Royal Ascot Fibre (Milnerton, Cape Town)

[Frenchman]

If you keep your telkom phone line, you still pay line rental of R180. (or whatever it costs)

You can have your Telkom enabled on your Fibre router, but apparently you HAVE to be with Telkom then. ISPAfrica can't do this.

Why can't we have VOIP for the visitors intercom? Our complex also have an intercom where visitors phone our land lines. They can link it to a cell phone, so surely VOIP works fine?

I went through this whole story with my complex, which may apply to VOIP numbers (although I'm not 100% sure).

I had a number that had to be added to the intercom, and was told it wasn't possible. After a month of fighting, I discovered the intercom system has a number of phone number "prefixes" that are stored, such as 021, 082, 072, 079, etc. The system can only store x-number of prefixes before it is full. Without that prefix, they can't add your number to the system. In my case, they were simply too lazy to add a new prefix & therefore told me it couldn't be done. In the end, they added my number after a little work from their side. I would imagine that it might complicate things if your system's prefix storage is already full.

That could be what's happening here, but no guarantees...

 

[DrKiller]

I went through this whole story with my complex, which may apply to VOIP numbers (although I'm not 100% sure).

I had a number that had to be added to the intercom, and was told it wasn't possible. After a month of fighting, I discovered the intercom system has a number of phone number "prefixes" that are stored, such as 021, 082, 072, 079, etc. The system can only store x-number of prefixes before it is full. Without that prefix, they can't add your number to the system. In my case, they were simply too lazy to add a new prefix & therefore told me it couldn't be done. In the end, they added my number after a little work from their side. I would imagine that it might complicate things if your system's prefix storage is already full.

That could be what's happening here, but no guarantees...

ah ok. I sent an email to Taryn and she said she assumes it'll work.

I'm going to have the same number, so that should make everyone's lives easier (021 number)

 

[Karel Kat]

For visibility I am going to not the dates things happen for me so others can follow along and know what to expect (feel free to do so yourselves):

14/12/2016: Order placed with ISPAfrika
14/12/2016: Got notice that order has been forwarded to OpenServe. Awaiting them to contact me. Informed lead time is 1 to 3 weeks (So this might bleed into next year)

 

[FHTheron]

Same here and was hoping we all got lucky today, but right now I'll take next week as a gift and next year as a guarantee.

14 December 2016 at 13:17 -- ISPAfrika sent order to OpenServe.

 

[QuiXilver ZA]

LOL When I called in on the 14th as well and spoke to Garth at ISPAfrika, he said he got a lot of calls from Royal Ascot.

 

[DrKiller]

LOL When I called in on the 14th as well and spoke to Garth at ISPAfrika, he said he got a lot of calls from Royal Ascot.

He should give my internet free for all the advertising

 

[paul5186]

Openserve is in a network freeze, so I doubt you will get installed before Jan 15th.

 

[plbartie]

I signed up with Webafrica on the 14th, got a call this morning and asked if they can come today. They are busy installing as we speak.

 

[FHTheron]

I signed up with Webafrica on the 14th, got a call this morning and asked if they can come today. They are busy installing as we speak.

Ask them if they are doing others in Royal Ascot this week.

 

[paul5186]

I signed up with Webafrica on the 14th, got a call this morning and asked if they can come today. They are busy installing as we speak.

Pretty impressive! The openserve guy that did my install was a champ, it was only him, took around 4 hours as its a free standing house in Royal ascot. Even showed my wife speedtests and made her watch a youtube video to make sure it was working 100%.

 

[Karel Kat]

Pretty impressive! The openserve guy that did my install was a champ, it was only him, took around 4 hours as its a free standing house in Royal ascot. Even showed my wife speedtests and made her watch a youtube video to make sure it was working 100%.

OpenServe giving the full service to the Missus hey?

 

[Garson007]

OpenServe giving the full service to the Missus hey?

The customer always comes first.

 

[FHTheron]

My status:
14 December 2016 at 13:17 -- ISPAfrika sent order to OpenServe.
21 December 2016 at 15:23 -- Telkom phoned to arrange installation on 22 December 2016, any time from 08:00 onward

 

[DrKiller]

My status:
14 December 2016 at 13:17 -- ISPAfrika sent order to OpenServe.
21 December 2016 at 15:23 -- Telkom phoned to arrange installation on 22 December 2016, any time from 08:00 onward

wow thats very good.

 

[FHTheron]

My status:
14 December 2016 at 13:17 -- ISPAfrika sent order to OpenServe.
21 December 2016 at 15:23 -- Telkom phoned to arrange installation on 22 December 2016, any time from 08:00 onward

22 December 2016 at 12:12 -- ISPAfrika (Garth) phones to say he sees an installation is scheduled for today and asks if it has been done yet. It has not, he follows up.
22 December 2016 at 12:59 -- ISPAfrika (Garth) emails me to say that OpenServe has said they are very busy and that if it doesn't happen today, it will tomorrow.
22 December 2016 at 14:41 -- OpenServe arrives, the guy warns me he might not finish today.
22 December 2016 at 17:00 -- OpenServe leaves, will return tomorrow morning to finish.

 

[Karel Kat]

My Installation has been scheduled for start of Jan as I am away

It seems that the installations take about 4 hours? Does that seem reasonable to those who have had it done? Lastly, can anyone tell me if the fibre into your flat/property is being pulled through the existing Telkom conduit to the existing Telkom connection point or are they drilling it through like a sattelite coax cable?

 

[FHTheron]

I'm not sure exactly what is involved in the whole process, but if the conduit work goes smoothly it seems like 4 hours is still the expectation. If they have trouble getting the fibre through all the pipes it will of course add delays.

The only oddity for me was that the fibre pipes are in the sewerage manhole and the guy expected them in the square hole next to it where the existing copper cables go. (He was sent from the Durbanville area, I assume the guys usually in the area already expect this). He quickly opened both and found what he needed, then proceeded to use the same conduit as the copper cable to my house, firstly because it's there and easy to use, secondly because it seems to be the only way. He did briefly discuss options, but it was obvious that the existing conduit was the way to go.

 

[DrKiller]

My Installation has been scheduled for start of Jan as I am away

It seems that the installations take about 4 hours? Does that seem reasonable to those who have had it done? Lastly, can anyone tell me if the fibre into your flat/property is being pulled through the existing Telkom conduit to the existing Telkom connection point or are they drilling it through like a sattelite coax cable?

It all depends how easy it is to get the cable through to your building. I would say 4hours is the total maximum and 1hour is about the minimum if all goes smoothly. I had some trenching done with 4 guys!

So they first try to get the fibre through the same pipe as your current landline. If there are too many bends or the cable can't come out properly then they have to do some sort of trenching. My cable couldn't get out of the wall. I don't have a pipe, it seems as if there was solid cement after the land line was installed.

Trenching is expensive, however Garth from ISPAfrika told me he'll sort it out with Openserve. Openserve currently have "free installation" till March, we are all just assuming trenching is part of it ;-)

 

[FHTheron]

And finished: http://beta.speedtest.net/result/5904743985

14 December 2016 at 13:17 -- ISPAfrika sent order to OpenServe.
21 December 2016 at 15:23 -- Telkom phoned to arrange installation on 22 December 2016, any time from 08:00 onward
22 December 2016 at 12:12 -- ISPAfrika (Garth) phones to say he sees an installation is scheduled for today and asks if it has been done yet. It has not, he follows up.
22 December 2016 at 12:59 -- ISPAfrika (Garth) emails me to say that OpenServe has said they are very busy and that if it doesn't happen today, it will tomorrow.
22 December 2016 at 14:41 -- OpenServe arrives, the guy warns me he might not finish today.
22 December 2016 at 17:00 -- OpenServe leaves, will return tomorrow morning to finish.
23 December 2016 at 08:48 -- OpenServe returns, resumes installation. Had to try three different fibres, seems like some unexpected difference in colour coding.
23 December 2016 at 10:45 -- Finished, tested.

 

[DrKiller]

And finished: http://beta.speedtest.net/result/5904743985

That ping though.. Maybe test a cape town server? Mine was 3ms last time I tested