Cape Town

There's a few wireless companies in and around CT. None of them are really legal yet (excl. Sentech, iBurst, 3G). If I didnt have sentech, I would most probably use UniNet (http://www.uninetwork.co.za) but they dont cover my area
 
Antenna Costs

JayT, you are correct in your pricing for the antennas. However, what you haven't factored in is the extras:

So lets say you are installing a 12dBi yagi antenna with a 10m LMR400 cable total costs would be:

Antenna R 413.82
Pigtail R 179.32
Mast (small) R 55.18
Bracket (small) R 40.00
LMR400 x10m R 358.64
N-Type Male R 89.66
N-Type Female R 136.56
Rawl Bolts R5
TOTAL R1278.19

Please note that these are the retail prices that Joe Public would be able to get.

Then there is the equipment which you reuse:
Drill: R800
Drill Bits: R30
LMR 400 crimping Tool: R300
Extension cable, ladder, glue gun etc etc.

Now relook at the price for a fully installed antenna of R1700 and tell me if you think this is unreasonable? Would you like to hang off a ladder with a drill in one hand and the antenna in the other? How about when you have to jump down off the roof onto a narrow wall 1m below with a 4m drop either side? How much would you charge for that?

Once again guys, when you look at the pricing of things, please remember that we all have to make a living. Yes you could go direct to the supplier, buy the goods yourself, install yourself, maybe get it right or maybe cock it up. Then call in someone who knows what is happening and they will fix it and charge you.

It often amuses me (not in a ha ha way though) how someone who has a R5million rand house and drives an X5 will complain about a charge of R150 to come out to their premises and spend over an hour answering questions, testing signal, installing equipment etc. So the next time you think someone is ripping you off, ask yourself what your hourly rate is and how often you give away your time to anyone. We have had several cases where after explaining costs to a customer and spending a lot of effort getting things sorted out for them, they refuse to pay! And it is often the guy who is clearly spending a lot of cash on other areas of his life. That burns!

I am strongly against any person who DOES rip off a customer as it gives the industry a bad name. But most of the agents out there are just trying to put food on the table. If you have any concerns regarding an agent (particularly a NoWire/JustConnect agent please feel free to contact NoWire (0861 NOWIRE) and report the matter. (If you do this, you will need to know the agent's name and the company he works for.) The matter will be investigated and if it is found that the agent is being greedy then he will be taken to task about it. But no one is FORCING you to use a particular agent. Find out about costs beforehand and go into the whole thing with your eyes open. And this applies to the agents as well. Please inform the customer of ALL the costs before proceeding. That way, we don't have customers and agents getting irate.

I hope this gives some insight into the lives of the agent. We are making peanuts per installation and every time someone calls with a problem, we get it in the ear. The network is NOT ours. We rely on Sentech to make sure things work and nobody wants it to work smoothly more than we do.
 
Updated prices for those who are interested in the dealer prices. Note that these prices already include 14% VAT

PA-13-PANEL 13dBi Flat Panel Antenna - 2.4GHz R 404.70 incl

12dBi Yagi Antenna - 2.4GHz - R 285 incl
Pigtail R 153.90 incl

Mast (small) R 45.60 incl

Bracket (small) R 33.06 incl
N-Type Male R 74.10 incl
N-Type Female R 112.86 incl

LMR400 x10m R 29.64/m (296.40 incl for 10m)
LMR 400 crimping Tool: R250.80 incl
 
Durbanville Coverage

Could anybody please tell me what the coverage is like in Durbanville for Sentech? I am specifically interested in the Vierlanden area.

Thanks
 
Any news on Plattekloof, near the dam, above De Kelder?

Any news on Plattekloof, near the dam, above De Kelder?
 
After seeing the new pricing and packages that sentech is bringing out, dont bother asking about sentech. ADSL is your best option. If you're unable to get the service, try iburst or 3G.
 
The reason why Im with another broadband service is because these wireless service providers offer absolutely jack to the lesser communities in our land.
Less priveleged southern suburbs like Manenberg, Guguletu, Mitchells Plain etc are still "in the same boat" after almost 4 centuries. Ironically enough, these Sentech okes supposedly have a state finger in their pie.
Money money money, the bane of our civilisation...
 
Is it really gonna make economic sense to put up a tower in mannenberg or gugs? Wouldn't be bad to try though, alot of middle class coloured families could actually afford it you might be onto something in like grassy park etc. had friends that live there and are better off than me and I've got IBurst so maby youre onto something. I dont blame the companies for not investing in Gugaletu though, they have to pay large amounts to set up their connections and maintain them, where as Telkom just have to enable the exchange thats already there and they wont even do it for some of these places.
 
saix of evil

Hello all back in cpt.

I have been in the uk for a month now. In cpt I had 128k mywireless with cost R500 per month.
Here in the Uk we pay £36 per month to NTL for:

cable tv
telephone line and telephone
and
broadband internet

and here is the speed test:

Your Connection

Direction Actual Speed True Speed (estimated)
Downstream 956 Kbps (119.5 KB/sec) 1032 Kbps (inc. overheads)
Upstream 71 Kbps (8.9 KB/sec) 76 Kbps (inc. overheads)

All that for about R400 per month

arr. Saix of evil begone with you
 
internet speed in S.A

Gonzo said:
Hello all back in cpt.

I have been in the uk for a month now. In cpt I had 128k mywireless with cost R500 per month.
Here in the Uk we pay £36 per month to NTL for:

cable tv
telephone line and telephone
and
broadband internet

and here is the speed test:

Your Connection

Direction Actual Speed True Speed (estimated)
Downstream 956 Kbps (119.5 KB/sec) 1032 Kbps (inc. overheads)
Upstream 71 Kbps (8.9 KB/sec) 76 Kbps (inc. overheads)

All that for about R400 per month

arr. Saix of evil begone with you
Click to expand...
now compare this to the following link..... and you will understand why.....

http://www.tcpiq.com/tcpIQ/LineSpeed/Results/Default.aspx
 
Newbie to the whole sentech thing

hi all

does anyone know if upper union st, tamboerskloof in cape town gets good service? i know the coverage says yes, but i would like to hear from a person.

sentech gives us a 7 day trial period so if i find the service isn't good, i can return with a full refund, right?

do new sentech modems come with a 1 year guarantee? if i bought a second hand modem, would this guarantee transfer (given that it is under a year old when bought)?

does anyone know where i can buy a used modem? or should i just keep an eagle eye on the forum?

i would greatly appreciate any help. i've been 6 months in south africa, was in the states before for 12 years where my university friends and i got a fantastic deal on unlimited broadband. so i'm still adjusting.

thanks!
 
I WROTE TO SENTECH'S CEO
Unacceptable Service
I refer you to your letter of 10 January 2007, in which you aplogised for the “completely unacceptable service” Sentech Users received due to the billing department’s incompetence.
They have yet again failed to do a debit order run which means that myself and presumably thousands of other customers sit without service today.
This I established after arguing with an unhelpful Mr Garth Fox at the customer service call centre, who refused to put me through to Mr Pieter Langa, the manager for the day.
Mr Fox eventually conceded that my complaint was one of many similar complaints, and that I will not be helped before the 2nd.
I demand to be refunded a 1/30th of the monthly payment for my accounts gertcoetzee, aneen and estel.
Yours in disgust (again)
Dr GJ Coetzee

AND THE REPLY I GOT:

Dear Dr Coetzee
Re: Cancellation of MyWIRELESS MONTHLY SERVICE AGREEMENT between Drs.
Coetzee & Van der Merwe Inc. and Sentech Limited ("Agreement").,
With reference to the Agreement and in accordance with our rights contained in clause 4 of the Terms and Conditions, we hereby give you written notice of our intention to cancel the Agreement pertaining to all 3 (three) services described below:
***
Please note that the effective date of cancellation will be 30 June 2007.
Yours faithfully
Vimla Redd
Sentech Legal Department
 
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