I'm taking my laptop with me as I need to do business. What type of connector/s do I need to allow me to connect to hotel hi speed internet. Is the Thai telephone connector similar to that in US? Do I need an adaptor? If so, any ideas on where to locate one.

High speed internet in hotels uses either an Ethernet connector or WiFi. The Thai phone connector is the same as US.

Lots more info here: http://kropla.com/

You will most likely need an adaptor. Depending on where you are in Thailand and the age of the hotel, you may find different configurations, so I would bring a few different adaptors. They are small and light and easy to pack; Hotels can usually supply them as well. There is a website called voltagevalet.com that in my experience is a fairly reliable source of information on the type of outlet configurations you are likely to find in virtually any country in the world. click on "What You Will Need for Where you Want to Go" from the menu on the left. Another helpful site is http://www.escapeartist.com/global/W...wer_Guide.html

Also, if you just need to check e-mail, many hotels have a business centre or a lobby computer for guest use where you can do this, and there are numerous internet cafes (in the most surprising locations where you can do this as well; this definately beats lugging a laptop around, take a look at cybercafes.com for a list of locations. You would also have no problem with blackberry connections in most of Thailand.

I just bought an adaptor from a website advertised in a travel magazine. I haven't used it yet (will try it out in October) but it has all the adaptors you would need world wide in one device just a little bigger than a roll of film. The kit I bought also included a plug adaptor. This has the same feature. One adaptor for all the different plugs world wide. It has sliding levers so you can change the plug/internet connector type.

The website is www.tumi.com

Hope this helps.

Sorry, it's called the Deluxe Modem and Adaptor Kit and it was $95 plus tax.

Actually the 2 problems you will get are:

a> Access to a service providor.
You can buy a CS-Loxinfo card for about USD 18 which gives you about 30-60 hours use depending on time of day you use, it is quite simple, you set up an internet connection, put in the ID and password and the number to call, but herein lies the 2nd issue...

b> Telephone charges ! Domestic calls run as low as B 3 ( about 8 US cents ) per call, problem is that many hotels charge huge amounts per minute, and if you stay online for 30 minutes you could find a huge bill. Many charge B 10-20 a minute even for local so it could work out expensive. 30 minutes online could cost you USD 15!

Internet cafes on the other hand charge by time and can be as low as USD 1.25 per hour.

I agree with Cicerone that using a hotel's Business center where hopefully they will charge a reasonable time rate would probably be better.

Many places have up to 56 kps but in 'reality' that can be very slow, good internet cafes will have 256 kps but often many PC's sharing one modem.

Only top hotels might have some kind of internal system but for most it would mean you dialing-out to a service providor and trying to get around having to pay per minute charges.