Neotel NeoFlex tested
Neotel is set to launch its NeoFlex broadband offering in November. The NeoFlex offering addresses many of the complaints from consumers about the company’s earlier NeoConnect product range, like the absence of Ethernet ports and a Wi-Fi enabled router.
Many users have also asked for a data-only broadband offering, and that is exactly what Neotel brings to the market with its NeoFlex service (NeoFlex image gallery here).
CDMA Router
The CDMA router which accompanies the NeoFlex service is an Axesstel MV400 series 3G Gateway. The device supports CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev A with maximum downlink speeds of 3.1 Mbps and uplink speeds in excess of 1 Mbps.
This device has 4 Ethernet ports, is an 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi router and has built in WEP and WPA wireless security. It is easy to set up and users, who are familiar with standard router set ups, should be connected within minutes.
Maybe the most appealing part of this router is the battery that comes standard with the device. The battery promises up to 2.5 hours of uptime in the event of a power outage, a valuable addition in the South African environment where power outages are common.
Performance
Neotel promises average download speeds of between 450 Kbps and 900 Kbps and typical upload speeds of 300 Kbps to 700 Kbps. Initial testing of the service indicates that Neotel’s guidelines are conservative.
Local web based speed tests gave an average downlink speed of 1500 Kbps and uplink speeds of approximately 800 Kbps.
International web based speed tests gave an average download speed of 950 Kbps while uplink speeds averaged around 350 Kbps.
Local latency ranged significantly from test to test – from as low as 65 ms to higher than 200 ms. When it came to international latency ping times ranged from 300 ms to 500 ms.
Downloading content using torrents worked well with speeds consistently over 1000 Kbps during business hours. Downloading large files using a multi-threaded download manager also gave speeds of between 800 Kbps and 1200 Kbps, independent of whether the files were from local or international servers.
Overall experience
The overall NeoFlex experience was good and exactly what one would expect of a wireless broadband offering.
Early testing indicates that the Neotel NeoFlex service is on par with any wireless offering in the market today, and although a bit slower than ADSL 4 Mbps it constantly outperformed DSL 384 and DSL 512.
With aggressive pricing it is likely that Neotel will see good uptake of its NeoFlex service. It is easy to set up and the fact that users don’t have to wait for the service to be installed will make it an attractive alternative to ADSL for users in the Neotel coverage area.
Neotel is expected to release prices for the new service before the end of November.
Neotel NeoFlex discussion || NeoFlex Router Image Gallery
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