Note: Article Updated October 17, 2016 to reflect:
- Speedify updates, faster, more servers, and an easier interface,
- and the bit I forgot, about seeing stuff you can’t normally see in your home country…
Here’s a typical SA cry for help regarding Internet access, especially from people setting up online businesses. I do such training here.
“We have no internet or phone lines. Telkom is on strike, and some of their technicians are sabotaging local exchanges. As a result, our whole area is out, and has been for a week or so. The neighbouring areas have been out for a fortnight and a month, respectively. (You can imagine the impact on businesses, who can’t be reached now!).”
“To make matters worse, at our house 3G is spotty when it works, which is rarely, and cell reception has gone down too.”
Erratic is the new SA Internet Access normal. A tourist faces a world-of-pain worse.
I’ve tried a bunch of different hardware solutions, the most recent costing $500 for the kit and $200 monthly for the service behind it.
Now you can get robust consistent Internet access if you need it without any costly networking hardware.
Let me explain.
- Firstly, you may know that you can connect your PC to multiple wireless connections simultaneously? Just add more USB doodads like this, one for each concurrent wireless session.
- Secondly, you can use more than one USB 3G/4G/LTE dongle to access mobile data using a gizmo like this. I’ve been doing this for a while.
- Thirdly, you can connect your PC to as many Ethernet cables as you want using an adapter like this.
- Finally, you can use as many of these in any combination you want. If you don’t have enough USB ports get a device for that too.
In other words, your PC can easily connect to the web via as many devices as you can afford. Although, if you need more connections than your PC has USB ports, then it may be cheaper to move house.
The Problem: Your PC Operating System will normally only use one connection at a time. When that connection breaks you will fall off the web. Your IP address will change and whatever you were doing will seize up until one of the other connections kicks in.
Wouldn’t it be great if your PC automatically used all your connections at the same time, sharing the load between them, keeping your phone call or banking session up and running without you even noticing?
That’s how I solve my Internet access problem now.
6Speedify1 is free software which makes my Internet access faster and more robust by combining as many devices as I can connect to the web.
At home, for instance, I have:
- my fast cable connection,
- my 4G (LTE) hub with cable connection,
- my iPhone via its USB charging cable,
- Mrs Carruthers’ iPhone via wireless.
This free Internet Access software ties them all into one faster, more robust, secure connection.
It’s faster because the software balances the traffic across all my connections, sending less data through each.
It’s more robust because the loss of any connection won’t alter my IP address. I won’t fall off secure sites I am logged into. This is critical when I am presenting live webinars to hundreds of people.
My web connection is more secure because the software encrypts the traffic. No more worrying about eavesdroppers at public wireless access points.
Speedify works on Mac and Windows computers, as well as mobiles and tablets. Click here to check it out.
If you’re barely surviving poor Internet access, just adding a dongle or using your smartphone for extra access ensures faster and more robust access.
My Internet access as I travel is now a pleasure. I connect to the hotel wifi, add my USB LTE dongle and my iPhone. Any one of them might be rubbish in that location, but in concert they work like a dream.
I have been working like this for about 6 months. It’s been Internet heaven.
There is another advantage which I hesitate to shout too loud about. The picture alongside shows a few of the many servers you can connect to. Linking to the United Kingdom server, for instance, means that you look like you live there, and this gives you access to whatever the locals see. Their version of Google, or BBC, or anything else is very different than that seen from South Africa.
Speedify gives you 1GB free traffic each month.
If you need more bandwidth then upgrade to a monthly or annual plan. I noticed as I wrote this that they’re offering a 75% cut on their normal annual pricing. You get a year of unlimited bandwidth for $49.97. This is option I chose when I joined earlier this year. I use it very hard.
If consistent web access is important for you then this solution is worth gold. Test the free service first to confirm that it works for you before buying…
Finally, if you actually buy from Speedify, as opposed to using their free service, I receive a small commission for researching this solution, testing it with the extra doodads and gizmos, and writing this article for you. If this commission offends you then Google will find their site easily.