Mobile phone, ISP and electrical questions

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rochana1
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Mobile phone, ISP and electrical questions

Post by rochana1 »

My Thai wfe and I, after living in the USA for 23 years, will soon be moving to Thailand (either HUA HIN or WANG NAM KHIAO), and as an 80 year old non-tech savvy person, I have some questions about my use of my cell phone (I just bought my first smart phone - a GSM-UNLOCKED iphone 6 plus), ipad, computer, and TV, and hope you can help clear up my confusion regarding same.

1.) I assume that I will need both a cellular provider and an ISP, the latter for TV and computer - but will I? I know that I will need to subscribe to a cellular provider (I intend get a prepaid SIM), and I understand that I can use my cell phone to create a mobile hotspot to access any available celluar network and tether same to my computer and TV for use of both as well as my phone and ipad; if I do this, will I need an ISP? You see my confusion? So, what is your recommendation for cellular and ISP companies? I have read many forum horror stories about the terrible reception in use of electronic devices in Thailand, and I would like to void such experience if possible. So, what do I need in the way of cellular and ISP services in order to use my devices in Thailand, and what companies are, in your opinion, the best?

2.) I have been struggling to learn Thai for many years and look forward to continuing to do so by watching Thai TV, but I would also like to be able to see programs from the USA ; how accessible are such programs in Thailand, and what ISP is the best for this purpose?

3.) for internet privacy, on your recommendation, I will be using GOLDENFROG vprVPN ; I gave it a trial for a couple of months and found it very user-friendly. Thank you.

4.) I know that I will need a voltage converter for any 110v devices and appliances I will bring to Thailand, but I have read that rather then doing this it is better that one replaces any such devices and appliance with 220v of same bought in Thailand. What do you think about this? - Also, will I need wall receptacle adapters, or will wall receptacles in Thailand accept flat prongs? Also, do I need to be concerned about proper electrical grounding in Thailand? I have read that even when wall receptacles are designed to receive a ground prong, often times they are not, in fact, grounded. What is your experience in this regard? - How can I test a receptacle to determine if it is properly grounded?

Thanks for any information anyone can provide.
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J.J.B.
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Re: Mobile phone, ISP and electrical questions

Post by J.J.B. »

There's a lot here, rochana1, and I'm going to throw in my two cents for a few of them. You can tether devices to an iPhone running a data package but this is not really intended as a permanent solution but something you do "on the road". It will chew threw the battery life at an alarming rate and won't be that great for streaming content such as video, it's more suited to email and some general browsing, when you're in a pinch. I would recommend getting an ISP. As for which one, they're probably all equally bad so wait until you know where you'll be living and then ask people who live nearby what their speed is like; it varies considerably.

As for the voltage question, for many small electrical devices like iPhone and iPad chargers or laptop power supplies, they are dual voltage (110-220V) and auto switch between the two so you won't need to change them. Happily for you, Thai outlets accept the flat, twin-prong style of US plug. For something requiring more power, like a hair-dryer, coffee machine, washer/dryer, they won't run on 220V so you'll need new. I would not advise trying to get some kind of step-up transformer for these devices as they are not so reliable in the long run.

As for a proper earth, I guess it depends on the electrician who wired your house. There are people in HH who can be relied upon to check this for you and I'm sure others can weigh-in with recommendations.

For the most part, don't believe everything you read!
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HarryVardon
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Re: Mobile phone, ISP and electrical questions

Post by HarryVardon »

In general Thailand, as far as internet en GSM is concerned, is equal to the Western world. You can get very fast internet at home including about 90 TV channels for less than $30 a month (50 meg download/20 Meg upload). The best providers are True, BBB and AIS). If you are here permanently then a monthly contract for your telephone will cost about $25 a month (including unlimited internet and enough telephone calls) from any of these 3 providers. As is earlier remarked, using your telephone to provide internet for other devices should only be done in exceptional circumstances. Also as earlier stated most electronic devices are dual voltage so should work fine here. One problem is that there are frequent power cuts so it is advisable to buy a UPS for your computer and router (about 3,000 Baht). As for television it depends which channels you want to watch. Almost all channels from all countries are available via internet here and there are plenty of companies selling subscriptions. If you talk to a few Americans when you get here they will advise you who the best providers are. The standard channels provides by the Thai companies are not usually very interesting for foreigners.
rochana1
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Re: Mobile phone, ISP and electrical questions

Post by rochana1 »

Thank you J.J.B and Harry for taking the time to answer my inquiry. I will file your advice for future reference.

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Re: Mobile phone, ISP and electrical questions

Post by T.I.G.R. »

I found out on the forum a couple of weeks ago that there is now a TV provider on the internet that will give you U.S. channels, so I checked it out and am now using it. It is called USTVNow.com.

I am currently using their $29 intro offer which gives me 28 channels and unlimited DVR usage......the one thing that makes it worthwhile is they have Fox News. Truevision/UBC only offers the Clinton News Network and BBC news which are inadequate during the election season. The do offer a lot of sports though, including free UFC pay per view fights, which is why I can't make myself quit the service.

Also, if you are a football fan, you can subscribe to the NFL's Game Pass on the internet and watch every single game including pre-season and the Super Bowl.....no restrictions and one thing I really like; a condensed replay which shows every play in the game without all the jabbering....takes about 45 minutes to watch the whole game.

As to the Internet we use BBB which is the only service we have used that gives you actual promised speeds. I have 30 meg or whatever they call it and am extremely happy with it for about $50 a month.

Hope you enjoy your time in Thailand!
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Re: Mobile phone, ISP and electrical questions

Post by VincentD »

If you can get fiber optic in your area I would do away with getting a phone line in. I haven't used the phone since getting the fiber optic connected as it is seperate from the phone and does not need to phone to connect to youe ISP.
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