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Testing the new CellC data packages

Last week I got a call, that said “You have 15 minutes to get to the CellC store in Gateway, we have a little gift for you”. So naturally I jumped in my car and raced up, to be greeted by a huge crowd of people outside the CellC store. Turns out CellC was launching their 4Gs 3.75G network (yes, I know…not getting into that now) in Durban. Even my mate Trevor was there :)

To my surprise in my hands all of a sudden was a box with with a Simcard & USB Modem. After chatting to the guys from CellC, they asked me to give it a run and see how it works in Durbs, and give them some feedback.

If you haven’t been following the launch of the new CellC data product, they are now offering high speed internet, at VERY affordable prices. The package I got given, was a 60GB for the year (5GB a month) and USB Modem (Huawei E1820), which allows for speeds up to 21.5 Mb/S, which retails for R2999 once off. There are no contracts or sign-ins, just the once off cost.

Last night I got round to doing some decent testing, and was a bit worried when I only got 4Mb/s after hearing reports of speeds up to 10Mb/S. Turns out, because I had the USB modem plugged into my USB hub, it was decreasing the speed. When I plugged it into my MacBook I managed to get a speed of 7.15 Mb/s and then later I got around 8.5 Mb/s

CellC using Cell C Modem (with USB hub)
CellC using Modem (without USB hub)

I also got a question on my site asking if the SIM can be used with a MiFi. So I popped the SIM in to my MiFi device and gave it a test, and was quite surprised to see speeds of around 7.15Mb/s – 7.50 Mb/s. This is perfect, as the MiFi can support up to 5 devices at any given time using WiFi.

CellC (HSUPA) using MiFi

In comparison below is the speed test from my 4MB ADSL using Afrihost.

ADSL (4MB line) Afrihost

The setup of the device was very simple on both Mac & Windows. Literally plug & play, and 1 click to connect. There are 2 small issues I have with the device though. The first is that the USB modem gets super hot, but after doing some googling, this seems to be a known issue with this model. Secondly, I have an issue fitting it int my USB slot on my Macbook. Because they Macbook only has to 2 USB slots, and they are very close together, the USB modem takes up more space than it should and makes plugging in a 2nd USB device a bit tough, hence the need to use a USB hub. I’m going to have to do a bit  of thinking about this one, but I’m pretty sure I can get around that.

Overall I am very impressed with the CellC offering. People have commented that as the network grows and more people share towers speeds will decrease, but that remains to be seen.I honestly don’t think it will make THAT much of a difference.

All in all, at under 5c/MB the CellC 4Gs 3.75G offering is well worth it, and I would highly recommend getting it as an alternative to an ADSL line, especially if you travel or work remotely.

115 replies on “Testing the new CellC data packages”

If the MiFi device works nicely, then you can get away with paying R999 / R1999 and then simply connecting to that …. no need for the speedstick anymore.

If the speeds are better than our ADSL at home, then may be worth replacing that wireless router and simply running off the MiFi device.

R999 / 24 months work out at a ridiculously low R41 per month for 2GB of data

Hello – those speed figures you quote are not helpful to the technically challenged, like me!

Are they fast enough to watch Youtube without constant interruptions, or very long download times?

How do those speeds compare to what one is getting in, say, the UK or USA?

Thanks

Michael

@Michael

Yea,, it’s pretty fast in general. It loads a full Youtube video without having to buffer.
Websites and videos also load a lot faster…

By Post Author

Thank you.

Two points:

1. My Telkom ADSL can’t do that. It can take more than half an hour to load from YouTube. Is that normal.

2. Although I have a wireless router that should be able to connect up to five devices I find that in the early evening my iPhone and iPod touch can’t connect. Why might this be? Someone once suggested that Telkom was not sending out sufficient IP addresses. Could this be the problem? What does it mean? Do others have this problem?

Hope you can help. It’s not strictly on topic.

Michael

If the Cell C modem is a Huawei E18XX would the Cell C sim work in a Huawei K3763 -z ? What is the difference in these modems other than the 7.2 vs 21.6 MB/s speeds?

HI where can I get the package for R999 if I have a modem. Because the guy at the cellc shop said i had to buy the modem. Plz send me a link for the advert. As i dont want to pay for an aditional modem.

Regards

Hi All

I got it. I love it. Its supersonic.
I worked for 2 Internet service Providers over the last 10 years & thus far this product kicks ass.

For those of you that have had time-outs trying to do apple software updates via 3G this problem is no more thanks to the speed.

FYI I am using the Black USB modem, like the one Marc is talking about.

I am based in Western Cape Pinelands… Oh and for those that are based along Mitchell’s Plain it is still slow.

Abdul

Please Lars can you sort out the slow speeds of Cell C in the Southern Suburbs and Far South of Cape Town, many still have EDGE currently 8 Nov 2010.

Oh yes, ps, Lars (the real CEO) please bring out data bundles on pre-paid like Vodacom – but at the same great price of Cell C, not everyone can afford to buy a years worth of data at once as Cell C now offers – even though it is amazingly cheap (sub 5c / MB)

@Lars, I wanted to buy 1 for my GF in Mitchells Plain Woodlands, so I took mine there to test speed there is really awful … please C my earlier comment

14 November 2010, Gordonsbay. Just signed a years 60 gb contract and can only connect via edge. :( not impressed.

@Wayne, can you specify where in Gordons Bay, please. Street Address (without no.) would help. Will send techies as soon as I know. You do have a 7 day return however, ie. if it ain’t working for you you can bring it back.

@ Lars … looks like you guys are experiencing some network issues tonight my guess is its your peering points… certain local & international sites have become unresponsive pls ask your techie guys to take a look

Hi Lars,

Rooi Els Crescent, Gordons Bay.
Re: returning the data stick – I’ve bined the packaging all ready and to be honest considering the pricing structure am reluctant to cancel the contract. So staying hopeful. Alternatively could you advise on the nearest hill that would afford me 3g connectivity :)

@Wayne, just checked our coverage map and spoke to my techies. We should have a site at the Marina, nit more than 700m away from you. They are checking what’s going on right now. Will revert.

@Lars, please send those techies to Welgelegen in Cape Town. I’m getting poor reception in Gen Chris Muller sngl.
Getting RSSI -93dBm Max. I think this is the reason why i’m being disconnected frequently and put onto EDGE most of the time. I have the 60Gb Huawei E1820.

Regards
ps. i emailed the tech people more than a week ago ([email protected])

I bought the USB Modem + 24GB package a week ago, and although it worked like a bomb when I tested it on my laptop at the Cell C store in Kenilworth (Cape Town), the download speeds were significantly slower when I used it at home. Is this because the signal is so much weaker in the Zeekoevlei area? I live in Flaming Cresent.

I bought the USB Modem + 24GB package a week ago, and although it worked like a bomb when I tested it on my laptop at the Cell C store in Kenilworth (Cape Town), the download speeds were significantly slower when I used it at home. Is this because the signal is so much weaker in the Zeekoevlei area? I live in Flamingo Cresent.

@Lars,

Unclear on the Marina site. Is this up and running or still in the process of going live ?

FYI – I had outstanding signal (blue light and everything!) on Tuesday to Wednsday this week, Thursday night and I’m stuck on Edge again.

is anyone actually checking if they are getting the 2GB worth of Data?

I got the white stick and it seems like the data is being chomped up very quickly.

on saturday i had 128MB left, went a little browsing and 30 mins later checked again, and i was down to 66MB. I did not download anything at all….

Can some please check if they are getting their full 2GB per month

HI
I just picked up the white stick on Thursday, been getting good speeds but on Saturday afternoon, just been edge reception, the same for this afternoon and i had limited time to get some online gaming and connecting at edge totally sucks online. Why does the reception revert to edge at times and is there a way to keep the 4G connection permanenly active?
I live in Auckland Park JHB directly opposite UJ University and close to the SABC

well, Ive got the cell c 60Gig package, but tonight 29 Nov (month-end) suddenly the speed is pathetic! must be everyone trying to burn their cap for the month… not sure, but really – this is now much slower than the 512kb telkom line. Hope this is not going to be the case every month end!!!! or can someone from Cell c explain what is going on??

Im staying in Marlborough Park, brackenfell…. close to the CapeGate shopping mall. Usually the speeds are good, but not nearly as advertised, but still much better than my previous telkom line.. avg speed about 2.5Mb/s download and 2Mb/s upload…. and I can watch Youtube movies etc without buffering. so more than sufficient. but tonight…. man o man!!! this is pathetic..!!! Hopefully a once off! 0.18Kb/s download… 0.22kb/s upload…

@naeem: I agree with you… data seems to be flowing… down and up… all the time. Luckily I have a 5gig cap so not too concerned about it, but you dont want to go over your cap… to top up is VERY expensive compared to what you are paying now… will have to get Netlimiter or some other software to audit the data usage. Good idea!

@Mo: it also depends which USB port you are using on your pc. some ports have better power usage… ive tested all the ports on my pc and the ports on the back are definitely the best. also, dont use any usb hub (as mentioned in the article). then, my connection drops as wel, but whenever I see edge I disconnect and connect again and then Im back on HSPA again…. ok, might not be possible for you while playing online games etc. but Im still doing more fiddling/research etc. :)

Thanks Jaco – Had the same experience last night, pathetic speeds and even when connected at 3G – poor pings and really low downloads – i just hope that this was Cell C experiencing a one time glitch and not a often error

@Mo: yes, speed were better later last night, and back to the usual avg this morning. Received avg 3mb/s this morning and 2Mb/s+ upload speeds. would love to try an external antenna as well. does anyone know the pricing for an external antenna? Ive email cell c technical support but not expecting an answer from them within a couple of days… (expectations not high due to responses published on various blogs… maybe they surprise me :) )

Hi.

The 1st time I saw the ads I was very excited but not anymore. My mate bought the 60GB once off cash.

1. The speed was not even close to 3MB in Randburg. It flluctuates between 3Kps and 5Kps and that’s the Cell C highspeed coverage area with HSPA+ showing on the bottom left of the software(HSPA+ is supposed to be the FASTEST Connection)

2. As well as speed being not up to scratch, the stability of the connection was even worse. Often fluctuating between 3.5 MBPS and dropping all the way down to 0.00Kbps.

3. When he called Cell C, the tech person said the sim card was “apparently not activated”. He then activated it and there wasn’t much difference.

4. Why advertise a 7.5Mbps and 21Mbps speeds if its not gonna do what you say it will. Cell C should say: Max speed is between this and that, depending on your coverage area. With the 5GB option a person should at least get half of that speed, if not 17Mbps.

Correct me if I’m wrong, it seems to me the faster your connection, the more bandwidth one uses.
What is the upload signal doing if you are downloading?

I,m no techie geek , but this little white magic Cell C stick, has changed my life on the internet, love it to death , and cheap……FROM R580-00 to R149-00 pm and so quick, ….Lars and Cell C THANK YOU SO MUCH……

last night the speeds were pathetic again…. and dropped back to EDGE… were better after 22:30 again… not sure what is going on! still waiting for feedback from cell c.

I also bought the white “speedstick”. It switches between EDGE, HSPA, HSDPA etc and the signal fluctuates between 0%-95% for no apparent reason. Got 2mb/s download for an hour on Sunday, ever since can’t get more than 200kb/s (thats max.). It is very unreliable, switches to 0kb/s every couple of seconds. Still waiting for a technician to call me back. I checked the map and I am in the “whhoooshh” area. Very disappointed, hope it gets better soon or it will go back for a refund

I was on holiday in Cape Town and bought the 5Gb stick there before it launched in Jhb. Before and after official Jhb launch I always get download speed of just under 7mbs in Linksfield. I went to Sun City recently and it wouldn’t connect at all. With Dec coming please get Sun City connected as soon as possible as I’m there very often.

Hi MF

May I rack your brains quickly? I am about to move houses and would like to set up a 3g wireless network using my Cell C 60Gb modem (as opposed to ADSL).

Current advice is to use the Netgear or similar router! Would it not be possible to use a Mac product such as Apple TV or Airport Extreme instead (I already have an Express)?

I am probably going to buy an Apple TV either way!!!

I live in Monumentpark close to Brooklyn in Pretoria.
According to the coverage map i should be getting good signals.
The problem is, sometimes I get very good speeds and sometimes no signal at all, so the speeds are up then down, etc.
Does anyone know why this is happening?
Its pretty annoying when one just want to normally surf the net.

Just got the 5 gig a month modem and only get Edge. Not what I was expecting. Really disapointing. I live in the Uitzicht Kraaifontein area. And thanks for reminding us of the 7 day return option Lars. How about actually giving us what you promised. Wooosh what a joke. Can I get the time back I spend in your store?
or having to return this peace of crap?

I cancelled my perfect Telkom 3G for the promised Wooosh(Bull) the signal keeps on changing from WC to HU to ED and so it keeps on changing resulting in poor speed I now have to wait for a web site to open or get msg “server timeout error” come on its like racing an F1 to crawling. Live in Partridge Ave, Allen Grove, Kempton Park.

Same for me – Cape Town CBD – black modem: it worked great when I bought it about 5 days ago… now I rarely get above 2.5mb/s – all day, every day the speed SUCKS and this is NOT what I outlayed R 3000 cash upfront for – not impressed!!

Hi Vin, Lars is on a well earned vacation and has asked that I follow up your query regarding data speed in the Cape CBD. If you send me your contact details i’ll have one of our Cape Town techies call you and assist.

well. I get 2.5Mb/s max close to CapeGate…. much faster than what I had, but I guess this is the best its gonna be…. Steve B – what about telling Lars about this? :)

This is just going from bad to VERY BAD… the whole day every few minutes the internet just dissapears and I haven’t had Skype online once since about 3pm……!!!! Time to switch back to VodaCom – they might not be fastest, but at least you get what they promise and its reliable!! Unlike this garbage,,,

@Vin – just remember that you do have a 7day return option…. but you will pay a handling fee. if you had a weak signal you could have boosted it with an external antenna…. or even with a piece of wire (4mm diameter) into the external antenna adapter…

Thanks Jaco.. tomorrow is my last day to return.. it is not a signal issue, I have full signal, it is the Cell C network which is not delivering what they promised – in my opinion, false advertising like this should be dealt with by the Advertising Standards Authority – it is not the technology they claim it to be and it doesn’t deliver the speeds they claim either – not even close to it!!
PS. sending you an email now, Steve B.

Good Day everyone.
Firstly, Merry Christmas, hope you have a wonderful day.

I have read the “Tech news” by Marc and also read a pdf about someone’s personal documentation of his experience with the black magic stick (the R2999 one).

Is there someone that maybe has similar date for the white magic stick (R1499 one) ? A link would be nice. Would the ping be any different than the black bigger brother?

Thank you.

I meant hat if you suff the sim into a HSPA capable cellphone? Would it work better? Gues not. Anyone up in here in the Belhar area. I need to know before i can purchase!!!

RE: “Testing the new CellC data packages”

I live in Ballito and am worried that we may not get very good coverage (I dont really trust the map provided either.) MTN 3G is sow sloooow and Vodacom is even worse :(

Is anyone in the Ballito Gardens area using the new Cell C speedsick and if so how’s the performance?

Hi Mandy,
I stay in Ballito and it works 100%. I’m on the other side though by the BP. I would suggest checking out the CellC map to see if Ballito Gardens has coverage. Should be fine though.

By Post Author

People are exited about this offer and i start to get worried about the data uploads on the cell c software.Are we also charged for data uploads as compared to downloads and if so it means if i download 3gigs of my data and the uploads are 1.7 gigs will mean I can only download 3.3 gigs from my 5gig data and wont be able to download the 7 movies they speak about.Are we charged for data upload?

Hi

I live near cape gate in uitzicht kraaifontein/durbanville area. So far I’ve rarely had speeds that range above 1.5 tmbsdownload and a even more pathetic 0.1 upload. I constantly drop connections too. Some days it is great to surf and stream movies, but mostly it is just frustrating. Don’t get this Cell C are a bunch of liars. I dropped connection 3 times as i am typing this and according to there little indicator I have a strong reception. I gave it go as for a couple of weeks I was fairly happy, but now it is is going from fair to pathetic. I want my 21 mps! Whooosh is the sound of the crap they pulled out of their asses when they marketed this.

Hi! has anybody tested the cellc 4g sim in an ipad 3g? so without the mifi device, just pop it straight into ipad? ive read ipad does not support 900umts, but id like to get some results from users.

well…. I was happy… but now the service is pathetic!!! and every end of the month things are just getting worse – probably when everyone wants to use up their data. this is turning into a disaster for cell c. things are not looking good anymore. I was fairly happy, but now Im definitely not anymore. ai. I thought that this time cell c might be doing something right…

@Jaco. 2 questions: a. where do you use your speedstick? Would like to check coverage there b. which software version do you have, ie. can you set the speedstick to UMTS only, as this will most likely help. Thanks, Lars

HI Lars. I use the speedstick in Brackenfell area only, close to Cape Gate. Marlborough Park. Reception used to be fine for most of the time but now I am receiving disconnects more than before. Every end of the month is almost impossible to work, sometimes during the day and closer to the end of the month at night as well. This does not sound like a speedstick error only? (I think). will check the settings again. Thanks for the feedback. Really appreciate it. any assistance is most welcome! I cant get through on customer service and replies to emails take forever – if you get one. Thanks!

I hav had the 2Gb deal since October 2010. It started off fine, but now, since December, it has been the worst connection I have ever experienced! I am lucky if I get 200kb out of it, and the line drops about 10-20 times a day!!

I live in southern suburbs, muizenburg Cape Town, and I know that this area is covered very well!! so it’s not a signal problem. I had a Vodaphone 3G modem, and put the cellC simcard into, that seems to stay connected for a bit longer at times, but the speed is redonkulisly slow!! I have tried using different ports on my laptop but that makes no difference! I received a reply from cellC tech, they told me it was because win has a setting in its USB ports, that will switch off the USB on its own, I changed that setting, but still get the same problems!

This is not a problem on our (customers) side, this is purely that cellC has sold so many of them, that there infrastructure cannot handle the load, and that there modems are inferior!! And they want me to pay R400 to send the modem in to look at! Wat am I ment to run my business with in the meantime!?

When are we as South Africans going to stand up to these big businesses, that just send you around in circles when you try and get something corrected!? This is totally unacceptable, and false advertising on cellC’s part if they cannot deliver what was promised!

Hi Lars. I live in Flamingo Vlea Tableview Cape town and am experiencing the same problem with the line dropping all the time. I bought thr 60gig package in october 2010 and was impressed but am very frustrated now. Need help please.
What software can we use to test our connection?

Guys – I logged a complaint on hellopeter.com and received several calls since then from the Cell c support guys. seems like this is the way to get noticed. I couldn’t get any response from Cell c before logging an issue on HelloPeter. anyway – the tech guy told me that my sim card was not “provisioned for data”. so he made a change on their side. One can work without that setting and I did, but apparently sometime after buying the sim and data card that settings must be made on their system. Ive also updated the firmware on the speed stick, ensure that I am running the latest version of the cell c application and changed the settings to only use UMTS (preferred), force the connection to manual (Cell c – registered) and now Im monitoring it…. so far so good… but it is a bit early to tell…. I just wish that it will be better now… last night was a “connection-nightmare” again…. Will c – for myself… :D

well… they called me after I logged a complaint on HelloPeter.com but I suppose that any technical support guy would be able to check it for you. normal cell c support numbers should work… or maybe you can get another number from one of their stores. Just have your phone number nearby, or the Rica serial number on the outside of the speedstick packaging when you phone. They will need it to assist you! Im still monitoring my connection… so far so good….

Thanks,

I have just downloaded the latest driver from cellC website, mine is for Win7 64. And I just recieved my first 2.5mb conection! I nearly fell off my chair! If this is the problem, that we are not told to make sure we have the correct, new driver for our own OS, then as usual it’s still bad service!

So far it’s staying connected. I’m holding my breath tho!

Bought the 60g prepaid but am only getting edge in woodmead with a download speed of 22/24kbs – how do i get the advertised speed out of this black stick. It only shows a constant green light.

Well, It’s been 24hrs since I changed to the new driver, and I have been disconnected 3times. Still disconnecting by itself, but atleast it’s staying connected for longer! And Im getting better speeds out of it.

So maybe that is something others should take a look at. Make sure you have the correct and latest driver for your OS.

Bought the 2 gig speedstick deal, based on CellC’s coverage map showing HSPA coverage of Kenilworth Cape Town. But now on installation can ONLY connect on EDGE in Kenilworth, Connaught Road, Cape Town. wake up the techies please.

Ok, looks like the problems are back again! Still keeps dropping the line, and speeds are all over the place!

I heard that cellC was working on there system over the weekend, and noticed a major problem with connecting on sunday and monday morning! I have spoken to some people and they are not having any problems with there connection. So this has to be my modem. Im still completely baffled?

I submitted a complaint through hellopeter.com and and Cell C responded saying that a techie would contact me. One week later nothing. I ran speed tests this morning @5.45am and had great results 8.26 Mb/s down and 2.42 Mb/s up.I live in Tableview Cape Town and ran the tests on the Cell C Johannesburg site. I found yesterday that I had no dropped lines in the morning but by lunch time started to disconnect and by 8 in the evening I wasn’t able to connect at all. All i got were error 619 and error 628 messages.Our local Cell C Technician suggested last week that it may be the modem but I question why there is no problem in the early morning? I havent seen any more posts from Jaco just wondering if the “provisiong for data” may be the answer. If you read this please let us know if your connection is still working.
Thanks
Peter

@Peter: well, im basically experiencing the same as you… just monitored the line a bit before replying again… initially after the techie phoned me and the provision for data setting was set things went well for a day, maybe two. then disconnects were back and the “every now and then” drop in line speed. currently Im very frustrated with the setup and Im actually a very patient guy… :) used to be. :) anyway – seems like everyday one must just hope for the best which is unacceptable. when it works it works well, but the disconnects and drops in line speed is just too much! over the weekend ( I think Cell c worked on their network) things were very bad. My current troubleshooting is as follows: In the cell c application – go to Settings/Options/Network – make sure that on the right “WCDMA preferred” is set and below this “GM900/GSM1800/W900/wcdma2100”. click then on the other tab “Registration mode”. Click manual search and register radio button, Then click on “refresh” at the bottom – wait a while, and select “cell c” again. and apply. for some or other reason the cell c network selection dont stay selected. these steps helped me a couple of times – especially when the modem flashes “green” for edge – I dont work on Edge! :) Never. too slow. so then I try various things to get back on a faster speed again. hope this helps someone. but yes, bottom line – 619 and 628 errors every day…. connection still drops and line speed not consistent…. so yes. I must probably log another call with Hello Peter to get assistance again….. aiai!

My 60g stick is now working properly sorted the connection speed out myself, it must be plugged into a machine that is running on max performance and a high speed usb socket or it will only run on edge. Set mine to max performance and it now connects top speed no dropped connection or interruptions even though the techie said i was not in a coverage area ?

@ Clint: Cell C has fixed the Muizenberg coverage, 10/02/2011, please check service speed level?

Hi Jaco thanks so much for your reply the only thing I havent done is to re-register the connection. Will do that right away. The other thing I did was to switch of the power saving feature in device manager USB root hub properties dialogue box. Didn’t help that much. I will also check out Carols suggestion-Thanks hope it solves our problems.
regards
Peter

@Clarence, thanks. I was not getting good service this morning 11th, dropped the line about 30 times and slow. Now this afternoon, has not dropped the line, and getting about 2mbs. We will see what happends later tonight, that’s always when things start to get pear!!

@Clarens – any problems in the brackenfell area? I think there are! :) @Peter – its a pleasure to help where we can… helping each other – for ourselves…. :)

I’m experiencing really slow speeds in Wetton this past week now, all edge , bad for online gaming

In pierre van ryneveld. The signal is good, but the stick keeps disconnecting, or even when connected, drops 90% of packets – this is what happens for weeks on end. Then it maybe works perfectly for 2 days, giving consistent super fast connection, then stops working for weeks on end again.

The funny thing is that when I put a vodacom sim into the CELL-C modem I get a perfect connection.

@ Nabeel, Wetton’s on our (Cell C Tech) radar this week for getting 3G live, will give update? Clarence.

Hi there,

I’m hoping that you could assist me?

Saturday (12 Feb) purchased 60GB unit, connection fine on HSPA, getting up to 5.5Mb/sec down.

Since yesterday nothing but Edge. I can force into 3G by selecting network bands, but then the RSSI drops to -101db, I get loads of error 670’s, low throughput, etc.

I’m in 5 Westoe Road, Observatory, CPT.

Thanks, W

Hi All,
Still haven’t heard from a Cell C technician, however since my last post on Frid 11th I have made the following changes and have for the 1st time in months had four days of un-interrupted surfing. I am using a Desktop PC running Windows 7 Home premium:-
1. To switch to High Performance as suggested by Carol open Control Panel – click on Power Options – select High Performance
This should switch off the Power Saving settings for the USB Root Hubs which possibly cause dropped lines if the power is being turned off to the port your modem is plugged into. I would suggest doing a re-boot at this point.

2. I have 8 USB ports (in two groups of 4) on the back of my PC and I moved the Cell C modem to the top of the upper group which I feel has also helped.
Have a look at these options and let us know if helps. I will only be happy if my internet connection is still working after two months.
Thanks to all and I will continue to visit this forum to see if this has helped.
Hi Jaco let me know what you think.
Regards
Peter

@Peter – thanks for the update! I made the same setting (Friday as well – thanks to Carol!) on my usb power management on my desktop and my connection is very stable as well. Charlotte did let me know that they made some changes in the Brackenfell area as well… but, as youve mentioned Peter…. Im still waiting a while before I get too happy! :) so yes, looking much better at this stage. after this we will be able to write the Cell c speedstick user guide. :)

@Peter – yes, about the usb ports – my speedstick definitely works better in the usb ports at the back of the machine, but that probably due to power settings as well. also got my speedstick on a little bit of an extension to let it “hang” a bit….

Hi Jaco thanks for the quick response i’m glad to hear that we seem to have sorted out the problem for now. It’s a pity that Cell C werent able to solve the problem and help us but on the other hand it’s been a great learning experience.
Have great day,
Peter

HI Peter – yes, it seems like (at last) we are moving forward! :) Have a great day too! so far so good…

Well dont hold your breath guys! It seems CellC is back to it’s old tricks! I have been disconnected over 10times already this morning! can’t even finish typing this properly! The setting in the USB power setup does nothing!

Hi Clint sorry to hear you havent solved the connection problem. What operating system are you running (Win 7-XP)?
I need to mention that in my morning post I left out one step:- (Win 7)

open – Control Panel
Click on the heading – Hardware and Sound
Click the heading – Power Options. This opens the Select a Power Plan dialogue box giving you 3 options.Select High Performance. This plan will switch off all power saving settings on the computer including Hard drives-USB settings etc. Again I would suggest a re-boot to allow the plan to change the setting when Windows starts up.
Last week I went into Devices and changed the power settings in the USB root Hub properties dialogue box. which did not appear to help. When I rebooted the PC the settings were ticked again because I hadn’t changed the power plan.
Anyway just hope this may help you because this is my sixth day without any dropped conections.
Good Luck,
Peter

Hi Peter,

Thanks for that. Ya, I am using Win7 on a laptop. I have been in to change those power settings, and even made the added change to the USB power settings to “disabled”. When I check in the win admin tools under usb power, the box is not ticket for win to turn it off, so it should stay on.

But yesterday and this morning, I am still having major issues staying connected, and when it drops, I struggle to dial in!

This cannot be only a modem win setting. I had it working brilliantly a few days ago, and suddenly its back with problems. So this has to be coming from CellC’s network. And must be something they are doing or not doing on their side.

After browsing the web for this problem, I have seen too many complaints about their new modem system, to not be a service problem.

It’s really just so sad, that we as consumers/clients have to work out the service providers errors ourselves, this after paying upfront for a service that they advertised was so good!

I will wait and still keep hoping that they get there act together, in the meantime, I’ve lost allot of money in business from this terrible setup!!

Clint tell me are you in the Cape Town area if so if you would like to plug your modem into my PC and see what it does, It may tell us something. I dont have a laptop so I cant experiment.
Peter

Hi All, I can’t believe the service of Cell C, I sent e-mails, phone calls but no response. 5 gigs of data for what? I should have stayed with vodacom atleast I would have gotton a response already. This month with edge every night, no ways. Clarence you spoke about upgrading Wetton are, do you know when that will actually happen. I’m reaching pings of 400-500ms a time, My data will just go to waste for the next 10 months remaining.

I cancelled my perfect Telkom 3G for the promised Wooosh(Bull) the signal keeps on changing from WC to HU to ED and so it keeps on changing resulting in poor speed I now have to wait for a web site to open or get msg “server timeout error” come on its like racing an F1 to crawling. Live in Partridge Ave, Allen Grove, Kempton Park.
.

Ok, looks like the connection is back again! This is def a CellC issue. Becuase it’s working fine today, has not dropped the line once! not that fast, only 850kbs.

So if anyone is thinking that your modem is the problem, I don’t believe it is that.

I think this is just what we will have to put up with, as this is still new for cellC, so we are the guinea pigs.

2 days & modem keeps dropping connection…
Apple Mac Error… Remote server dropped connection…

THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE MAC OR MODEM

CELLC IF U READING THIS WAKE UP U R PIS***G PpL off

I am in the Pinelands Maitland Ndabeni Area ….. So Much for my earlier comments off……

Hi All

I got it. I love it. Its supersonic.
I worked for 2 Internet service Providers over the last 10 years & thus far this product kicks ass.

For those of you that have had time-outs trying to do apple software updates via 3G this problem is no more thanks to the speed.

FYI I am using the Black USB modem, like the one Marc is talking about.

I am based in Western Cape Pinelands… Oh and for those that are based along Mitchell’s Plain it is still slow.

Abdul

Ok, after day 3 no more line drops but now I only receive GPRS!!! I still cannot believe that a company like CELL C can mislead the public and make false promises SHAME ON YOU. Trevor how can you be the spokes persons for a company like this!!!! But it’s not about the service NO all you interested in is the MOELA shame on you. How about we start a facebook site? maybe then we will get the service and product offering we paid for.

It’s been 3 days 11 hours after I submitted my details and guess what no reply. I have submitted an email to the Carte Blanche Investigative team hopefully they can help us! Please send me a mail with the following in the subject field : Bad service and misleading advertising to [email protected] you welcome to wright your full story.

After working fine for the past few weeks, CELL-C is constantly dropping the connection. Completely unuseable. What a waste. Why can’t they just keep their service running. Every few weeks this happens.

I have a problem with the Data Usage of Cell C. After checking my Data Usage on their website, I noticed that data is being used while I’m offline. One day we had no Cell C reception, but still data was used. Then we were away for 3 days – more data was used than normal. Also at night time while my computer is switched off. From the 1st – 9th Aug, I used 5174.41, while 7554.89 was used while I was offline.
Do I smell a rat???

The cell c speedstick is a joke, we bought it last november and it worked fine for about two months, ever since then it drops the connection every couple of minutes, it runs incredibly hot i don’t even want to mention the speed. It is an absolute joke.
We brought it in to be “repaired”, they kept it for two weeks, for which we didn’t receive any compensation and all they did in the end is update the software, which didn’t change a thing.
A couple of days ago we received an update of the software, after installing this, it doesn’t even connect anymore.
We also noticed data dissapearing into nothingness.
I am so glad when this contract is up and i will certainly never use Cell c anymore.

I’ve just got the 21 Mbps whoosh thingy. The Cell C guy told me that it would work well on a Mac. I’ve just got home, plugged in the USB and … nothing. It doesn’t even pick up anything. Perhaps it is my Mac. Its pretty standard, Macbook Pro OS x.6.4
Their website says it should work. Anybody have any ideas?

@Ben: seems like the Autorun didnt execute. Browse to the drive and manually install the setup file. you need the program to be installed to pick up the signal etc.

Here is some very good advice to anyone who wants to buy one of their data packages. DON’T!!!!!

When I use it in an HSDPA area it will work, but not at their claimed speeds, and my connection get dropped often. If I connect with an EDGE network it is so slow that it is useless. I travel alot and unfortunately the hsdpa connections are few and far between, meaning I can only really use my “mobile” internet at home?

4G network?
Stable networks?
Fast internet?
Customer service?

Where is Trevor, their CEO? Is he really the CEO? Their ads is so misleading I don’t know if they are joking or just plain lying.

i cant stand this slow stick eny more please see if you can help. we are building 65milion rand school for the goverment and we are really batteling with internet

Hi all nothing much but just a comment. Browsing indoor is bullshit (1028 -1.8 mbps) but outdoor is great (4.026 to 6.56mbps). I say this from my experience. I was complaining to CellC about this before (1-1.8 mbps) until I discover that walls are limiting factors, Yes they told us that 900mhz will go futher than 2.1GHZ and greater wall penetration but I see this great penetration is only feasible to radio frequencies (FM) and TV frequencies. It is true that waves degrade in distance “Doppler effect” and the only way I think can solve this is to find out the exactly tower cell capacity “not only selling modem and data but also speed”. If the tower is capable to handle 1000 people all not geting less than 5mbps (even in the cell edge) and if there is an addition “no matter how” towers should be added too or Booters.

I hope when LTE Advanced is deployed this figures will come true (21.6mbps or 42mbps ).
I wish to know either CellC tower did it use MIMO technology or they just upgrade software?
That from me uNsele “I’m not an IT but the observer”. CellC if you can cover SA as a whole not Cities but the SA’n land this fluctuation will be less or even not present.

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