# General Business Category > Technology Forum > [Article] ADSL @R29/gig

## IanF

:Big Grin:  OK here it is I have just signed up for 10gig account on Afrihost for R290 per month. The beauty for me is I can sign on at home and the office on the same account as you are allowed 5 concurrent connections. This is a limited time offer so hurry if you want cheaper ADSL bandwidth as they say they will close this offer soon. 
Thanks to Norri who posted this on his facebook status, and good bye telkom.
This has been discussed extensively  on MY ADSL so look there for more background. :Bananadance:

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## Chrisjan B

I have signed up - remember they guarantee that they will keep your account on R 29-00 per gig for the account you signed up for if the special is over. I will still keep my main ISP active with a lower cap in case something happens.  Another thing is that you are not locked into a contract so you can cancel anytime.

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## Dave A

How is the international speed? Can you feel the effect of Seacom bandwidth?

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## Chrisjan B

My main provider is Axxess - so far I can say there is NO difference between Axxess and Afrihost - only price! I only have a 384 kbps connection though. Axxess also uses IS bandwith like Afrihost.

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## Chatmaster

Ian, did you manage to catch the terms and conditions when signing up? I was unable to find any TOS on their DSL to read before signing up.

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## Chrisjan B

Chatmaster - this is not Ian but hope this answers:
http://www.afrihost.com/adsl-faqs.php

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Chatmaster (28-Sep-09)

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## daveob

OK. Have also taken the R29 for 1 Gb option as a backup for when MWeb fail.

Will give feedback if anything to report.

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## Chatmaster

I am truly impressed! It seems like a real good deal. I just truly wonder what it will take to get Telkom and their criminal prices to see the light. Despite this great price from AH it is still crazy high prices on their side.

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## IanF

My subjective view is that international feels faster. For terms what I like is you can cancel anytime and they lock in the R29 rate for the package bandwidth topups may increase in price. Together with consolidating 2 accounts into 1 it seems that the downside is very little.

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## Dave A

A comprehensive speed test would be better, but a ping test would also be interesting. On Telkom ADSL when I ping an internationally hosted site (like TFSA) the average return time is normally in the range of 350-550ms. Local is normally under 100ms. 

If you're not familiar with how to ping TFSA, it's Start > Run > cmd > ping theforumsa.co.za

Most of the difference is the drag time on the JHB to Europe leg. This is more evident if you use the *tracert* command instead of *ping*.

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## daveob

C:\Documents and Settings\Dave>ping theforumsa.co.za

Pinging theforumsa.co.za [67.222.3.119] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 67.222.3.119: bytes=32 time=341ms TTL=46
Reply from 67.222.3.119: bytes=32 time=339ms TTL=46
Reply from 67.222.3.119: bytes=32 time=340ms TTL=46
Reply from 67.222.3.119: bytes=32 time=340ms TTL=46

Ping statistics for 67.222.3.119:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 339ms, Maximum = 341ms, Average = 340ms

C:\Documents and Settings\Dave>tracert theforumsa.co.za

Tracing route to theforumsa.co.za [67.222.3.119]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1    64 ms    99 ms    99 ms  192.168.1.254
  2    11 ms    12 ms    11 ms  196-210-128-129-esdw-esr-3.dynamic.isadsl.co.za [196.210.128.129]
  3    23 ms    22 ms    22 ms  cdsl1-rba-vl2253.ip.isnet.net [196.38.73.181]
  4    23 ms    23 ms    22 ms  196.38.73.114
  5    24 ms    23 ms    23 ms  cdsl1-rba-vl50.ip.isnet.net [196.38.73.109]
  6    23 ms    23 ms    24 ms  core1b-rba-gi1-0-5.ip.isnet.net [196.26.0.181]
  7   310 ms   310 ms   310 ms  mi-za-rba-p5-gi2-0-0-303.ip.isnet.net [168.209.164.150]
  8   302 ms   301 ms   302 ms  mi-us-25b-p1-po1-3-1.ip.isnet.net [168.209.163.61]
  9   310 ms   310 ms   309 ms  core1a-ny-gi1-0-0-303.ip.isnet.net [168.209.164.102]
 10   299 ms   300 ms   299 ms  168.209.245.2
 11   300 ms   300 ms   300 ms  cr2-nyiix-peer.nym009.internap.net [198.32.160.185]
 12   325 ms   324 ms   324 ms  cr2-cr1.nym009.internap.net [66.79.146.198]
 13     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 14     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 15   324 ms   323 ms   323 ms  cr1.wdc005.inappnet.cr1.phi004.internap.net [66.79.147.18]
 16   323 ms   323 ms   323 ms  cr2-cr1.wdc005.internap.net [66.79.146.202]
 17   322 ms   322 ms   322 ms  cr1.acs007.inappnet.cr2.wdc005.internap.net [66.79.147.197]
 18   321 ms   323 ms   321 ms  cr2-cr1.acs007.internap.net [66.79.147.2]
 19   340 ms   339 ms   339 ms  cr2.dal005.inappnet.cr2.acs007.internap.net [66.79.147.190]
 20   342 ms   342 ms   342 ms  cr1-cr2.dal005.internap.net [66.79.147.185]
 21   341 ms   340 ms   340 ms  cr1.dal005.inappnet-xx.core3.ext1.dal.pnap.net [66.79.145.98]
 22   341 ms   342 ms   341 ms  border4.pc2-bbnet2.ext1.dal.pnap.net [216.52.191.94]
 23   351 ms   351 ms   351 ms  colo4dallas-5.border4.ext1.dal.pnap.net [216.52.189.10]
 24   339 ms   339 ms   346 ms  206.123.64.38
 25   344 ms   344 ms   344 ms  vz43-tx.privatesystems.net [67.222.0.143]
 26   339 ms   341 ms   340 ms  host.my-business-machine.com [67.222.3.119]

Trace complete.

C:\Documents and Settings\Dave>ping theforumsa.co.za

Pinging theforumsa.co.za [67.222.3.119] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 67.222.3.119: bytes=32 time=340ms TTL=46
Reply from 67.222.3.119: bytes=32 time=339ms TTL=46
Reply from 67.222.3.119: bytes=32 time=339ms TTL=46
Reply from 67.222.3.119: bytes=32 time=339ms TTL=46

Ping statistics for 67.222.3.119:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 339ms, Maximum = 340ms, Average = 339ms

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## daveob

ps .. no noticable difference whatsoever to my normal MWeb ADSL connection.

Both connections feel like the same speed on all the sites I use on a daily basis.

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## Dave A

The question is which cable is being used by this leg.

6 23 ms 23 ms 24 ms core1b-rba-gi1-0-5.ip.isnet.net [196.26.0.181]
7 310 ms 310 ms 310 ms mi-za-rba-p5-gi2-0-0-303.ip.isnet.net [168.209.164.150]

It might not be the Seacom cable. Is Internet Solutions hooked into Seacom?

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## IanF

My tests are similar to DaveOB I don't know how to copy and paste results.
My hope is that this will force others to lower their rates as this seems to be a loss leader strategy being followed by Afrihost. Maybe the volume discounts would help them?

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## twinscythe12332

hmmm, I didn't see an unshaped option for them. but the pricing does look very good.

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## Marq

How is afrihost performing? Are you guys still using them? I see they are still doing 1G for R29 - I am being ripped R70/1G by webafrica and need to change now as they have really been messing around.

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## IanF

Marq,
Its working great for me I use one account for work and home. It looks like it is easy to top up but i have never needed that. Just make sure your DNS is set to auto if you sign up. :Wink:

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Marq (25-Dec-09)

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## murdock

do i understand this right...i pay 199 for 1 gig on a special from telkom now upgraded to 258 for 3 gig...and then get even more ripped when i use my 3G sim in my netbook...10 for 10 meg :Embarrassment:  eeeeish....so what you saying is can the telkom adsl line and change to this host? 

cant say telkom offers a better service...when you call the help line the que is normally around 15 minutes...but they do caqll you back if they are not busy that day if you leave a number.

why are so many people signing up with telkom do broadband bcause like me they dont know any better.

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## IanF

Murdock
You still have to pay telkom for the the ADSL line rental. It works for me as I run the business and home ADSL from the one account as you are allowed concurrent sessions (you can login with 2 different phone lines at the same time) This was slightly cheaper but a big  :Censored:  to telkom. I see rates are coming down so shop carefully and see what the total cost is. Telkom still have the monopoly on the adsl lines. 
I also see that the local hosting companies are bringing down their cost of data transfer so I will soon be bringing my website back to local hosting. The cost are coming down which is good news.  :Smile:

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## Dave A

> I also see that the local hosting companies are bringing down their cost of data transfer so I will soon be bringing my website back to local hosting. The cost are coming down which is good news.


Ian, if you see it getting within 20% of hosting internationally, let me know. I'm quite happy to pay a 20% premium for local.

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## daveob

Have been on the Afrihost service for a few months now, and still no different to what I got from MWeb - except a lot cheaper !!

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## IanF

> Ian, if you see it getting within 20% of hosting internationally, let me know. I'm quite happy to pay a 20% premium for local.


Dave
I use Hetzner now I will be able to get 4GB traffic for my website. Plans here. This should do me nicely as I currently use 1.5GB to 2GB. Still a long way off what you can get in the states. A lot of my traffic is transferring files and a local host would make this a lot faster.

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## Debbiedle

Is anyone trying to run afrihost AFTER their Telkom ADSL cap has been reached and on the the same modem?

We use 30 or 40 Gig per month and would like to keep the first Telkom account switching to Afrihost thereafter, but are battling with settings and stuff..??

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## SilverNodashi

Debbie, why do you want to keep the Telkom account? 

We use a Linux firewall, with a few different accounts and it automatically changes ADSL account on certain conditions, so you may want to look into that kind of setup? OR, get an ADSL router with dual PPPOE accounts.

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## Debbiedle

Hi SoftDux - I am not the guru here, but I think we would like to err on the side of caution...we know Telkom works and if one is down we can do another I suspect... I was afraid the dual router thingy would be the answer!!!  Crap. More expenses.

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## SilverNodashi

> Hi SoftDux - I am not the guru here, but I think we would like to err on the side of caution...we know Telkom works and if one is down we can do another I suspect... I was afraid the dual router thingy would be the answer!!!  Crap. More expenses.


Ok, if that was your reason, that's fine  :Smile:  I just thought you may save some money with only one account. Generall, all ADSL traffic goes through 2 major pipes, IS / SAIX (being Telkom) and the DataPro / MTN "group". And more than often, if telkom has ADSL issues, then IS would as well. They have ironed out most of the small teething problems at this stage and we generally sit with larger problems like broken cables or exchanges. 

Another option, if this could help: Setup the ADSL router in bridge mode, and then create the PPPoE accounts on your desktop, this way you could quickly swap between them if needed. - no extra costs involved  :Smile:

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## SilverNodashi

> Hi SoftDux - I am not the guru here, but I think we would like to err on the side of caution...we know Telkom works and if one is down we can do another I suspect... I was afraid the dual router thingy would be the answer!!!  Crap. More expenses.


Here's another option:  RouteSentry: Manage 2 ADSL account connections on 1 pc, 1 line, 1 modem (local/intnl)

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## Seagyn Davis

> My main provider is Axxess - so far I can say there is NO difference between Axxess and Afrihost - only price! I only have a 384 kbps connection though. Axxess also uses IS bandwith like Afrihost.


Axxess use SAIX, IS and Seacom.

Have you seen the new offers by Afrihost? R950 for 50GB plus until May the will double your bandwidth. Therefore you get 100GB. That's like R9.50 a GB!

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## Dave S

Hi Folks,

I have been "Touching base" with Afrihost since December and have just signed up for a 10GB @R290.00 package. It works great, same as my Axxess account (at half the price). Just a caution here, if you need more than one e-mail address it will cost you additional accounts as each ADSL account is only allowed 1 e-mail address and 5 aliases, or you will need to go for their domain hosting options, which are not as affordable as this offer, but if 1 address is enough for you, the price is really good and their service levels are way above average.

Obviously, the speed tests I have done using the account differ quite a bit, this is traffic related (SAIX and IS networks are very loaded by small users, whereas SEACOM is normally a business protocol and can handle way more streams). 

I believe a new cable is coming on line sometime soon that will be used more for the smaller, domestic market? Anyone know anything about this project?

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## twinscythe12332

Yes, there is one coming. I can't remember the name for it, but it was slowed down so that the SEACOm cables could reach us ASAP (for 2010)

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## Martinco

> How is afrihost performing? Are you guys still using them? I see they are still doing 1G for R29 - I am being ripped R70/1G by webafrica and need to change now as they have really been messing around.


"Ja well no fine"

I have 3 accounts with them. The reason being that I tried them first with a 1 gig package @ R39 valid for 1 year which can be topped up. The test turned out fine so I got another 3 gig package @29/gig for my business with automatic top up and another 2 gig package for home use.
Now.......in the 3 gig package they gave me a free  domain name registration and "parked" it. ( Value R 300 ) This is where my frustration started.

I decided to have the domain activated and in the process also asked them to register another domain as well for which I paid R 300 and R 35/m for doing a "domain pointing" to my server in the USA. Both domain pointings cost me R 70 /m.
My son who does the websites and hosting has been battling for 4 weeks now to access the domains and asked me to help by phoning Afrihost. I made some phone calls to their support (sometimes as bad as phoning a government department) and approx 15 emails to try to get the problem sorted.
I phoned them this morning and the result was: My original domain had been registered but the account had not been paid to COZA by Afrihost. ( They claim they only do payments every 3 months !) and they have pointed this to their own hosting site. 
The second domain for which I have paid the registration and also the domain pointing charge has not even been registered at COZA but for both these "services" I have been billed.  :Confused: 

So, my experience so far is mixed, ADSL access is ok but the domain handling side seems to be a bit beyond them.  :Mad:

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## SilverNodashi

> I decided to have the domain activated and in the process also asked them to register another domain as well for which I paid R 300 and R 35/m for doing a "domain pointing" to my server in the USA. Both domain pointings cost me R 70 /m.
> My son who does the websites and hosting has been battling for 4 weeks now to access the domains and asked me to help by phoning Afrihost. I made some phone calls to their support (sometimes as bad as phoning a government department) and approx 15 emails to try to get the problem sorted.
> I phoned them this morning and the result was: My original domain had been registered but the account had not been paid to COZA by Afrihost. ( They claim they only do payments every 3 months !) and they have pointed this to their own hosting site. 
> The second domain for which I have paid the registration and also the domain pointing charge has not even been registered at COZA but for both these "services" I have been billed. 
> 
> So, my experience so far is mixed, ADSL access is ok but the domain handling side seems to be a bit beyond them.


You can register your own domain directly with http://co.za for R50  :Smile: 

I would suggest you move that domain to your USA server as soon as possible. You basically need to update the domain, as per these instructions http://co.za/update/updateinfo.shtml to use the USA server's nameserver (get this from the host, it will be something like ns1.host.com & ns2.host.com). You can get the correct template from here: http://co.za/Update_gen.php. Copy that template, with the correct domain name, into a plain text email, update the nameserver info, and any other info, and them email it to the email address on the template.

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Martinco (11-May-10)

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## Martinco

> You can register your own domain directly with http://co.za for R50 
> 
> I would suggest you move that domain to your USA server as soon as possible. You basically need to update the domain, as per these instructions http://co.za/update/updateinfo.shtml to use the USA server's nameserver (get this from the host, it will be something like ns1.host.com & ns2.host.com). You can get the correct template from here: http://co.za/Update_gen.php. Copy that template, with the correct domain name, into a plain text email, update the nameserver info, and any other info, and them email it to the email address on the template.


Ok, as it stands it appears that Afrihost has not registered the one domain with COZA as a search comes up with nothing. The other one is there.
As I have paid Afrihost already do you suggest I let them register as per my DNS requirement and the other I simply send the changes to COZA ? ( I have the info )

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## SilverNodashi

> Ok, as it stands it appears that Afrihost has not registered the one domain with COZA as a search comes up with nothing. The other one is there.
> As I have paid Afrihost already do you suggest I let them register as per my DNS requirement and the other I simply send the changes to COZA ? ( I have the info )


You can see the registration & payment status of both domains here: http://co.za/whois.shtml just type in the domain name in the search box. 

Since you paid for the domain, it belongs to you and they can't force you to keep it with them. IF they refuse to give you your own domain, then a simple "a letter from my lawyer will follow this email" is normally enough to get the ball rolling. If they then still refuse it, then you can these steps: http://co.za/legal-FAQ.shtml - of which the easiest would be to ask Uniforum to update the domain with your details, on a company letterhead which you fax through to them.

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Dave A (16-May-10)

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