Thailand Travel Information

Thailand Temporary Internet

While internet cafes are increasingly prolific throughout Thailand, you may want to use your laptop from your room. If so, you need to make sure that the place you are staying has an in-room connection or the possibility of one.

You can safely assume that five star hotels in major tourist destinations have such a connection (but it is wise to confirm anyway). Many three and four-star hotels do as well. However, you should make sure of this with the hotel.

WiFi is increasingly common in Thailand. Up scale coffee shops in major cities often have paid or free access. Many hotel that have WiFi charge a daily or weekly fee

Note: Make hard copies of all communications you have with hotels and bring them with you.

CDMA Air Card

Another wireless option is a CDMA Air Card setup. Generally, you need an account with DTAC or AIS, but a computer shop can often set you up for around Bt 5,000. Then you can buy prepaid SIM's as you need them.

While the Air Card system is not up to par with DSL, it is much easier and more convenient than dial-up

Dial-up Internet in Thailand

When there is no other option, you may be able to resort to dialup. That assumes that you have a modem.

Even if a hotel room does not have a direct plug for the internet, there is still a good possibility you can connect. Before booking your accommodation, make sure they have IDD telephones and that the phones are activated for Direct Dialup.

If you can, ask also if the phone can be unplugged and your computer substituted .. and ask if the system automatically terminates a call after a certain period of time. Many systems in Thailand have such a set-up. We have seen auto disconnects as soon as 5 minutes. 15 minutes is common.

It is a good idea to carry a variety of telephone connectors and extensions. The obvious one is an extension that can be used by unplugging the connector where it plugs into the telephone and plugging that into a "female" connector on an extension that connects to your modem connector.

Very often, telephone lines in Thailand are hard wired into the wall. It helps to have a "Y" connector so the telephone remains plugged in as well. A variety of connectors plus short and long extensions are often required. (The telephone is usually beside the bed and the desk/table across the room)

Access - go to almost any mini-mart, 7-11, etc, and look for an Internet Access "Ticket". The ticket will give you a User Name, Password, and dial-up number for xx number of hours. You will need to configure your own dialup.

Notes:

1. Sometimes, the dial-up telephone number is in Bangkok which means you will be connecting long distance if you are not in the city. Expensive! Check to make sure you are calling a local number. If not, it is better to go to a cyber café and look up the list of dial-up numbers for that particular ISP.
2. If there is a computer shop nearby your accommodation, they will often set up your machine for a small fee.
3. Some smaller hotels and guest houses simply don't have enough telephone lines, so they use a switchboard.

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