While higher speeds and lower ping times will be achieved from relatively nearby Vientiane, Bangkok or Hanoi servers, what happens in the real world upstream (between Vientiane and servers in say London or New York) is another story and of course download speeds will be affected by many different factors.

Using the well-known SpeedTest.net, I was quite surprised with some of the results. I used the 21 Mbps USB modem from Beeline, a 7.2 Mbps dongle from Unitel and Planet’s 4G WiMax Indoor CPE modem. While having seen increased speeds from local servers, I certainly wasn’t expecting to see over 5 Mbps download speeds and very low latency from many thousands of miles or kilometers away from Southeast Asia. Here are the results:

Unitel Lao (Star Telecom) HSPA – London, UK server

Unitel Lao HSPA – New York City, USA server

Planet Online Laos WiMax – London, UK server

Planet Online Laos WiMax – New York City, USA server

Beeline Lao HSPA+ (ex Tigo Millicom) – London, UK server

Beeline Lao HSPA+ (ex Tigo Millicom) – New York City, USA server

This was by no means a definitive test which, in fairness, ought to be made at different times of the day, night and week, using different local and overseas locations and servers.

Currently, Beeline’s new HSPA+ service using a high speed USB modem such as the ZTE MF 668A wins hands down. Both the ping times and download speeds were impressive and unexpected. Let’s hope as the subscriber base expands that performance doesn’t deteriorate too rapidly as it has with Unitel.

Here’s a more recent Beeline test using a Los Angeles, CA (US West Coast) server, done at 6.30 pm Wednesday 18th.

Beeline is part of VimpelCom, a huge Russian-owned mobile provider. I found even less latency to Moscow – 48ms.

Strangely, I have since received much higher ping rates using Pingtest.net from these and other locations. I am looking further into why there should be such discrepancy.

See the Lao Communications page on our website for details of phone and internet services in the Lao PDR.

Depending on user location and traffic, Beeline 3G service is faster than the others if using a high-speed capable phone or USB modem. With a typical 3.6 Mbps phone or up to 7.2 Mbps modem will produce similar results to the 1-2 Mbps download speeds from LaoTel or ETL; sometimes higher than that with Unitel.

A fast 3G phone can produce at least 4.5 Mbps in Vientiane city as one reader has already reported and I have now downloaded at over 7 Mbps using their 21 Mbps modem late in the evening and several km from the city centre. With a fast 3G modem, Beeline is performing much better for me than Unitel.

Beeline sells a badged locked ZTE MF 656A (14.4 Mbps) and MF 668A (21 Mbps) USB dongle for 300,000 and 350,000 kips respectively. Data plans are suited to mobile phones with low daily, weekly or monthly internet requirements; plan prices are comparable with the others. See more below.

A Tigo or Beeline SIM (with phone number, so not data only) should automatically switch to 3G on a capable phone or device where service is available, so there’s no need to upgrade or change any settings. APNs are tigolaonet, tigolaowap or beelinenet.

For 4G, Beeline is developing an LTE network for Laos – not WiMax as employed by Lao Telecom and Planet. This is still in development and service is not yet available. LTE requires compatible phones and modems such as used for LTE systems deployed in the USA, Korea and Singapore.

Get more Lao mobile and internet information on the R-A Lao communications and Lao data plans pages.

There are quite a few types on the market from manufacturers such as Kingston and SanDisk, and they come in different capacities; several gigabytes are common on today’s new phones and tablets. For many, this extra memory functions as part of the system, without needing setting; they may not even be aware of the card or its features. But problems can arise when the card is nearly full and files need deleting, transferring to other storage, or replacing the current SD card with a higher capacity one.

Having had issues myself, I created a Micro SD page on the R-A website several years ago. Since then it has been consistently one of the most popular, receiving hundreds of hits every day – over 85,000 by 2010 and over 180,000 by 2012. There’s no doubt that many have problems and card failures; there are numerous forums where people post, including phone and card manufacturer support sites.

Two common problems:  microSD file transfer & Nokia phones with password-locked cards

1.  If a microSD cannot be recognised by a computer (read, write, format etc), it may not be the card itself but a microSD to SD adapter typically needed for it to fit in a standard size card reader slot. The adapter usually comes with it. This is the first thing to check for a fault. Try using a different adapter (Kingston seem to have dud ones); better still, get  a USB reader with a Micro SD slot for $3.50; in the UK for £1.40.

2.  Nokia phones with locked microSD cards that need a password for access (happens suddenly without user intervention). Retrieving or removing the password depends upon the model. Some Nokias have an “MMC store” folder; copy this to a computer and open with Notepad to find the password. Reformatting the card (losing all content) allows a new password e.g. 1234 to be set if needed.

Ways to copy/move files between SD cards or transfer to and from a computer

There are different options for working with files. One is with the USB cable supplied with the phone and used in conjunction with a software program also supplied by the manufacturer. e.g. Nokia Data Suite. Another is Bluetooth – a wireless link between the two, as also is WiFi. If you have a built in or USB card reader, removing the microSD card from the phone and connecting directly to a computer is easiest.

Some card readers now accept a micro SD card directly (see above); previously it needed a micro to standard size SD adapter often but not always supplied with a micro SD purchased separately and often the cause of problems, one of which is the write protect switch (on the adapter – the micro SD does not have this).

Whichever way you connect the card to a computer,  a file manager such as Windows Explorer should see an extra external hard drive . The drive letter (G in the image) depends on how many drives are already in the computer, including the CD or DVD drive.

The card’s folders and files (not always all of them) will be visible too and can be copied or moved by dragging and dropping them to a folder on another hard drive or perhaps burning a CD for archiving purposes.

Sometimes they are hidden or copyright-protected by the manufacturer and other means are needed to move or copy them. See our main MicroSD page for how to copy all SD card content to another location.

Due to the sheer scope of this topic, and the different problems that users experience, the web page  is long and rambling – even more so than this post – especially for someone looking for a ‘quick fix’. When I find the time, I will sort the information into categories and incorporate a summary on this blog, where issues will be easier to identify. Readers can also comment below and see answers which hopefully help others with similar problems.

NOTE: Before posting a problem with your SD card, PLEASE visit the MicroSD page at Retire-Asia.com. There are a lot of things you can try and tools you can download and use; most are free.

If you cannot find a solution there, (or you have found one and want to help others) you are welcome to post a comment. BUT you must provide the make and model of the phone, camera or other device, the card type (SD microSD, SDHC, SDXC etc), brand name and capacity (Gb) of the card. Describe the nature of the failure and the procedures you have already tried to fix it with the tools offered here or elsewhere.

Don’t comment “My card doesn’t work, I’ve tried everything; what can I do?” and expect an answer, but if you don’t see your problem listed here, below in comments, or on the R-A MicroSD page, then I am probably going to suggest you replace the card under warranty if possible, go to a phone service centre or ‘byte the bullet’ and just get a new SD card! They are pretty cheap now.

Details have yet to be released about a data-only SIM or USB modem service and data plans.

More information on the Retire-Asia.com website page for internet and mobile communications in Laos.

You may have seen the acronyms VPN and VPS, which stand for Virtual Private Network and Virtual Private Server. Don’t be put off by the technical, geeky terms; there are very good reasons to know a little about them, especially if you are using the internet from outside your home or base country.

These services are invaluable for both travelers and those living abroad or expats overseas. They affect the way you access the internet and are useful for several different reasons, such as watching your home country TV channels or Forex (currency trading) or getting access to websites blocked in some countries by the government. Examples are China, Myanmar (Burma), the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Conversely, there are national websites that will prohibit browser or download access from other countries; the country where the visitor is located can be identified by its local IP address – every device connection to the internet displays one. There are several ways to avoid access restrictions or ensure anonymity, but the VPN is the most popular and serves most internet users’ needs; it’s also much better and safer than using a ‘proxy server’. A VPS  has more capabilities, but is technically more advanced and expensive and not really needed for most internet users. See the relevant post.

Most countries now have reasonable mobile phone and internet services, adequate for local people’s needs. Residents and visitors can communicate and browse the web from a computer, laptop, tablet or phone, but there may be restrictions or limitations on access to certain websites. These vary country-by-country.

There are places where Skype or Torrent and popular websites are blocked. For those living abroad, there are restrictions imposed by the home country. For example you may be an American who wants to see US TV network programs or use Hulu and other viewing and video download services, or a Brit who wants to watch or use iPlayer for BBC, ITV, C4, C5 programmes. Simply put, you probably can’t, but there are solutions – not all of them legal or genuine.

You may have come across sites selling software that promises you access to every tv channel and show on the planet. Absolutely not true. They only offer you FTA (Free to Air) channels and video streams which can be found easily but these do not include most national network television or subscription services. There is only one real (and simple) solution: the VPN.

A Virtual Private Network  subscription is easy to set up and you can choose the country or city you wish to be ‘virtually’ located in. As far as anyone who may be interested in your online activities is aware, that’s where you are physically located.

The VPN provides a route or ‘tunnel’ between the US, UK or other country (many are available) internet server and your computer (or smartphone) which is physically located in a different country. The VPN gives you a local Internet Provider address (location identity) and therefore allows you to visit any site or use services available in that country.

Apart from a usually minute drop in speed (the data detours via the VPN server), there is no other difference in the way you browse the web or use web-based email services.

When your VPN is connected you can visit the websites direct and use their video streams and players, or watch as well as download shows from Hulu or videos from YouTube for future viewing with a program like TubeDigger. Download it and use it free for 14 days. Here is a screenshot:

One of the best-known of the VPN providers (and one I use myself) is Super VPN Services. A connection located in one of many different countries can cost less than 4 dollars per month for unlimited access. The connection can be set up on multiple devices e.g. your desktop, laptop, iPad, Android tablet or smartphone – but only one can be used at a time for numerous purposes like anonymous browsing, tv show, film and video downloads, Skype or other VoIP, Torrent, as well as circumventing government website blocking in some countries.

A mouse click on a shortcut to your connection manager changes your internet access from direct (showing your local IP address) to the VPN which will show you as using an internet provider located in your chosen country and unblocking any restrictions you have experienced. It’s as simple as that.

Visit the Super VPN Services website to learn more. There are plans available for different purposes and budgets costing as little as $4 per month.

See also the post on VPS. For forex traders needing to be continuously online, or a business that requires a more ‘acceptable’ online presence or location, a VPS may be the better option.

Except for Nokia which is now tied to Microsoft, virtually all popular phone brands like Google itself, Samsung, LG, HTC, Acer, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and tablets from Samsung, Acer, Asus, ViewSonic – and many more including Chinese copies – run on versions of the Android operating system.

The ‘apps’ (applications for Apple and Android are like computer programs, games and utilities for desktop and laptop PC operating systems like Windows, Linux or Mac) list is already huge and can be seen on the official Android Market, as well as several other websites which also cater for devices not ‘authorized’ by Google. Only those with a ‘legit’ phone or tablet can download apps direct from Google’s Android Market, but there are ways to get around these restrictions (some technical knowledge may be needed).

Android Apps are mostly free, such as the popular Angry Birds games or if charged for, around $1 -10. You choose the apps you want and have them sent to and installed on your phone, wherever you are, automatically via your Gmail account. It’s a very simple process. Storage memory is not a problem as all these devices have micro SD cards which hold gigabytes of data for apps, videos, photos and music files.

In these days of economic hardship for many, any way to save money shopping, eating out, hotels, local tourist attractions, servicing the car, or whatever, is very welcome and most people are aware of coupons which can be redeemed against purchases from a local outlet or a special limited time offer (often loss-making for the vendor) but which can save you a lot of money, up to 60% or more in some cases. Groupon is the best known of these services and operates in over 50 countries including a growing number in Asia, but there are more; this a rapidly growing market.

You can find these coupon sites on a computer, but what is really needed is to know of savings offers available in a particular location, or even better, near where you are right now. There are apps designed just for this purpose. They often work in conjunction with Groupon or other company, and then use the Android phone’s built-in GPS navigation and Google Maps features to locate particular offers or daily deals as they have become known.

With a good ‘deals app’, settings let you to choose an offer category (or see all) either in a particular city or town you want to visit; better yet, be able to search and notify you of coupons or daily deals near your present location – or you may even be looking to meet someone located near you!

This is great idea when you think about it, as you carry your phone (or tablet) wherever you go and you can be advised instantly when a new local savings offer comes up near you – in real time. Or you can plan activities with money-saving offers in advance.

There are several of these apps to choose from, but one I found does all it is supposed to, and works well. It’s available free on the Android Market and called Local Coupon Savings.

Apps are fun to use for anyone with an Android phone or tablet, so give this one a try – wherever you are.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money on an Android phone. I bought an LG Optimus Me P350 aka Pecan for about £100 or $155 and I am very happy with it, although one problem with touchscreen phones is clumsy fingers, but there are apps that can improve keying in text dramatically like SwiftKey which now costs just 10 cents or pence from the Android market. There are free keyboard apps too.

The phone costs less than I paid at Amazon.com (click photo); it’s also at Amazon UK.

It’s a sad reality that’s becoming more and more apparent that most of us are in the so-called 99% ‘poor’ category and will rarely have enough put away or be in line for a big inheritance. Most of the world’s money stays right where it is now: in the hands of a select few. Occupying Wall Street is not going to change that!

There are countless people, many years away from traditional retirement age who, for one reason or another, find themselves being prematurely ‘retired’ from mainstream employment and jobs. There are still alternatives.

So how to improve our financial circumstances without incurring large extra expense? Stocks and paper investments? First you need to have cash, and it’s risky. Real estate? Some cash and then borrow. Very risky today. Buying gold and silver? A little less risky in my opinion, but no guarantees in the short term – and you need cash to buy it!

Continuing to work (or at least earn money) in some form seems to be the best option. But there are few jobs for the young and middle-aged, let alone ‘oldies’ like us, probably anyone over 40 for that matter!

Whether you’re 20 or 70, you can learn enough about the new technology to use it to generate income.

Most of us have a mobile phone and are using the internet more and more in our daily lives. We know about iPads, Android and Apps too! It’s not too late to learn enough to make some money from this knowledge. Most of us have life experience, hopefully at least a couple of fingers we can tap our way around a keyboard with and more. Most importantly, if we’re honest, we probably have the time too. All we really need is belief in our abilities to learn a new discipline, the motivation to better our lot in life, and that all-important internet connection! Plus effort and perseverance – that may be a stumbling block, but it must not stop us.

It shouldn’t be too much of an effort to go back into education like school or university, when all that means today is spending some extra  time in front of the computer, doing something more useful than surfing.

Think about becoming an affiliate marketer: someone who promotes items online. Not just selling your old junk on eBay, this is about promoting goods and services that people want every day, available from thousands of vendors all over the world who have ‘affiliate programs’ for precisely that purpose. Amazon is just one source.

Help people find what they are looking for and earn a commission for it. It might be something that very few people know anything about, but one who does is YOU. Exploit that with a website or blog on that particular topic. Write an ebook and learn how easy it can be to sell it to the world through Amazon, Commission Junction, Clickbank and dozens of other programs. And if you really want you can also sell yours and others’ junk (or even useful stuff) on eBay!

But how do you learn how to start doing that? Well I have good news, as it’s the way I got going myself a few years ago, and what I learned at my ‘university’ is still good today, plus a lot more that has been added – and keeps getting added. I don’t care that I’m not fully retired, and I never want to be, simply because I love what I do and it keeps me with a decent standard of living.

If there is any bad news, it’s simply that there is no way anyone gets rich overnight on the internet, no matter what scheme or system is being offered to the gullible or greedy. At best it’s hype and at worst it’s a scam to relieve you of the little spare cash you have in order to line the pockets of an unscrupulous crook or con-man. Learn the business from the bottom up and forget about shortcuts. There are none that I know of that work.

So where is the magical place of learning I found? It’s called the Wealthy Affiliate University and I discovered it ‘way back’ in 2005, founded by a couple of young Canadian entrepreneurs who wanted to help others make money online – as they already had themselves, and continue to do today. It’s not only information, and training, there’s a whole community of members who share their knowledge and experience and support each other too.

It’s incredibly cheap to enroll at WAU. You won’t need a student loan, that’s for sure; it’s a small monthly subscription and worth every cent which I, along with many others of all ages, have been happy to continue paying to this day.

Even before you enroll, you can see if this might be the light at the end of the tunnel for you, no matter who or how old you are, or which country you live in. As a ‘taster’, you can download the free Internet Wealth Guide for 2011/12 that explains in simple terms what’s involved in becoming a successful affiliate marketer – there are plenty that never make it, but the ones that do all have different ways of doing it; there are plenty of those too!

Once you join (and you can cancel at any time), you will find an amazing amount of information and resources available; you may be a little overwhelmed and unsure where to start. However, your introduction to the ‘campus’ is made easy by a series of daily emails with specific tasks for you to do to get going. It’s a simple, efficient way to keep you focused on the tasks that all internet marketing students and affiliates need to accomplish on the way to success.

If you’re busy some days and you fall behind, no problem. You just pick up where you left off previously. There’s no pressure and you can learn entirely at your own pace. WAU makes it as easy as it can possibly be, and the potential rewards are unlimited.

More information at the Wealthy Affiliate University website. If you’re not quite ready to sign up, start with the free guide mentioned above.

A VPS is like having a whole computer (server) – with its own operating system and programs you can load on it – based in a chosen country such as the US or UK/Europe. The interface appears as a separate ‘desktop’ on the computer you are physically using; when connected, it allows you to use those programs. The service can be (and is usually) left running remotely even while the local machine is switched off.

Typical users of a VPS are forex traders.  They need a continuous internet connection to their broker trading account 24 hours 6 days a week when the markets are open. They use automated trading systems which can enter and exit trades as long as the connection is maintained. The most popular program (trading platform) for this is MetaTrader.

A further advantage is using a VPS located in the same country or area as the broker. This lessens the ‘latency’ between trade triggers and improves trading performance.

See www.Forex-on-Auto.com for more information about automated forex trading and VPS providers, and why serious traders use them for better results.

The image (full size on the above site) shows a VPS being used on a Windows PC, with the MetaTrader forex platform running. You can see shortcuts to other programs available on this ‘PC within a PC’.

Visit www.Forex-on-Auto.com

 Read our VPN post which explains how a simple to set up service can be invaluable to expats wanting to watch or download their favorite shows from the home country.

However, there has been a mobile phone operator problem in Laos for the past month, with no change by November 16 when this post was previously updated.

On November 23, Lao mobile communications were almost back to normal – see later post.

The four local networks: LaoTel, ETL, Unitel and Tigo (now Beeline) have a cartel-like agreement that limits competition between them (relating mainly to free calls and messages); a dispute between Beeline and the others is making life difficult for all phone users, both fixed line and mobile and including incoming international calls to Laos. Relations turned sour on October 14 when Beeline (VimpelCom) – or Tigo which was previously majority-owned by Millicom – apparently refused to comply.

This resulted in immediate cross-network call blocking to and from Beeline numbers by the other three networks. After a month, there has been no resolution in sight.

Since mid-October,  Tigo/Beeline numbers have only been able to make and receive calls on the Beeline network. Additionally, Lao Telecom also controls most of the international lines, so incoming calls to Tigo numbers from overseas are affected too.

As is often the case in the Lao PDR, very few outside the government ever know what’s really going on. Speculation and rumour are rife. Some say it’s the Lao government (which owns the other telcos either outright or in joint venture with the Vietnamese military) wanting a larger interest in the Beeline ‘nest’ than 22%. They presumably couldn’t get it from Millicom and the new majority owner VimpelCom (with strong Russian government connections) is not giving way. The stalemate continues. At some point in time, normal connections will probably be resumed.

In the meantime, one solution for mobile subscribers in Laos (especially visitors) is to use another operator’s SIM (costing about $2.50). Lao mobile phones are almost all sold unlocked. Alternatively, dual and multi-SIM phones are available cheaply now. Chinese mobiles are sold in phone shops throughout the country, but try before you buy!

While it’s more important to learn how to use your phone rather than to try and fully understand the technology (a bit like driving a car without needing to know how automatic transmissions or airbags actually work), those of us who have inquiring minds do like to know at least something about aspects of modern technology that affect our daily lives. However, this can be rife with confusing acronyms like 2G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSPA, HSDPA, IMEI, USSD, SMS, MSISDN – and there are plenty more…

Mobile phone users were once grateful to be able to leave home and be able to make and receive phone calls in their car, then being able to carry a large, heavy ‘hand portable’.

The modern mobile can be tiny or have a decent size screen, but not only that, it is capable of infinitely more functions than simple voice calls. Cell phones, PDAs and pads or tablets are also still and video cameras, music and video players, internet browsers, emailers, GPS navigators; they even act as modems for laptops, tablets and full size computers too and can run similar programs and applications (Apps).

Another handy little gadget is the ‘stick’ or ‘dongle’ 3G modem that plugs into a computer’s USB port and provides a fast internet connection anywhere in the world there is a GPRS or 3G mobile phone network signal in range.

The communication ability for all these portable devices is the tiny card inside known as a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) that allows connection to local mobile phone networks in most countries of the world. While some phones are ‘locked’ into a particular network as they sold with a usage plan, most can be unlocked inexpensively, making them usable with other mobile operators as well. This is an issue to consider when taking your phone out of the country. Another is the ‘frequency bands’ that the phone can use. The US and Canada use different ones to most of the rest of the world, so to be ‘globally mobile’ you need a ‘quad band’ model. Fortunately, cell phones can be very cheap to buy, especially in Asia, as Korea and China manufacture most of them. Buy a second phone, a local SIM and away you go, chatting, browsing, even navigating!

Visit Retire-Asia’s GSM Mobile page to have some of the confusing letters and acronyms explained in layman’s terms; you may find it useful to know at least something about them.