Thailand forum

Working On The Move - All Of SE Asia? Wireless?

JamieG

backpacker
Posts: 17

Hi Guys,

First post of many in the coming weeks. I have been a long time reader and feel I am pretty clued up on most of my trip!

Although, there is one important thing I need to find out.

I am travelling all of SE Asia and Malaysia starting in August for at least 4 and a 1/2 months.

We don't really have a set itinery as such as we prefer to just go with the flow, although we do want to visit most of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, the usual really!

What I am looking for advice on though is not the travel, yet!

I am intending to work on the road to help supplement our trip for as long as we want.

However I need the internet to do this and don't feel entirely comfortable in internet cafes!

So, I intend to bring a netbook along with me.

Now my question is, is it possible to find guesthouses etc. that have in room wireless that I can use on my netbook in all of SE Asia??

I intend to use my netbook in the evenings a few nights a week but need the internet.

Is this going to be possible? and anyone else have any advice or experience with doing this before?

Thanks in advance

Jamie

#1 Posted: 5/5/2010 - 17:21
SBE

mahout
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Lots of guesthouses do have wireless nowadays but if they don't you can use a mobile modem and a local phone simcard.

Simcards are pretty cheap in Asia, just a few euros, and phone top ups are cheap too. If you're going to be going somewhere remote then try and find out which simcard provides the best cover. In Thailand I found that one-to-call cards have a wider coverage than dtac ones for example.

The price of the modem depends on the speed ... I bought an edge modem for about 25 euros in Bangkok and that was fine for emails but probably not fast enough for online games.

#2 Posted: 6/5/2010 - 05:14
somtam2000

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mahout
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You'll certainly find internet cafes with WiFi in most major tourist centres in the region. In room WiFi will be a little less common in the main centres and far less common off the beaten track.

Expect to pay more for a room with WiFi facilities and pack a network cable as some, especially in Vietnam offer ADSL via cabling rather than WiFi.

#3 Posted: 7/5/2010 - 08:52

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idreamofdur-
ian

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You'll be astonished how many guesthouses in SE Asia have WiFi!

The guesthouses with WiFi tend to either be hostels (ex. the $3 a night hostels in Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang, Laos have free WiFi) or newer boutique-y guesthouses.

Chain coffee shops are also a sure thing for WiFi -- Starbucks, Black Canyon Coffee (Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar), Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, JoMa Cafe (in Laos and now in Vietnam), etc.

You mentioned you're going to Malaysia, so I'll add that there's free WiFi in many public places in Kuala Lumpur with wireless@KL (same in Singapore) though you'll need a mobile phone to register (free) and receive your password.

#4 Posted: 7/5/2010 - 10:02

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busylizzy

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I was pretty impressed when I found free WiFi in Flores (Labuanbaju). Who would have thought?!

Wifi was very accessible in most places, and particularly notice believe how able in Vietnam.

Coming back to New Zealand, I couldn't hard it was to find it!

#5 Posted: 7/5/2010 - 13:57

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JamieG

backpacker
Posts: 17

Thanks for the replies guys!

It seems that in most places I can make it happen with a little looking and searching around!

Any other advice from anyone having done similar is appreciated!

Jamie

#6 Posted: 7/5/2010 - 18:19
busylizzy

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"Wifi was very accessible in most places, and particularly notice believe how able in Vietnam"

Good grief - that was terrible! When working on my laptop, my cursor jumps around sometimes as I am typing when my hand hits the touchpad.

Just so I don't look like a complete illiterate, it should have read:
"Wifi was very accessible in most places, and particularly noticeable in Vietnam"

The only place you will find it hard (if not impossible) to find WiFi will be on some of the more remote islands - eg Koh Kradan and Koh Ngai for example.

#7 Posted: 8/5/2010 - 03:39

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mahout
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"The only place you will find it hard (if not impossible) to find WiFi will be on some of the more remote islands - eg Koh Kradan and Koh Ngai for example."

That's where an edge modem comes in handy! I wouldn't have known that my Air Asia flights had been cancelled if I hadn't had one. If there's a phone signal you can get internet access.

#8 Posted: 8/5/2010 - 04:50