Signing Up With The Devil... Again...

Lycanthrope

Lycanthrope

Honorary Master
Joined
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So... I've been without "proper" internet since the November last year when my other half and I moved. Instead we've been using some ghastly excuse for "internet" that came with the apartment complex. Boy, oh boy does it suck. To illustrate my point:

  • 15 Minutes for a 2 minute YouTube video to load
  • 45 Minutes for a 15MB patch to download - assuming the download doesn't "crash" mid-way (as in think it's finished downloading after 3MB.)
  • No - that's right, absolutely zilch - access to p2p & online gaming services

Now, I consider myself something of an internetphile in the sense that I can't live without my daily news & review articles courtesy of iGoogle, MyADSL and GameSpot. Granted, it's been a trying couple of months having to shrug off any and all video reviews, trailers and more, but eh, I gritted my teeth and dealt with it in the hopes of Neotel arriving. They haven't >.> And I have the cellphone bill to prove it.

Unfortunately, I can no longer cope with this connection. I am tired of it. Exhausted, in fact. I hate Telkom... I hate it in the way a dog might hate rabies, or a diesel engine might hate sugar. But I've never experienced a connection that is as awful as the connection I now endure :( Even dial-up at least let me have my torrents!

So, until Neotel release their fibre connections - and I do mean until the very moment their fibre penetrates the walls of my house/apartment/shack (whatever it may be that I'll live in at that stage), I'll be a slave to Telkom's 4mbps ADSL...

Anyway, the reason I decided to have a rant - other than to just let off some agro - was so that I could get some advice from you guys, if it's all right. I've basically just signed up for a telephone line to be installed first (there's a line, but no port in the apartment) and then I'll have the DSL and all that set up since I know this area is DSL-ready and whatnot. I refuse, flatly, to ever use Telkom as my ISP again. I've heard some good things about OpenWeb, so I'm considering using them when I get "connected" again. Any other ISPs and accounts I should give a look?

Thanks in advance!
 
matrixweb said:
webafrica
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I've probably spent the last 30 minutes perusing their site. Apparently in 2007 they won the "MyADSL People’s Choice Award for best ADSL Service provider for the 2nd year in a row" - sounds pretty good to me.

Still looking at all the packages - I can't seem to make my mind up, but luckily I don't have to decide today.

Thank you, matrixweb :)
 
You might want to have a look at these:
-Webafrica
-Sainet (Some nice Cheap One-price ADSL Account+Line packages)
-Cybersmart (Also nice Cheap One-price accounts)

Great service from the first two I can personally vouch for. Emailed Sainet this afternoon about a small problem I had, they called me about 15/20 minutes later while I was just expecting a reply to my email!

Same can be said for Webafrica re: service levels. They are always prepared to go the extra mile for you (like Mariet there did for me today, thx Mariet!).

I use SAINET because their prices compared to Telscum is groundbreaking. Basic 1GB account from Telscum is R79 while for R79 I get a 2GB account from SAINET. Also have a look at their One-Priced accounts that also beats telscums prices.

Webafrica I use for their 1GB Prepaid accounts that never expire and rolls over from month to month. Quite handy when you get capped at month end and just need a few MB to make it to the next month.

:)
 
Thank you, ld13 :) So far WebAfrica is looking good. I'm not so sure about Sainet - I've never heard of them :o

I'm looking at unshaped accounts and WA have them for R125 per gig - which is still a kick in the teeth, but I like that they allow you to choose between SAIX and Verizon networks (I want to keep as far away from Telkom as possible :))

Another thing that I like about WA, so far, is that it seems they give you your own sort of control panel (DSL Console?) to apply for services via their "client service area" - I think that's nice, or at least sounds nice. Some personalisation.

I'm also looking at a shaped 5GB IS account. That way I at least still have local access when capped. It doesn't sound too bad at R367...

*sigh* To tell the truth, I actually don't have a clue what I want. I'm having a conflict of interests. One part of me wants an "unshaped" account because the thought of "shaped" just makes me :sick: but the other part just wants to have a proper internet connection again and doesn't remember there being such a visible difference... Am I wrong?

As for CyberSmart - have you read the Terms & Conditions?

5. You are required to use the @cybersmart.co.za email address that comes free with your ADSL account
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I like my Gmail account. I'm quite attached to my Gmail account. In fact, we're inseparable.

Payment is by debit order only and in advance for the services that you receive. The debit order will be processed on the first working day of every month. Failed debit orders carry a penalty of R50 which will be levied agains your account.
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Ouch, they're mean. Not even Telkom was allowed to touch my bank account - I paid them when I got the bill and was [-]happy[/-] satisfied with what it said, not when they decide, "Yay! *DEDUCTSHUNZ!*"

You may connect from ONE location only per account, you will AUTOMATICALLY be billed for every additional location(s) at R100 for each additional 192Kb connection, R125 for each 384Kb connection, R185 for each 512Kb location . You may only connect from ONE account per location. Additional accounts at the same location will be disabled and the owners of each of the secondary accounts will be charged an additional R65.
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So I'm not allowed using my account at a friend's house to download something for them or vice-versa? Even though it's my account? I can understand why they wouldn't permit concurrent connections, obviously, but jeez.

The more I read their T&C the less I feel like CyberSmart will be the choice I'll make... They scare me T.T

Thank you guys again for your input - it's invaluable to me!
 
Lycanthrope said:
I'm not so sure about Sainet - I've never heard of them :o
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You have Just heard of them, I told you about them :p. Ekhaatvensters will back me up on this one. Sainet is cheap and I've only once had a minor problem with them. I've been with them for almost a year now and yesterday was the first time I ever felt the need to contact support and the support was quick and down to the point as I expected them to be. :)

Lycanthrope said:
*sigh* To tell the truth, I actually don't have a clue what I want. I'm having a conflict of interests. One part of me wants an "unshaped" account because the thought of "shaped" just makes me :sick: but the other part just wants to have a proper internet connection again and doesn't remember there being such a visible difference... Am I wrong?
Click to expand...

If you do not know what you want try getting a Semi-Shaped account. Axxess.co.za will help you out with these accounts. They are IS based account that are shaped during business hours. After hours they are unshaped. They are much cheaper than unshaped accounts though, R79-R85/GB. Read about the performance of this account here: http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=122721 Axxess is a trusted name on this forum btw and I have only heard good things about them but I have never used them myself.

Lycanthrope said:
As for CyberSmart - have you read the Terms & Conditions?
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Yes I have, quite a few times already. Then I LOL-ed and forgot about the T&C - exactly what you should do. My friend got his line from them and he has till date never had a problem with them. But some members on this forum had some issues with their accounts.

Lycanthrope said:
I like my Gmail account. I'm quite attached to my Gmail account. In fact, we're inseparable.
So I'm not allowed using my account at a friend's house to download something for them or vice-versa? Even though it's my account? I can understand why they wouldn't permit concurrent connections, obviously, but jeez.
The more I read their T&C the less I feel like CyberSmart will be the choice I'll make... They scare me T.T
Click to expand...

Do no worry, you are not forced to use Their email account at all. Just let Gmail connect to the account for you and pull the email there. You get your statements from Cybersmart this way.

That is correct. You are not allowed to use Your account on any other line than your home one. But you can ignore the visa versa part. My friend uses his 1GB account from Cybersmart and then goes over to his WebAfrica prepaid account without troubles. The thing you have to understand about Cybersmart is, is that they are small. They try to cut costs as much as possible and then moves those savings onto you. They have this small little office in Cape Town, been there some time ago, and they do not want their limited support staff to be bothered with clients calling them all the time about how to change to another ISP account. That is wasting time in their eyes and time is money. So as long as you do not bother them with support calls on how to switch accounts, you are fine.

Do not let cybersmart scare you. For many members here they are the only choice they have as they are about the cheapest you can get in SA. AFAIK no one beats their price on the 3GB accounts for 384K lines and some of their One-Price accounts are also unchallenged. SAINET does a good job here as their prices are just about on-par with cybersmart while they do not have all these T&C that scares you.

But you have to go and compare these ISPs yourself to see what are the total fees for the required usage and line speed you want :)
 
Heyup Wolfy

Take a look at Axxess as well - they do allow multiple concurrent connections.

Also keep in mind that you must also be able to "lock" your adsl account to your DSLAM port to prevent misuse of said account.

Hope you find the right ISP :D

Cheers

Libs
 
@ ld13 - Thank you sooooooo much!!! I really like the sound of Axxess. Their semi-shaped service sounds perfect :) You're horrible :p I just get into the mindset of wanting to sign up with one company and the next moment it's all "oooo!" for another one haha :D You have any other surprises left for later? :p

@ Ook - 'ewwo :D If you're also suggesting Axxess then that settles that :D However, "DSLAM?" "Lock?" "Misuse?" You speak in large and highly complicated wording. Please elaborate? :)

As a sidenote, I see that OpenWeb also do the IS semi-unshaped thing for a little bit cheaper, in fact: http://www.openweb.co.za/fibre_adsl.php R299 for 5GB and R189 for 3GB. Have any of you had experience with OpenWeb?

Aaargh... This is driving me nuts! :p
 
Surprises left for later....kinda:
You might as well leave these Questions for next year. Telscum has the knack to take aaages to install a line. Then you still need to get them to install the ADSL line or you can do a Self install

Surprise!! :p

:(


Openweb...They have a good name on the forum that is in line with the reputation Axxess + WA has here - iow, good. I have no experience with them at all though so I do not know how 'user friendly' their control panel is etc etc. But if their prices is good, go for it.

DSLAM - White Telscum box that connects your ADSL line to the network
(Ab)Use - When I steal your account and use it on my line, nice free bandwidth! :) You counter it by being smart or:
Locking - your account to your DSLAM port/line. So then your account can only be used on your line. WA has an easy way to do this via their online console but most other ISPs support this already.
 
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*stares at ld13* I don't like you any more >.>

Yeah, I realised that. Not sure which decade they'll install the line, but around here the longest it takes them to "activate" the DSL is about 3 weeks. Ouch, my stomach turned when I said that. I'm hoping to have it all sorted by the end of this month at the latest.

I've been reading that thread you linked me to - http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=122721 - and www.nexus.co.za sounds pretty kewl too. They also provide the R299 for a 5GB IS semi-shaped account. Any thoughts on them? :)

To be honest, I never realised we had so many awesome ISPs. I'm really impressed :D Thanks again :D
 
Lycanthrope said:
*stares at ld13* I don't like you any more >.>

Yeah, I realised that. Not sure which decade they'll install the line, but around here the longest it takes them to "activate" the DSL is about 3 weeks. Ouch, my stomach turned when I said that. I'm hoping to have it all sorted by the end of this month at the latest.
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:p

The ADSL part is usually faster than the line install part. Thing is they have to come and install the normal hard line at your home as you said you do not have a line yet, so it will take time. Time as in months. Many many months. :( Then you get an ADSL line, from Telscum or a ISP - your choice - but go for a self install. I did it this way, saved +-R400 and was online 2 days after I ordered the line :D

Nexus - heard they had good prices. That is all I know about them. A forum search might reveal more :)
 
o.o'

Really? Months? I don't have the emotional endurance for "months." *twitch*

For what it's worth, I would hate myself if I went any other route than self install :) I remember when I got my ADSL for the first time in 2005. I told them I'll buy the router out-right and that I refuse to be on any contracts. A few weeks later when they activated my DSL they sent over a techie with my router - he just tested the line to see if it works and all that. Then later he tried to *gasp* touch my computer! I was like, "No, no, thank you very much. NO, IT'S FINE. GO!" trying to shoo him into leaving.

Eventually he left, I set it up, I was proud of myself and then after about a week the buzz of ADSL wore off and I couldn't believe I was forking out money for 3GBs of bandwidth... which back then was still around 6GB softcap. The 3GB account became one 3GB and two 2GB accounts after a few months... *sigh* ... Memories...

I hate Telkom.
 
you want torrents??p2p??? stay away from dsl..get an ISDN 128k account with infinitcall. You can squeeze about 24GB intl a month for R800. You will never get 24GB intl on any adsl no matter what ISP you get..even the devil. Think about. Every night and all weekend?? You could go uncapped off course and hope that IS news servers will give you what you want. In my experiance the local news servers are days behind compared to intl p2p
 
@BTech - I don't really P2P much. I tend to only download anime torrents, and occasionally old games like Planescape which I can't find any more. I mostly use(d) ADSL for online gaming... *points at his seemingly unloved EverQuest II box* I also tend to occasionally download (buy) games from Direct2Drive and Steam, although, rarely since I'm a sucker for a pretty box and a manual... and that new smell... *swoon*

Also... I have minor issues with only being able to use the internet "after 19:00" :p It gives me the creeps and horrible memories of dial-up. *shudder*
 
Lycanthrope said:
I've probably spent the last 30 minutes perusing their site. Apparently in 2007 they won the "MyADSL People’s Choice Award for best ADSL Service provider for the 2nd year in a row" - sounds pretty good to me.

Still looking at all the packages - I can't seem to make my mind up, but luckily I don't have to decide today.

Thank you, matrixweb :)
Click to expand...

I always find it amazing how many people on these lists punt webafrica. The only difference between most SAIX based ISPs in SA are things like support and the amount you get for your money. The actual access is more or less the same (providing the AAA servers are always running).

What cracks me up is with Telkom Internet, you always get more than what is advertised either by accident or design. All other ISPs WILL chop you at whatever usage data package you purchase.

Otherwise, why is there always a monthly thread with how much people have got from TI.
 
BTech said:
you want torrents??p2p??? stay away from dsl..get an ISDN 128k account with infinitcall. You can squeeze about 24GB intl a month for R800. You will never get 24GB intl on any adsl no matter what ISP you get..even the devil. Think about. Every night and all weekend?? You could go uncapped off course and hope that IS news servers will give you what you want. In my experiance the local news servers are days behind compared to intl p2p
Click to expand...

I just downloaded 27 gigs of international off my IS local only (R130):D I love you IS!!!!!
 
Lycanthrope said:
o.o'

Then later he tried to *gasp* touch my computer! I was like, "No, no, thank you very much. NO, IT'S FINE. GO!" trying to shoo him into leaving.

*sigh* ... Memories...

I hate Telkom.
Click to expand...

You are a funny man... :D I like it.

No-one ever asked you if you are going to do online gaming, so, are you?
Remember that some IS accounts go through their satelite link and that doesn't work so well with gaming.

I myself am a happy WA account holder. Sure, their unshaped is a bit high, but ever heard of the saying, "You get what you pay for."?

Then again, I have heard great things of axxess's semi-shaped account...

It's all so confusing.... ;)
 
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