ArtiXim
Active Member
LR;DR Choosing new internet setup. Must stream video without issue and FTP download at line speed. Help.
I've been unhappy, or had issues with my internet for as long as I can remember, and am now in the unique situation in which I can start from scratch - I don't even have a Telkom line yet. That said, I want to make informed choices to try and ensure myself the best connectivity environment.
Usage Considerations
Previous Setup
My biggest issue in the past is that I simply couldn't seem to achieve the experience I should have been able to. Even though my connection was unshaped, speedtests stable, and line tested and reset by Telkom every other week.
Issues
Considering that I was supposedly unshaped, the above scenarios just don't make sense. I spent the better part of 2 weeks proving to Afrihost that it was their service causing me issues, not my Telkom line / Congestion / etc. Surely if MWeb is able to stream 1080p+ and Afrihost simply can't get 380p without freezing every 10 seconds, there is some sort of shaping / traffic prioritisation / black magic happening, which isn't being communicated? That said, how do I go about comparing ISPs, who aren't being completely open about what they sell? I tried setting up a Webafrica trial account, but the performance was much the same as Afrihost.
How does one compare "unshaped" providers to providers who openly prioritise traffic (Webafrica)? Am I right in thinking that if the area is saturated with people hammering P2P, other services on an unshaped connection are going to be very negatively impacted? So does that mean traffic prioritisation is better?
At the end of the day, I want an setup that just delivers. If I start I download, I want it to run at max speed until it is finished (within reason - nothing else is using the line). If I start a video stream, I want to be able to watch it in 1080p without having to wait for it to buffer every 10 seconds. If I want to have a quick online game, I want it to be stable and quick.
Is that simply impossible to ask in South Africa's internet climate, or are some of you out there living this dream?
I've been unhappy, or had issues with my internet for as long as I can remember, and am now in the unique situation in which I can start from scratch - I don't even have a Telkom line yet. That said, I want to make informed choices to try and ensure myself the best connectivity environment.
Usage Considerations
- Video Streaming
- FTP Downloads
- Gaming
Previous Setup
- Telkom ADSL 10mbps (10mbps Exchange, ~6mbps Sync)
- Afrihost 75Gb Capped Account (Unshaped)
My biggest issue in the past is that I simply couldn't seem to achieve the experience I should have been able to. Even though my connection was unshaped, speedtests stable, and line tested and reset by Telkom every other week.
Issues
- My FTP downloads were never consistently achieving anywhere near my line speed / sync speed / speedtest speed - I own the server on the other end, extremely stable 100mbps upload.
- Twitch video streaming was terribly bad BUT if I switched to my backup 3Gb MWeb capped account, I could stream in 1080p+ without a single hitch. I did this test more times than I care to recall.
- General video streaming was simply not good enough. At bare minimum, I expect to be able to watch 720p without buffering, but this was almost never possible.
Considering that I was supposedly unshaped, the above scenarios just don't make sense. I spent the better part of 2 weeks proving to Afrihost that it was their service causing me issues, not my Telkom line / Congestion / etc. Surely if MWeb is able to stream 1080p+ and Afrihost simply can't get 380p without freezing every 10 seconds, there is some sort of shaping / traffic prioritisation / black magic happening, which isn't being communicated? That said, how do I go about comparing ISPs, who aren't being completely open about what they sell? I tried setting up a Webafrica trial account, but the performance was much the same as Afrihost.
How does one compare "unshaped" providers to providers who openly prioritise traffic (Webafrica)? Am I right in thinking that if the area is saturated with people hammering P2P, other services on an unshaped connection are going to be very negatively impacted? So does that mean traffic prioritisation is better?
At the end of the day, I want an setup that just delivers. If I start I download, I want it to run at max speed until it is finished (within reason - nothing else is using the line). If I start a video stream, I want to be able to watch it in 1080p without having to wait for it to buffer every 10 seconds. If I want to have a quick online game, I want it to be stable and quick.
Is that simply impossible to ask in South Africa's internet climate, or are some of you out there living this dream?
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