Staying Online While Traveling to Malaysia

As a traveler and Internet-depended guy, I really like to travel to Singapore. Wifi hotspots are almost everywhere, and the best of it - it's FREE. Wherever you are: malls, hospitals, tourist spots, most of them covered by wifi using name Wireless@SG. By registering myself from GSM phone (from my home country) I can get a free wifi pass for whole day use.

How to get Free wifi account to access Wireless@SG hotspots? You need to switch your preferred network to SingTel (codename: STM). Then dial *168# using mobile phone. In short time you'll receive sms contains username and password to connect. The account can be used until midnight of the day, and you need to ask for new account again on next day.

But in Malaysia, thing gets different. Free wifi is rare from government, except offered by hotels or cafes. As I stay in Melaka (Malacca), there's no such thing called free Internet. So how to connect to Internet in Melaka, or any Malaysia cities? You need a 3G capable mobile phone.

Buy local GSM card, ranging from Celcom or Digi, they offer competitive rates for Internet service. Whether you surf Internet using mobile phone or dial-up using laptop, Internet will always be available to you.

And now I am trying on Digi Internet Service. From the brochure, it is said that I can surf Internet and rate is charged to RM 5 per day maximum. Retail rate is RM 0.10 / 10 KB, so basically we are easily reach that RM 5 after 500 KB usage.

Digi Internet connection setting using computer or laptop :

APN : diginet
Dial number : *99***1#
Username : digi
Password : digi

My experience in Melaka : only got EDGE speed, maximum at 18 KBps. FYI, 3G signal is still very limited in term of coverage area, but EDGE is nationwide by Digi.

And about maximum charge I mentioned above (RM 5 / day), I got charged RM 8++ for half day use. So I called customer service hotline, to be told that they charge per connection usage until RM 5. It means that if one connection costs RM 8 (because of KB usage), then it will be charged at that cost. I should have disconnected once I had known I use more than RM 5, so the next connection will not be charged. A silly policy but technically accepted by me.

Update: in the same afternoon, my card balance got added without notice, seems that they refunded the excess charge. Haha!

Overall I quite satisfied with this average, consistent but slow speed. The most important thing is I can connect to Internet for whole day, and just to worry about the RM 5.00 charged per day.