Royal Ascot in Cape Town - anyone live there?

[techead]

I hope you like WIND! You say you lived in CBD though, so you should be used to it...

 

[hj2k_x]

I hope you like WIND! You say you lived in CBD though, so you should be used to it...

Yes. And yes.

 

[hj2k_x]

Was in Equini last night. Nice complex but zero cell reception. In this day and age. I couldn't believe it.

Warwick place tonight.

Ascot mews in due course.

Still haven't found a place that ticks all our boxes...

 

[paul5186]

I am on Virgin, HSDPA and full bars 24/7. GF is on Vodacom, also either 3G or HSDPA....strange. Though we just use the wireless from our ADSL anyway when we are at home.

 

[hj2k_x]

I am on Virgin, HSDPA and full bars 24/7. GF is on Vodacom, also either 3G or HSDPA....strange. Though we just use the wireless from our ADSL anyway when we are at home.

Yup. The closer to Racecourse Road, the better the signal.

Was in Warwick Place last night. Signal also pretty sketchy there...

 

[dreamrobin]

Yup. The closer to Racecourse Road, the better the signal.

Was in Warwick Place last night. Signal also pretty sketchy there...

Citi golf?

 

[hj2k_x]

Citi golf?

Nope. Stalker??

 

[dreamrobin]

Nope. Stalker??

No its a Royal Ascot joke. You'll find out sooner or later

 

[hj2k_x]

No its a Royal Ascot joke. You'll find out sooner or later

I see. I think.

 

[hj2k_x]

So Birkdale Village... Any feedback?

Has good cellphone reception I hear...

 

[FHTheron]

We've been in Birkdale now for just over a month. Really nice so far, quiet, unit is nice and spacious and lots of pets.

ADSL just misses the VDSL exchange across the circle, currently trialling mine at around 7mbps and not sure of it's bad or if Cape Town Telkom IPC is busted - both Afrihost and Webafrica are really slow. Want to go back to 4mbps or find out if it's at all possible to get on a different exchange, not sure how the connection there works to be honest.

As for cellphone, on the ground floor I have Edge and can always phone. Zero 3G though on Vodacom and MTN. Upstairs it is better, in the right spot I get 3 to 4mbps 3G on both.

 

[hj2k_x]

We've been in Birkdale now for just over a month. Really nice so far, quiet, unit is nice and spacious and lots of pets.

ADSL just misses the VDSL exchange across the circle, currently trialling mine at around 7mbps and not sure of it's bad or if Cape Town Telkom IPC is busted - both Afrihost and Webafrica are really slow. Want to go back to 4mbps or find out if it's at all possible to get on a different exchange, not sure how the connection there works to be honest.

As for cellphone, on the ground floor I have Edge and can always phone. Zero 3G though on Vodacom and MTN. Upstairs it is better, in the right spot I get 3 to 4mbps 3G on both.

That sounds promising.

ADSL wise were currently only on 1meg and it is sufficient for our needs.

As long as you can still make and receive cellphone calls, that is fine if there is ADSL to cover the Internet side of things...

 

[shooter_za]

Been here for two years and find it nice place to live. In the summer you get the occasional swamp smell and sometimes a bit from the refinery. I'm down towards the end of Grand National Blvd. Excellent ADSL line quality down here since the upgrade. I know people in Birkdale Village, Sandown Cresent and The Met. ADSL in The Met and Birkdale sucks ass. Sandown seems OK.

Cellphone reception does suck. The security patrols and CCTV is something at least. Paddocks is OK, but the Spar is running at capacity. We could do with a Pick and Pay and maybe a petrol station where the China mall stands (don't know what is sold there but it seems like a waste). I'm looking to buy here as well.

I leave for work in Century City at 08:30 and come back at 18:30. Takes me little under 10 minutes.

 

[FHTheron]

Cape Grand China is actually for wholesalers, not for general public. We went there, saw an interesting assortment of things people are buying in bulk and some people looking just as confused as us then went to China Town in Sable Square instead, which is more what you would expect when looking for random oddities.

 

[hj2k_x]

Been here for two years and find it nice place to live. In the summer you get the occasional swamp smell and sometimes a bit from the refinery. I'm down towards the end of Grand National Blvd. Excellent ADSL line quality down here since the upgrade. I know people in Birkdale Village, Sandown Cresent and The Met. ADSL in The Met and Birkdale sucks ass. Sandown seems OK.

Cellphone reception does suck. The security patrols and CCTV is something at least. Paddocks is OK, but the Spar is running at capacity. We could do with a Pick and Pay and maybe a petrol station where the China mall stands (don't know what is sold there but it seems like a waste). I'm looking to buy here as well.

I leave for work in Century City at 08:30 and come back at 18:30. Takes me little under 10 minutes.

How bad is your ADSL?

The swamp smell presumably coming from the actual swamp which used to be the Racecourse. Why don't they do something about it?

 

[shooter_za]

How bad is your ADSL?

The swamp smell presumably coming from the actual swamp which used to be the Racecourse. Why don't they do something about it?

My line stats are great, 40MBs capable according to the site and rock solid. Telkom put down a few big white boxes and that was the only time in two years my line dropped.

There is another "swamp" behind the Met. There are also a few ponds scattered around the place (very nicely maintained though). The gardens and plants between the complexes are maintained weekly. I'm not sure where exactly the smell comes from, but down at the end of Grand National, I don't really smell anything (or I might just be used to it).

Other than the damn speed bumps, the roads are excellent. I've never had a reason to complain regarding noisy neighbors.

 

[FHTheron]

My line stats are great, 40MBs capable according to the site and rock solid. Telkom put down a few big white boxes and that was the only time in two years my line dropped.

I hate how what residents perceive to be a logical area boundary is simply not relevant when it gets to things like Telkom lines. In The Wilds in Pretoria we had nice ADSL in the one side of the estate, but a friend of mine can't even get a line in the other side. Here we now have what looks like a region called Royal Ascot that stretches for the length of Grand National Boulevard, but Telkom didn't connect all of us to the same exchange. Probably a good reason for it, but still, before we moved here I was excitedly awaiting 40MBits/s, based on the Telkom ADSL checker using a number I had in Nottingham Square about 2 years ago, only to find out it's completely irrelevant. Anyway, at least I have ADSL, time to stop complaining.


I think some of these smelly ponds are probably the stormwater detention ponds they describe here:
http://www.royalascot.co.za/ra-publicareas.htm

Stormwater Detention Ponds
There are four stormwater detention ponds in Royal Ascot. These ponds are not natural and were built to retain and filter stormwater. The reeds and aquatic vegetation in these ponds remove excess nutrients (mostly nitrogen and phosphates) from the water, and solid wastes and refuse washed down by the stormwater will settle to the bottom of the ponds.
These ponds serve an important function, the filtering activity prevents polluted water from entering the City's stormwater system and thus Rietvlei and the Diep River. Ponds like these have to be managed and from time to time excess reed growth is removed. However, to allow proper filtration we do not clear the reeds completely, and non-invasive grass is allowed to grow amongst the reeds where they also help with the filtration function.
The water in these ponds is polluted and is not safe for swimming. Some of the ponds have fish from time to time, these are all exotic species and they are not safe for eating because of the polluted state of the water. On the other hand, the high nutrient content of the water do attract birds to the ponds, but only certain species find the ponds suitable.
Even though they are pollution traps, they do provide an attractive and pleasant area where people can walk or sit and enjoy the view.

Haven't actually smelled anything bad again since that one time.

 

[StrontiumDog]

I've heard mozzies are a problem around there... someone I know rents there and said it drives her crazy.

 

[hj2k_x]

I've heard mozzies are a problem around there... someone I know rents there and said it drives her crazy.

Do you know which estate?

 

[hj2k_x]

I hate how what residents perceive to be a logical area boundary is simply not relevant when it gets to things like Telkom lines. In The Wilds in Pretoria we had nice ADSL in the one side of the estate, but a friend of mine can't even get a line in the other side. Here we now have what looks like a region called Royal Ascot that stretches for the length of Grand National Boulevard, but Telkom didn't connect all of us to the same exchange. Probably a good reason for it, but still, before we moved here I was excitedly awaiting 40MBits/s, based on the Telkom ADSL checker using a number I had in Nottingham Square about 2 years ago, only to find out it's completely irrelevant. Anyway, at least I have ADSL, time to stop complaining.


I think some of these smelly ponds are probably the stormwater detention ponds they describe here:
http://www.royalascot.co.za/ra-publicareas.htm



Haven't actually smelled anything bad again since that one time.

Interesting reading. That would explain the smell.