WISP recommendations for Gordon's Bay / Strand

[BetaProject]

I have just cancelled my Telkom LTE Uncapped contract. Gave up when it took nearly 24 hours to download a 129MB file.

I am looking for recommendations to help me decide on which WISP to sign up with. I don't have access to fiber, although 3 providers have fiber running right past my house. ADSL is not even in the running.

Any input would be appreciated. Who do you use? Who would you avoid and why?

 

[portcullis]

Strand: Us.

Gordon's Bay. Gordon's Bay Security.

 

[carstensdj]

I have just cancelled my Telkom LTE Uncapped contract. Gave up when it took nearly 24 hours to download a 129MB file.

I am looking for recommendations to help me decide on which WISP to sign up with. I don't have access to fiber, although 3 providers have fiber running right past my house. ADSL is not even in the running.

Any input would be appreciated. Who do you use? Who would you avoid and why?

Out of interest, how did you get out of the contract? What is involved? My parents have Telkom LTE uncapped and are tied into a 2yr contract and despite the coverage map indicating that they are covered and the router getting 4/5 bars of LTE signal, the speeds are HORRIFIC! They can hardly stream anything, my step father can barely run his business from home and my younger brother gets kicked off gaming servers (local) because his ping shoots between 100ms - 3500ms consitently.

Then, to assist you - I'm using Amobia who is a WISP and have used them for around 3yrs. The service is great, the line is stable and speeds are consistent. I really have no complaints what so ever. I'm in the Muizenberg/Marina area so I'm pretty sure they have coverage across the bay but you'd need to double check with them. I'm on a 4Mbps Uncapped option and can stream DSTV in HD, Netflix, Prime etc with not a single buffer at all. Gaming pings are around 35-40ms, Download speeds are around 500Kb/s... It works well for me.

 

[EL'Diablo]

Out of interest, how did you get out of the contract? What is involved? My parents have Telkom LTE uncapped and are tied into a 2yr contract and despite the coverage map indicating that they are covered and the router getting 4/5 bars of LTE signal, the speeds are HORRIFIC! They can hardly stream anything, my step father can barely run his business from home and my younger brother gets kicked off gaming servers (local) because his ping shoots between 100ms - 3500ms consitently.

Then, to assist you - I'm using Amobia who is a WISP and have used them for around 3yrs. The service is great, the line is stable and speeds are consistent. I really have no complaints what so ever. I'm in the Muizenberg/Marina area so I'm pretty sure they have coverage across the bay but you'd need to double check with them. I'm on a 4Mbps Uncapped option and can stream DSTV in HD, Netflix, Prime etc with not a single buffer at all. Gaming pings are around 35-40ms, Download speeds are around 500Kb/s... It works well for me.

Pffffft, told you bring the sim and come test it by me but noooooooooooo, Mr Carstens WANTS to struggle!

 

[EL'Diablo]

Strand: Us.

Gordon's Bay. Gordon's Bay Security.

Gordons Bay security really has their fingers in alot of pies in that little dorpie

 

[carstensdj]

Pffffft, told you bring the sim and come test it by me but noooooooooooo, Mr Carstens WANTS to struggle!

Hahahahaha How you my bud? I have tested at my place (about 3mins drive away) and am getting similar results. It must be something with their tower in the area. I honestly don't know what more to change or test at this point. I think I've changed every setting on the router about 3 times now in about 150 different configurations

EDIT: Maybe I must just somma take you up on this?!? We see what it does in your router and what your sim does in their router and compare

 

[BetaProject]

Out of interest, how did you get out of the contract? What is involved? My parents have Telkom LTE uncapped and are tied into a 2yr contract and despite the coverage map indicating that they are covered and the router getting 4/5 bars of LTE signal, the speeds are HORRIFIC! They can hardly stream anything, my step father can barely run his business from home and my younger brother gets kicked off gaming servers (local) because his ping shoots between 100ms - 3500ms consitently.

Then, to assist you - I'm using Amobia who is a WISP and have used them for around 3yrs. The service is great, the line is stable and speeds are consistent. I really have no complaints what so ever. I'm in the Muizenberg/Marina area so I'm pretty sure they have coverage across the bay but you'd need to double check with them. I'm on a 4Mbps Uncapped option and can stream DSTV in HD, Netflix, Prime etc with not a single buffer at all. Gaming pings are around 35-40ms, Download speeds are around 500Kb/s... It works well for me.

I cancelled online (right, I'll give everyone a moment to stop laughing....done?), and right after I got the confirmation SMS (confirming that they are aware I lodged a cancellation request, not that they actually cancelled), I phoned them up and insisted that the request be escalated for immediate cancellation, since I was out of my contract period, and on month-to-month, that I would not be paying any further monies over to them, and if they attempted to deduct, I would sue.

I have to say, the poor girl I was speaking to, was very professional, and never lost her cool, despite dealing with some jerk on the other end of the line. Then again, maybe it happens so often that it doesn't faze her anymore.

I'll be phoning them every two days to follow up. Here's hoping miracles happen and I am one of the lucky ones who gets to cancel with a minimum of fuss.

 

[BetaProject]

Strand: Us.

Gordon's Bay. Gordon's Bay Security.

Cape Connect was the first WISP I contacted. I am meters outside coverage area, and I was told you couldn't provide service to me at my current address.

 

[Nemus]

I'm with Sonic Telecom, who are now part of Herotel and been happy with them for the last 6 years or so..
But... fibre cables are in, so soon we'll be jumping of the WISP wagon

 

[Dretastic06]

STAY AWAY FROM EASYWEB!!! THIS IS THE RESPONSE I GOT FOR **** INTERNET

"I Heard you are unfortunately having some trouble with you line signal at night time. Unfortunately we are aware of the issues, the issues is with our towers at the moment they are running at full capacity, apologies for the inconveniences this has caused you. We are at the moment Upgrading our towers to make sure that they will be better at accommodating our clients, but unfortunately this wonderful upgrade that is taking place, might take a bit of time, but we are working on it as fast as we can to get this done."

This has been happening the past few months, i pay for 15mbps currently average around 5-6mbps. I have a few months left on my contract and then im done with them.

 

[portcullis]

Cape Connect was the first WISP I contacted. I am meters outside coverage area, and I was told you couldn't provide service to me at my current address.

At a guess, your next door neighbour as a large house blocking line of site to our nearest POP?

Or trees blocking line of site?

We don't blast through trees. We also don't connect clients further than 1.5km from the POP - and that's pushing it. 1km is the max for 20Mb all day long.

People can't sit in Gustrouw and think they can connect to Strand tall buildings, Schapenberg, Helderberg or Mountainside and expect decent connections today. There is simply too much interference.

 

[portcullis]

But... fibre cables are in, so soon we'll be jumping of the WISP wagon

En dan begin die fun and games...

As soon as the fibre goes in, almost every second house will get a Ubiquiti Rocket with an omni or a Mikrotik Omnitik and the home owner will start a sideline of selling internet to his neighbours.

Proportionally, we have more 100Mb FTTH applications "in the process" for Gustrouw than we do for Helderview. I know exactly what many of those links will be used for.

We are having no end of k en drama in other areas with "clever" people who are doing just this, causing their next door neighbours' high end wifi routers in their homes to stop working. If your neighbour's got a Rocket AC transmitting at 28dB into a 12dB antenna, your UniFi AC, TPLink Cx or Tenda ACx becomes an expensive paperweight until you pay them a midnight visit with a PCP air rifle.

 

[BetaProject]

At a guess, your next door neighbour as a large house blocking line of site to our nearest POP?

Or trees blocking line of site?

We don't blast through trees. We also don't connect clients further than 1.5km from the POP - and that's pushing it. 1km is the max for 20Mb all day long.

People can't sit in Gustrouw and think they can connect to Strand tall buildings, Schapenberg, Helderberg or Mountainside and expect decent connections today. There is simply too much interference.

I will check for obstructions between myself and the POP, now that I know where the POP is. Unfortunately for my neighbors, I am the guy in the large double storey house.

 

[portcullis]

I will check for obstructions between myself and the POP, now that I know where the POP is. Unfortunately for my neighbors, I am the guy in the large double storey house.

One of our team lives in a straight line between your house and the POP.

He's on a 60GHz PTP back to the POP and gets about 300Mb to his desktop and 150Mb to his cellphone via a UniFi.

There's plenty of spare capacity at that POP.

 

[Nemus]

We don't blast through trees. We also don't connect clients further than 1.5km from the POP - and that's pushing it. 1km is the max for 20Mb all day long.

Probably not advisable, but i've been connected to the same highsite for nearly 6 years and it's 4.8kms away from me and it's been fine all along.. few issues due to the wind throwing us of our ideal LOS, but few stabilizer cables and sorted.

 

[Naaimasjien]

En dan begin die fun and games...

As soon as the fibre goes in, almost every second house will get a Ubiquiti Rocket with an omni or a Mikrotik Omnitik and the home owner will start a sideline of selling internet to his neighbours.

Proportionally, we have more 100Mb FTTH applications "in the process" for Gustrouw than we do for Helderview. I know exactly what many of those links will be used for.

We are having no end of k en drama in other areas with "clever" people who are doing just this, causing their next door neighbours' high end wifi routers in their homes to stop working. If your neighbour's got a Rocket AC transmitting at 28dB into a 12dB antenna, your UniFi AC, TPLink Cx or Tenda ACx becomes an expensive paperweight until you pay them a midnight visit with a PCP air rifle.

GB/Strand/Helderberg is already oversaturated with noise on 5GHz - can't wait to see the havoc it'll bring for WISPs in the area.