Neotel Question - Need Your Advice Please

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bing

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I'm relocating to Joburg (Sandton) with my husband. And have just found out that the complex that the company is providing for our residence has no Telkom lines infrastructure. Apparently the contractor messed up at construction time. The building management says they are sorting this out with some new contractors and suggested we use Neotel services instead.

I am a graphics designer and works with an overseas office so I need a pretty stable & fast connection to download and upload graphics files (average 400mb in size). My son plays Starcraft 2, Skypes and is a heavy Youtube user.

My son is devastated with the news above because I had promised him that we would fix in a Telkom line+Mweb ADSL Uncapped connection earlier. But that is not possible now.

The only plan that Neotel has that has unlimited data is Neo Connect Lite 469. Does anyone know the speed for this?

What are my alternatives? Any other service providers that you would recommend?

Thanks alot in advance.

Bing
 
There are quite a few companies offering services in Sandton. You should not struggle to find service there. You will probably be better off in long run not using Telkom.
 
Glad to know that.

So, which are the companies? And what would you recommend?

I am arranging for this from overseas so that it's up and running when we arrive, so that my work is not disrupted too much.

Thanks.
 
If you can get Telkom some how.. i would rather go for that, but i was limited aswell and there was no Telkom lines so i got the NeoFlex 5G package, I dont have any problems with browsing, and i am quite inpressed with the international latency vs our local latency, NeoConnect Lite wont work for you aswell, NeoFlex would be more suitable for your use.

And if you can get WiMax go for that rather, but with Neotel or WiMax 512, it would take forever to upload 400mb.
 
I suggest while you are using NeoFail, in the mean time you should pushing your building management to get Telkom to install the line. I would go as far as calling or going to a telkom direct shop and demanding they install the line(weird cases have happened where they say 'it is not possible', but yet a few days later, boom line is in.) Worth a shot!

Don't overlook 3G internet, at least when you are comparing it to NeoFail. It might be a good solution for your son until Telkom get some lines there. As far as your graphic work, you should be fine with NeoTel but the bandwidth cap they have might give you a problem, 400mb files and they have caps of 5Gigs is quite the handicap. I have to upload/download similar size files for work and It would be impossible if I did not have a Telkom line.

Either way, please keep us updated on how things work out for you.
 
VioAdmin said:
I suggest while you are using NeoFail, in the mean time you should pushing your building management to get Telkom to install the line. I would go as far as calling or going to a telkom direct shop and demanding they install the line(weird cases have happened where they say 'it is not possible', but yet a few days later, boom line is in.) Worth a shot!

Don't overlook 3G internet, at least when you are comparing it to NeoFail. It might be a good solution for your son until Telkom get some lines there. As far as your graphic work, you should be fine with NeoTel but the bandwidth cap they have might give you a problem, 400mb files and they have caps of 5Gigs is quite the handicap. I have to upload/download similar size files for work and It would be impossible if I did not have a Telkom line.

Either way, please keep us updated on how things work out for you.
Click to expand...

I will definitely be pushing the management to sort this out.

Is it Telkom that's responsible for getting the line infrastructure up? I was informed that the original contractor liquidated and did not do a complete job for the wiring in the building. Last heard that the building management is trying to fix this with some new contractors. This is a huge complex. I think there are more than a hundred units.

Neotel Wimax seems to be my best option for now, for the speed and the data volume that we need. But it's so expensive! It would be a huge motivator for me to go to the building management every day.
 
VioAdmin said:
I suggest while you are using NeoFail, in the mean time you should pushing your building management to get Telkom to install the line. I would go as far as calling or going to a telkom direct shop and demanding they install the line(weird cases have happened where they say 'it is not possible', but yet a few days later, boom line is in.) Worth a shot!

Don't overlook 3G internet, at least when you are comparing it to NeoFail. It might be a good solution for your son until Telkom get some lines there. As far as your graphic work, you should be fine with NeoTel but the bandwidth cap they have might give you a problem, 400mb files and they have caps of 5Gigs is quite the handicap. I have to upload/download similar size files for work and It would be impossible if I did not have a Telkom line.

Either way, please keep us updated on how things work out for you.
Click to expand...

He being a bit harsh. When was the last time you actually used neotel? 2004 when they first came out?

I would suggest getting the neoflex data but since you getting the internet connection for work you should seriously consider neotel's business solutions.

I have neoconnect prime unlimited at home, its not that great for international gaming but it gets the job done for downloading and uploading.

At work we got the neotel fibre cable-to-kerb and never looked back its pricey but worth it if fast internet access is required.

However the gold standard (imo) for a home user requiring internet is adsl ( you dont need to go uncapped mweb, consider your monthly usage and it might be more cost effective interms of time management to get an capped unshaped 4 meg line vs an uncapped mweb line). Those people who download 250 gig a month for home use are generally piraters or getting loads of pornagraphy.
 
Last edited:
bing said:
I will definitely be pushing the management to sort this out.

Is it Telkom that's responsible for getting the line infrastructure up? I was informed that the original contractor liquidated and did not do a complete job for the wiring in the building. Last heard that the building management is trying to fix this with some new contractors. This is a huge complex. I think there are more than a hundred units.

Neotel Wimax seems to be my best option for now, for the speed and the data volume that we need. But it's so expensive! It would be a huge motivator for me to go to the building management every day.
Click to expand...

Yes, keep pushing them to sort it out. I am not sure who's responsible for getting the lines in but if Telkom gets the 'go ahead', they usually follow through, especially in huge complexes. I am sure you are not the only one complaining about this issue, keep pushing it! As I suggested, it would also be good to give Telkom a call and ask them why they haven't got the lines installed at this complex and then compare it with what management tells you.

Ya, I just looked at the NeoTel Wimax prices. They are quite high. Actually another thing you can try is Telkom Wimax. I don't know much about it but I heard in areas where Telkom cannot install the lines, they might be able to offer you Telkom Wimax instead: http://www.telkom.co.za/products_services/wimax/cost.html, it is slower than Neotel so perhaps you can look at it if Neotel gives you problems.

Another thing is iBURST product. Another expensive product with terrible reviews, but if you really need a connection, you might as well explore all your options.

I say this about Neotel because I did try it out earlier this year when I was in Pretoria for a few months. It was horrible, but hopefully it will work out for you, your son and of course your work.
 
MightyMuffinMan said:
He being a bit harsh. When was the last time you actually used neotel? 2004 when they first came out?

I would suggest getting the neoflex data but since you getting the internet connection for work you should seriously consider neotel's business solutions.

I have neoconnect prime unlimited at home, its not that great for international gaming but it gets the job done for downloading and uploading.

At work we got the neotel fibre cable-to-kerb and never looked back its pricey but worth it if fast internet access is required.

However the gold standard (imo) for a home user requiring internet is adsl ( you dont need to go uncapped mweb, consider your monthly usage and it might be more cost effective interms of time management to get an capped unshaped 4 meg line vs an uncapped mweb line). Those people who download 250 gig a month for home use are generally piraters or getting loads of pornagraphy.
Click to expand...

What's Neo Connect Prime Unlimited? I don't see this on their website. Only NeoConnect Prime 5G.

Our current usage is about 40GB - 60GB. I clock in about 1GB a day for my work alone. Any plan with caps will not work for me unless they come with caps higher than 5GB/10GB.
 
bing said:
What's Neo Connect Prime Unlimited? I don't see this on their website. Only NeoConnect Prime 5G.

Our current usage is about 40GB - 60GB. I clock in about 1GB a day for my work alone. Any plan with caps will not work for me unless they come with caps higher than 5GB/10GB.
Click to expand...

Neo Connect Prime Unlimited is a discontinued product, they don't offer it anymore. This is why Neofail continues to fail. The max they can give you is 5G for home. I don't understand their strategic planning, perhaps that is the point...
 
Your son wont be able to youtube or play games with neotel.

I had prime and canceled it, I currently have the neoflex data and its too slow for gameing, I recently canceled xbox live and cant even connect to Play station network.

Jusy patiently waiting for cell c 4g network so I can dump this Neofail router.
 
If you go with Neotel, stay away from the CDMA services (prime / lite / flex) if possible. Rather go for WiMax while you wait. I had prime uncapped for just under two years and hated nearly every minute of it. I had every problem possible, including dropped connections, slow downloads, PATHETIC uploads, bad latency (very bad if your son wants to play games) and poor customer service (ok, that's got nothing to do with the technology, but worth noting).

I haven't tried their WiMax. On that note, perhaps see what other options you have available as well. This post has just brought back all the bad memories. Good luck.
 
Stoflap said:
Try Telkom WiMax, and then use an uncap ISP service with it.
Click to expand...

Hi Stoflap, I'm afraid my technical knowledge is limited and I don't understand this.

I didn't consider Telkom WiMax because I've read that the speed is 512kbps. Isn't that too slow for dl/ul of files that are 400mb in size?

Also, I'm a little confused about this product. If I get the Telkom WiMax, I still have to find a ISP service for it?

My understanding of Neotel Wimax is that it has a package with uncapped data volume, at 5mbps speeds for R2299. Which is good but ridiculously expensive.

My husband's secretary has recommended Neoflex Data, 15GB at 3mbps speed as a temporary solution for R899 a month. What does everyone think?

Do I have any more options?

We are coming from a place where we get 16mbps d/l speeds, unlimited data volume for USD33/month. It's going to be a real struggle when we move to JoBurg.
 
bing said:
I'm relocating to Joburg (Sandton) with my husband. And have just found out that the complex that the company is providing for our residence has no Telkom lines infrastructure. Apparently the contractor messed up at construction time. The building management says they are sorting this out with some new contractors and suggested we use Neotel services instead.

I am a graphics designer and works with an overseas office so I need a pretty stable & fast connection to download and upload graphics files (average 400mb in size). My son plays Starcraft 2, Skypes and is a heavy Youtube user.

My son is devastated with the news above because I had promised him that we would fix in a Telkom line+Mweb ADSL Uncapped connection earlier. But that is not possible now.

The only plan that Neotel has that has unlimited data is Neo Connect Lite 469. Does anyone know the speed for this?

What are my alternatives? Any other service providers that you would recommend?

Thanks alot in advance.

Bing
Click to expand...

Stay far away from Neotel, they dont give a rats ass about residential customers, It's taken me over a year to get my deposit back and they just whipe their ass off on you.

Maybe go for Telkom Wimax, That's what I'm using at the moment, I can youtube, play games online etc. I'ts capped at 512k speeds though, although I get speeds of up to 60-70kb/s, so it's slightly faster than 512k ADSL.
here's my latest speed test:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/959188355.png

Pings are good if your son is a gamer.

Here are my ping times :
Pinging quake.isgaming.co.za [196.38.180.28] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 196.38.180.28: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=56
Reply from 196.38.180.28: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=56
Reply from 196.38.180.28: bytes=32 time=39ms TTL=56
Reply from 196.38.180.28: bytes=32 time=43ms TTL=56

Stay clear from Neotel, they will probably sign you up with no coverage at all. (like what happened to me) and force you into a 2yr contract.

I'm also a gamer and ur son will be a lot happier with Telkom Wimax :)

Good luck.
 
Gozzy said:
Stay far away from Neotel, they dont give a rats ass about residential customers, It's taken me over a year to get my deposit back and they just whipe their ass off on you.

Maybe go for Telkom Wimax, That's what I'm using at the moment, I can youtube, play games online etc. I'ts capped at 512k speeds though, although I get speeds of up to 60-70kb/s, so it's slightly faster than 512k ADSL.
here's my latest speed test:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/959188355.png

Pings are good if your son is a gamer.

Here are my ping times :
Pinging quake.isgaming.co.za [196.38.180.28] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 196.38.180.28: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=56
Reply from 196.38.180.28: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=56
Reply from 196.38.180.28: bytes=32 time=39ms TTL=56
Reply from 196.38.180.28: bytes=32 time=43ms TTL=56

Stay clear from Neotel, they will probably sign you up with no coverage at all. (like what happened to me) and force you into a 2yr contract.

I'm also a gamer and ur son will be a lot happier with Telkom Wimax :)

Good luck.
Click to expand...

Everyone, pardon me please. My technical knowledge is limited and I'm getting more and more confused.

Gozzy, you're running on 512kbps speed and can youtube and play games?

I was under the impression that anything less than 2Mbps will be a pain. Which is why I've been looking for plans with at least 3MBps!

We don't need instant speed but my work requires sending files that are 400MB via FTP transfer and I typically take 20-30mins to send/receive one file today. Will I be able to continue to do that if I used Telkom Wimax?

Can I also confirm my understanding that if I use Telkom Wimax, the best ADSL plan I can get to go along with it is a 512kbps one too right?
 
And if Telkom Wimax's best speed is 512kbps, while Neoflex Data's is 3MBps.

Wouldn't even Neoflex Data be superior to Telcom Wimax?
 
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