Wimax vs 3G vs Wireless - Help me choose

[Agrippa]

Hi Everyone,

I used to have Telkom wimax and just switched between different ISP prepaid deals. Then about a year ago I decided I want faster Internet and switched to Cell C's 5GB/R2999 deal. However, the deal has now come to an end.

There seems to be no other 3G deals worth taking out at this time. (I want to avoid those 24 month contracts and need at least 3GB!).

So I am contemplating going back to Wimax, but with a MWEB uncapped package. This will work out to about R440.

The other options are Cell C 2GB p/m (R1300) or MTN Uncapped-lite (R300 p/m for 24 months).

I am not really aware of any other wireless ISP in the Faerie Glen / Olympus (Pretoria East area)?

We have no 8ta and bad Iburst coverage in the area I stay. ADSL would be first prize but our complex's telephone conduits was built so badly that it is impossible to get lines through (Telkom have been out twice and the reason I got wimax).

Any suggestions?

Can I get MWEB uncapped on Wimax? How bearable is the MTN uncapped-lite after 2GB?

 

[EasyUp Web Hosting]

I would look at Amobia's 1mbps uncapped package, if you have coverage for that.

Do you play online games or is it just for browsing and stuff?

 

[Agrippa]

Gaming would be ideal - but I am not sure if there is much of a difference between 3G & wimax?

(I stopped playing BF3 with friends because the updates ate into my cap - so I am keen on the uncapped route if possible)

 

[EasyUp Web Hosting]

AMOBIA > Telkom ADSL > Telkom WiMax > 3G > iBurst - at least in my experiences and yes, I have used all of them for online gaming.

 

[Agrippa]

AMOBIA > Telkom ADSL > Telkom WiMax > 3G > iBurst - at least in my experiences and yes, I have used all of them for online gaming.

Is AMOBIA based in Pta? Do they cover Pta-East? On their map it looks like Pretoria-East is pretty sketchy. (mostly yellow).

 

[Brontosaurus]

Hi Agrippa

You won't be able to get Amobia in Faerie Glen/Olympus. They do not cover the Pretoria East area yet. I originally wanted ADSL but the ports on my exchange are full. So I had no choice but to either go for 3g (don't!) or wireless.

In the end I went with a company called Wipronet (www.wipronet.co.za) and they were fantastic! They came the same day I phoned them for a site test and installed the next day. And the best is they specialise in the Pretoria East area (I'm in Newlands, near Menlyn). You STILL need Line of Sight to the tower though.

I got it primarily for gaming. I get local pings of about 17ms and international (EU) pings of between 190 -210. Pings to the US about 240 - 300. There is however a little packet loss every now and then but it has had no negative effect as of yet.

The only downside is they do not offer uncapped options. I'm on the 3GB capped option and it costs R378 per month (328 for the service and R50 for the rental of the equipment). Installation, if you choose to "rent" the equipment, is R400. The best part is, it's none of this 24 month claptrap. Month to month subscriptions, paid in advance.

If this isn't ideal, go to the WAPA website (www.wapa.org.za) and put your site details thereon. You'll get some ridiculous offers (I had a satellite company want to charge R7499 jus tto install) but that's where I found out about Wipronet.

Hope this helps.

 

[Keeper]

AMOBIA > Telkom ADSL > Telkom WiMax > 3G > iBurst - at least in my experiences and yes, I have used all of them for online gaming.

whats this AMOBIA?

is it basically "you sign up to any isp eg: mweb uncapped, and then amobia provide last mile access via wireless" ?
how are the speeds?

 

[Jagtiger]

whats this AMOBIA?

is it basically "you sign up to any isp eg: mweb uncapped, and then amobia provide last mile access via wireless" ?
how are the speeds?

1.
http://www.amobia.com/consumer_services/fixedwireless.html

2.
No. They resell Telkom bandwidth for capped accounts and use MWeb for uncapped.

3.

Here is discussion thread: http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/417372-Huge-thank-you-Amobia!

 

[EasyUp Web Hosting]

In the end I went with a company called Wipronet (www.wipronet.co.za) and they were fantastic! They came the same day I phoned them for a site test and installed the next day. And the best is they specialise in the Pretoria East area (I'm in Newlands, near Menlyn). You STILL need Line of Sight to the tower though.

I got it primarily for gaming. I get local pings of about 17ms and international (EU) pings of between 190 -210. Pings to the US about 240 - 300. There is however a little packet loss every now and then but it has had no negative effect as of yet.

The only downside is they do not offer uncapped options. I'm on the 3GB capped option and it costs R378 per month (328 for the service and R50 for the rental of the equipment). Installation, if you choose to "rent" the equipment, is R400. The best part is, it's none of this 24 month claptrap. Month to month subscriptions, paid in advance.

They seem nice, but what are the prices on topup GBs?

 

[Brontosaurus]

They seem nice, but what are the prices on topup GBs?

Crap expensive unfortunately. If you go over your cap they charge you R200 per gig, which is dear.

Uncapped would have been ideal, but I took what I could get. One thing about Wipronet is their service was absolutely outstanding.

 

[Agrippa]

Crap expensive unfortunately. If you go over your cap they charge you R200 per gig, which is dear.

Uncapped would have been ideal, but I took what I could get. One thing about Wipronet is their service was absolutely outstanding.

Got a response from them as soon as I posted on WAPA. The very next morning. They are not cheap, but it is good to hear that the speed is good for gaming. Sounds like nice and helpful guys...

I really want uncapped! I stopped playing BF3 with friends because of the big patches that is contently required. I guess I could get an option for gaming and another for downloading (MTN 2G Lite). But, that is not going to be cheap...

Does anyone know if Wimax + Mweb Uncapped work?

CarsinemiA: What is so frustrating about Pta-East area is that many of the new complexes are built in such a way to make it very difficult to get ADSL. We have ADSL available - just too difficult for Telkom to get in through the conduits (flat-flat) from the exchange outside. They have been out twice to my place a few years back, but couldn't get the lines pulled through my neighbor's townhouse/flat (suspect concrete blocking it).

 

[Agrippa]

Damn, I don't think wimax is an option any longer - the call centre says they don't support wimax anymore for "new" customers - even if I still have all the equipment and cancelled about 1 year ago...

So I guess WISPA and/or 3G.

Is gaming possible on a MTN Uncapped Lite (after the cap)?

 

[Brontosaurus]

CarsinemiA: What is so frustrating about Pta-East area is that many of the new complexes are built in such a way to make it very difficult to get ADSL. We have ADSL available - just too difficult for Telkom to get in through the conduits (flat-flat) from the exchange outside. They have been out twice to my place a few years back, but couldn't get the lines pulled through my neighbor's townhouse/flat (suspect concrete blocking it).

Yeah I had the same issue in the first complex I moved into. They eventually ripped my whole driveway area apart to find the "kink" in the pole. Also, most of the exchanges in Pta-east are congested anyway.

My suggestion, get the 3GB option from Wipronet for gaming and surfing (R378), and sign up for the 8ta 10gig (R200) for downloading (just disconnect the WISPs connection when a big update comes along). That'll put you back at R578 per month in total. It is more expensive than ADSL but like you said, you're out of options.