March 19, 2007
Telkom ADSL in 7 days
Yes, it’s possible – although it took me slightly longer – but I’ve gone from zero to ADSL in 2 weeks – and could’ve done it faster. It didn’t involve a technician call-out (and R450) either – . Here’s the quick version:
- Apply online.
Buy a router.Take your application details into your nearest Telkom shop – they’ll give you a modem for free! This is because you’ve chosen the self-installation option.- Buy an ADSL package from an ISP.
- Verify your line.
Here’s the longer version:
Technorati Tags: Telkom
- Check that your phone exchange is DSL-enabled.
- Apply online for a home DSL line by ticking the “DSL” box and filling in your details. If you want Telkom to be your ISP then select “Telkom Internet powered by DSL.” I chose to stick with lantic.net.
- Wait for Telkom to phone and confirm the order – took them 2 days to get hold of me.
- In the meantime, buy an ADSL modem and a phone line splitter. I bought a Billion 7300M wifi router; the splitter is available from an electronics shop for around R30.
- Plug in the modem and your phone on the same line using the splitter.
- Once Telkom have confirmed your order (it’s the 384 home line you want) they’ll give you an order number (NB!) and will then bounce you around to some other departments who will phone over the next week – ignore that – you can get your internet connection up almost immediately. Log into your router using its web interface (I’m assuming you know how to connect a network cable to your pc and the router and set your IP address to DHCP, see the gateway address and realise that’s your router’s IP and enter that into Firefox) and enter the following to connect:
username: guest@telkomadsl
password: guest - Verify your line by visiting www.telkom.co.za/verfiyadsl and putting in your phone number and order number. If you’re lucky you’ll see this:
Your request for an ADSL Service was successful.
Your ADSL Service will be activated at 384 kbps:
Applied for speed – 384 kbps
Current speed – 384 kbps
Order Number – 431617-43
Your profile will be activated in about 30 minutes. During this time your PPP connection will be broken.
Please try to access your service in 30 minutes.
And voila! I’m online! Now I can do stuff with Carl and Mike!
It took me longer than 7 days because I couldn’t decide which router to buy and because I initially updated the firmware with the wrong version and had to reset it with the right version (which isn’t available off the main Billion website but rather here – unzip the download).
Telkom are calling this their “self-installation” option. Anyone with a bit of tech knowledge can get it right.
Although I added my name to the Mail & Guardian ad in January which encouraged people to get angry about Telkom, I must congratulate our telecommunications provider for allowing this speedy option. I hope others use it too!
Comments(52)
Roger Saner is a web platform developer (using 
This was a well-written piece of important information.
Telkom should pay you some royalities and include your information instead of their own fairless useless information.
Thanks.
Mike
Now imagine Telkom explaining the same information (1) on one page, and (2) without charging a fee.
Thanks for this info….
I see you opted to stay with your ISP….. you might want to reconsider:
If you’re not using WebAfrica’s ADSL ISP then you ARE paying too much! R70/GB [that's 7c per MB!]:
NO “use-it-or-lose-it”
Prepaid ADSL bandwidth at R70.00 per GB – no monthly charge, no credit checks, no “use-it-or-lose-it”, no expiry i.e. carry over month-to-month. That’s 7c per MB!
Click here for more information: http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/01/if-youre-not-using-webafricas-adsl-isp.html
I have a colleague that took up the offer and his 1GB lasted for over 3 months – he decided to purchase another 1GB because he “felt sorry for WebAfrica not making enough money off him!”
Hallo, My fiancee from America bought me ‘n macbook and Im battling to get internet because it seems my adsl have no power when I plug it in the USB Port. I dont understand what else do I need, The ADSL works fine on my other nornal house computer but there is no power on the adsl box when I plug it in the macbook. Please explain to me what I must do to get my ADSL to work. I dont understand what you mean by saying i must get a rooter. What rooter do i need. Please im ‘n girl and dont know much about this stuff. I have a Telkom AllAccess 2GB. The modem is working fine but not getting any power on the macbook. Please can you tell me what i must do to get it started.
@Leezette: you’re not allowed to use an excuse for being a girl here! Not allowed!!
Here’s a note on terminology: “ADSL” refers to the physical line between your house and the local telephone exchange. “Router” or “modem” refers to the little box with lights on it that plugs into your phone line and into your computer. So when you’re talking about “the ADSL” my guess is that you’re talking about your modem.
Your problem is that the modem doesn’t have any power when you plug it into your Macbook. So let’s get it some power! If you have the original box the modem came with, there should be a power cord inside it which can be permanently plugged into your modem – and should be able to power it.
Once you have power on your modem you can then plug it into your Macbook – either with a network cable or a USB cable – this should let you access the internet.
Since you have a Telkom AllAccess subscription, you should be able to phone their support line and ask them to guide you through the process.
Good luck!
Thanx, and sorry for saying im a girl, won’t happen again. You now, i maybe stupid but my modem has a place for a telephone cord and that is the line im using, right, and then there is a USB cable link from the modem to my computer. When i shut down my computer the modem shuts down as wel, and thats why my cmputer is always on. With my macbook i do the same the modem just change from computers. I plug the usb cable in my macbook and, this is where the problem is, nothing happens, no light from the modem, so there is no power. The power is coming from the computer and it aint happening with the mac. Was at the Menlyn istores and they can not help me, or they wont help me, went to a computer shop and they want to sell me a router, now I really dont know what to do anymore. Im lost and i think maybe i need something else cause this macbook was bought in Texas en just maybe its not compatable with the modem here, I dont know, but i will let you know what happened anywhy
Oooooooh, I think I get it. Here’s the thing – a “modem” can either be an old-style analogue modem – which works over a normal phone line – or it can be an ADSL modem, which also works over a normal phone line, except Telkom has to upgrade the phone line to be an ADSL line.
I think you have an analogue modem, which unfortunately means you can’t use it on an ADSL line. Connecting to the internet using this is called “dial-up” – since you’re literally dialing a phone number through the modem (and it probably makes funny sounds when you are connecting).
Soooo…if you want your ADSL to work, you’ll need:
- a modem
- Telkom to enable ADSL on your phone line
The modem costs around R700 if you buy it yourself – but if you do a little bit of work (read the instructions I’ve given on this post above) then you can do what Telkom calls a “self-installation option” – meaning that you don’t have to pay a technician R500 to come out and do some technical stuff, you get a free modem, you get your internet up and working faster youself than waiting for Telkom, and you learn a whole lot about the internet. And show your fiance what a clever, independent woman you are!
Your Macbook is fine, by the way. It doesn’t matter where in the world you buy them – they might have slightly different power supplies but they’re all the same! So why don’t you join the world of broadband internet access and do a self-installation?
Roger,
I do have a phone line and a adsl line, also did the self-installation thing (good for a blonde like me)and ive been two months on internet whithout any problems 24/7 . Ive got two lines one is my telephone and the other one is an adsl line. It does not make a sound when I dail, if I connect, im on. I do have a adsl line and a telephone line. If i may ask you, do I need to run the adsl installation cd on my macbook, because i did try that and it does not read the cd at all. The guy at the istore told me that i do not need to run the adsl cd because (because I realy dont know). Anyhow, i will still try anything until its working. Thanx so much for the replay. Lee-zette
It looks like I must rather get a router. That’s the only thing that i can do to get this thing going. I will let you know. Thanx again
Ok, so you have a phone line and an adsl line, as well as an adsl modem and you’ve got that all working and up and running. Cool! Go blondes!
You can’t run the ADSL installation cd off your Macbook because it’s Windows only (bad!) but luckily you don’t need to do that, because all the cd does is connect your modem to the internet – although it also sets up your wireless connection. So, you have 2 possible solutions to get your Macbook connected to the internet:
1. See if there are any network ports at the back of your modem and plug a network cable (which costs about R20 from any computer shop and looks like this) into one of them, and then plug it into your Macbook. If you have the free modem that Telkom gave you that came with the self-installation option, great! This has 4 ethernet ports at the back that let you plug your Macbook into them – and usually Telkom supply at least 1 network cable with their modems, so you shouldn’t need to buy one.
Once you’ve done this you then need to configure your Mac to recognise the modem (although it should do it automatically – open a web browser and see if you can navigate to google.com) – click on the Apple at the top left of your screen, and then:
System Preferences -> Network -> Ethernet Adaptor -> Configure -> TCP/IP
…then make sure “Configure IPv4″ is set to “Using DHCP”. That should do it.
2. The other option is to connect wirelessly to your modem. To do this you’ll need to connect the modem back to your desktop, pop in the installation cd and run through the installation again. At some point it will ask you if you want to configure a wireless network, so follow those prompts. That should then let you set up a wireless network with a password which you should then be able to connect to on your Mac. To do that, open System Preferences again and click on “Network”. Make sure “Airport” (the Mac name for the thingy that does wireless networking) is enabled (if not, click the drop-down menu next to “Show” and choose “Network Port Configurations”, then make sure “AirPort” is enabled. Then click “Show” again and “Airport”.
Then click “Show Airport status in the menu bar” and a new icon should pop up somewhere on the top right menu bar on your screen. If you click on it you’ll see a list of available wireless networks in the area, and one of them should be the one you’ve just set up. Click it, and you’ll be asked for a password. Put in the password you chose earlier…and voila! You’re connected!
–x–
Good luck
There are so many good reasons to look around for the best DSL packages. It’s sad how we have to suffer in SA and I hope NeoTel kicks @ss!!
Hi – anyone please advise what is the best option to connect wirelessly from my mac pro desktop to a telkom DSL line. The machine has been fitted with a WiFi card but I still need to purchase modem – and here is the problem : do I go for the telkom modem/router or can I go the time capsule way (or any of the other 2 Apple modems) without too much fuss. Time capsule obviously doubles as a back-up system but for now I just want to set up in wireless mode from the machine to the modem so I am looking for the cheapest option (for now)- please advise comprehensively as I am very new to Apple
@peter: you will still need to buy a modem (if you already have your phone line set up for ADSL) or get one free by following the steps in this blog post. The modem comes with built-in wifi which you can then configure to allow your Mac Pro to connect to it.
“Time capsule” doubles as a backup device and a wifi base-station: but this won’t get you the internet – you’ll still have to get an ADSL modem.
Hi Roger
How do i set up airport on my mac book pro? I have the Telkom Closer ADSL modem with 4 ports and wireless. i’m using this on my desktop, but we’ve just bought a laptop and i want to use wireless on the laptop. I’ve been using the modem on my desktop for about 18 months, and i can’t remember how i set it up, and if there was a password i don’t remember it. I remember having to type in a number into the address bar of my browser. My desktop doesn’t have airport, it’s an old sunflower iMac. the mac book pro is new, so it has all the bells + …
On the modem, the the wireless light is on – I hope this doesn’t mean that someone else is using wireless on my account. please advise. i’ve read what you’ve written to Leezette –
“To do this you’ll need to connect the modem back to your desktop, pop in the installation cd and run through the installation again. At some point it will ask you if you want to configure a wireless network, so follow those prompts.”
but i’m not sure if that applies to my situation – do you mean re-set up on the desktop, to enable access from the laptop? I also can’t find the installation disks (i probably put them somewhere safe – but so safe i can’t find them!!)
please advise!
thank you
I have lost count how many modem’s I’ve had since connecting to the internet around ‘99.
Upgraded to ADSL and now in a bind. It seems my 2nd premium combo has suffered some brain damage, and drops connection every 2 3 minutes (terribly frustrating) Telkom tested the line, and finds no hassle there, so I assume I need a new modem. Does it have to be a Telkom one if they are not my ISP? (Mweb user)They do tend to send out people that seem pretty incompetent with support most times. The modems also just seem to pack up right after the 1 year guarantee.
Some advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
@natasha: you can log into your modem’s admin interface directly without needing the Telkom CD or any installation disks. To do this, plug into your modem with a cable (or connect via wireless). Open up your web browser and type into the address bar either 192.168.1.254 or 10.0.0.2 or 192.168.0.1
One of those should open up a “username/password” dialogue box: put in “admin” for both. That should log you in to the admin bit, now you can start poking around. Since the wireless light on your modem is on, your wireless is already working. My guess is you don’t know the password! So set up a new wiresless network and choose your own password for it (yes, you *do* want it secured by password!). Make sure you broadcast your SSID (that’s your network name) – although you may want to change that later to deter hackers (I don’t bother, to be honest). You may have to play around a while to get the correct settings.
One more thing: there are lots and lots of fiddly settings on your modem – ignore them all!
@Wilma: modems are independent of your ISP – use whatever you like. The nice one with Telkom ones is that they usually replace it if something screws up within the 1 year warranty. Also, if you’re getting a new ADSL line you can do a self-installation and get a free modem.
Yes, it’s really annoying to have your connection drop every 2-3 minutes! You can test if this is Telkom or your modem in a few ways:
- borrow a friend’s modem and see if that still happens. If it does, your line (or Telkom account) is screwy. If it doesn’t, your modem is screwy.
- Use a different username/password to connect to the internet. For R70 you can buy a gig of bandwidth from axxess.co.za and with that new username/password, you can see if it still consistently drops the connection…
There’s a great setup guide to Telkom’s new Billion modems here:
http://terry-internethelp.blogspot.com/2008/04/billion-800vgt-setup-guide-winxp.html
I phoned adsl support at Telkom. A plus is the callback function they have in place so that you do not have to sit with phone on ear for 20 minutes plus. Very helpful lady, fast and efficient. I has as one last resort uninstalled the modem and reinstalled then realising there was all sorts of **** I had to do to fill in the gaps.
So from a modem that was basically braindead, I now have bridged adsl, it seems I have to connect everytime I go online? Is that a good thing? Was my modem actually damaged in the first place? There is no one in the neighbourhood I can call on to exchange modems and check.
On the modem I have the power button ‘on’ the DSL link ‘on’ W/Lan ‘on’ and one LAN link ‘on’ These lights are not always stable and tend to flicker.
My apologies for sounding like a total internet dummy there.
Quesion is, will I need a new modem?
Regards
Wilma
hey people i am using a playstation 3 and i am struggle to get internet and guess what i dont have a computer, what should i do to get connect?
@chris: you’re going to need a modem, at the very least. If you’re playing online games with the playstation, you’ll also need an ADSL line from Telkom (or Neotel).
Hi
I’ve just installed an ADSL line with Telkom as the ISP. The modem seems to be working fine accept that while the modem is switched on, I can’t use my telephone. I contacted Telkom who have been very helpful but they have a huge backlog and can’t assist me now. Can anybody suggest what can be done.
Sounds like you haven’t used a micro filter – check in your ADSL modem’s box, else purchase one of those per phone/fax point and plug it/them in.
The hiss should then be gone.
Good luck
Hi
Thanks for the suggestion. I installed the filter/splitter that came with the modem into the incoming telephone line, the filter splitter has two ports (ADSL – PHONE.) I plugged the modem/router into the ADSL side and the telephone into the phone side. This filter splitter/filter does not indicate whether it’s a POTS filter. If I have to use my phone then I have to switch off the modem.
Hi, Can i configure Wireless switches on DSL cable modem. If yes what is the method to do so. I want configuration details. could you please give some info regading it..
thaks
@Ikram: what do you want the wireless switches to do? Both the hardware and the firmware need to support this. Wireless modems do some basic routing, but I haven’t seen anything with the configurability of a switch. Let me know if you find something!
Hi Roger, after just browsing your help comments I truly believe in your mac god status….hopefully a little flattery will go a long way.
We’ve just plugged in our Neotel ‘device’ which really just looks like a fancy phone. And we’ve gotten the pc laptops online easy peasy. However, when I try and connect the device (USB cable) to my old powerbook, it’s not that simple. I suspect my problem is very similar to Leezette’s in that the consistent problem is that the mac does not register the Neotel device…any suggestions? After an hour of pluging in and pulling out your help would be super to the max appreciated.
Yours, always in awe of anyone with any mac knowledge – Leo.
PS I do own an iPhone and iMac so forgive my mere powerbook query as opposed to a macbook pro question!
@leo: ah, flattery – it works!
So you have a new Neotel device thing? Do you know what it’s called? I’m waiting for Telkom to install a landline at my new place in Cape Town…*sigh* Do you have a link to what you bought so I can take a look at it?
So your powerbook doesn’t register the Neotel device? Hmmm…just to confirm, search for a program on your Mac called “System Profiler” and open it up. Then click on the “USB” entry on the left – it will show you all USB devices which are connected to your Mac. The Neotel device *should* register in that list at the very least, even if it doesn’t (yet?) play nicely.
I suspect, however, that Neotel will say something like this:
“A Mac? What’s a Mac? We don’t know if our device supports those thingies…”
What I suspect is that the Neotel device has some sort of embedded firmware which only works on Windows. If you plug it into your new iMac, does your Mac pick it up? If so, then it’s a powerbook issue. If not, then Neotel doens’t support Macs…
And whatever you find out, please come back here and let me know, so I can pass it on to the next person…
Good luck!
hi there
yesterday i spent many hours on the phone to telkom trying to get my mac set up to run wirelessly with our home ADSL, but no one knew what to advise as far as Apple is concerned. It detects the wireless network and can connect to it, but won’t load any internet pages in Safari or Firefox. I’m not entirely clued-up technically, but i think it might have something to do with settings on my mac? Does anyone have any advice? It would be much appreciated!
Are you connecting via an PPPoE link or via Ethernet. With my Apple Mac Pro set up : While I was with Telcom as my ISP I had to connect via Ethernet and could use the wireless set-up for the other macs in the house but now (with Afrihost as the ISP) I can only connect via PPPoE and the wireless network has become disfunctional. The solution for this set-up could be the airport express station but I have not explored it yet
@bernadene the good news is that you’ve got your wireless network set up and working and can connect to it – hooray! The problem is you can’t connect to the internet – that may be a wireless issue somewhere, or it could be that your modem hasn’t connected to the internet.
To check, plug a network cable into your Mac and into your modem, and see if you can browse web pages.
@peter my modem connects to the internet via PPPoE and then I connect to my modem via Airport or a network cable, and all works fine. I’m surprised Afrihost only supports PPPoE on the computer and not through a modem.
@Roger/Bernadene: From what I could gather – the Airport card (on the Mac) does not support PPPoE and “apparently” the solution is to use Airport Express with the normal connection from the modem to the wall and then from the WAN port on the modem to Airport Express to connect all the Macs wirelessly to the internet. I have recently installed Snow Leopard and the subsequent update more or less the same time as going from Telcom to Afrihost so I am not exactly sure where the problem is but suspect it has something to do with the airport card that is not compatible with PPPoE (as cited above)
@peter: I’m pretty sure the Airport card on Mac supports PPPoE (I’ve done it before, I think), but that’s not going to allow other computers to connect wirelessly to the internet – each one will have to start a PPPoE connection.
Instead of buying an Airport Express, you could plug your Mac into your modem with a network cable, then share your internet connection via your Mac’s airport card, and have all other computers in the room connect wireless to your Mac.
How do I connect a MacBook Pro using PPPoE over WiFi through a shared router?
To further elaborate: I just moved into a shared office with a few other consultants, who are all PC-laptop users.
What they have is a Telkom-supplied wireless router, confugured as a WiFi hub (but NOT as a shared IP router). To connect to the Internet, users click on a ‘Broadband’ icon on their desktop, which appears to activate a PPPoE tunnel to the router. Each user provides his/her own ADSL username & password and… voila!
The router therefore handles multiple discrete logical ADSL sessions, and each user is responsible for his/her own bandwidth.
Any ideas on how to get the Mac connected.
@Chanel – this whole thing is still a bit of a mystery to me and my best take is that the airport card does not support PPPoE connectivity. As soon as I switch “airport” on I have no internet connection and that leaves me with no option but to run a cable to the modem. Perhaps you may try the same. I know it is not an ideal situation as your colleages are all in “wi-fi” mode but it could get you going for now. I found numerous websites where airport compatibility issues with PPPoE are discussed. This leads me to believe that an ethernet connection is the way to go if you want to use wi-fi untill such time that Apple addresses the issues with the airport card.
Please note : I am no guru – just a user who has been struggling to overcome these issues. Any advice is welcome.
@peter – thanx for the info, it will save me an exercise in futility
. As an alternative to using a tangle of CAT-5, I might consider a media converter like this one – http://www.linksysbycisco.com/MEA/en/products/WET54G – hope it’s not too ’spensive!
[quote]hope it
@chanel – here is some advice from another source. Check the following file : /System -> Library -> PreferencePanes -> Network.prefPane -> Contents -> Resources -> SectionList.plist that should read something like this :
“AirPort” = ( “AirPortSection”, “TCPIPSection”, “PPPoESection”,
“AppletalkSection”, “ProxySection” );
If not, include the “PPPoESection” part making sure that you enter all the data on one line. Relaunch System preferences and let us know if it worked or not.
If you want to be safe that you don’t mess up the file, copy it to a safe location first.
@peter – Looks promising, thanx, but the file SectionList.plist doesn’t exist on my Mac (I even resorted to the Unix shell)
$ find /System -name SectionList.plist
…(nothing found)
$ cd
/System/Library/PreferencePanes/Network.prefPane/Contents/Resources
$ echo *.plist
Proxies.plist
$
Somewhere else, or called something else on MacOs 10.5.6 maybe?
@chanel – I found this on Apple’s website. Strangely they mention nothing about Snow Leopard.
“Follow these steps if you connect your computer directly to a DSL or cable modem. If you have an AirPort Base Station, follow these steps to set the computer up first, without the base station connected to the network, then see the AirPort section at the end of the document.
Products Affected
Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.3, Mac OS X 10.2, Mac OS X 10.1, Mac OS X 10.0, Mac OS X 10.5
Steps to connect
Get this information from your Internet service provider (ISP):
Username and password
Domain Name Server (DNS) address(es) if needed
Note: Your ISP may not require you to enter a DNS server address.
Make sure that the DSL or cable modem is on and connected to the Internet (based on its status lights) and that the Ethernet cable is connected to the computer. Some modems have separate status lights for each connection.
From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
From the View menu, choose Network.
Choose Built-in Ethernet from the Show pop-up menu (the “Configure” pop-up menu prior to Mac OS X 10.1).
Click the PPPoE tab.
Select the checkbox for “Connect using PPPoE.”
Type your username in the Account Name field.
Type your password in the Password field. If you want all users of this computer to use the same connection method, select the checkbox for “Save password.”
Tip: To have the computer automatically connect whenever you open a network application (Web browser, email, and so forth), click PPPoE Options and select the “Connect automatically when needed” checkbox.
Click the TCP/IP tab.
Choose either PPP or Manually from the Configure pop-up menu, as instructed by your Internet service provider. Choose Manually if your ISP gave you a static IP address. Enter the static IP address in the IP address field.
Type the Domain Name Server addresses in the matching field.
Click Apply Now.
Open a Web browser or other Internet (TCP/IP) application to verify your connection.
Tip: If you did not check the option to automatically connect noted in step 8, you will need to first open the Internet Connect application, choose the correct configuration, then click Connect. Choose Internet Connect Help from the Help menu for additional information.
Additional steps for AirPort
Open a Web browser to make sure the computer connects to the Internet.
After the computer successfully connects to the Internet, physically connect the base station to the network.
Unplug the DSL or cable modem’s power cord for a few seconds, then plug it back in.
Use the AirPort Setup Assistant (/Applications/Utilities/) to copy the computer’s settings to the base station.
If you selected the option for “Connect automatically when needed” (step 8 above), open Network preferences after using the AirPort Setup Assistant and deselect this setting for your computer’s Built-in Ethernet port.”
On Snow Leopard, open System Preferences, click on the “Network” icon, then click the “plus” button to add a new interface. Choose PPPoE and then “Airport” and there we go – new PPPoE connection using Airport
@peter – yep, that was the first document I tried to use. The PPPoE (Wired Ethernet) is no problem; it’s the last section that’s of no use. There’s no way that I can simply “copy the computer’s settings to the base station” …unless it’s an Apple Airport (Express/Extreme/whatever) base sation.
Even if I had an Airport base station, the net effect of the above procedure, I believe, is that the PPPoE will be initiated from the base station, and each user would no longer have his/her own discrete DSL connection.
Thanks for all the info, if not the solution; it is much appreciated.
The wired solution will have to suffice for now.
@roger – I’m just on ol’ Leopard, but the System Preferences -> Network seems to be the same. I’ll try it tomorrow.
@roger, peter, et al – Brilliant. That was easy. It works on Leopard!
I must say that I feel a bit stupid, not having noticed the little [+], [-], and [*] buttons at the bottom of the interface list.
I’ve got a bit more info regarding the Neotel and Mac issue. Tried using my Neotel ‘fancy’ phone device on my macs as well and none of them recognise it, neither Tiger or Leopard on a Mac mini or MacBook Pro.
When you speak to Neotel they’ll tell you that there are drivers on their website that you should download and install and your Mac will then recognise your device. Not true…still doesn’t. The drivers on their website are for an Axesstell USB modem, whereas the Neotel device is a Huawei USB modem.
This is the only help that Neotel will give you regarding this issue. If you phone their call center this is what they’ll tell you and if you mention that you’ve tried this route already without success the line will either mysteriously disconnect or they’ll get a technician to work on it and ‘call you back’…that also never happens.
I’ve been in touch with Huawei, who manufacture the phone and they say that there are no drivers for the phone on the Mac platform.
Currently I’m running Bootcamp on one of my machines just to have internet access, but definitely not an ideal setup for me.
A Neotel representative on mybroadband.co.za has now been in touch with me to say that he’ll help me get online. As soon as I have more info regarding using a Neotel phone on a Mac I’ll share it here with you. There are loads of Mac users on their network and they can’t ignore this issue for much longer.
Ok, enough ranting!
Other than that the connection is great and the speeds are ok to live by if you’re not a downloader. They just need to sort out their customer service. If you don’t have to phone them you’re a very very lucky customer! Be grateful!
@roger – you have been correct all the time !! There is nothing wrong with the airport card and it is compatible with PPPoE. Our 3 macs (MacPro, Imac and Mac notebook) are all 3 running happily without any wires to trip over and the home network is also up – what a delight !! At one stage I thought I would have to go back to using Telkom as my ISP which meant losing out on a great deal from Afrihost.
Thanks for your persistance that the airport card is compatible with PPPoE !!
@Drikus: keep us updated – goodness knows Mac users don’t want to be running Windows just to have an internet connection. Have you found Neotel’s pricing to be reasonable? You say that their speeds are “ok to live by if you’re not a downloader” – that doesn’t sound too promising!
@peter: glad you’ve got Airport + PPPeO working
@Roger: Definitely don’t want to be running Windows…believe me! Pricing is not too bad. I had to go with the NeoConnect Lite package as I don’t have reception in my area for the Prime (which is the faster one). On the Lite I get 19kB/s Max. Nothing more than that and that is weather and all the other influences dependant. And living where I live where even mobile reception is bad in some parts of my house it took a while to get a spot where the phone would have optimal reception. The slightest move and reception drops. I wouldn’t recommend it for the fainthearted! LOL
I’m on the Unlimited package and it’s costing me R469 a month. Call costs are cheaper than Telkom as well to landlines and mobiles, local and national. To have international calling activated you need to pay a deposit. I didn’t even ask what the deposit was as I use Skype for my international calls. A note on Skype: video suffers BIG time on the limited speed of the Lite package, voice calls can work without problems when you have good reception. Neotel can install an external antenna for you as well to boost your reception. I haven’t enquired about this, but what I see from forum entries is that they’ll only do this if you fall outside an area that they deem “poor indoor reception”, I fall in an area that’s marked as “good indoor reception” although I struggle to get a good signal in some parts of my house.
As with all companies they have their pros and cons. I wouldn’t totally dismiss them, however what they say in theory doesn’t come close to the real life experience…unfortunately.
Well, still waiting for the Neotel rep to get back to me as well as the call centre.
A little advise for anyone thinking of going the Neotel route…DON’T!
Take it from me, the frustration it causes and the amount of patience needed from your side is definitely not worth it.
Go with Telkom…compared to Neotel, Telkom is a shining light in the telecomunications industry in SA!
@Drikus – I have a neoconnect lite aswell, and i’m sruggling with the slow speed! but besides that, have you got neoconnect lite setup on snow leopard? as i cant for the life of me get the thing to work.. if you could please advise.. thanx.
@snugglez64 – I have it on Leopard. It was a big battle and in the end they wrote a driver for the neoconnect lite to work on leopard. Contact noise@neotel.co.za and ask them to assist you. They’re quite proactive if you nag them. Good luck!
@Drikus – thanx 4 the quick reply! and i will give that a go although i have not been successful with neotel customer service before…
Do you know if it the same drive they now have on download from their site? or would you be able to host it and share a link if you don’t mind?
@snugglez64 – mail me: drikus {at} drikusleroux.co.za and I’ll share the driver in dropbox for you. I’m not sure if it’s the same drivers that are on the Neotel website, but these ones worked for me. Worth a shot at least.