ADSL Uncapped Frequently Asked Questions

The following questions relate to our Uncapped ADSL offering we launched on the 22nd of March 2010.

 
What's the difference between Capped and Uncapped? How do I know if Uncapped ADSL for me?

The 3 things you need to take into account when deciding whether to go for an Uncapped solution are:

1. Overall Usage vs Overall Cost
2. Capped vs Uncapped speed
3. Number of places you connect from

1. Overall Usage vs Overall Cost:

If you are currently on a Capped package you need to look at how many GBs you use on average every month (or plan to use) and the speed of your Telkom line. You can then decide whether the Uncapped solution makes sense for you.

• For a 384 kbps line if you move less than about 7 GBs a month it makes sense to stay on Capped.
• For a 512 kbps line if you move less than about 11 GBs a month it makes sense to stay on Capped.
• For a 4096 kbps line if you move less than about 17 GBs a month it makes sense to stay on Capped.

Please bear in mind that the above calculations use R29 per GB as a base average and do not take into account the R14,50 topup special we run - so if you take advantage of this then you need to take this into account for your costing.

2. Capped vs Uncapped Speed:

The performance of Capped accounts and Uncapped accounts differ in subtle ways no matter the company you choose to use.

As a general rule of thumb Capped ADSL will be faster than Uncapped ADSL.

Generally Uncapped ADSL runs off a higher 'contention ratio' than Capped ADSL.

This means that generally more users are allowed for a certain chunk of bandwidth in Uncapped than in Capped.

This means that the number of users downloading at any one time affects Uncapped more than Capped. At any given moment if a ton of users are busy simultaneously then Uncapped will be slightly slower than Capped.

A very simplistic metaphor for this would be:

Uncapped is like eating at a Pizza place on 'All You Can Eat' night. The speed you get your separate single slices of pizza delivered to you is dependent on how busy the restaurant is at that moment. This means it may take slightly longer to eat a whole pizza but you can eat more over time.

Capped is like eating at that same Pizza place but ordering the pizza size you want off the menu - you'll get your full pizza quicker and can eat it faster but you have a set amount to enjoy.

In essence Capped is a slightly premium service if speed is a massive issue to you while Uncapped is the way to go if solid speed is good enough and you don't want to worry about getting capped at
any time of the month.

You will find that the speed of Capped is generally faster than Uncapped - Thus if speed is of primary importance to you then Capped will be the best solution for you.

3. Number of places you need to connect from:

The Uncapped packages allows only one connection for each account while the Capped packages allow many simultaneous connections from different locations for each account.

A Capped package is limited by the amount of GBs allowed but not by the number of locations or telephone numbers that can make use of it.

An Uncapped package is locked to one telephone number and is limited by the number of locations you can connect from but not by the number of GBs you can use. Only one user is allowed to use an Uncapped package.

This means that if you are accessing your ADSL account from several different locations (e.g. from home AND work) then this will work for a Capped account but not for an
Uncapped one.

If you'd like Uncapped at both locations you'd need to buy a separate Uncapped package for each.

I am an existing Capped Afrihost ADSL subscriber. How can I change from my Capped ADSL Account to a new Uncapped one?

Simply log in to your Client Zone and click in the Upgrade button in the 'My Connectivity' section. Then choose your uncapped option and the upgrade will be done for you.

Are there any contracts for our Uncapped service?

No.

You can cancel before the 25th of any month in your Client Zone and your service will stop on the first of the next month. If you cancel after the 25th then you will be charged for the following month and your service will be cancelled on the 1st of the following month

How can I pay for the Uncapped service?

You can pay monthly via either debit order or credit card.

Unfortunately at this time we do not accept EFT transfers or Bank deposit payments.

Is this a truly uncapped service? Are there any catches? Can I really use as much as I want?

The uncapped service is designed for humans who want to use the internet as much as they want - for some downloading, streaming media, browsing, and more. It is not designed for computer programs that are setup to continuously download 24/7, 30 days a month.

The vast majority of our Uncapped clients will be able to use as much as they want.

However, we will take action on the very small minority who through their usage start affecting all of our other clients' internet experience.

It is our duty to make sure that a very few will not ruin our Uncapped solutions for everyone.

Our primary concern is for the majority of our clients. If there are individuals that are putting strain on the network and affecting our other clients negatively we reserve the right to stop offering them the service.

Our uncapped service is designed for humans who want to use the internet as much as they want.

The honest truth is that if it is your intention to setup programs and software to download movies, music & whatever else every single hour of the day, every day of the month then these uncapped packages are not for you.

We want to make this clear upfront so that nobody is disappointed or surprised later.

But rest assured:

You will never be capped no matter what you use the account for - However, we do reserve the right to shape and throttle your account if we deem it necessary.
 

I want to use this account to download heavily - How is my usage going to be throttled if I do download heavily?

We manage all of our uncapped accounts on an hour to hour basis depending on the performance of our network at that time.

We monitor our overall network usage on an hour to hour basis and if our capacity is stretched we dynamically shape and throttle certain clients' uncapped accounts to relieve congestion.

These uncapped clients will be chosen based on their historic bandwidth usage. The uncapped users who have used the most bandwidth will be throttled first if there is network congestion.

Capped ADSL accounts will not be throttled or shaped. Capped accounts will always get as much speed as their line and our network allows.

We evaluate our network capacity each hour and if capacity opens up we will unthrottle uncapped users who may have been throttled until such a time that the capacity is used up again.

It is our goal to ensure the best possible experience for both the biggest and smallest of our clients given the parameters we have and as such we reserve the right to manage Uncapped ADSL accounts as we deem necessary to ensure optimal performance across our network for all of our clients

Who will this affect?

Based on our usage patterns over the last few months we have calculated that this will affect 7% of our client base.

Uncapped users who have used the most bandwidth will start to be throttled first if there is network congestion.

Capped accounts will never be throttled and will always be unshaped and unthrottled.


If I am one of the biggest uncapped users, will I always be throttled?

This depends on the usage of our network during any given hour - We evaluate our capacity each hour and if capacity opens up we will unthrottle uncapped users who may have been throttled until such a time that the capacity is maxed out again.


What if I am one of the users affected and I'm not happy?

If you need to get full speed consistently no matter your usage then your best bet is to convert to a Capped ADSL package that best suits your needs. You can instantly change your package by logging into your Client Zone.

We understand that this may not be ideal for you and if you are unhappy with your service then you can cancel your account at any time of the month before the 26th and your account will be cancelled from the 1st of the next month.


Will this affect me if I am on a capped account?

No - Your capped account will always be unshaped and unthrottled. We will always give you as much speed as your line and our network allows.

The reality is that currently 7% of our clients have the potential to negatively affect the service of the other 93% of our clients.

We need to change our terms so that we can manage this as well and as fairly as possible - It is our goal to ensure the best possible experience for both the biggest and smallest of our clients given the parameters we have.

What should I do if I'm torn between Capped and Uncapped?

My suggestion would be to try our Uncapped and see if it is for you.

You can simply go into your Client Zone and change to Uncapped from there. There are no
contracts so if you find you prefer Capped for whatever reason then you can always return to
Client Zone and go back to Capped from the following month.
 

The following questions relate to what you need and how you can go about getting connected with Afrihost ADSL

Is my telephone line enabled for DSL service already?
Please contact Telkom customer services to confirm. If it is not then you need to ask Telkom to enable it for you.

What do I need to have ADSL?
You will need 3 things:
               1) An Afrihost ADSL Account
               2) A DSL enabled telephone line with Telkom; and
               3)An ADSL modem / router.

Can I install DSL on a prepaid telephone line?
ADSL service is only supported on an account with a monthly subscription from Telkom.

Is my telephone line enabled for DSL service already?
Please contact Telkom customer services to confirm. If it is not then you need to ask Telkom to enable it for you.

Do I need to have a separate telephone line to have Afrihost ADSL?
ADSL allows you to share an Afrihost high speed internet connection & your voice calls over the same physical telephone line.

Do I have DSL service in my area?
Please click here to verify whether your exchange offers DSL service.

Can Afrihost make my telephone line line DSL ready?
Unfortunately this can only be done by Telkom.

Will I get an email account with my ADSL subscription?
Afrihost will provide you with your very own email address @afrihost.co.za.

Where can I see my ADSL bandwidth usage?
Your bandwidth usage is available through your Afrihost Client Zone. The web address is https://clientzone.afrihost.com - simply fill in your username and password to access it.

How long does it take for my ADSL service to be active after I signup?
Afrihost will activate your ADSL account within 24 hours of your signup.

Is Afrihost ADSL shaped or unshaped?
Afrihost provides a world class semi-shaped ADSL service. This means that during business hours priority is given to the most important web protocols ( e.g. Internet browsing and email). Heavy usage may however result in further shaping or throttling on the connection.

Is my IP address always the same if I have an Afrihost ADSL account?
Your IP address will change everytime you make a connection to the ADSL server.

Does Afrihost offer 24/7 ADSL support?
Yes. Afrihost is committed to giving the best service ever. You can get a call back anytime of the day and night by SMS'ing a standard rate sms through to us.

Do I have to sign a contract to get Afrihost ADSL?
Afrihost offers a month to month service, no contracts - no strings attached.

What DSL line speed do I need, 384Kbps, 512Kbps or 4Mbps?
The speeds above refer to how fast you will download data from the internet. We recommend the 384Kbps for home users, the 512Kbps for small businesses with a few Internet users & the 4Mbps for larger businesses.

Are you ready to signup with us? Click here to choose your ADSL Plan >>