Signing up for ADSL for parents IN SA

Hi all

Need a bit of help with making sense of all these ADSL service in SA. Here is what I am trying to do.

I would like to sign up for a always on broadband/adsl service in SA so that my family can always keep in contact with me via email, skype etc. Always on is the feature I am looking for mostly.

Speed, well it's mainly for email/skype/browsing etc,but no dial-up, basically general use. I can't make heads or tails on all these packages available from the different service providers. I've check my mums phone number via Telkscums site, DSL service is available for them.

Can you guys recommend a reliable service provider, no contract and full installation with equipment installation included?.

Looking forward to your replies.

Hi ghalied - welcome to MyADSL

A 192k line should be sufficient enough for Skypeing, and they don't sound like heavy users so a 2GB account should probably be enough, maybe even a 1GB..

Most ISP's are month to month, and unfortunately Telkom has to install or your folks can do it themselves (or a friend who knows what to do).

ghalied said:

Hi all

Need a bit of help with making sense of all these ADSL service in SA. Here is what I am trying to do.

I would like to sign up for a always on broadband/adsl service in SA so that my family can always keep in contact with me via email, skype etc. Always on is the feature I am looking for mostly.

Speed, well it's mainly for email/skype/browsing etc,but no dial-up, basically general use. I can't make heads or tails on all these packages available from the different service providers. I've check my mums phone number via Telkscums site, DSL service is available for them.

Can you guys recommend a reliable service provider, no contract and full installation with equipment installation included?.

Looking forward to your replies.

Click to expand...

Best option would be a prepaid account from WA, the unused gigs get carried over. The installation like MaD suggested its better done here, they can do it themselves.

www.webafrica.co.za look at the prepaid option.

Where in SA are they located, we can then get you the details of an ISP in their area that can do the installation and supply the equipment etc.

We are in Cape Town, as is Web Africa (Both good choices )

Telkom has to do the install, oh crap, that R800> to add. No matter, willing to pay the once off installation, any timeframe from date of purchase to installation and setup?

My parents live in Cape Town, was just checking WA website, nice, read a post on hear that also said they are reliable for CT users.

Unused gigs get carried over, great.

ghalied said:

any timeframe from date of purchase to installation and setup?

Click to expand...

This is normally the big pain, except for the price off course. Can take anything from 2 weeks to six months.
Have a look at this: Installation Poll or This Thread.

ghalied said:

Telkom has to do the install, oh crap, that R800> to add. No matter, willing to pay the once off installation, any timeframe from date of purchase to installation and setup?

My parents live in Cape Town, was just checking WA website, nice, read a post on hear that also said they are reliable for CT users.

Click to expand...

The costs will be as follows (based on 192k)

Installation:
Telkom: R440.00
ISP (to come to premisis): R250.00 +/-
Router: R550.00 +/-

Monthly:
Line Rental: R270.00
ISP: depends on the package.

If you get a Telkom router then they'll install it and set it up as part of the R440.00 installation cost (but they cost about R1000 I think)

bloody hell, 1-2 month, 31% of users. Just familiarising myself with the ADSL newbie F.A.Q on the site. By gathering some of the info off the site it seems that my parents are going in for a ride once the process is underway, pity, but has to be done.

thanks carl, was just going to ask for a price breakdown, just getting my head round the shaped/unshaped ISP acc's

ghalied said:

thanks carl, was just going to ask for a price breakdown, just getting my head round the shaped/unshaped ISP acc's

Click to expand...

Shaped will work for just about everything... only gamers, traders and p2p freaks bother spending twice as much per GB on unshapped bandwidth (I'm selling it at 11c per MB BTW, hehe)

Been looking at the adsl modems, I'm a cable broadband user so don't know much about the adsl side. Looked at the prices over here and it's well cheap. Compatability is my worry.Here are the product info: Let me know if they will work with Telscum.

Ebuyer Extra Value 1 Port SPI Firewall Combo Ethernet ADSL Modem Router

Product Information
Compatible with BT, AOL, Kingston and all other ISPs
Rate adaptive, downstream up to 8MB and upstream up to 1MB IEEE 802.3 & 802.3u compliance
Web based configuration and management
IP Routing-RIPv2(backward compatible with RIPv1)
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
Built-in NAT function (allow multiple PCs & devices to share single Internet connection)
SPI Firewall (Stateful Packet Inspection Firewall)
VPN Pass Through for IPSEC, L2TP & PPTP
Supports DMZ host configuration
Supports DNS (Domain Name Server) & DDNS (Dynamic Domain Name Server)
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)
Static IP routing
Support Static IP , Dynamic RIP Version 1 and 2 routing
NAT (Network Address Translation)
NAPT( Network Address and Port Translation)
Port Mapping/Forwarding
DHCP Server/Relay/Client
DNS Relay Agent
VPN Pass Through for IPSEC, L2TP,PPTP
Wild Card DMZ support
PPP Auto Reconnect with configurable timeouts
IGMP Multicast Support

£23.49 inc VAT


Ebuyer Extra Value 4 Port Switch + 1 USB Port SPI Firewall ADSL Modem Router

Product Information
With the SAMR-4114 ADSL Router, speeding up for your network has never been easier or more cost-effective. Offering connectivity many times faster than traditional dial-up modems. At up to 8Mbps downstream and 640Kbps upstream for full-rate G.dmt, and up to 1.5Mbps downstream and 512Kbps upstream for G.lite, you'll see a startling and immediate increase in performance.
P Routing-RIPv2 (backward compatible with RIPv1)
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
NAPT (Network Address and Port Translation)
NAT (Network Address Translation)
ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol)
Simultaneous Ethernet and USB operation
IGMP (Internet Group Management Protocol)
Static IP routing
SNMP

£30.54 inc VAT


As you said Carl, shaped will do, thanks . Will call my sister tomorrow and get her to call Telscum and sign up for the installation. Will get the hardware and ISP once they get a confirmation from Telscum as when the installation will be complete, so will follow the ADSL F.A.Q as per this site. Loads more questions, but for now will wrap my head round the info I have at hand.

For low casual users the pay per meg model of @lantic might also be an option. Doubt your parents will be downloading megabytes worth of Mp3's

telkomsuig said:

For low casual users the pay per meg model of @lantic might also be an option. Doubt your parents will be downloading megabytes worth of Mp3's

Click to expand...

Nah, it works out too expensive, most home users will use more than 2GB.

Rather go for a 3GB account, with top up, at least you know what you're paying for then.

Good routers they can go for here:

Netgear
Billion
D-Link
Surecom

Oh, and if you're worried about installation times, just send me thier order number. We order lines about once or twice a week, so we've got a routine for escalation. We usually get it done within two weeks, if ther're no extenuating circumstanses.

Remote Support

Thanks for this thread... been very useful

Going through similar pains with setting my parents up out of OZ (Where I pay R250 for 17MB/s ADSL and 20 Gig cap -- and I have to apply for 192KBs for more RRR)

After exhausting amounts of offline IT support at crazy hours here, I am getting them set up on ADSL so I can sort out whatever is problematic (Cant print, cant see emails, have a virus, bla bla bla -- sure most of you know the drill)

Anyways, was looking at Cybersmart.co.za, but they seem to prevent you from accessing other Pop3 / Imap accounts... -- read it deep down in their T&C... -- do they do this? Cause then it is hardly worth it.

Another question, as 192 is not really lightning, what would you recommend as a good remote admin tool (Free) to use? I have been using logmein.com here, but that is on much faster infrastructure... any preferences out there?

Thanks... just had to spend 20min on the phone doing the idiotic Telskum ADSL application form remotely, avoiding all the pitfalls of signing up for a Tel$cum Modem or Tel@cum ISP...

Cybersmart do block any POP's not on their network.

Why don't you just use remote desktop or remote assistance from Windows XP? There is also realVNC and Tight VNC.

Remember these will all require port forwarding on ther router though.