Why do I "need" FIBRE?

[Barbarian Conan]

How much is the ADSL costing you?

You could get 10mb fibre for around R500 - R600 pm, uncapped. That would allow for HD netflix, HD youtube, no waiting for buffering etc.
Go a bit faster for about R100 more, and you sidestep the issue of trying to stop windows updates, because its hogging all the bandwidth and you want to watch Netflix. Or even a phone updating. I remember the days of trying to find out whats hogging my bandwidth on my 4mb line, and causing youtube to buffer, or play in 144p.
No more worrying about lightning hitting the phone lines.
No more competing for bandwidth. Your wife watching something on Netflix, and you want to check something out on Youtube? No worries, you can do both at the same time in HD.
No more running out of data, ever. You will see how your usage patterns change when you don't have to worry about running out of data.

 

[GoB]

Copper ADSL (2Mbit/s)


How has your data usage increased over time? Extrapolate this - you won't be OK for much longer.

 

[CT_Biker]

Copper ADSL (2Mbit/s)


How has your data usage increased over time? Extrapolate this - you won't be OK for much longer.

There were areas in Panorama(Cape Town) that could only use Dial up lines until they installed fiber in the area.

 

[Venomous]

Some information for small families
(read on if you are spending too much on your data):
My wife and I are the only two who constantly use our internet connection.
Sometimes a visitor (or two or more) may connect and use it for a limited time.
We have (I think) the most economical setup for our purposes.
Our usage is:
Netflix streaming (not HD) almost 8 hours a day.
Email and Youtube viewing mostly in the evenings and weekends.
Some other sporadic web browsing from time to time.
Our equipment and service setup is:
One desktop PC connected to a 27 inch TV, one laptop, two cell phones.
All four devices are permanently connected via WIFI.
Copper ADSL (2Mbit/s) with land line telephone service.
ISP is Telkom Internet with 20Gb "Softcap" and 100Gb "Do Movies".
With persistence and patience you CAN get Telkom to make it work properly.
There is fibre line to our house and we have been offered fibre services.
Why do I "need" fibre? No one has adequately answered this question.

What do you pay for all that?

Landline, adsl line, data combined?

 

[ToxicBunny]

You don't NEED fibre...

But it makes the whole Internet experience a more pleasant affair.. I have 3 TVs at home, and they can all stream in HD and I still have headroom on the connection to use the Interwebs properly....

 

[Beyond.Celsus]

I would like fibre just to increase my ping.
If you don't play online games

meh.

 

[genetic]

Upgrading to fibre was the best thing since the invention on the internet.

 

[My_King]

Dont want to seem rude but if you have to ask then it is probably not for you then.

I need Fibre for the upload speed.
I need fibre so I dont have to unplug when lightning is near.

I need fibre so I dont feel lag when someone needs to download a file.
Also, dont want to wait ages for a thing to download

 

[Nobody Important]

Netflix 8 hours per day ????
Maybe you need rather a garden or a pet ?

+1

Or spend more time looking into each other's eyes.

He's got the Netflix sorted, but forgot about the chill.

 

[Budza]

What do you pay for all that?

Landline, adsl line, data combined?

That was my starting point.

I'm on fibre now for R560.

 

[STORMERSFAN]

Dont want to seem rude but if you have to ask then it is probably not for you then.

I need Fibre for the upload speed.
I need fibre so I dont have to unplug when lightning is near.

I need fibre so I dont feel lag when someone needs to download a file.
Also, dont want to wait ages for a thing to download

Can your routet still get fried by the lighting or is that also exempt from lightning?

 

[Conack]

Copper ADSL (2Mbit/s)
....and 8hrs a day netflix?


If you're happy with that, well, great... don't get fibre. Save bucks.
I personally (and most others here) would not be able to live with that I think.

 

[supersunbird]

Can your router still get fried by the lighting or is that also exempt from lightning?

It can, if the lighting hits your house (or nearby enough) and fries all your other devices too.

In the past ADLS modems would get fried by lightning strikes coming in via affected copper telephone lines. A glass fibre line cannot conduct electricity,

 

[STORMERSFAN]

It can, if the lighting hits your house (or nearby enough) and fries all your other devices too.

In the past ADLS modems would get fried by lightning strikes coming in via affected copper telephone lines. A glass fibre line cannot conduct electricity,

So if I unplug my tv and home theatre and just leave the fibre and the modem on during a typical gauteng lighting and thunder escapade...what are the possibilites of my modem getting struck?I ask this because we do unplug everything but then there's not a lot to do apart from reading a book

 

[Wasabee!]

My husband streams 20g a day watching Youtube videos.

"Youtube"

 

[supersunbird]

If you have the modem on a beefy enough UPS (or alternate power source as in some other thread recently) you can be online for many hours after unplugging before the storm (also useful for loadshedding).

 

[Mike Hoxbig]

You don't need fibre, but it's a hell of a lot of more stable and reliable than DSL, LTE, etc. You're paying for speed and reliability essentially.

And no caps.

When you start using the internet and stop caring about how much data you use, it changes the way you consume content.

Everything at home is hooked up to my fibre line in one way or another. It's reached a point where it's a part of life now, and I've stopped thinking of it as "using the internet"...

 

[Barbarian Conan]

So if I unplug my tv and home theatre and just leave the fibre and the modem on during a typical gauteng lighting and thunder escapade...what are the possibilites of my modem getting struck?I ask this because we do unplug everything but then there's not a lot to do apart from reading a book

I've never (touch wood) lost anything due to a lightning surge from the mains. I have lost 2 routers due to lighting surge from the phone line.

 

[My_King]

Can your routet still get fried by the lighting or is that also exempt from lightning?

It all really depends. Never been an issue really.
Only when one is connected to telephone lines that I have experienced lightning issues.

When not plugged into telephone line not once been hit by lightning.

But I will give you more info on my setup since last year. Running 3 * 3000Kva UPSs so should further not affect me.

 

[My_King]

So if I unplug my tv and home theatre and just leave the fibre and the modem on during a typical gauteng lighting and thunder escapade...what are the possibilites of my modem getting struck?I ask this because we do unplug everything but then there's not a lot to do apart from reading a book

Fibre router, very unlikely. No copper lines ready to conduct lightning.

There is a slim chance of lightning hitting your home though.