Web Africa Support > ADSL FAQ

ADSL Frequently Asked Questions

	What is ADSL?
	ADSL, or Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line is a technology that allows for Telecommunications companies to provide high-speed internet access over existing copper-wire lines without having to make large investments in upgrading their last mile technology (the copper wire connection between your premesis and your telecom's provider's street cabinet).

How does ADSL work?

Unlike normal analogue dialup where you are limited to a theoretical 56K over your copper wire, ADSL uses higher frequencies than a normal telephone connection uses. These higher frequencies are separated into a range dedicated to incoming and a range dedicated to outgoing traffic. However, due to these higher frequencies (which provide faster access), the attenuation, or speed at which the signal degrades, is a lot higher. Which is why Telecoms providers indicate that there is a distance limitation to the service (generally within a 3-5km radius to the closest exchange).

What do I require for ADSL access?

There are a couple of prerequisites you have to meet prior to being able to obtain access to The Internet via ADSL. First, you will require a telephone line, which can be obtained from Telkom, if you have an existing telephone line from Telkom you don't need an additional line for ADSL, as you can still make and receive calls while your ADSL is connected. Once you have a telephone line that you wish to use for your ADSL connection, you have to get it upgraded for ADSL connectivity. To do this, you will have to contact Telkom and they will perform a test to determine whether your telephone exchange is actually capable of supporting the ADSL service. If they determine that you can obtain the ADSL service, it can take upwards of a month before they can upgrade your line. If you have successfully obtained the ADSL service, the next thing you must obtain is the actual ADSL hardware itself, in the form of either an ADSL modem or an ADSL router. These modems/routers can be obtained either directly from Telkom through a contract, or otherwise a far wider selection can be purchased from your local computer hardware supplier. Finally, once you have your ADSL line and modem/router, you can sign up for your ADSL internet service through us, providing you with both local and international access to the Internet, as well as Dialup and Telkom T-Zone access and up to 5 separate e-mail inboxes.

What is the difference between prepaid and fixed cap accounts?

Prepaid accounts are respectively "Pay as you go" accounts. You will be able to manage your bandwidth totally by yourself. All unused bandwidth will carry over from month to month if it is not used. Fixed Cap accounts come in 3 gig, 5 gig and 10 gig increments. All fixed cap accounts are hard capped once your bandwidth quota is reached, bandwidth does not carry over if it is not used , it will be lost and you will be re allocated new bandwidth the following month.

Do we get e-mail accounts with our ADSL?

Our ADSL accounts come with 5 e-mail addresses included, in the format (your name)@webafrica.org.za. To order these e-mail addresses you can go to your client service area, click on the "Services" icon, and then next to your ADSL account click on the "Manage" button, now click on "E-mail" to add the account. Our e-mail service comes with POP and SMTP access as well as web-based access in instances where you may not have access to your own computer.

	What access provider does Web Africa use?
	We are currently using Saix (South African Exchange) as our access provider for dialup and adsl accounts. We also offer Internet Solutions accounts.

	How are our caps calculated?
	The caps are calculated by totalling both the incoming and outgoing traffic for your connection on an houly basis. This total is then subtracted from your monthly usage credit (which you will be able to view from the ADSL management pages once they are completed). Should your usage credit become less than or equal to zero, you will will only be able to browse to the WebAfrica site.

	What is port shaping?
	Port shaping is more/less priority over different ports, No guarantees can be made on service levels concerning shaping. Business protocols will take priority. You will notice port shaping on the following, eg: P2P, Torrents, VPNs and Forex Trading

	How many simultaneous connections do I get with my adsl account?
	All Web Africa adsl users get 4 simultaneous connections to use on your account, meaning you can have 4 different connections to the same account at the same time

	Is it easy to upgrade or downgrade my adsl account?
	Yes it is very easy, if you give us a call at the beginning of the month, we will glady upgrade or downgrade your adsl account, you can also upgrade from prepaid accounts to normal fixed cap accounts and visa versa.

	What happens when I hit my cap?
	When you hit a cap you will only have access to the WebAfrica site where you can login to your client service area and order additional prepaid adsl. Remember to reconnect after adding the prepaid.

	Do I get dialup access with my adsl account?
	Yes, if you purchase a hard capped account with us , you will be able to dialup with the same username , the dialup pop number to us is : 086 000 7249 however you would not be able to dialup if you have purchase a prepaid account.

	How can I expect the service to perform in comparison to my Telkom shaped/unshaped account?
	The accounts we offer provide identical service levels to the shaped and unshaped offerings provided by Telkom and other ISP's, the only difference between the accounts we offer and the accounts offered by them are the increased cap sizes.

	Does Web Africa sell adsl routers?
	Yes, we sell 4 port Billion Routers, we offer free delivery with our routers within South Africa.

How can I view my current usage?

To view your current ADSL usage as well as how much usage credit you still have available to you, you can go to your client service area, click on the "Services" icon, and then next to your ADSL account click on the "Manage" button. Our ADSL usage statistics currently indicate your daily usage for the month, as well as your total incoming and outgoing usage and your available credit. Once your credit dips below 0MB you become capped.

	Is it possible for me to purchase more bandwidth on my cap?
	Yes, you would be able to purchase more bandwidth via your client service area, click on "Services" then on "Manage" next to your adsl account, then on "Purchase prepaid bandwidth". R75 for shaped accounts and R125 for unshaped accounts

	Can Web Africa order an adsl line through Telkom on my behalf?
	Unfortunatley we are unable to do that, you would need to order your adsl line through Telkom's new services (10219) for residential and (10217) for business