Beware selling your unused 'free' Rain 5G router in South Africa

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 22:07:02 +0100

gadgeteer@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

Many of these 'free' routers are often 'free to use' not 'free to keep'. I found this out when I cancelled my fixed LTE contract with Telkom. Luckily I'd given away my router to a friend, but I had to go fetch it, or else pay the 'inflated' cost back to Telkom.

It's not always the case though with other ISPs, but it is best to check first, and especially so if you cancel a contract before its mandatory period has expired.

This is also why you want to be careful of ISPs who want to tie you into a 2-year contract. You pay penalties if you cancel before that period has passed.

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/hardware/522765-beware-selling-your-unused-rain-5g-router.html

#technology #SouthAfrica

technology SouthAfrica

Sat, 27 Jan 2024 01:14:59 +0100

Public Enemy Exposed

pee@mastodon.online

@gadgeteer one of the reasons, besides possible signal-loss during our infamous electricity-blackouts, I have not yet tried #Rain , is that one cannot choose one's own Router. I would not be caught with an #ISP Router and it is a big loss of trust in Rain. Anything is better than supporting that Surveillance Company #Vumatel and unfortunately that's the only other viable choice available in my area.

Sat, 27 Jan 2024 01:17:34 +0100 zuletzt bearbeitet: Sat, 27 Jan 2024 01:19:53 +0100

Public Enemy Exposed

pee@mastodon.online

@gadgeteer one of the reasons I have not yet tried #Rain , besides possible signal-loss during our infamous electricity-blackouts, is that one cannot choose one's own Router. I would not be caught with an #ISP Router (especially Huawei) and it is a big loss of trust in Rain. Anything is better than supporting that Surveillance Company #Vumatel and unfortunately that's the only other viable choice available in my area.

Sat, 27 Jan 2024 10:56:15 +0100

Danie van der Merwe

gadgeteer@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@Public Enemy Exposed my bigger reason for not using these routers is they are very weak on features and functionality. So I've always had my own more powerful router on the inside of a vendor's free router. But when I signed up with Afrihost there was around a R5,000 credit and I could choose to use some of that for their router, or I could use my own router and apply that against monthly costs instead. I opted for the latter option.