Moving to thailand........Pattaya, Phuket or Chiang Mai?????

also hua hin has had some mentions as cheap good place

hi,good to met you here 69thelememt and welcome to the Thailand.
my suggestion is Chiang mai,Chiang mai is the best retire city of the world in 2013!!!
here has high speed internet which is reliable and accessible
for night life it has throughout everywhere in Thailand,dont worry about it dude.and 50000B for living cost would be pretty enough ,If you living IN Chiang mai

thanks yanfeiwu, I've ruled out Bangkok as I'm thinking would be too 'lively' and busy to actually live there. I like Chiang Mai though I do like to idea of being near a Pukket beach.

I'm not retiring just travelling for around 6 months but i cannot afford to be moving around need to get straight into the place i will be staying at all the time, internet is of the upmost importance

Well,Pukket is also a nice place ,hope you enjoy living in Thailand

chiang mai is looking like its the most affordable also looking to have the better internet infrastructure

69thelememt wrote:

chiang mai is looking like its the most affordable also looking to have the better internet infrastructure

The Internet infrastucture throughtout Thailand is the same and that is NOT good. Its adequate but the problem is with the International gateways. Depends what speeds you are loking at.


No 4G yet(there is talk)but we have just got 3G. Coverage is OK in big conurbations patchy elsewhere.

BTW some great beaches and towns down the East coast(Gulf of Thailand)depends what your taste in nightlife is.

nightlife i want within reaching distance but dont really wanna life in the middle of it.

I hear people with TOT 10mbs connections are getting constant speeds of around 2-5 mbps now???

69thelememt wrote:

nightlife i want within reaching distance but dont really wanna life in the middle of it.

I hear people with TOT 10mbs connections are getting constant speeds of around 2-5 mbps now???

1. Samui or Phuket each have areas away from the nightlife, both relatively expensive by Thai standards. On the Gulf side Hua Hin, but maybe not for a younger guy!

Inland CM is nice(most of the year) but full of expats to share your night life with

As you are mobile why not travel around a bit, a month here etc you can get some good rates for long stay in guesthouses.

2. I don't use TOT (you need a landline) CAT (HINET) my ISP is about 10mb/1mb. Its not bad but I am static.

thanks thetefldon

I'll be static also, cant afford to move around as i need a settled internet connection for my office work back home


just did a speed test on mine 8-10 down 1 up  and i'm more than fine here so thinking maybe ok in thailand......how often does it completely go off?? if ever?? how is it on mega raining days

69thelememt wrote:

thanks thetefldon

I'll be static also, cant afford to move around as i need a settled internet connection for my office work back home


just did a speed test on mine 8-10 down 1 up  and i'm more than fine here so thinking maybe ok in thailand......how often does it completely go off?? if ever?? how is it on mega raining days

Internet reliability can be patchy although not due to the rainy season well not directly anyway. Power is affected by the rains/wind which in turn affects lots of services. Long Internet outages are rare but short ones and slow speeds are just part of life here.

You do realise that the stuff we are talking about(Internet) requires you having a contract with the ISP(min 1 year in most cases). Just like back home.

What visa will you be on?

I ask because its unlikely you will get something from any of the main players if you are here on a tourist visa for 6 months.

Which might cause you a problem unless you rent a condo or similar with Internet included.

thanks for replying man, could do with all the help i can get at moment

ideally get something with internet already on there or pay the landlord to install for me.

I thought you could get 'internet cards' from shops, take it these give poor service and you need a contract for high speed??


How bad is the internet?? What you think to someone trying to completely run an online business in Thailand with

VOIP calls to UK customers
email
Skype
online live chat/customer support

One plan of attack was to get ADSL/high peed connection to phone, hopefully area or accommodation will have WiFi also and then look at getting a mobile connection.....you think this would cover all bases or you thinking it would be super temperamental, dont mind the odd hour offline just not 2 or 3 or even a day

As previously stated you will have a problem getting internet connection without a long term visa plus work permit.  Your best option will be renting a place that already has high speed connection.

I have a condo in Pattaya and average speed checks to Los Angeles run 5Mbps down and 1Mbps up.  Latency to LA is 135ms.

69thelememt wrote:

thanks for replying man, could do with all the help i can get at moment

ideally get something with internet already on there or pay the landlord to install for me.

I thought you could get 'internet cards' from shops, take it these give poor service and you need a contract for high speed??


How bad is the internet?? What you think to someone trying to completely run an online business in Thailand with

VOIP calls to UK customers
email
Skype
online live chat/customer support

One plan of attack was to get ADSL/high peed connection to phone, hopefully area or accommodation will have WiFi also and then look at getting a mobile connection.....you think this would cover all bases or you thinking it would be super temperamental, dont mind the odd hour offline just not 2 or 3 or even a day

1. Internet cards? I guess you mean aircard-yes you can get them or even a dongle but don't expect great speeds. Also costs can mount.

2. Running a business on a tourist visa without a WP is illegal in Thailand. Skype/email on line chat would work ok on the right connection. Video calls can lack quality.

3. Consider (+6(now) +7 winter hours) time difference if  you have UK customers

4. Plenty of places with wifi maybe free maybe not!