tagged: ADSL Shanghai, China Telecom Internet, how to set up internet Shanghai, internet Shanghai, moving to China

How to Get Internet Set Up in Shanghai: A Dummy Guide to Making this Easy

Posted by Mike in China Living

If you are like me, one of you biggest priorities during your move to Shanghai will be getting internet set up. After that it will be making your internet faster in China. Some of you will move in with roommates who already have internet set up and some of you will have companies helping you with every step of your move in process. This guide will be for the rest of us that will need to muddle through setting up internet in Shanghai by ourselves.

Internet Basics

Probably 95% of foreigners in Shanghai (assumption) have internet set up through China Telecom (government owned). Also, the majority of these people will have ADSL internet. To keep this guide simple, I will assume that you will all follow this “normal” path.

Your first step is to go to the China Telecom to sign up for an internet plan.

China Telecom Internet Shanghai Branch Location

Unlike in the United States, you will NOT be able to sign up for the internet in the comfort of your own home. Instead, you should be traveling to China Telecom’s main Shanghai branch below:

English:  915 Caoxibei Rd, Xuhui District

Mandarin: 上海市徐汇区漕溪北路915

Phone: 021-62476666

Closest Metro Stops: Xujiahui, Shanghai Indoor Stadium

Maps: See below

Go there with your passport, address, and local phone number.

Choosing an ADSL Internet Plan

When you get to the China Telecom branch, you will need to select your internet plan. The two plans you can choose from are the 1M and 2M plans. The current (as of March 23rd) costs are as follows:

1M Plan (1MB / second download speed): Pay for 6 months at a rate of 880 RMB or pay for 1 year at 1680 RMB. There are monthly options, but these are generally not chosen based on the start-up fees that aren’t waived if you pay only one month in advance.

2M Plan (2MB / second download speed): Pay for 6 months at a rate of 960 RMB or pay for 1 year at 1800 RMB. Again, there are monthly options, but I wouldn’t recommend them based on the star-up fees.

For both plans, you can begin paying monthly at the conclusion of your plan. You can see details of the monthly plans here. We’ll start with the unlimited plans:

And then the 60 hour plan:

Find more details on the China Telecom Website for internet plans. Make sure you have a free Chinese translator before you do this.

I opted for a 6 month 2M plan with the belief that the 2M plan may be slightly faster than the 1M plan and isn’t a whole lot more expensive than the 1M option. During my research of these plans I found that some believe that the two plans end up yielding identical speeds. However, judging by the highly scientific graphical comparison above, I was sold on the 2M plan. I wasn’t willing to take the chance of a potentially slower plan and was willing to pay the roughly $10 USD over 6 months for this comfort. I don’t see a great enough difference in price between the 6 month and 1 year plan to lock myself into an additional 6 months.

The Steps of Events Until Your Shanghai-Based Internet is Working

1. Pay China Telecom for whatever plan you select
2. Someone from China Telecom will call you to set up an appointment. This will likely be three days from the time you sign up. You can choose from a three hour block in the morning or in the afternoon.
3. The China Telecom technical representative will stop by your apartment at the designated time to set up internet and drop off your modem. They showed up at the very end of my three hour time slot, but still within their allotted time.
4. You are now set up!

What About Wireless Internet?

I bought a TP-Link 150M wireless modem in XuJiaHui for 140 RMB (after negotiations, see picture below). If you buy the same one, make sure you have a Chinese speaking friend to help you set up the wireless internet. I believe the instructions are all in characters. Otherwise, you may need to buy a more English-friendly (and more expensive) router.

General Conclusions

ADSL in Shanghai is OK. At times it is faster than I expected and, at times it is slower. The early afternoon is said to be the slowest time for internet access in Shanghai and I can attest to this. During this time, I find that accessing internet in Shanghai through my iPhone is faster than through my modem at home. Unfortunately for us foreigners, accessing foreign-hosted websites requires our sites to go through a firewall that considerably slows down or blocks access to international sites. VPNs and proxies don’t tend to help with the speed and, instead, seem to slow down most sites.

If you are looking for ways to make your internet faster in China, check out my guide on How to Make Internet Faster In China. It is a free guide for anyone who signs up for my free newsletter (see below).

Please leave a comment for any additions / changes you would make to the above to help other visitors.