How the hell do I pick my ADSL?

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ohgender

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Hi guys,

The Confession
I've never posted in this kind of forum before, I'm incurably technologically handicapped and I'll never get better (yes, that means the same thing as "incurable" but it's so bad it's worth repeating).
People, I don't even trust myself to use the built in Telkom answering machine. I have one of those separate, old school machines -- y'know, with the flashing light and actually pressing the "play" button to hear the message.
So be gentle. Please.

The Plea
I am going mental trying to work out which is the best deal for me. And I'm chasing my tail and making no progress whatsoever: too much info, too small a brain, too big a handicap.

The Backstory
I have a Telkom landline.
For three years now, my ISP has been Cybersmart (initially R169, then R149 ADSL line rental: 384kbps + 1 gig).

The Boat Rocker
Cell C offers 24 gig (2 gig/pm), prepaid, for R1499.
I tell Cybersmart I'm headed for greener pastures.

The Hard Sell
Cybersmart has me on the line for nearly an hour.
They offer to bump up my cap to 3 gigs for the same price (R149: 384 kbps) to get me to stay.

The Con
I subsequently discover it's basically their standard offer now: "30 gigs free" so it was hardly a deal-sweetener to begin with.

The Curve Ball
My Apple laptop (and, particularly, its USB port) is so old that it cannot keep pace with the dongles and the laptop itself throttles the speed: 3G is not an option, but ADSL is okay because then I use wireless.

The User Specs: Big Five
1) I mostly go online while researching at varsity.
2) So I just need to be "plugged in" at home: basic email, online banking, checking what's playing at the cinema, etc. Two gigs (if that) per month is plenty.
3) But I get super frustrated when it's very slow: I need it to be on and working efficiently.
4) But I don't need uber speed for downloading movies or music or online gaming, as I rarely do any of that.
5) Finally, and crucially, I have very short arms and very long pockets: I'm an unabashed miser and I don't want to pay a cent more than I have to -- I want THE best deal for my needs.

The Bounty
A big high five to anyone that can guide me through my technophobia and into The Promised Land.
 
if you are looking at a capped account why not look at Afrihost, Axxess or WebAfrica?

I would suggest a faster line speed than 384KB.

All 3 above offer prepaid data. AH & WA offer free trails you can try. AH normally offer a free 1GB account(monthly) with their accounts.
 
Hey Venomous.

Thanks.

I did actually go check out Afrihost earlier because they got such good feedback on the My Broadband survey about customer loyalty (then, studying the ground, shoes)...but I couldn't actually make sense of what a comparable Afrihost package would be to match against the Cybersmart R149/384kbps/3gig.

Will follow up with Axxess and WebAfrica sites and see if I can decode the jargon that greets me like a foreign language (sigh).
 
Look at the capped products from a few of the top/main ISPs and pick one. If you are not downloading much and don't want to spend much money, then you will have to stick with 384kbps. What do you meant that your laptop throttles the speed of your connection?
 
Hey satanboy,

I said I was a newbie and a technophobe -- I didn't say anything about not being a windbag...(guilty as charged).
 
Hey SabreWolfy,

I shouldn't have tried my hand at using techno jargon because I've already mucked it up. I just meant my laptop is so old that its USB port is the only possible explanation why the Cell C dongle works fine on the Cell C laptop in store but slows down ridiculously when plugged into my laptop in the same store!

My computer guy -- quite the Apple guru -- was completely stumped.

Chalk it up to bad techno karma...or just cobwebbed machinery.
 
Hey gdiza,

Just trying to hold up my end of the bargain by responding, given Venomous, satanboy, SabreWolfy and co are providing the intel.
 
ohgender said:
Hey SabreWolfy,

I shouldn't have tried my hand at using techno jargon because I've already mucked it up. I just meant my laptop is so old that its USB port is the only possible explanation why the Cell C dongle works fine on the Cell C laptop in store but slows down ridiculously when plugged into my laptop in the same store!

My computer guy -- quite the Apple guru -- was completely stumped.

Chalk it up to bad techno karma...or just cobwebbed machinery.
Click to expand...

That is quite strange; but 3G is probably not the route you want to take anyway. Why not keep your CyberSmart account with the extra 30 GB or whatever they are offering you?
 
Hey SabreWolfy,

Fair point. I guess my contemplating the Cell C deal -- and seeing just how quick it was in store and at a friend's place -- made me realise that there might well be faster, better value options out there. It's just a pity I can't explore any of those options that are 3G. The 384kbps line can be pretty slow sometimes. (Moan, moan, moan.)
 
I see that you use only a few GB per month.

The usual costs for 384kbps ADSL are
Telkom do Basic (4GB data) 384Kbps ADSL is R219 + R140 Phone Rental = R359pm

I suggest checking out Cellular - you can save money!

Check if you have Cell-C or 8.ta coverage in your home

If your Telkom Phone is only there to support ADSL, then save money by:
1) Cancelling Telkom Phone, ADSL, and ISP.

Then get one of the following:
a) Cell-C 2GB/pm Whooosh for R1499/12=R125/pm with USB modem
b) Cell-C 5GB/pm Whooosh for R2999/12=R250/pm with USB modem
c) 8.ta 10GB/pm for R199pm + about R700 for a USB Modem (once off)

To get around the USB issue on your laptop, you can try:
The TP-Link MR3220 WiFi/3G router for R399+VAT
The TP-Link is a WiFi/Ethernet/3G router, which will allow you to use WiFi or Ethernet to connect to the 3G network.

Cell-C also offer a similar device - WiFi/3G router + 24GB/12=2GB/pm Data for R2498 - check the Cell-C site.

The above options give you:
a) More data
b) Are on average 10x faster than 384kbps!!!
- On average are slightly faster than 4Mbps ADSL
- see the speedtest.mybroadband.co.za and compare 4Mbps ADSL to Cellular.
c) Are Cheaper than Telkom Phone Rental + Telkom ADSL + ISP costs
- R350 for ADSL vs R199-R250 for Cellular

Use the mybb forums for more information.
 
Last edited:
Ja, there's your answer right there. Solid advice from system32.

Edit: the only draw back is you going to have to take out a 1 year contract.
 
Venomous said:
he did say that 3G seems to be very slow with his laptop....
Click to expand...
Seems to be a USB issue on Apple - not a 3G issue.
Can work around it by using the TP-LINK MR3220 WiFi/3G router or the Cell-C WiFi sharing device.
 
Last edited:
Hey system32.

Thanks for the (very) detailed response -- appreciate it.

Perhaps I could get around the USB issue with that thingymabobbie-doohickie you suggested. It would be a bitch to buy it and have it not help...probably should bring my laptop into Cell C and test it in store first.

If it's 400 bucks, that would push my monthly cost up to about R158 [(1499+399)/12]-- a scooch under ten bucks extra than I am currently paying (though that "extra" cost would only be for the first year and thereafter I'd be saving).

And...from what I've seen in store, and with a friend's 3G card, it would also be considerably quicker.

And then, as you point out, I could ditch my phone line.

Except...

...then I'd have to ditch my answering machine. And that would just be sad. Because beyond that last bastion of anachronistic communication paraphernalia lies A Brave New World that I am not yet ready to face. That answering machine and landline is what stands between me and a cellphone stuck to my ear, with the associated cyber-attacks from the vanguard of The New Age...

What was the question again? I blanked out, and when I came to, my tin foil hat was on the floor.
 
Hey sandmanm34.

Hmm, kinda allergic to contracts: too much commitment. I'm terrorised by the thought of a better deal coming out while I'm locked into contract bondage hell, scratching lines in the wall of my contract cell to count the endless days of overpaying. Torture, pure torture. A man can go crazy like that...
 
Verdict: You won't get nothing from nothing. Generally speaking, the more you put in (money) the more you get out (speed, data).
The best solution for you would be to - now please excuse me using this ugly word, INVEST.
1) Buy a new laptop, preferably a better one than your old apple thingy. Speaking of Apple, stay away from that overpriced crap and go for a more open machine. PC based systems are cheaper and mostly better ... and allow you to go the Linux route which is almost like Apple OS anyway.
2) Stay with Telkom's ADSL but have them upgrade your line to the best possible speed in your area. It costs, ja, but this is the 21st century. 384 will get you nowhere. You want the 4096, trust me on this.
3) Don't make Telkom your ISP, get your bandwith from Afrihost, Access, Web Africa, Open Web or any of the usual suspects.

That's it. You're sorted.
 
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