Short term internet

[morneg]

I wanted old faithfull telkom to install me an adsl line, in JHB, and they came back to me and said that is only possible at end of September. I need internet now. Any advice or help on what I can do for the least amount of money. I have looked around at wireless but you either need to sign a 24 month contract or buy a modem at ridiculous prices. Where do I go from here?

 

[fragtion]

Assuming your usage requirements are low, your best bet would probably be 3G with some kind of data bundle, otherwise prepaid. I'm in the same boat as you while waiting for Telkom to fix my line, but I need larger capacity so 3G wont do for me. Considered iBurst, Sentech, Neotel, 24-7online, and GWI, and all of them have major disadvantages that keep me away, notably being:
iBurst: bad inconsistent latency, expensive setup costs especially for a temporary solution
Sentech: slow, high latency, low coverage in my area
Neotel: Contract, cdma=bad latency, <512K
24-7online.co.za: expensive data rate (>R1000 for 10GB) - best service otherwise
GWI: 64k, poor feedback

WiMax is my last hope, and probably the most promising wireless alternative for ADSL, which is still by far the best option if you actually have the choice.

 

[LazyLion]

I wanted old faithfull telkom to install me an adsl line, in JHB, and they came back to me and said that is only possible at end of September. I need internet now. Any advice or help on what I can do for the least amount of money. I have looked around at wireless but you either need to sign a 24 month contract or buy a modem at ridiculous prices. Where do I go from here?

With 3G you are going to need a 3G Data Card or 3G USB Modem or 3G enabled cellphone. If you have one of those, then yes, 3G is the way to go.

But if you do not have any 3G device.... your cellphone may still be the best way to go. Are you able to use your cellphone as a modem? Check the manual to see what you need. GPRS and EDGE speeds over a cellphone are a little bit faster than dial-up. If you have good reception you can get up to 512 (or thereabouts) speeds over your cellphone.

That is probably your best short-term solution. Dial-up is a pain!

 

[Yotch]

Have you visited your local Telkom Shop in person to see if they can't possibly escalate your ADSL application?

You could purchase one of these 3G/HSDPA data modems and resell it again afterwards. These offers are well below the normal retail price.
http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/7764...20_USB_HSDPA_3G_EDGE_GPRS_Modem_unlocked.html
http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/7763372/Vodafone_3G_HSDPA_USB_Modem.html

 

[Nerfherder]

I just borrowed my mates old iBurst modem and took a moth two month contract.

Its not too bad but i'll be happy when I got the ADSL line.