Speeds returned?

Guztro, its just like any other Dial up connection, you can configure the way it works for yourself, even winXP's DUN, gives options to fine tune the connection like that, you could even tell it to dial 64K, and only connet 2nd line once 80% of the bandwidtth is being used.
Browse arround the properties of your current connection, and see whats available, for your prob specifically, see the "Idle time before hangup" checkbox.
 
Guys,

I've had another thought, perhaps the problem is worse than we think.

As far as we can see it appears that the peering links to other ISP's and international is congested BUT has anybody sent themself a test file to their POP address at sentech and downloaded and did a speed test?
Downloading from the Sentech POP server should be full 128k /256k / 512K, if not - they are DEFINATLY throttling ports AT the towers!
 
Dorris and Cerberus

Thank you for the info...my line will be installed today...I'll look @ configuring the necessary settings and hopefully my internet experience will be a more stable one than MW.
I just cannot see how a company like Sentech can expect customers to pay for a service this pathetic. I realise that when this forum started I was one of the very negative people when it came to Sentech...and it's sad that they actually proofed me right. They have a very long way to go as a bussiness and we all know they should start with better customer service.

No matter how bad the service...if you keep your client informed, the problem is 50% solved.

Cheers
Guz
 
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by flyboy</i>
<br />Hi Rodent,

How are you able to do a tracert? If I do it gets to the 3rd hop then time out, I thought perhaps sentech blocks tracert ?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

I use a Linux machine with mtr (matt's traceroute). It uses proper UDP traceroutes. Windows's tracert implementation is a bit broken (only uses ICMP), but Sentech are also filtering the ICMP over the first 3 hops.


<center><h6> MyWireless <s>Hacks</s> Tweaks & Tech Info || Have you checked the fawking FAQ? <br /> <font color="red">Tired of bad Service? Want to compare speeds? We at least listen...</font id="red"></h6></center>
 
OK, I've finally done it, logged a complaint, the really friendly SentechSA support technician, told me that the problem appears to be the "network issue with speed we had over the past few days", tell me something I don't know. well he did that too, i mentioned the fact that certain people are on funny IP's, and he told me that sentech are regrouping pools of users to pipes, and the different packages will have different IP's, which could explain why you have the 196.34.x.x, and Pro has 196.35.x.x, thats interesting, they've got very high hopes, allocating 65000 addresses for 256K users.
He also said the problem was mean't to be resolved yesterday, but it should be done today
 
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">the problem was mean't to be resolved yesterday, but it should be done today<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">Correct me if I'm wrong, but wan't the problem meant to be solved A WEEK AGO????

<font color="blue">Telkom needs a leash, ICASA needs some guts, and the </font id="blue"><font color="red">SA consumer</font id="red"><font color="blue"> needs to make it happen</font id="blue">
 
yip. its the recurring sentech cycle. on a few days off a few days. Each time everyone falls for the same excuse (it will be solved whenever) meanwhile they arent doing anything. All thats happening is that the 'token' for bad speeds is being passed around. While people are blissfully buying their "will be fixed" excuse. The comedy centre people arent fixing the problem so how do they know when it will be fixed? I dont care if they can relay 4th hand information..I wanna hear it from the 2nd level or 3rd level guys.
 
xxx wrote:
&gt; Sunningdale, has been up and down like a yo-yo since yesterday I'm
&gt; now experiencing sub 1k speeds please open a fault and send
&gt; me a ticket
&gt; number.
&gt;
&gt; xxxx

Helldesk response

Good Day xxxx

Please can you contact us in connection with this so that
we can log this ticket for you.

Regards
yyyy
Sentech support

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;

Obviosusly mailing them is not regarded as contact
 
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by offbutton</i>
Obviosusly mailing them is not regarded as contact
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I think this business of making you phone them to log a ticket is nonsense, I think it's just a way to lower the number of tickets they have to log for speed complaints.

I sent a mail to [email protected] (after my support@ attempt vanished into the system, and then I read here it's defunct), stating basically that I'm having a speed problem, am getting between 20 and 40 kiloBITS/second since last night, and would like a ticket logged. The response:
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Please could you contact the call centre so that we can log a ticket for you in this regard we can be contacted on 0860 736 832
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I thought this was nonsense as I've never heard of an ISP that is unable to handle e-mail support. Seemed to me they're just trying to avoid opening a ticket. So I sent a reply saying, no, I see no reason why they cannot log a ticket based on the e-mail, and that everything they need to know is in the e-mail. Now, we all know they are having pretty widespread speed problems, that there is some problem, so the logical response would actually have been to start with a simple "we are having problems and are working on it, etc". But presumably they hoped that I'd be stupid enough to fall for thinking that the problem might be on my side. So they responded with, I kid you not:
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
Please provide me with the following info?

Area/Address
&gt;
Tower ID
&gt;
Username
&gt;
IMEI
&gt;
Signal Strength Percentage
&gt;
RSCP
&gt;
ISCP
&gt;
Interfacing Listing
(On Windows machine you get this by entering the following
command in a DOS prompt:
ipconfig /all)
&gt;

And please do a speed test for
www.sentech.co.za/speedtest/display_speed.php and provide
us with that information, if possible, a screen dump?

Which contract did you sign? 128/256/512?

Please include you Cel number?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I'm not sure how some of the above info can possibly be of help in resolving the problem. Especially when, as I know AND they must certainly know, the problem is with their network, and that my speeds had been mostly acceptable until yesterday. Now, obviously no non-computer-literate customer would ever be able to fulfil all of the above requests, so I honestly think that they were just hoping that I'd feel confused and go away, thus saving them from having to log another "speed issue" ticket (worried about lawsuits perhaps?). And to back up my theory, they had set the "reply address" of this message to the now defunct [email protected] (!) Can you imagine? So if I, as an ordinary "naive customer" had replied, my reply would have vanished into the system, and my guess is that they hoped that by the time I realised that, that the tech guys would have fixed the problems.

I was pretty angry about all of the above, so I sent them a long reply stating basically (to summarise heavily) that (a) we "both know" the current speed problems are system-wide and not with me, (b) I think that sending me these mostly useless requests that only a reasonably technically literate person could fulfil just seem like an attempt to make me "go away" and see this as not worth the effort to pursue, (c) all I want is for them to admit they're having a technical problem and are working on it and (d) that I want a ticket. Then I mentioned that I noticed and knew that they had used an invalid reply address in their support communications with me (amazing! I don't think that that could have been an 'honest mistake') and that I don't think much of that, and then I proceeded to waste more of my time by giving them ALL of the above requested information anyway.

Finally they replied with:
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
I have opened a service ticket for you regarding the speed issue, your service ticket number XXXX.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Seems like they have a whole layered procedure and strategy in place to (a) try make complaining users "go away" (b) try shirk responsibility and (c) do anything to avoid opening a ticket.

Honestly, I was very happy with MyWireless when it first appeared, but now my patience is wearing thin. They could have made this much easier for everyone involved by just replying the first time with "we have opened a ticket" or "we know there is a problem and are working on it".
 
I always tell then NOT to do the following:
* ask me to do a speed test
* tell me they are working on it
* mention contention ratio
* ask me to provide details (but I provide them the signal strength in case they think they can fix lack-of-bandwidth knowing the signal strength)
* not to tell me to call to open a ticket
* never reply without a solution

Needless to say they never reply to my emails (and I send them to any and all configurations of support and mywireless @ sentech*

I think in your post you mentioned the top few automatic responses. How hard is their job? Mike:"Bob we have another one.."
Bob:"Send him message 3. That should keep him busy"

All these stupid idiots do is send out automated responses including "We are working on the problem" Well.. they have been working on it for quite a while. It would be cheaper in man hours to fly out the woosh (for example) tech team and make them fix it. Of course its not the technology though, its the Telkom shafting situation and Sentech probably has a NDA with IS/Telkom to shut up about the bandwidth issues.
 
Go to Rodents : http://mywirelesssucks.co.za/modules/wfquotes/index.php?op=cat&c=1

Here we collect all the standard responses so that MyWireless Suckers can simply copy and paste?

Rodent, any chance of creating a "Quick Pick" for them like the lotto generator?

-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;

Let us then be what we are, and speak what we think, and in all things keep ourselves loyal to truth.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
 
On the speeds issue in CT. Latest result from MyAdsl speed test was 119Kbps, Rodents was 109kbps. Much better than before. So I gues the speeds returned to CT as well. Lets see for how long...

Must be as a result of those heroic poor overworked and underpaid Sentech call centre Orcs. Lets all pitch in and buy them a pizza for lunch. (They do actually read this forum so..... "Wait for it guys, the pizza is on its way, just like the bandwidth was a week ago.... dinkum, we're ordering it...right now")


Cape Town 128K 16% Tower 22(Salt River)
 
this was the result of the sentech speed test...

Speed Test
Your speed is: 98.11 KBps, or 784.89 Kbps
The test took 5.453 seconds to complete

That pizza is gonna taste good. look at my great speeds...


Cape Town 128K 16% Tower 22(Salt River)
 
05:13 14/06/2004
Your speed is: 30.27 KBps, or 242.19 Kbps
The test took 17.672 seconds to complete

14:08 18/06/2004
Your speed is: 3 KBps, or 24.01 Kbps
The test took 178.281 seconds to complete

11:15 19/06/2004
Your speed is: 18.59 KBps, or 148.71 Kbps
The test took 28.781 seconds to complete

14:42 21/06/2004
Your speed is: 13.68 KBps, or 109.48 Kbps
The test took 39.094 seconds to complete

10:22 22/06/2004
Your speed is: 6.18 KBps, or 49.44 Kbps
The test took 86.563 seconds to complete

Mine just seems to be getting worse :( I actually had a call from them yesterday. They were apparently calling everyone to monitor their speeds. As I said to the techie, I can understand slight fluctuations but these are just too big. There must still be something wrong.
 
Quite right JHBgirl ... problem is I don't they they know WHAT is wrong ...

I've got a theory or two ;-) ... Need to do some testing ....

R

************************************************************
The views expressed on this site are my own and NOT those of my employer.
 
I've done several speed tests with sentech for 512 test today, a couple:

Speed Test
Your speed is: 10.45 MBps, or 83.59 Mbps
The test took 0.05 seconds to complete

Your speed is: 4.75 MBps, or 38 Mbps
The test took 0.11 seconds to complete

Every other internaional speed test says I'm getting only 30k Is the above a way to make me feel good and think nothing is wrong?

__________________________
I now have two lights of signal Strength!
 
Ah yes, now a much more relistic figure:
Speed Test
Your speed is: 2.43 KBps, or 19.44 Kbps
The test took 220.2 seconds to complete[:p]

__________________________
I now have two lights of signal Strength!
 
Tower 12 (Mintek) sucks bigtime again 22 kbps - yeah baby, that's broadband for you!!!

-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;-&lt;

When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail.
Abraham Maslow
 
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