Can I share an FTTB connection?

[charlieharper]

Sadly I can't get FTTH... but I can get FTTB via Link Africa.

Local WISP's pricing are actually similar to FTTB.
Like R2000 for 10mbps down and 2mbps up... Link Africa FTTB is 10mbps down and 10mbps up also for R2000.

However, I was thinking, Link Africa FTTB is R5100 for 100mbps.. If I can get 4-5 friends in the neighbourhood within a reasonable range for Ubiquiti equipment, surely we could have a decent internet connection, all paying about R1000 each?

Have anyone done this or am I tripping?

 

[Dairyfarmer]

You can buy the AP's legally and use them, so, unless the ISP stipulates in it's contract that you can't share, you should be ok. Think of it like a shared work space.

I would suggest budgeting for a decent UPS or inverter and a good router. You want the router to control bandwidth between clients. You would want a power supply that will give you a few hours backup for the router and AP.

On the farm I have the WISP connection in my dairy office. I the beam to an AP at each of the 2 houses. At each house I have setup a router so that each house is on it's own subnet and I have set bandwidth control so that neither can use more than 50% of the bandwidth.

 

[HartsockZA]

Most ISP's have an issue with you sharing the connection, it might not be there in the T&C's but trust me they always have an issue. Ubiquiti have got some cool apps for running a network but yea, breaking the ICASA rules there if you sell the connection.

 

[charlieharper]

Another snag is the upfront costs of the kit.. some
of these weatherproof outdoor kit is expensive - more than a decent inside router, and they are for outdoor use, so who buys the kit, and what happens if someone drops out..

I know of some friends where it works, but mostly people are reluctant to share - even a direct neighbor where a simple cable will work....

Not sure where you are based- but if you are in decent coverage - perhaps look at some of the Rain 5G / 4G uncapped options? I know they took a lot of flack lately, but apparently the issues are being resolved... best thing is you can try it for a month- use any phone etc to test speed- and the router is usable afterwards if you buy one- some decent fibre routers support simcard as well...
Just make sure you test the correct one based on your needs - for example some cheaper ones throttle streaming... but for R1K definitely options.

If you dont needs tons of bandwidth and dont mind contracts- why not look at one of those vodac 120/120GB for under R1k pm?

Thanks man.

I'm on the KZN South Coast.... Telkom is discontinuing ADSL and moving everyone over to LTE products...So Telkom and Rain 4G is congested as hell, especially in the afternoons. Although I still miraculously did about 100gb this month on Rain.
Then I also have a 150gb MTN LTE account (which I usually need to top up before end of the month).
Have a load balancer that switches over to MTN at 3pm, cause usually by then, Rain is wrecked.

But yeah, looking for a long term stable solution.

 

[WIRUlink]

Sadly I can't get FTTH... but I can get FTTB via Link Africa.

Local WISP's pricing are actually similar to FTTB.
Like R2000 for 10mbps down and 2mbps up... Link Africa FTTB is 10mbps down and 10mbps up also for R2000.

However, I was thinking, Link Africa FTTB is R5100 for 100mbps.. If I can get 4-5 friends in the neighbourhood within a reasonable range for Ubiquiti equipment, surely we could have a decent internet connection, all paying about R1000 each?

Have anyone done this or am I tripping?

1) Some ISPs do not allow aggregation on the standard single business packages and you need to specifically get a carrier/ISP package at a higher price. Ask the ISP.
2) If planning to resell, you are running an ISP and need an ICASA ECS licence.

 

[ZSam]

1) Some ISPs do not allow aggregation on the standard single business packages and you need to specifically get a carrier/ISP package at a higher price. Ask the ISP.
2) If planning to resell, you are running an ISP and need an ICASA ECS licence.

1) True.
Speak to the ISP. Is LinkAfrica the only fibre available? Feel free to PM me - may have some contacts who could help you out.

2) Maybe a licence exemption?



“3.1.2. Resellers
The Service Licence Exemption Regulations specify that a reseller that provides ECS “duly obtained” from a licensee licensed in terms of Chapter 3 or a licence exempt entity is not required to hold an ECS licence.”

Source:
Ellipsis

Maybe check out the full document. Good luck. I know your frustration.