network exchange point, which isn't distinguishing between what kinds of local plans a customer may have with their ISP.

 

BTW, I should clarify and add, the before and after testing I did was all with single thread comparisons.... as in the kind you'd get with video streaming... I wasn't testing multi-thread downloading like you'd get with torrenting and such.

 

[manchega]

I suspect military security control of isp upstream is correct.  

 

they did the local satellite/tv companies a good un by putting that <deleted> prayut or whatevver the dictators name is on every night.

once you have option to snoop on all peoples communications you never go back, its not as if any of these agencies will be benevolent is it?

[marcusarelus]

13 minutes ago, manchega said:

I suspect military security control of isp upstream is correct.  

 

they did the local satellite/tv companies a good un by putting that <deleted> prayut or whatevver the dictators name is on every night.

once you have option to snoop on all peoples communications you never go back, its not as if any of these agencies will be benevolent is it?

Everyone I know uses a VPN how much snooping can they do?