Afrihost Uncapped ADSL Feedback (Pt3)

[AfriMan]

AH uncapped is just for youtube these days.

I don't believe that is the case. Aside from reports of specific area, we're seeing generally good performance on streaming, gaming, VoIP and other realtime services (during shaped period) which is the primary focus of our Uncapped offering. Also, it's not that downloads are blocked, they're just slower during peak, but there is still a considerable download window for most Uncapped clients to torrent and use NTTP off-peak.

 

[AfriMan]

Yep,thank goodness I can read an email in 'real time' what ever will I do if my email becomes 'slow'... I'm moving to capped an after that I might move to a new provider if capped doesn't address my concerns

I can understand that you are frustrated, and it sounds like Capped may be a better solution for you going forward. If you're still not getting the experience you're after, then drop me a PM

 

[AfriMan]

When comparing to a competing backbone, seems that North America includes more hops to just about any given address.

I mentioned this in another post, but routing within the US seems to vary a lot, according to the peering within the US. Depending on whether you end up getting content servers from an East Coast or West Coast server.

 

[Sinbad]

I can understand that you are frustrated, and it sounds like Capped may be a better solution for you going forward. If you're still not getting the experience you're after, then drop me a PM

But capped is NOT a solution for someone who wants to use Netflix for entertainment, and still have a usable web browsing experience at 9pm.

 

[Martian]

Just thought I'd give my 2 cents.

Changed to a capped account and there has been a very noticeable improvement in Netflix, YouTube and general streaming performance.
So I might not be speaking for everybody but at least in my case there was definitely some sort of shaping on supposed 'realtime' services.

 

[whatwhat]

Just thought I'd give my 2 cents.

Changed to a capped account and there has been a very noticeable improvement in Netflix, YouTube and general streaming performance.
So I might not be speaking for everybody but at least in my case there was definitely some sort of shaping on supposed 'realtime' services.

I suspect that Afrihost wants people to move to capped accounts. It's easier for them to manage bandwith, and they score with all the data that isn't being used.

 

[AfriMan]

But capped is NOT a solution for someone who wants to use Netflix for entertainment, and still have a usable web browsing experience at 9pm.

I don't see how that makes sense. Capped in unshaped so whatever you priority service is, you should get the best possible performance. Am I misreading your post?

 

[Sinbad]

I don't see how that makes sense. Capped in unshaped so whatever you priority service is, you should get the best possible performance. Am I misreading your post?

Netflix uses large amounts of bandwidth - quite difficult to manage with a capped account.

 

[AfriMan]

Just thought I'd give my 2 cents.

Changed to a capped account and there has been a very noticeable improvement in Netflix, YouTube and general streaming performance.
So I might not be speaking for everybody but at least in my case there was definitely some sort of shaping on supposed 'realtime' services.

I'm glad that you're getting a better experience on Capped. It's possible that Uncapped QoS that is trying to prioritise multiple services running concurrently on Uncapped, but there is no QoS on Capped or Business.

 

[AfriMan]

Netflix uses large amounts of bandwidth - quite difficult to manage with a capped account.

OK, I see what you mean. I tested some Netflix and for the most part it seemed OK (I watched a full HD episode of House of Cards). But we're still testing to ensure that we can consistently get this if possible.

 

[Sinbad]

OK, I see what you mean. I tested some Netflix and for the most part it seemed OK (I watched a full HD episode of House of Cards). But we're still testing to ensure that we can consistently get this if possible.

I'm not complaining about the quality of netflix.
I am saying that if I want to use Netflix as an entertainment solution, then a CAPPED account is not practical due to the amount of bandwidth consumed. An UNCAPPED account prevents me using the internet properly because of the mad shaping on HTTP.

 

[AfriMan]

I suspect that Afrihost wants people to move to capped accounts. It's easier for them to manage bandwith, and they score with all the data that isn't being used.

That definitely not the case. Our only aim is to offer a consistent and sustainable product that offers good value. Within that, some clients may now feel that Capped or Business are more suitable for them, that's an individual choice.

 

[Martian]

I'm glad that you're getting a better experience on Capped. It's possible that Uncapped QoS that is trying to prioritise multiple services running concurrently on Uncapped, but there is no QoS on Capped or Business.

Why would that be?

 

[DJ...]

, but there is no QoS on Capped or Business.

Er, sent you a PM...

 

[AfriMan]

I'm not complaining about the quality of netflix.
I am saying that if I want to use Netflix as an entertainment solution, then a CAPPED account is not practical due to the amount of bandwidth consumed. An UNCAPPED account prevents me using the internet properly because of the mad shaping on HTTP.

I've tested Shaped accounts pretty extensively and I can't say that I had a poor browsing experience. I probably don't visit all the sites as everyone else does, but I often pop into Kotaku, Boing Boing, Mashable, IGN, etc. For me it was pretty normal experience. I'm happy to continue testing this to replicate what clients have reported here.

 

[Sinbad]

I've tested Shaped accounts pretty extensively and I can't say that I had a poor browsing experience. I probably don't visit all the sites as everyone else does, but I often pop into Kotaku, Boing Boing, Mashable, IGN, etc. For me it was pretty normal experience. I'm happy to continue testing this to replicate what clients have reported here.

Try downloading an nVidia driver package.

 

[AfriMan]

Why would that be?

QoS, as I understand it, it to provide a smoother experience on a semi-shaped product. Whereas for unshaped product, we didn't want to place any kind of limits or rules - the client is in full control.

 

[DJ...]

QoS, as I understand it, it to provide a smoother experience on a semi-shaped product. Whereas for unshaped product, we didn't want to place any kind of limits or rules - the client is in full control.

You'll still have to apply QoS to ensure an uncongested network and to prioritise and deprioritise packets correctly. No QoS = horrible network experience. It's also contented bandwidth, so there's no way you have no QoS applied on these packets.

 

[AfriMan]

You'll still have to apply QoS to ensure an uncongested network and to prioritise and deprioritise packets correctly. No QoS = horrible network experience. It's also contested bandwidth, so there's no way you have no QoS applied on these packets.

We may be confusing general network management with more direct traffic management on certain protocols (similar to shaping). We don't prioritise any traffic on Business and Capped the same way we do for Uncapped for a smoother experience.

 

[Martian]

QoS, as I understand it, it to provide a smoother experience on a semi-shaped product. Whereas for unshaped product, we didn't want to place any kind of limits or rules - the client is in full control.

I'm not a big downloader, streaming and browsing is what I mainly use my account for.

So in essence my query is this, if I wanted to return to an uncapped account, what would have to be done in order for me to get the same performance on the uncapped account as on the capped account?