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-   -   Internet in SE Asia (https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/internet-in-se-asia-1533062/)

KateTab Nov 5th, 2017 10:51 AM

Internet in SE Asia
 
Apologies if this has been asked a thousand times before. We will be spending two months in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, so a relatively short time in each. We will take an iPad. In India we bought a sim card, which worked fine but took an afternoon to set up. It was good not to be reliant on hotel WIFI which often did not work, or to have to go to bars/cafes.
What is the best way to get internet for an IPad in SE Asia?
Thank you

crellston Nov 5th, 2017 03:43 PM

We have travelling around Asia for te last six months and have never bothered with getting a sim for our iPads. WiFi is everywhere. Faster in some places than other we are in Vietnam at the moment where the WiFi here is everywhere. Many places have super fast, fibre optic broadband with 50mps speeds. Thailand is ok in most places but some are much faster than others. Cambodia much the same. No idea re Myanmar. If you need a sim you will have to buy a separate one for each country.

The only place I bought a sim was in Taiwan for my iPhone and that took the guy at the station all of two mins to set up.

annjones84 Nov 5th, 2017 08:11 PM

Try some VPNs, since a lot of time the set up can be from malware and other "questionable" wifi stuff. Especially if you're going to use bars / cafes for connection. SIM in Asia is usually pretty good, and in Thailand, you can buy in some 711's. But online hacking scams are becoming more rampant in SE Asia, especially since some pages are "unofficially" blocked by the government to support local competitors. I recently got Expressvpn for China, and it's been working really well to keep me connected no matter where I am in Asia (recently back from Thailand to visit friends) so I might recommend taking a look at that. And with a SIM you can "hotspot" for your ipad as well.

khunwilko Nov 6th, 2017 09:17 PM

In Thailand and Laos, I'd suggest 4 G SIM cards -
I don't find arguing over which brand is best is worth it as they are all pretty well established now.

In Laos I loved my 4G it was very good in some quite rural or remote parts and much better than hotel wifi which in one hotel in Luang Prabang didn't extend to my room......in fact a problem I've found with quite a few hotels.
WiFi is everywhere but it isn't so secure and in some places just not very good.

with a good data package you can ring or text home at reasonable rates and get passable internet speeds

In Laos I normally go to the Laotel HQ in Vientiane and they set me up......however, I've also done this at a market.

In Thailand thy will set you up at the airport or just about anywhere else - you'll need to show you passport.


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