SADV Installation Feedback/Progress for Estates/Complexes

[Fcon_Vpro]

Exactly. But he has one of those massive gardens with his lawn being green 24/7/365 with some old trees around. So I do get his point, but the communication could have been better.

Are the gardens not considered common property?
In my complex even though you can change your garden, its considered common property so the complex can do whatever they need to whenever they need to.

Installation with SADV went relatively smooth. Communication could have been better but they got it done.
I have been very impressed with their support team.
They always announce maintenance schedules before hand and seem very proactive.
I have had very little downtime and at worst I lost speed (50 down to 25) for about a week.
Initially I was hestitant to sign because they had just gone open access and were still in the testing phase of onboarding extra ISP's. But during the installation into my complex they onboarded about 6 ISP's so they came through on their promises.
So I dont have any regrets selecting them for our complex. They offered the best deal by far.

 

[gmathews]

Are the gardens not considered common property?
In my complex even though you can change your garden, its considered common property so the complex can do whatever they need to whenever they need to.

Installation with SADV went relatively smooth. Communication could have been better but they got it done.
I have been very impressed with their support team.
They always announce maintenance schedules before hand and seem very proactive.
I have had very little downtime and at worst I lost speed (50 down to 25) for about a week.
Initially I was hestitant to sign because they had just gone open access and were still in the testing phase of onboarding extra ISP's. But during the installation into my complex they onboarded about 6 ISP's so they came through on their promises.
So I dont have any regrets selecting them for our complex. They offered the best deal by far.

Interesting point (I'm not a trustee, but I was the initiator), but I'm not sure what the rules are for gardens. The trustees do want to keep everyone happy I guess, hence they sorted it out diplomatically.

As for your installation, how was the rehabilitation process when they trenched? Keen to go home and see what progress has been made.

SADV's third party installer have been quite decent with communication with our trustees, so far so good. They are also determined to finish in less than a month, will see how that goes.

 

[Friggs]

Are the gardens not considered common property?
In my complex even though you can change your garden, its considered common property so the complex can do whatever they need to whenever they need to.

I think you are correct in that gardens are technically common property but for exclusive use (if enclosed). The trustees can also make the decision on behalf of the BC (since thee BC voted them in as trustees) and if one or two people don't like it they can't stop it because it's majority rules BUT it's obviously always best to have everyone's buy-in I reckon.
With us, I know we can easily go ahead with this as, technically, we only need 3 of the 5 trustees to approve it (of which I am 1 so only 2 more signatures needed and they won't be difficult about it) but the drama of unhappy and moaning home owners is just not worth it lol. I'll rather follow gmathews' example and get everyone's buy-in before going froward with this.

 

[sn0rbaard]

This is really awesome gmathews. I have a similar story. I contacted SADV by email (and numerous other companies) to consider bringing fibre to my complex, as I could see DFA footprint rather close to us. SADV was the only company that replied positively and sent a proposal to our body corporate.

Timeline of events:
12 July - SADV responded and asked me for specific information (I only responded on 24 July)
25 July - SADV sent prelimanary proposal to BC and BC responded positively, SADV then sent a whole proposal document, to be signed
12 September - I asked SADV whether BC signed off properly on the proposal, since proposal required Trustees signatures; my dad being one of two Trustees did not sign anything so I was starting to assume the worst
19 September - They responded positively that they indeed did receive a "Signed Contract". I was advised that their initial feasability for the project was approved, and that they are currently waiting for counsel feedback regarding wayleaves before getting internal approval, but ready to kick-off internal work
20 September - SADV advised we they got approval, and we should expect a kick-off meeting soon
12 October - Having heard nothing about a K.O.M. I requested an update
12 October - SADV respond with a document "Survey Report" containing the layout planning from DFA network up to how each unit will be connected to the budi boxes. It shows trench locations etc. and budi box / drop fibre planning for inside the complex, document is dated mid-August

I'm cautiously optimistic but things are seemingly going much better than I expected it would. Will see what happens at the (to be scheduled) Kick-off meeting.

 

[gmathews]

This is really awesome gmathews. I have a similar story. I contacted SADV by email (and numerous other companies) to consider bringing fibre to my complex, as I could see DFA footprint rather close to us. SADV was the only company that replied positively and sent a proposal to our body corporate.

Timeline of events:
12 July - SADV responded and asked me for specific information (I only responded on 24 July)
25 July - SADV sent prelimanary proposal to BC and BC responded positively, SADV then sent a whole proposal document, to be signed
12 September - I asked SADV whether BC signed off properly on the proposal, since proposal required Trustees signatures; my dad being one of two Trustees did not sign anything so I was starting to assume the worst
19 September - They responded positively that they indeed did receive a "Signed Contract". I was advised that their initial feasability for the project was approved, and that they are currently waiting for counsel feedback regarding wayleaves before getting internal approval, but ready to kick-off internal work
20 September - SADV advised we they got approval, and we should expect a kick-off meeting soon
12 October - Having heard nothing about a K.O.M. I requested an update
12 October - SADV respond with a document "Survey Report" containing the layout planning from DFA network up to how each unit will be connected to the budi boxes. It shows trench locations etc. and budi box / drop fibre planning for inside the complex, document is dated mid-August

I'm cautiously optimistic but things are seemingly going much better than I expected it would. Will see what happens at the (to be scheduled) Kick-off meeting.

Excellent, keen to see your feedback as yours proceed. Will contact the mods to perhaps change the title of this thread for other SADV users to keep everything in one place for estate/complex installations.

Update 15 October: Main core trenching is progressing well :


They have a month to finish it all, so will keep it updated in this thread Can't wait, the 4mb ADSL is getting to me.

 

[Fcon_Vpro]

Interesting point (I'm not a trustee, but I was the initiator), but I'm not sure what the rules are for gardens. The trustees do want to keep everyone happy I guess, hence they sorted it out diplomatically.

As for your installation, how was the rehabilitation process when they trenched? Keen to go home and see what progress has been made.

SADV's third party installer have been quite decent with communication with our trustees, so far so good. They are also determined to finish in less than a month, will see how that goes.

We were lucky in that we had existing trenching to all the main blocks of the apartments so they could pull the fibre through the various points.. So the only trenching was from the main road through the complex driveway to the “distribution box” which is right by our entrance..
Some Dstv went down when the 3rd party installers installed to individual units but only a few units affected

 

[sn0rbaard]

Excellent, keen to see your feedback as yours proceed. Will contact the mods to perhaps change the title of this thread for other SADV users to keep everything in one place for estate/complex installations.

Update 15 October: Main core trenching is progressing well :
View attachment 470161

They have a month to finish it all, so will keep it updated in this thread Can't wait, the 4mb ADSL is getting to me.

This is exciting man, keep those updates coming. I will also post updates here.

Just a few questions. Are they going to install drop fibres into every house/apartment or only to buddy boxes? For our complex their proposal includes drop fibres into every apartment, via existing intercom sleeves. However, I wouldn't be surprised if some sleeves are unusable or blocked, (as I recently discovered when I got a phone line installed) and then they will need to make another plan. Secondly, are they on-board with some other ISP's from the beginning at your complex? They were at my parents estate, with some ISPs such as Afrihost, Axxess, Cool Ideas, Home-Connect, Vodacom, Web Africa and a few other local companies.

Can you elaborate what happened at your kickoff meeting? I assume all the roleplayers (DFA, SADV, and third-party contractors for trenching/installation) got together with BC to officially sign off for construction to commence?

 

[pinball wizard]

This is exciting man, keep those updates coming. I will also post updates here.

Just a few questions. Are they going to install drop fibres into every house/apartment or only to buddy boxes? For our complex their proposal includes drop fibres into every apartment, via existing intercom sleeves. However, I wouldn't be surprised if some sleeves are unusable or blocked, (as I recently discovered when I got a phone line installed) and then they will need to make another plan. Secondly, are they on-board with some other ISP's from the beginning at your complex? They were at my parents estate, with some ISPs such as Afrihost, Axxess, Cool Ideas, Home-Connect, Vodacom, Web Africa and a few other local companies.

Can you elaborate what happened at your kickoff meeting? I assume all the roleplayers (DFA, SADV, and third-party contractors for trenching/installation) got together with BC to officially sign off for construction to commence?

If I may, can I assist with some answers from a SADV perspective?

Our standard procedure is up to the boundary wall in a buddy box for free standing units, and to drop fibre into the residence for multi-dwelling units.
SADV is open access from day one.
The kickoff meeting usually involves the SADV Acqusitions Manager, Project Manager, Estate representative and the Contractor doing the build. It's purpose is to clear up any issues resulting from the initial survey and finalise start dates for the build, as well as for the project to officially be handed over to the projects team. - This process is what resulted in some delays and miscommunication for the project that is the subject of this thread as I was running the entire province at the time and was stretched a bit thin.

 

[gmathews]

This is exciting man, keep those updates coming. I will also post updates here.

Just a few questions. Are they going to install drop fibres into every house/apartment or only to buddy boxes? For our complex their proposal includes drop fibres into every apartment, via existing intercom sleeves. However, I wouldn't be surprised if some sleeves are unusable or blocked, (as I recently discovered when I got a phone line installed) and then they will need to make another plan. Secondly, are they on-board with some other ISP's from the beginning at your complex? They were at my parents estate, with some ISPs such as Afrihost, Axxess, Cool Ideas, Home-Connect, Vodacom, Web Africa and a few other local companies.

Can you elaborate what happened at your kickoff meeting? I assume all the roleplayers (DFA, SADV, and third-party contractors for trenching/installation) got together with BC to officially sign off for construction to commence?

pinball has replied for the SADV bit, and is quite helpful with queries.

For our kick-off we just had the third party okes and Estate trustee representation there, but was probably due to the location. As for ISPs, SADV does an open access network, so you can use any ISP which SADV supports. Cool ideas, etc. Kick-off is to basically outline what the build plan is, showing how the network installation will run. That needs to be signed off, then they start with the physical work.

Communication with residents need to happen as well, you can see my posts on this above. It's probably the most critical thing which needs to be done properly, to avoid issues.

 

[sn0rbaard]

If I may, can I assist with some answers from a SADV perspective?

Our standard procedure is up to the boundary wall in a buddy box for free standing units, and to drop fibre into the residence for multi-dwelling units.
SADV is open access from day one.
The kickoff meeting usually involves the SADV Acqusitions Manager, Project Manager, Estate representative and the Contractor doing the build. It's purpose is to clear up any issues resulting from the initial survey and finalise start dates for the build, as well as for the project to officially be handed over to the projects team. - This process is what resulted in some delays and miscommunication for the project that is the subject of this thread as I was running the entire province at the time and was stretched a bit thin.

Your input is appreciated!

I am still waiting for our kickoff meeting to be scheduled, I assume everyone is just very busy. Our estate is a multi-dwelling complex so that explains the drop-fibres part, thanks for clarifying.

If I may, I'm curious to know. Most ISPs charge a once-off fee, which is dictated by the underlying service providers (i.e. SADV? DFA?). Seems like some ISPs run promotions to discount this fee (possibly at their cost?). In general, does this cover the cost of installation from a budi box to your house (in the case where no drop fibres exist) or is this always a once-off activation fee regardless whether a drop fibre exists? In case you change to another ISP, do you have to pay a once-off fee again?

I'm actually very impressed with SADV getting the wayleaves etc. sorted out so quickly to get this project up and running. I honestly thought it would take much longer. In fact I half expected them to pull-out after a feasability study. I feel lucky because to the best of my knowledge this would be the first complex in that prominent area to get fibre.

 

[pinball wizard]

If I may, I'm curious to know. Most ISPs charge a once-off fee, which is dictated by the underlying service providers (i.e. SADV? DFA?). Seems like some ISPs run promotions to discount this fee (possibly at their cost?). In general, does this cover the cost of installation from a budi box to your house (in the case where no drop fibres exist) or is this always a once-off activation fee regardless whether a drop fibre exists? In case you change to another ISP, do you have to pay a once-off fee again?

So, in this instance, we charge the ISP a set fee, whether they pass it on to you or not is their marketing case. However, for most standalone houses, the fee of R1700 doesn't cover even half of what it costs to get the fibre from the boundary wall into the home. If you look at the T&C's of openserve for instance, you will see they make provision for this by saying the install fee only covers a certain distance, where after a per meter rate is applied.

Switching from ISP to ISP is covered by the ISP, generally they will charge an activation fee, and the one you are leaving may have penalties to cover the cost of zero rating the install and equipment.

 

[gmathews]

Update 07 November

June 7th - Contacted pinball wizard from SADV after noticing potential DFA coverage, details from this thread.
June 7th- Received Proposal from SADV, to be signed by Trustees of Estate.
June 8th - Initiated discussion with Trustees of Estate, with motivation for fibre.
June 14th - Trustees in agreement, signed proposal. Sent off to SADV.
June 30th - SADV Conducted low-level survey of the estate.
August 14th - Meeting planned with Trustees for installation discussion. Feasibility study completed from SADV side.
August 28th - Kick off Meeting completed with third party installation company and Trustee at Tuscany Village. Method of installation discussed.
August 29th - AGM/House Owners Association meeting - Fibre installation agreed on to proceed
September 04th - All Home owners informed that fibre installation to formally commence on September 11th. ETA for build phase completion = 17 October.
October 12th - Construction starting today. Issues with home owners who were opposed to fibre installation delayed the process, this has been resolved. So delays are from the Estate's side this time around. Estimated time for completion = 1 month - so November 12th
November 7th - Main core line through estate almost done. Should commence with individual units installation this week. New revised date = Estate to go live before 22 December (feedback from third party installers)

 

[cavedog]

Update 07 November

June 7th - Contacted pinball wizard from SADV after noticing potential DFA coverage, details from this thread.
June 7th- Received Proposal from SADV, to be signed by Trustees of Estate.
June 8th - Initiated discussion with Trustees of Estate, with motivation for fibre.
June 14th - Trustees in agreement, signed proposal. Sent off to SADV.
June 30th - SADV Conducted low-level survey of the estate.
August 14th - Meeting planned with Trustees for installation discussion. Feasibility study completed from SADV side.
August 28th - Kick off Meeting completed with third party installation company and Trustee at Tuscany Village. Method of installation discussed.
August 29th - AGM/House Owners Association meeting - Fibre installation agreed on to proceed
September 04th - All Home owners informed that fibre installation to formally commence on September 11th. ETA for build phase completion = 17 October.
October 12th - Construction starting today. Issues with home owners who were opposed to fibre installation delayed the process, this has been resolved. So delays are from the Estate's side this time around. Estimated time for completion = 1 month - so November 12th
November 7th - Main core line through estate almost done. Should commence with individual units installation this week. New revised date = Estate to go live before 22 December (feedback from third party installers)

I really don't know why anyone would oppose fibre installations. If anything it would increase value to the property if you ever wanted to sell. Fibre available to anyone that wants to buy is a selling point to be honest even if the current owners won't signup for fibre.... :erm:

 

[Quattro!]

I really don't know why anyone would oppose fibre installations. If anything it would increase value to the property if you ever wanted to sell. Fibre available to anyone that wants to buy is a selling point to be honest even if the current owners won't signup for fibre.... :erm:

There is one resident in our complex who doesn't want anything to do with fibre, to a point where him and the wife refused the guys to trench pass their house . The guys had to deviate from the planned route...

Sent from my WAS-LX1 using MyBroadband mobile app

 

[sn0rbaard]

Update 7 November

Timeline of events:
July 12th - Contacted SADV, they responded and asked me for specific information (I only replied on 24 July)
July 25th - SADV sent proposal to BC
September 12th - Asked SADV if they received a signed proposal
September 19th - SADV advised that their initial feasability for the project was approved; kick-off of internal work to start soon
September 20th - SADV advised management approved project
October 12th - Having heard nothing about a K.O.M. I requested an update
October 12th - SADV contractors MCT responded with a "Survey Report" dated mid-August
October 26th - Site walkthrough with contractors responsible for internal reticulation
October 30th - Presented my case at AGM, got full cooperation from BC and trustees, full go-ahead given to SADV and contractors for work
November 7th - Contractors arrived on site to start construction and trenching inside complex

I was advised that we are still waiting for wayleaves from counsel and that the fibre trenching outside the complex to the DFA network will probably start in January '18. By that time drop fibres / buddy boxes etc. will already be in place.

 

[gmathews]

It was more of the specific residents who weren't sure about the installation details, so they just went cray cray. Some have pretty well kept yards here and age old trees, so can understand why they would, but they didn't have all the facts.

 

[gmathews]

Update 7 November

Timeline of events:
July 12th - Contacted SADV, they responded and asked me for specific information (I only replied on 24 July)
July 25th - SADV sent proposal to BC
September 12th - Asked SADV if they received a signed proposal
September 19th - SADV advised that their initial feasability for the project was approved; kick-off of internal work to start soon
September 20th - SADV advised management approved project
October 12th - Having heard nothing about a K.O.M. I requested an update
October 12th - SADV contractors MCT responded with a "Survey Report" dated mid-August
October 26th - Site walkthrough with contractors responsible for internal reticulation
October 30th - Presented my case at AGM, got full cooperation from BC and trustees, full go-ahead given to SADV and contractors for work
November 7th - Contractors arrived on site to start construction and trenching inside complex

I was advised that we are still waiting for wayleaves from counsel and that the fibre trenching outside the complex to the DFA network will probably start in January '18. By that time drop fibres / buddy boxes etc. will already be in place.

Looks like great progress mate!

 

[gmathews]

Got our point installed Seems to take forever for the "estate to DFA" connection though. Still busy with residents installation at the moment. So seems like will have to wait till everyone's installation is done.

 

[sn0rbaard]

Got our point installed Seems to take forever for the "estate to DFA" connection though. Still busy with residents installation at the moment. So seems like will have to wait till everyone's installation is done.

Hey man at least you see some progress. Are they actively
working on your link to DFA, earlier you showed the trenching work outside your estate?

The contractors are done with trenching and installing the distribution "buddy" boxes in our complex. Now I'm waiting for the contractors to install a drop fibre in my apartment so that we can see how it works, to see whether the existing intercom sleeves can be used for the drop fibres.

Thereafter we will need to arrange for permission with owners and schedule appointments between tenants and the contractors to have their drop fibres installed. We're still waiting for wayleaves so our link to DFA is still a long way off. Strange that it takes so long and that they can't expedite the process, it's been months now

 

[gmathews]

Hey man at least you see some progress. Are they actively
working on your link to DFA, earlier you showed the trenching work outside your estate?

The contractors are done with trenching and installing the distribution "buddy" boxes in our complex. Now I'm waiting for the contractors to install a drop fibre in my apartment so that we can see how it works, to see whether the existing intercom sleeves can be used for the drop fibres.

Thereafter we will need to arrange for permission with owners and schedule appointments between tenants and the contractors to have their drop fibres installed. We're still waiting for wayleaves so our link to DFA is still a long way off. Strange that it takes so long and that they can't expedite the process, it's been months now

@pinballwizard Can you perhaps assist with organising the DFA to estate link. I don't see anyone trenching on the outside of the estate, as mentioned on email.

Yip progress is being made, but reckon if they secured the line to estate, residents can probably already start signing up, instead of waiting for all units to be connected. Not sure what the hold up is, pinballwizard should advise.