Afrihost Capped DSL Feedback

[AfriMan]

BS... AH have had capacity issues since January and you know it.

Now that things are getting worse and more people are complaining and leaving all of a sudden you've seen a massive spike in demand.

The fact that you had to reiterate twice that this only started last week says it all.

Definitely not going back to January. We've had several upgrades since then, in accordance with our capacity planning, so we've always been monitoring and proactively improving wherever we can.

 

[Davedes]

Definitely not going back to January. We've had several upgrades since then, in accordance with our capacity planning, so we've always been monitoring and proactively improving wherever we can.

Read back in the thread... the proof is there.

Majority of the people complaining about poor service goes back months. Nothing has improved and whenever anyone mentioned AH were out of capacity they were shut down or ignored.

Latency spikes around peak periods at the same times daily, certain protocols shaped heavily and line speeds sometimes cut down below half. Change ISP accounts and all goes away. Most complaints have been about those 3 issues for months. I'm not sure what all the testing was needed for months on end other than delaying the fact you needed more IPC and holding back that purchase as long as possible.

It's not rocket science, you guys have known this for months.

 

[AfriMan]

Read back in the thread... the proof is there.

Majority of the people complaining about poor service goes back months. Nothing has improved and whenever anyone mentioned AH were out of capacity they were shut down or ignored.

Latency spikes around peak periods at the same times daily, certain protocols shaped heavily and line speeds sometimes cut down below half. Change ISP accounts and all goes away. Most complaints have been about those 3 issues for months. I'm not sure what all the testing was needed for months on end other than delaying the fact you needed more IPC and holding back that purchase as long as possible.

It's not rocket science, you guys have known this for months.

As I mentioned in my post, we have to investigate and determine whether it is a region-wide or nation-wide issue. On further investigation, this was not the case. In testing from our own servers in each region, as well as with users who work with us to help improve our experience, we were satisfied that the majority of network users were not experiencing the same results as was reported by a small handful of users here (referring to issues going back to January). Hence we've encouraged users to work with our Critical Care and support team.

 

[Davedes]

As I mentioned in my post, we have to investigate and determine whether it is a region-wide or nation-wide issue. On further investigation, this was not the case. In testing from our own servers in each region, as well as with users who work with us to help improve our experience, we were satisfied that the majority of network users were not experiencing the same results as was reported by a small handful of users here (referring to issues going back to January). Hence we've encouraged users to work with our Critical Care and support team.

Here's proof you try to pull the wool over people eyes.

Let me guess there is still no issue or you just forgot to update it.

 

[AfriMan]

Here's proof you try to pull the wool over people eyes.

SNIP

Let me guess there is still no issue or you just forgot to update it.

I don't see how that is proof of any duplicity.

The message below was merely to give an update on what's happening with the network. We're not saying the network is congested or unusable, we're simply informing clients here on MyBB that we're pro-actively upgrading the network to give a better experience.

 

[Davedes]

I don't see how that is proof of any duplicity.

The message below was merely to give an update on what's happening with the network. We're not saying the network is congested or unusable, we're simply informing clients that we're pro-actively upgrading the network to give a better experience.

I've been with AH since before you moved onto the MTN network. This is now the third time you have run out of IPC while I've been a customer.

The same things happens every time. The three points I mentioned earlier, months of testing and denying and they the eventual admission that IPC is the issue.

It's getting old.

And yes it is deceitful that you have admitted IPC issues and yet do not update your network status page.

 

[roadcat]

I've been with AH since before you moved onto the MTN network. This is now the third time you have run out of IPC while I've been a customer.

The same things happens every time. The three points I mentioned earlier, months of testing and denying and they the eventual admission that IPC is the issue.

It's getting old.

And yes it is deceitful that you have admitted IPC issues and yet do not update your network status page.

Don't bite my head off, but I do think internet usage has changed over the last few months, hence the need for more upgrades. I never streamed video but now that the family have discovered Netflix I am chewing data every month, far more than I ever used. Even I am representative of a smaller portion of users that probably has a big impact.

That said, I do agree the peak evening issue for the cape users has been going on for a while now, at least a few months, funnily enough last week was fine for me, streaming worked 100%.

But I see what Afriperson is saying, what percentage of their users are we on myBB?

I do think we are an early warning system, due to the tech savvy of the users here. Once we start complaining, I am sure the warning bells go off. Probably just takes the majority a bit longer to realize, and action to be taken.

 

[electrofreeze]

internet is down the crapper again with you tube buffering and stopping

 

[AfriMan]

I've been with AH since before you moved onto the MTN network. This is now the third time you have run out of IPC while I've been a customer.

The same things happens every time. The three points I mentioned earlier, months of testing and denying and they the eventual admission that IPC is the issue.

It's getting old.

And yes it is deceitful that you have admitted IPC issues and yet do not update your network status page.

The fact is that IPC and demand is a constant fluctuation. One can never have "enough" so it's always a question of getting as much as we can reasonable purchase given our budget and planning, and maximise the potential and user experience.

You say we've run out 3 times, but we actually upgrade IPC probably 3-4 times a year in increments to satisfy demands, so there are plenty of times when we plan for increases in demand accurately. However it's not really something one can plan for with 100% certainty, the internet is a very unpredictable animal. But we've also put emergency protocols in place (which is pretty much what is happening now) where we can implement emergency upgrades in a relatively short time when we feel that this is required.

Again, we are pro-actively upgrading to avoid serious performance issues on the network, which we don't feel warrants a notice on the website.

 

[AfriMan]

Don't bite my head off, but I do think internet usage has changed over the last few months, hence the need for more upgrades. I never streamed video but now that the family have discovered Netflix I am chewing data every month, far more than I ever used. Even I am representative of a smaller portion of users that probably has a big impact.

That said, I do agree the peak evening issue for the cape users has been going on for a while now, at least a few months, funnily enough last week was fine for me, streaming worked 100%.

But I see what Afriperson is saying, what percentage of their users are we on myBB?

I do think we are an early warning system, due to the tech savvy of the users here. Once we start complaining, I am sure the warning bells go off. Probably just takes the majority a bit longer to realize, and action to be taken.

Streaming is definitely changing the way people use the internet. Obviously we don't want to shape streaming (as per our shaping policies) so it gives us less space to improve performance by shaping P2P aggressively. This is an ongoing challenge, but we're committed to making this work, and we'll always make the necessary investments in our network to give our clients a great experience

 

[NewBiks]

Hi Guys

Just a general update on the state of the network

Around last week we saw a really huge spike in demand. We’ve generally had IPC capacity to spare, but this seemed to be consistent step up in demand, and not one we anticipated.

When we see persistent increases like this, we have to first ensure that a) Nothing is broken on the network or with our upstream partners; and b) that we’re correctly identifying all protocols and that we’re shaping efficiently (on products eligible to be shaped) to operate on maximum efficiency.

Once we were satisfied that this was not the case, we made the decision to order more IPC capacity (in all regions) to ensure that we address demand.

I just want to be clear that this is a demand issue which spiked last week. With day to day issues reported, it’s important to remember that we should never assume that the network is congested. Our NOC team and support team have to investigate to determine if this is an individual issue or limited to a small group, or a region-wide or network-wide issue. Thereafter, if it’s broader than an individual or small group of clients, we proceed as I mentioned earlier.

I’d like to thank everyone who has submitted tests and stats - these were very helpful along with our monitoring and user tests we conduct to improve the network.

We expect the additional capacity to go live within the next few days, and we’ll be monitoring closely to ensure we see the improvement and performance that we expect.

Your feedback will also help us a great deal, so we’d all like to thank you in advance

 

[AfriMan]

View attachment 435166

Sorry you feel that way

 

[NewBiks]

Sorry you feel that way

Honestly, I'm livid.

I hate being lied to, here I am paying to be lied to.

 

[SickTricky]

https://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/885928-Slow-Internet-Afrihost/page2

Hey Guys same moans here. I feel that the status page should be updated to reflect whats going on. it will make this page a lot less crowded. some of these people are very angry... Afrihost needs to fix it fast.

 

[electrofreeze]

The fact is that IPC and demand is a constant fluctuation. One can never have "enough" so it's always a question of getting as much as we can reasonable purchase given our budget and planning, and maximise the potential and user experience.

You say we've run out 3 times, but we actually upgrade IPC probably 3-4 times a year in increments to satisfy demands, so there are plenty of times when we plan for increases in demand accurately. However it's not really something one can plan for with 100% certainty, the internet is a very unpredictable animal. But we've also put emergency protocols in place (which is pretty much what is happening now) where we can implement emergency upgrades in a relatively short time when we feel that this is required.

Again, we are pro-actively upgrading to avoid serious performance issues on the network, which we don't feel warrants a notice on the website.

funny that you only upgrade after people start complaining and not before when you see there is a problem

 

[AfriMan]

funny that you only upgrade after people start complaining and not before when you see there is a problem

Not really. If you read some of my posts, you would know that we upgrade multiple times a year, based on our monitoring and network expansion plans. 90% of the time this is a smooth and seamless process, and it's only in cases where demand spikes suddenly (and not in a gradual trend) that it becomes noticeable to users.

 

[AfriMan]

https://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/885928-Slow-Internet-Afrihost/page2

Hey Guys same moans here. I feel that the status page should be updated to reflect whats going on. it will make this page a lot less crowded. some of these people are very angry... Afrihost needs to fix it fast.

As I mentioned last night, this is not a post to alert people to a network crisis. We are simply informing clients that we'll be upgrading to ensure the best experience.

 

[AfriMan]

Honestly, I'm livid.

I hate being lied to, here I am paying to be lied to.

Not sure where you feel you are being lied to. I'm happy to clear up any misunderstandings here.

 

[Tw171]

As I mentioned last night, this is not a post to alert people to a network crisis. We are simply informing clients that we'll be upgrading to ensure the best experience.

So when people can't even open your website during peak-time, that is not indicative of a crisis? You guys wait till your congestion reaches such a level that the internet becomes unusable, and then, sheepishly, post that it was congestion all along. Do you think that inspires confidence among your customers? Add in your admission that you guys never assume your network is congested , despite the overwhelming evidence that it is-WHAT? I understand the protocol for low-level fault elimination, but what happened to common sense? How many people here didn't tell you that your network is suffering from congestion? Now all vindicated. If this is how you guys run diagnostics on your network or maintain capacity management, things will only get worse.

You say your post is not to alert people that there is a network crisis. Yet your post is in response to the massive problems your customers have been dealing with- you can’t have it both ways, either your network is congested to the point where people are complaining about it being unusable, or everything is hunky dory, and these are just isolated incidents that your customers are experiencing. - You guys won't even own up to the problems. Zero brand trust.

 

[AfriFella]

So when people can't even open your website during peak-time, that is not indicative of a crisis? You guys wait till your congestion reaches such a level that the internet becomes unusable, and then, sheepishly, post that it was congestion all along. Do you think that inspires confidence among your customers? Add in your admission that you guys never assume your network is congested , despite the overwhelming evidence that it is-WHAT? I understand the protocol for low-level fault elimination, but what happened to common sense? How many people here didn't tell you that your network is suffering from congestion? Now all vindicated. If this is how you guys run diagnostics on your network or maintain capacity management, things will only get worse.

You say your post is not to alert people that there is a network crisis. Yet your post is in response to the massive problems your customers have been dealing with- you can’t have it both ways, either your network is congested to the point where people are complaining about it being unusable, or everything is hunky dory, and these are just isolated incidents that your customers are experiencing. - You guys won't even own up to the problems. Zero brand trust.

I'm really sorry you feel that way, Tw171. I think Afriman explained quite well that we can't take general complaints as a reason and a basis to upgrade IPC capacity. Processes of troubleshooting have to be completed first and an optimization of current infrastructure before further steps can even be considered. It's not as black and white as it may seem. We have very advanced network management tools as well as partnerships and agreements with upstream providers, peering providers and CDNs to manage and offer the best possible experience for our DSL users.

As mentioned, IPC demand only became a real issue near the end of last week at which point an immediate decision was made to upgrade.

We have always been clear and open around our infrastructure and upgrades thereof. So much so that we even opened our network for beta testing during the Afrigreen phase.