ADSL information for Non Resident

M

modusoperandi

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Hi

I am currently living abroad where there are no restrictions with regard to data etc. Even tho is site is so useful and has tons of info, I find this whole thing in SA very confusing.

Basically I need an ADSL line (384 is fine), with about 1 to 2 gb data for my folks. They use it mainly for skype video chatting, a little of browsing and email and maybe some voip. Which service provider is best for this? Also do we need shaped or unshaped, all in one package or separate?

My wifes folks have webafrica 384 1 gb DSL bronze and it seems fine. A friend told me that the R199 + R70 is too much for jus 1gb. Is this too much? How much of a hassle is it to change to another service provider? They have taken the complete package from webafrica.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Much appreciated.
 
The figure of 2GB mentioned above on the Telkom Do Level 2 broadband package refers to the minimum amount of bandwidth that will be provided. Most of the time you should be able to use ~4GB of international bandwidth before getting capped. It might also be an idea to purchase a cheap secondhand Netgear router off ebay in the UK, configure it before mailing or delivering it to them. Routers are quite expensive over here unless your parents are planning on signing a 2-year contract with Telkom.
 
Agree with yotch...

Do level 2 is the best option but get your own router and dont sign up for the contract...

Adsl prices going to drop next year after Seacom launches and we should see better adsl options popping up.
 
For your folks go with the Nashua Broadband 1Gb package. My mom uses it for Skype and she still has some to spare at the end of the month.

R139 per month includes :

* Up to 384kbps ADSL Subscription
* 1GB ADSL Data
* 4 x 4GB POP Mailbox
* Billion Wi-fi ADSL Router
* Free fax to e-mail

12 month contract which most will moan about but your folks are not going to be chopping and changing ISPs anyway...

This is currently the cheapest.

I have moaned about this product as the router is locked but again this will not concern your folks for the reason given above.
 
RedhotNeo said:
Wouldnt flashing the firmware remove the lock on the router.

Routers are typically locked at the software level and not hardware
Click to expand...

If you have got a way then please share as we have had this discussion on another thread and a number of things were tried but with no success. Mweb and Nashua do this.
 
LancelotSA said:
If you have got a way then please share as we have had this discussion on another thread and a number of things were tried but with no success. Mweb and Nashua do this.
Click to expand...

Will do some research this weekend and post a possible solution (if theres any)

I dont have any routers by these companies, so i will need to get my hands on 1 of them first..

im pretty sure if u find out who the manufacturer of the router is and the correct model number, u can download the default firmware from they website and flash the router thus unlocking it...
 
The flashing option has been tried. There was no success as it would not allow an update. I still have the latest firmware on my laptop but can't write it to the router.

Have a look and see what you can come up with! There is a long thread on here somewhere referring specifically to the Nashua offer.
 
lol telkom do
Your wifes folks are going to be angry with you when they have to phone telkom for support
Don't go with telkom as your ISP choose any other ISP there are lots in SA and its very easy to change your ISP
and routers aren't so expensive if you got 800 bucks you can buy a router brand new and it will even have wireless

just check digital planet
web africa is giving routers away apparantly but i suppose that is with contract
 
Mweb offer...

get the whole deal: adsl line, 1gig, uncapped local and router + no contract for R199...

thats a good deal considering the free router.... but wonder if theres any catches
 
shaped or unshaped?

Do I need to worry about shaped or sunshaped? Or 1 of the above will do fine for skype video?
 
I think that the Nashua Mobile 1GB offer includes unshaped bandwidth while the Telkom and MWeb packages are shaped. Unshaped bandwidth should perform better with Voip or Skype video. I personally haven't used Skype video so maybe somebody else can comment on the performance using shaped bandwidth. You might also be interested in www.12voip.com or www.voipraider.com if you want to make long overseas phone calls. A payment of 10 Euros will allow you to make 20 hours of free local or international calls per month for a period of 3 months. You can test out the service free of charge from the Voipraider home page (type in the two telephone numbers in international format in the bottom righthand corner).

The Nashua Mobile 1 year contract offer at R139 per month is the cheapest and comes with a free locked wireless router. The only drawback is that you are forced to purchase any additional bandwidth directly from them at a cost of ~R95 per gigabyte unless you have the necessary skills to switch to another service provider. Usually you would just enter the username and password in the router but this feature is disabled in the locked bundled router so you would probably need to use a different router if you wanted to purchase bandwidth elsewhere.
http://nashuamobile.com/nm_portal.asp?link=broadband_landing&siteid=ver5&sid=personal
http://www.internet-lessness.co.za/info.aspx?ID=178&Page=1&Product=178
http://www.mweb.co.za/productsservi...uctComparisonAtaglance/tabid/128/Default.aspx

You can switch your ADSL line from one ISP to another, say WebAfrica to Telkom or Nashua Mobile but you may be without service for a few weeks. If you choose to use Telkom as your ISP then make very sure to request the self install option otherwise they will bill you ~R500 just to plug in the router.

Telkom have also recently launched a 3G/HSDPA service which might also be worth considering. Both Vodacom and MTN also offer similar services so hopefully prices will start to fall next year. Speeds appear to be much better than 384Kbps ADSL. You might be able to purchase an HSDPA modem off ebay or from a 3 shop in Europe for a good price. The Huawei E220 is very popular over here. If the modem is locked it can be unlocked online for a small fee. Post again if you want further details.
http://www.telkom.co.za/products_services/w-cdma/cost.html
http://www.telkom.co.za/products_services/w-cdma/coverage_map.html
 
Last edited:
Further to the post above, I switched my ADSL line from Telkom to Nashua and from memory the process took less than a week. I do not recall being without ADSL for any extended length of time. I'm an internet addict so I would have remembered! :)
 
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