Job Discussion Forums

[AnchorMan]

Hi all

I'm travelling to Bangkok in the near future and will be wanting to rent a cheapish apartment. I assume most are furnished with the basics. But what about a land line / connection for internet access? Is this arranged through the apartment owner or do I have to negotiate with a ph service provider? How much extra should I budget for if I plan to stay for a couple of months?

Thanks

Paul

[kenkannif]

Most cheaper apartments cut you off after 7-10 minutes or so (to keep the lines free as they generally only have a limited number going in and out). So you may need to sort out a direct line (I think it's like 3,000 Baht or something!).

My advice would be to just use internet shops?

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Just to add a comment to kenkannif's good advice -

I live in a fairly cheap flat (3,600 Baht per month) and we have landlines in all the rooms.

We never get cut off, but we do pay per minute, and it adds up pretty fast. During my first
month in Bangkok, my local phone bill was almost as high as my electric bill. (900 Baht)

So ... take kenkannif's advice and either:

A) get a dedicated internet line installed http://www.inet.co.th/eng/index.php (INET)

-or-

B) use internet cafes, which are plentiful and cheap @ 20 to 40 Baht per hour.
(In the touristy red-zones, hourly rates can be higher.)

Most internet cafes are open late, and some are open 24/7.

For a complete list of ISPs in Thailand, you can take a look here:

http://www.cat.net.th/isp/

note: 1$US = 39 Baht at today's exchange rates

[Sheep-Goats]

Your land line will either drop you every 10 minutes (30 if you negotiate) or else they will charge by the minute (in higher-end apartments). It will also be mind-scarringly slow and your interent connection itself may be quite unreliable.

You're better off walking down the street for 15 minutes to the nearest interent cafe. It'll be cheaper and a hell of a lot faster. If you have a laptop you can usually just plug the ethernet cable into your port and run right off of their network with your comptuer.

[AnchorMan]

Thanks to all who replied. And what a star you are Sheep-Goats! Take it from a lurker of some duration, your unique observations are always appreciated.