Telkom are apparently installing my phoneline tomorrow...

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Fudzy

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Got word from a very surly sounding operator saying that they will be around tomorrow to install my phoneline. After which I plan to send iBurst a Dear John letter and get myself ADSL.

Problem is at the moment I've only got a maximum throughput of 512kbps due to my exchange so economically it makes sense for me to look at a sluggish 384kbps option (seeing as they extort you on 512kbps packages).

I'd like to know what would you consider to be the best ADSL ISP to go for? I'd like to find one that bundles the cost of the ADSL with the line rental if possible. Pricewise, I'd like to keep it under my iBurst subscription so it's set at < R500.
 
gdiza said:
Best ADSL ISP is definately, without a doubt...

*DRUM ROLL*

WebAfrica ;)
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Looks good, thanks. Now with it using the SAIX backbone there isn't 30gb local traffic right?

Ps. If anything else, WebAfrica should be commended on having one of the easiest websites to navigate.
 
I don't think you get 30GB local on the Webafrica 3GB packages like you do with Telkom, I might be wrong though.

Congrats on the line and getting ADSL ;)
 
teraside I think is right, I don't think you get it either.
There is no mention of it.
Maybe just ask them (Call or e-mail WA)

But everything else is AMAZING!
 
You only get local only with Telkom, but you get the awesome service with Webafrica. I guess it comes down to your choice, what you're going to be using it for, and if you're willing to toss aside your values if you go with Telkom :D
 
I'll probably be going for the 5GB offer for R450. They've done away with the ADSL cost ontop of the line rental now right?

Also, their router prices seem quite high, what would you recommend? I'd like Wifi access.
 
My Netgear DG834G still works like a charm, and it's pretty easy to set up. If I may make a recommendation - rather buy a whole bunch of prepaid GB's from them because anything that you don't use gets rolled over to the next month indefinitely. I bought 5GB prepaid in January, and I still have about 1GB left on it. I use local bandwidth to see to my downloads- international bandwidth is for international stuff.

It may even suit you better to use a local account + a SAIX prepaid account in combination by using Route Sentry. ant1body is the forumite who wrote the program, and it works very well. If you run into any problems using it, there's lots of us here who could help you out.
 
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Highflyer_GP said:
You only get local only with Telkom, but you get the awesome service with Webafrica. I guess it comes down to your choice, what you're going to be using it for, and if you're willing to toss aside your values if you go with Telkom :D
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I'm confused, I thought that you got 30gb local traffic through ISPs on the IS backbone as opposed to the bandwidth 'basket' you get on the SAIX backbone?
 
Fudzy said:
I'm confused, I thought that you got 30gb local traffic through ISPs on the IS backbone as opposed to the bandwidth 'basket' you get on the SAIX backbone?
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Ah ok, yes on IS you do get extra local after your cap with any ISP. With SAIX you only get local after cap via them.

The best advice I can give you to help you work out the configuartions that suit you would be:
-xGB prepaid bandwidth that rolls over any unused portion to the next month.
-Local only account (this would be your choice, IS is significantly cheaper but SAIX is more reliable).
-Route Sentry - routes local bandwidth through your local account and international bandwidth through your international account.
 
When I setup a int and local connection on my Mega100WR2, my Axxess prepaid account seems to have a better DNS server response than the WA one. As such I have taken to recharging Axxess more than the WA one.
 
The best 384K offer at the moment is the Telkom Do Level 2 offer at ~R258 per month. You should be able to get at least 4GB international bandwidth including 20GB of local. First try that and if you are not happy then look for alternatives. Telkom sells bandwidth to their own customers at rates below what they sell to the ISPs. If Neotel offers anything better it should be a simple matter just to switch.
 
Right, phoneline is installed. Next barrage of questions :D

1. The techie who came to install my line phoned a specialist number who informed him that I should get 1Mbps on my line. Is there any way to determine whether or not this is true without having the routher and ADSL subscription yet? I've been to that Telkom site that verifies whether or not my exchange is ADSL compliant and it is but it doesn't give me any indication of the speed.

2. WebAfrica seem like the best guys to go for, how is the Prepaid price determined? With the Complete deal it seperate the 384/512 & 1Mbps but there isn't the same for the prepaid matrix.
 
There is a public number you can phone to get the speed...I just can't remember it. Unless someone else here knows it, I'd just start phoning one of the Telkom number listed in the white pages and ask which number to call for that.

Yotch's suggestion is good...if you're willing to sign a nasty Telkom contract.

If not I'd suggest go for the smallest Web Africa deal that includes a modem. Ask them for the wireless modem upgrade (Additional R200 once-off). Then you have a basic 1Gb connection with a modem and everything. The rest you can the fill with prepaids....which roll-over and cost about the same:cool: Then you can always buy Neotel bandwidth later if its convienient.
 
If you have a router you should be able to obtain a set of linestats from one of the web pages which should give you an indication of the maximum linespeed possible. You will probably not be able to get this information from an ADSL modem though, usually only from a router.

You need to post your downstream and upstream attenuation values as well as the downstream and upstream noise margin. If you divide your downstream attenuation figure in decibels by 13.81 this should give you a rough indication of your distance from the exchange. The closer you are to the exchange the higher the maximum linespeed possible. The downstream noise margin figure also affects the maximum linespeed since this drops as the linespeed increases. Once it gets near to 6dB your line will no longer perform reliably i.e. you will suffer from frequent disconnections etc.

You could use this online tool to give you an indication of the maximum linespeed possible from your downstream attenuation value although the actual value might be lower due to below average noise margins etc.
http://fremnet.net/article/216/adsl-theoretical-speed-calculator

Take a second look at Telkom's Do Level 2 offering. You do not need to sign a contract unless you want the free router. If you are planning to use the Internet for more than e-mail and browsing the soft cap should work out substantially cheaper than most other offers. The cost of international bandwidth is usually <R30 per gigabyte and you get 20GB of additional local bandwidth. It's also more convenient to pay just one company for Internet access. I personally wouldn't sign a contract as I'm hoping that Neotel will offer us something better quite soon but I'm starting to have serious doubts ...
 
Okay, I've applied for the 5GB 384kpbs ADSL Complete offer from WebAfrica. I was then phoned and told that it will now take FOUR to SIX weeks for the ADSL to be activated on my line :eek: Is this usually the case? I would've thought it would be instantaneous.
 
The bundled 384Kbps (5GB international) WA offer costs around R450 per month. A similar offering (Do Level 2) from Telkom (4GB+ international including 20GB of local bandwidth) costs R258! Maybe you could even consider Do Level 3 (R554) if available in your area or put the R200 per month towards a backup wireless service (HSDPA, iBurst etc.) rather than your current choice.

If you decide at a later stage that you can no longer afford to pay ~R200 extra per month for essentially the same service (without any local access after your cap) it will then cost you ~R50 extra per month if you purhase the 2GB account from Telkom separately (R149) and drop the 5GB prepaid. If you again decide after a few months that you are tired of paying extra for the same service and you need to transfer your ADSL line to Telkom this will again take several weeks so it's hard to see any benefit in what you are doing. The only advantage would be if Neotel started to provide WA with bandwidth at prices below those of Telkom and you might be in for a very long wait!

You can always purchase topup bandwidth from WA or Axxess at any time if necessary and use it on your Telkom ADSL line. ADSL installation times from Telkom are usually faster than via WA etc.
 
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