Your feedback Needed!

rpm

rpm

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Hi guys

I need your feedback regarding the Sentech service. As you might know we are busy with a comparative study and we would also like to get the user’s views on the following issues (the say they have ‘no shaping’, ‘no capping’). Your feedback here will be of great value.

1. How much do you download per month (on average)?
2. Have you experienced any traffic shaping etc.?
3. Is there any ‘hidden’ cap when you use too much bandwidth?
4. How much downtime do you experience?

Any feedback will be of great value.

Regards,

RPM
 
Hi rpm,

1. Depends, busy month - 15-20GB, average month - 5-8GB
2. Yes, international downloads speed at full speed for first 500KB then goes down to 8KB/s (256K package). Local speeds are close to 100% all the time.
3. Not that I've noticed
4. Maybe 1 hour per month
 
1. How much do you download per month (on average)?
Probably less than one gig, I have no way of telling.

2. Have you experienced any traffic shaping etc.?
Downloads burst for first minute at around 10 - 15kb, then trickles around 4 - 5kb

3. Is there any ‘hidden’ cap when you use too much bandwidth?
Don't know

4. How much downtime do you experience?
Over 12 hours the other night with the storm in Joburg, otherwise a couple of hours - due to storms/rain.
 
1. about 1-4 gigs
2. Yes, international downloads only run at full spead (10kBps-15kBps) for first 500k then they go down to 4Kbps
3. I dont think so
4. none

schweet
 
1. 2-4 Gig
2. Stopped using P2P apps altogether, ssh into work sucks. and the current 300k burst on intl d/l, after that 5k
3. Don't know
4. Very little downtime. No external antenna, but only 300m from the tower
 
Last edited:
1. How much do you download per month (on average)?

2-4 GIG this includes all trading and browsing traffic

2. Have you experienced any traffic shaping etc.?

International downloads at full speed or higher for first 400KB then down to 4.2KB/s (128 package) for the balance of the download, which is worse than a dial up package. Good for browsing.

Latency does not permit gaming or the use of online trading packages

3. Is there any ‘hidden’ cap when you use too much bandwidth?

If one can define the speed restriction imposed after the first 400KB downlaod, as a CAP, then the hidden CAP is in place at all times.

4. How much downtime do you experience?

Very little. In the month of December, the tower I normally use got hit by lightning and was down for 12 hours, but I could connect via another tower.
 
I'm a a relatively low bandwidth user. I manage a CGI (Computer Graphic Imagery) site in the USA. This means I have to upload and download a few files of average size 20M most days.

1. How much do you download per month (on average)?

I guess about 4G max, 2G average up & down.

2. Have you experienced any traffic shaping etc.?

Well if the throttleing after downloading 500kb is traffic shaping then YES. I believe this strategy by Sentech is not only sneaky, unethical, but downright criminal. After hitting the download limit, MW performs like a dialup (on 128)

3. Is there any ‘hidden’ cap when you use too much bandwidth?

Not run into that problem.

4. How much downtime do you experience?

I don't use it 24/7, only a few days per week if required, and then only a few hours per day. Maybe I'm just lucky but I've experienced very little downtime. (4Ways)



PS: Hehe, as I was writing this message I was uploading a 70M file. The Sentech connection just suddenly stopped transferring any data. Not a disconnection, just no data transfer. I logged off and and on a few times and after about 10 minutes it started working again. Of course the resume function of the FTP upload failed and I had to start uploading from scratch. The bottom line, Sentech really still sucks big time.
 
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My results...

1. How much do you download per month (on average)? - 4 to 6 GB
2. Have you experienced any traffic shaping etc.? - Lots, definately favours "normal" surfing, not file downloads...
3. Is there any ‘hidden’ cap when you use too much bandwidth? All files over 500kB get throttled to 25% of package (8 kBps on 256 package)
4. How much downtime do you experience? ± 10 hours /month
 
Hi guys

Thanks a bunch for the information so far. The purpose of our testing is to use information from users (what companies deliver) and not from what companies promise, so this feedback is very valuable. Please keep it coming.

Regards,

RPM
 
1. How much do you download per month (on average)?
5-6GB
2. Have you experienced any traffic shaping etc.?
Yes. Downloadnig anything internationally.
3. Is there any ‘hidden’ cap when you use too much bandwidth?
On MW128 their downloads seem to cap down to 4.7KB/s after about 150-200kb
4. How much downtime do you experience? +/- 1 hour a month.
 
Okay, used @ the office, 3x people.

1. How much do you download per month (on average)?
2 - 5 Gig
2. Have you experienced any traffic shaping etc.?
Stopped using any p2p apps a couple of months ago as throughput was horrendous
3. Is there any ‘hidden’ cap when you use too much bandwidth?
International - downloads over 500k drop to 8KBPS (64kbps), a quarter of what one should achieve - I am on the 256kbps package.
4. How much downtime do you experience?
Between 5 and 10 hours a month.
 
1. Less than 1GB - I find the service too irritating to do much more. Average speed on 256k package is 8kBps (after the 1st 500k).
2. Traffic shaping on all "non-standard" protocols, including nntp, reducing d/l speed to 4-8KBPS (256k package).
3. I wouldn't know if there was a "hidden cap" - never had the patience to d/l much more via Sentech. My contract says unlimited internet connectivity though, so if that's not the case then the contract's void.
4. Never much downtime - occasional difficulty in authenticating, though.

Biding my time until I know how stable iBurst will be. Don't complain much in these forums anymore as there seems no point.
 
256 Package
1. How much do you download per month (on average)? 10 - 15GB
2. Have you experienced any traffic shaping etc.? 1st 500K is decent, then 8K/sec on int. downloads (misleads speed tests pretty well)
3. Is there any ‘hidden’ cap when you use too much bandwidth? my 'cap' should be my connection speed. So the sentech website says.... but not sure if anything is implemented. Read about 10, 20 and 40GB soft caps being used.
4. How much downtime do you experience? 5min maybe once a month, that I've noticed.
 
128 Package

1 6~10 GB

2 4.6 k International after 500kb

3 never experience cap

4 Downtime ? only during heavy thunder storm and strong wind conditions.

I think Mywireless128 at R649 per month (for average user) is still the best "value for money" option on the market,if the user has adequate signal strength around 10 % or more.
 
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128 service

1. How much do you download per month (on average)?

About 9GB, I would guess.

2. Have you experienced any traffic shaping etc.?

Not really. When I download stuff, I just put it in the queues, and chack later. Don't really monitor speeds.

3. Is there any ‘hidden’ cap when you use too much bandwidth?

No.

4. How much downtime do you experience?

Very little - we only have partial coverage to start with, so we occasionally lose connectivity during serious storms. No much otherwise.
 
MW128 Package
All data as per DU meter

1. How much do you download per month (on average)?
Up & Down : 20Gb (mostly local sites)
local d/l and u/l : 15-17 kB/s

2. Have you experienced any traffic shaping etc.?
Internationally at about 4.5 kB/s

3. Is there any ‘hidden’ cap when you use too much bandwidth?
Internationally 4.5 kB/s after about 250kb

4. How much downtime do you experience? Online stats:
Aug 2004 : 27 days 22 hrs
Sep 2004 : 29 days 0 hrs
Oct 2004 : 30 days 10 hrs
Nov 2004 : 29 days 22 hrs
Dec 2004 : 30 days 13 hrs
Jan 2005 : 24 days 20 hrs (to date)
Some offline time is due to reboots due to software installs, upgrades, etc.
 
Last edited:
128k
1. How much do you download per month (on average)?
6-8Gb

2. Have you experienced any traffic shaping etc.?
As most other people have stated, about 15-16Kbps local downloads after the first about 200k, international downloads are throttled back to 4-6Kbps. What happens is that your international Web browsing also slows to a crawl which in turn hits your download speeds which can bounce all over the place, going as low as 1Kbps. Inexplicably sometimes you can get constant international downloads at 15-16Kbps.

3. Is there any ‘hidden’ cap when you use too much bandwidth?
Not that I know

4. How much downtime do you experience?
Not much. Generally during storms. On the whole it's pretty good these days.
 
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