Month 12 of 12

Am I the only one who feels that this year has rushed by? Here we are on 1 December, looking back and wondering where February to November went! But we have generally survived what the year has thrown at us, and many are heading off for a well-deserved break.

(The internet however doesn't go on holiday - we are still here if you need us over the festive season. Please see our holiday availability at the end of this newsletter)

As 2024 draws to a close, I wish you rest, peace and a break from life's chaos. Thank you for supporting us this year and trusting us with your connectivity.

Meet the Team

Your first contact with Cape Connect may be Nazeem, our Sales Manager. Nazeem is from Somerset West and has been married to Nazmah for 17 years.

He has a love of technology, and is constantly immersing himself in learning more about Linux, world economies, payment systems, blockchain and crypto. With his ability to source and use various technologies, he developed an online shopping system from scratch a few years ago for a local hardware store.

When he was a kid, he wanted to be a mechanic. He believes in "live and let live".

From the archives

The internet is not magic. Content does not simply appear on your screen - it takes a considerable amount of effort to get it there (more on routes, peering and how internet content gets to your screen in an upcoming newsletter).

A part of our wireless network is fed from towers on some pretty high mountains. Getting to site involves a 4x4, a climbing harness and considerable fitness. When things go wrong it's usually not on a wind-still day with warming sunshine and a good view. Instead it's in the middle of a storm on the most inaccessible site.

Cue the winter of 2013. A business client had their wireless connection to our high site suddenly drop as the cold front moved in. No other option - grab the 4x4, load up spare equipment and start driving. Our first issue came when the vehicle sank up to its axels in slippery mud before the start of the uphill trek. With some careful maneuvering we got ourselves out and proceeded to slide up the mountain while the client chewed the ear off of the person answering phones back at the office about their lack of internet.

The site is a further hour's hike from the topmost parking area on the mountain - we could barely see our hands in front of our faces as the storm raged around us, but we made it up without blowing off the cliff by clinging to rocks and occasionally the ground. Then came time to climb the tower, find and fix whatever had gone wrong. 15m of tower climbing took me nearly an hour. The wind was gale-force, the rain needles of ice. It was a case of grip, wait for a tiny gap in the windy blast, move, grip, repeat. And then it started to snow...

I finally reached the antenna in question, replaced a network card that had been damaged by the storm, and we slid back down to our vehicle. I had still not defrosted by the time we reached the client nearly 2 hours later, with my troubleshooting and checking of the now-working link performed while dripping on their carpet and shivering uncontrollably.

No, the internet is not magic - but in the background we're hard at work doing our utmost to ensure you get the best possible service, no matter the circumstances.

Tech Talk

We have been making extensive use of Reyee routers on both our fibre and wireless networks this year and have found them to work well for our client's purposes.

For speeds up to 60Mb/s we recommend the Reyee RG-EW1200.

For speeds 100Mb/s and higher we recommend the Reyee RG-EW1300G, or the Reyee RG-EW3000GX Pro which supports Wi-Fi 6.

Quick Breakdown of the specs: 

RG-EW1200

Ethernet Ports: 4x 10/100

Antenna Gain: 4x5dBi

Maximum Wireless Data Rate: 2.4GHz: 300Mbps; 5.8GHz: 867Mbps

Supports Reyee Mesh

RG-EW1300G

Ethernet Ports: 4x 10/100/1000

Antenna Gain: 2.4GHz: 4.5dBi, 5GHz: 5.5dBi

Maximum Wireless Data Rate: 2.4GHz: 400Mbps; 5GHz: 867Mbps

Supports Reyee Mesh

RG-EW3000GX PRO

Ethernet Ports: 4x 10/100/1000

Antenna Gain: 2.4GHz: 5dBi; 5GHz: 5dBi

Maximum Wireless Data Rate: 2.4GHz: 574Mbps; 5GHz: 2402Mbps (WiFi 6)

Supports Reyee Mesh

Watch this Tech Talk on our YouTube Channel

Ajax Security Systems

Ajax Systems is a comprehensive indoor and outdoor security product range with incredibly easy installation and operation. From a simple audible and visual alarm, to a complex system that turns off water mains in the case of a leak, captures photos of alarm events on demand, warns of fire, immediately notifies your armed response and can control seperate zones via a simple app - Ajax Systems provides it all. Infinitely expandable, customizeable, easy to use and easy to manage with built in backup connectivity, Ajax Systems offers complete protection for all your assets. We make extensive use of these awesome products and can highly recommend them.

Cape Connect Internet (Pty) Ltd is an authorised Ajax partner. We can supply, install, retrofit and link your Ajax products to your security monitoring company. Please contact us to schedule an appointment to discuss your needs at ajax@cape-connect.com.

Shot of the month

We're often out on site at very odd hours and in very strange places - but this means we get some awesome views. Here's this month's picture perfect shot.

Frogfoot price changes

Frogfoot clients, please keep an eye on your inbox for notification of Frogfoot's annual price increases, which will come into effect on 1 February 2025. We will update our website and send you the new price list once these are finalized.

December Office Hours

We will be operating on skeleton staff between 15 December 2024 and 7 January 2025 while many of our techs take a well-deserved break. We are still available via email (accounts, support or sales), and will post telephone and in-office hours on our Facebook page during December. Emergencies will be dealt with according to staff availability with major network outages taking priority.

See you in the new year!

Michelle Bainbridge

Chief Internet Artisan

Cape Connect Internet (Pty) Ltd