IPStar satellite broadband

[huahindolly]

We live outside the area covered by TOT orTT&T, so we can't get ADSL service. For the last six months, we've been using Hutch wireless service, which is so slow it's starting to give me hives. I've recently discovered that csloxinfo offers a satellite service called IPStar in Hua Hin with service starting at 2500/month for 256kbps up and 128kbps down.

Is anybody using this service now? Any comments or recommendations?

hhd

[buksida]

It maybe your only option but will be marginally faster than the Hutch system and will go down frequently when its raining or there is heavy cloud cover. Your up/downs will be the other way round too!

[huahindolly]

Oops, I did get my upload & download speeds backwards.

The actual download speed on Hutch is between 97kbps down and 49 kbps up according to speakeasy so it *seems* like satellite might be a bit better. Also, it would depend on how crowded the satellite is - I doubt that IPStar has it's very own satellite, and rents time instead.

On the other hand, the cellular broadband has been so much more reliable than ADSL with TT&T where we lived before - it's up 99% of the time, versus TT&T which was up maybe 80% of the time.

What about cable? Anybody using cable Internet in Hua Hin? Who's the provider?

hhd

[Guess]

According to the blurb it can supply up to 40 Gbps.

http://www.ipstar.com/en/app.htm

The downsides are the cost for such a slow line and the fact it is run by Shin Corp. (They probably do have at least one of their own satellites bu that is irrelevant anyway). In Thailand they can promise speeds that are never attained without risk of litigation.

I was told of a satellite system about one year ago that provided similar speeds for a fraction of the cost. The cost of the initial hardware was about 6,000 BHT and it could be obtained from the PC store in Nebkhehars near the junction with Dechanuchit. I understand that it could get about 512/256 and would cost about 400 BHT per month.

[buksida]

I was told of a satellite system about one year ago that provided similar speeds for a fraction of the cost.

Wouldn't mind some more info on that if you have any, may pop into the shop and enquire.

Not sure what you mean by "cable" hhd, all internet connections in Hua Hin run through telephone lines (except Hutch and Satellite) unless you get your own fibre-op line put in like some of the resorts have done which is hideously expensive.

Theres more info on getting connected in Hua Hin here:

www.expathuahin.com/internet-huahin.php

[STEVE G]

I remember reading about the Ipstar satellite in aviation journals when it was launched a couple of years ago; it made the news because at the time it was the largest commercial satellite ever constructed.
Apparently the idea was that there would be a jump from telephone lines to satellite internet to save on infrastructure costs, but they don't seem to be making much of an impact on the market so I assume it's not been entirely successful so far.
I was interested in getting one for up in Issan, but at the moment the cost is too high for the amount of time I spend there.
If the thing could handle VOIP at a reasonable cost it might be a different equation as I could save a lot of the cost from phone calls, especially now here in Luxembourg we are spoilt by bars throwing free broadband wifi at you!

[Kees5]

Is anyone on this board actually using IPstar?
Could you tell us about your experience?

[huahindolly]

I'm happy to report that I no longer need to consider satellite Internet and that Hutch and I are divorced. On Monday, TOT came knocking on my door and said they were there to install ADSL. Amazingly, they did it in less than an hour. I clocked it at 1.5 Mbps/sec down and .4 Mbps/sec up, much improved from Hutch. Thanks for all of your input.

HHD

[Wanderlust]

HHD,
What rough area are you in, out of interest? It may help others who are nearby to know that ADSL from TOT is now available there.

[huahindolly]

We live up Soi 88, above the turnoff to HinLekFai viewpoint, above the Rajamangala Technical Uni, near HH Paradise Village. Don't know who else around us got ADSL, but it's such a stress reliever in our house!

HHD

[Parahandy]

Glad you got yourself sorted and didn't have to resort to Ipstar.

As my other half (The Vital Spark) has said elsewhere (I think that she posted it on the wrong forum!) we live about 35kms west of Hua Hin, with no hope of a telephone line and very weak mobile signal, so we had to go the ipstar route.

How good is it? Better than nothing, but not quite what you would call an overwhelming success. We pay 2k per month for 256/128 and can, on the odd occasion, achieve those speeds OK, but a lot of the time it is slower and quite often disappears completely, without even asking to leave the table, which can be frustrating.

If anyone can come up with any more info on that other system, I would definitely be interested.

Have fun -

P.

[Parahandy]

Sorry - something went wrong and post appeared twice. Butter fingers, not Ipstar...

P.

[Parahandy]

Woken up again...

Does anybody have any experience of the TOT version of Ipstar? They are offering a 1024/512 service for 2600 Baht/month as opposed to my 256/128 Loxinfo service for about 2k. Should I change? Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance -

P

[buksida]

I would imagine its the same service - it uses the same satellite. What TOT tend to do though is offer "faster speeds" but with more subscribers so it won't actually be any better.