Check if your exchange is ADSL-enabled?

[nic777]

Hi,

I would like to know how to check if your exchange is ADSL-enabled. I know about the Telkom page http://www.telkom.co.za/portal/adslorderform/results/index.jsp but that gives an error - "Java.SQL.exception......" (is this just down today or doesn't it work at all?) - so is there any other quick way to check if you can get ADSL?

Also, I have read that they can only REALLY know if you can get ADSL on the day of the installation and checking if your exchange is enabled and their "line tests" are not a guarentee that you can get ADSL - is there some truth to this??

Thanks

 

[Doges]

Works for me! (Just checked it again). Except for going to your local Hellkom branch, this is the only way I know of.

 

[titanium]

No guarantees from Telkom's website re ADSL check

Hi,

Also, I have read that they can only REALLY know if you can get ADSL on the day of the installation and checking if your exchange is enabled and their "line tests" are not a guarentee that you can get ADSL - is there some truth to this??

Thanks

Correct - my exchange was flagged as ADSL-enabled on Telkom's website, and a Telkom technician came over to do the line tests. Could not get an ADSL signal (in fact, the signalling frequency was terrible - 400 Hz!) The technician, who was very professional and polite, really tried his best and did some tricks with the switchbox, brought the frequency up to 750 Hz, but that still wasn't good enough. Next day he went underground with some Telkom guys to reroute some lines in one of the domes, and that brought the frequency up to 1300 Hz. That was the best he could do - ADSL needs at least 2500 Hz, and preferably 3000 - 4000 Hz. The lower the frequency, the more likely you are to get constant line drops.

Eventually he did some impedance testing and found out that although my line is 4.4km to the exchange as the crow flies, it is actually 7.92 km in cable distance. ADSL only works within 5.5km of the exchange.

Anyway, he placed an order request to upgrade my line or reroute me to another exchange - I'm not entirely sure how this works - and I'm still waiting to see what the outcome of this is. I have to say that I was very impressed with the technician - he went so far as to give me his contact number so I could follow up with him if I didn't get any joy from the Telkom toll-free line. The fact that I can't get ADSL because my line is too far from the exchange is a physical design limitation, and not due to ineptitude from Telkom's side.

I wait in hope, otherwise I have an expensive paperweight in the form of a Billion 7100G ADSL wireless router / modem

My 2c worth.
Cheers