Vox Telecom

Braaivleis, Rugby, Sunny Skies and Weather News

Posted on 9 December 20248 January 2025 by Vivienne Fouche

Vox Weather is transforming weather monitoring – for everyone

“Rain, rain, go away, come again another day…”

We’re probably around nursery school age when we first realise the everyday importance of the weather in our lives. Sun, wind, rain, snow: the weather affects many personal aspects, including our health and moods, safe travels, our social lives and energy consumption, and of course planning which clothes to wear.

Let’s also not forget the ice-breaking conversational advantages of talking about the weather during awkward social occasions, like first dates.

Basically, the weather and its daily impact on our lives is always a big deal – which is why Vox was so pleased to launch its weather channel online in 2021, in partnership with presenter-meteorologist Annette Botha. Vox Weather, with almost 400,000 followers currently, is now incredibly excited to begin launching some amazing products to its loyal fans.

Here’s a look at the first Vox Weather offering that’s geared to help amateur weather enthusiasts everywhere with their daily and weekly planning: the ‘Tornado Twister’ weather station.

Storm Chasing at Home

Tracking the weather is fascinating (just ask practically everyone who lives in the UK).

With a Tornado Twister weather station in your home, you can accurately monitor the weather, and be in the know about factors like temperature, humidity, rainfall, windspeed, solar radiation, the UV index and air pressure around your home environment – over and above your daily tuning into Vox Weather for the rest of your province and the country, of course.

With access to their own personal weather stations, homeowners receive real-time weather updates and can predict changes in weather patterns. Having access to accurate weather data at your fingertips lets you plan your day – and your week – accordingly.

You can get alerts about sudden storms, heavy rainfall or even extreme temperatures, allowing you to take necessary precautions. This type of information is obviously also excellent for farmers and anyone else whose work would be badly affected by storms or heavy snowfall – time to bring in the sheep and cattle, or close the cable car station?

Sports Fans, Athletes and Concerts

We don’t say ‘Sunny South Africa’ for nothing! SA is famous for our sunshiny climate and with this comes our national love of the outdoors: what’s summer without planning regular braais and picnics, not to mention attending rugby, football and cricket matches, and concerts in the park? And for those who are do-ers and not only spectators, it’s important to know about the UV index for that pre-Comrades qualifying marathon.

Knowing the weather conditions in advance helps us to make informed decisions about taking part in sports activities and other fun outdoors, to make sure everyone can have the best time possible – including singing in the rain, if necessary, but at least protected by a raincoat or umbrella.

Calling All Gardeners

Weather obviously plays a vital role in maintaining a thriving garden. Different plants have specific requirements when it comes to sunlight, temperatures and moisture. With a weather station, you can monitor these factors and adjust your gardening plans to help your plants stay healthy and happy. Monitoring humidity levels also helps to prevent plant diseases.

Getting Started

The Tornado Twister is very easy to install and set up on your own, or if you prefer, an on-site installation option is available with a Vox engineer for a small fee (you can contact Vox on 087 500 0530 to inquire).

In addition, it comes with a general warranty (subject to terms and conditions): each unit is guaranteed for up to 12 months from the date of purchase and Vox Weather will replace any components at no charge if they should become faulty.

A quick note: it’s important to keep your Tornado Twister free of insects and spiders that might want to make their home in it. We know that you’ll follow a gentle re-homing policy and place them somewhere else in your garden to carry on playing their part in your mini ecosystem.

Transform Your Weather Monitoring

With accurate weather monitoring and forecasting capabilities zoned into your particular property, the Tornado Twister helps you plan your daily activities effectively and take necessary precautions against unpredictable weather conditions.

Whether it’s optimising your gardening, maximising your energy efficiencies or planning your best social life, the personalised weather data adds an extra layer of convenience to your planning.

Enhance your daily life by bringing the technology of weather intelligence right into your home – not forgetting to join the Vox Weather community online for your daily national forecasts, of course!

Click here to find out more.

Vox and the Lions Group – A Case Study

Posted on 2 December 20243 December 2024 by Stefan Pretorius

The Lions Group consists of three entities, namely the Golden Lions Rugby Union, the Lions Rugby Company, and EPS Management. Collectively, the three companies are the custodians of rugby in their region, from grassroots development all the way up to international interprovincial teams. While their primary focus is rugby, the Group has diversified its revenue streams to include various other activities, including concerts, sporting events, commercial rentals, and private functions and conferencing.

Pieter Burger, Manager Director: EPS, explains: “We have a passion for innovation and doing things differently, and consistent improvements in and around our facilities make them not only relevant, but also industry leaders in certain areas. This flexibility in our product offering, combined with innovation, is what distinguishes us from our competitors.”

The Business Challenge

During big games or concerts, stadiums face unique challenges due to their large, dense crowds, and one of these challenges involves providing connectivity to the highest standard.

Excellent connectivity is needed for broadcasting purposes, both within the stadium as well as to external broadcasting channels; financial transactions, including the sales of food and beverages and retail items; and Wi-Fi connectivity for the fans, which is an imperative for any live entertainment experience.

“As with any large sports and entertainment stadium, technology plays an important role in customer experiences at the Emirates Airline Park (Ellis Park Stadium), the home of the Golden Lions rugby team,” notes Stefan Pretorius: Enterprise Key Account Manager at Vox.

“Through Vox’s use of innovative technology, we assist in providing both stadium employees and customers alike with positive experiences during high-profile events. The use of network optimisation techniques can help maintain a high-quality Wi-Fi connection for everyone, but it all starts with sufficient and optimal broadband infrastructure.”

“As part of the entertainment industry, it is critical for the Lions Group to know that innovative technology and leading connectivity are together able to enhance high performance, as well as the consumers’ experience and preferences,” adds Burger. “Connectivity access networks, and their reliable uptime, is key in our industry.”

The Business Solution

Pretorius clarifies that Vox is responsible for supplying all connectivity to Emirates Airline Park, as follows:

Two 1Gbps dedicated Business Fibre links;
One 200Mbps dedicated Business Fibre link to the practice stadium next door;
Firewalls; and
An SD-WAN Solution for load balancing.

“Vox is a strategic partner of the Lions Group,” says Burger, “and we have benefited from our existing partnership with them for some years now. One of these advantages is that, as our technology requirements progressively increase, so we turn to Vox to implement enhancements as required.

“Before signing up with Vox, our main concerns and challenges involved Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Connectivity and cloud solutions. Today, as our infrastructure partner, Vox provides excellent bandwidth and reliable uptime, and takes care of any required upgrades following a needs assessment and consultation. We also enjoy efficient support from Vox very quickly whenever required.”

Overall Experience with Vox

“We never have any concerns or issues with the implementation processes for our chosen solutions, which are always effectively handled by Vox engineers,” comments Burger. “Just like the Lions Group, we know that Vox has a strong entrepreneurial spirit and always strives to improve and enhance its service offering and effectiveness, and we admire and appreciate this shared synergy.

“We believe that Emirates Airline Park has the best bandwidth and reliability of any stadium in South Africa, as was displayed to such good effect during the Springboks versus New Zealand test in August 2024. Our relationship and overall experience with Vox is excellent – we could not ask for a better partner!”

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What’s a 3CX – And What Does Titanium Status Actually Mean?

Posted on 22 November 20242 December 2024 by Natalie van der Merwe

In an IT world full of acronyms, we unpack this brilliant technology

3CX is an open-standard[1], software-based business phone system that delivers advanced telephony functionality and is super easy to use, manage and install. 3CX is an Enterprise-grade communications platform that is primarily targeted at the SME market due to its affordability – and yet, in an interesting twist, many enterprise businesses are also adopting 3CX, as they take note of its benefits.

3CX offers very competitive pricing, as well as feature-rich Unified Communication functionality, which includes instant messaging or chat; Voice; video conferencing and data sharing; email, voicemail and SMS; and out-of-the-box integrations into popular CRMs.

Vox is a 3CX Titanium Partner – we operate at the highest 3CX partnership level, to the tremendous benefit of our customers. We are also one of a select few Titanium partners in South Africa, the highest level that a 3CX partner can achieve, and awarded only to 3CX’s most successful and experienced partners.

Benefits for Vox Clients

Titanium partner status is reserved for true 3CX all-stars! This, together with our Advanced Technical Certification, guarantees our customers excellent service and support. In addition, Titanium partner status ensures we get the best price from 3CX, which allows us to offer an enterprise grade product at pricing all customers can afford.

We are also Certified as a Preferred 3CX SIP Trunk provider[2] (one of only two in South Africa), which gives customers additional peace of mind that our network is compatible with any 3CX deployment. We have been thoroughly tested with 3CX to ensure no manual configurations, which means you can simply plug and play your PBX with our SIP trunks.

How the Vox-3CX Partnership Began

Before onboarding 3CX, Vox was selling a combination of open-sourced, on-premises and cloud-based solutions, which provided very basic PBX functionality. Although it satisfied the requirement for thousands of customers, we knew that we needed to expand our portfolio to be more relevant with our offerings and technology.

Simply put, we needed a product that would carry us into the future.

Before 2020, on-premises solutions were becoming less relevant, and our customer demands for UC&C[3] were increasing significantly – which our solutions at the time did not offer. When we were faced with the pandemic in 2020, it became clear that we required UC&C offerings to cater to our customers’ work from home communication requirements.

Becoming a 3CX partner for Vox was a very seamless process, but it did take drive, dedication and ambition to take this further and achieve Titanium status. Vox is an agile business, and so we are able to make decisions and change direction very quickly to ensure that our customers have the products and services they need.

In the quest to present the best solution possible, we spent significant time in our R&D labs running tests, documenting our installation best practices and automating many of our provisioning processes. The end result was being able to go to market confidently with a working solution, and without any hiccups. This was a critical step, as it cemented our long-term relationship with our customers.

Our engineers flew through the technical certification process and managed to achieve Advanced Technical certification within the first two months of becoming a 3CX partner.

Our team of sales specialists, who are dedicated to anything PBX, also completed their technical certifications, which gave them the ability to confidently design and sell 3CX solutions to prospective customers.

3CX made it easy for Vox to become technically certified with their free on-line training and assessments.

Along the Way

Together with the certification for Technicians and Sales Specialists, we also upskilled all our direct and indirect sales force employees, equipping them to understand the value of 3CX and uncover opportunities with customers. Overall, our comprehensive training programme included everyone from sales, pre-sales, installations engineers, support engineers, and core engineers.

We moved through the partner status ranks in record time – starting at Bronze, we worked our way up to Titanium status in less than one year (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium) – a feat of which we’re very proud, as it shows our ability to adapt, and our willingness to do more.

It wasn’t very long after launching that we realised we had hit the jackpot – our customers loved 3CX, our sales staff loved 3CX and our engineers loved 3CX! This was a recipe for success and before we knew it, we were hitting the lights out.

Moving forward

Vox is able to support all types and sizes of customers – we have 3CX customers ranging from two or three extensions to customers with thousands of extensions.

And in addition to this, we don’t only sell 3CX – Vox offers a complete suite of complementary products: from last mile connectivity and market leading uncapped or rated calling plans, world-class data infrastructure to host customers 3CX services, to telephone expense management reporting. We are proud to add this to our 3CX achievements over the last three to four years.

The journey to Titanium Partner status demands a high level of technical skill, dedication to customer satisfaction, and a proven track record in implementing 3CX solutions.

Becoming a 3CX Titanium Partner marked a significant achievement for Vox, and we are very proud to be able to let our clients know that we have achieved this milestone in supporting and maintaining their 3CX systems.

[1] An open standard is a standard that is freely available for adoption, implementation and updates. Examples include XML, SQL and HTML Businesses within an industry share open standards because this allows them to bring value to both themselves and to customers.

[2] SIP Trunks are virtual phone lines that are delivered over the internet, replacing the need for physical telephone lines.

[3] Unified Communications and Collaboration (UC&C) integrates diverse communication tools, such as Voice, IP Telephony Calling, Instant Messaging, Desktop Sharing, Presence, and Web Conferencing, Audio Conferencing, and Video Conferencing, to interact together in a virtually seamless way.

So, What’s the (Sweet) Deal with Vox Wireless Lite?

Posted on 20 November 20242 December 2024 by Craig Blignaut

Vox Wireless: Just as fast as Fibre, and more widely available

What do Coca Cola and Vox Wireless to the Business (WTTB) each have in common? Besides being leading brands in their arenas, that is.

The answer is in the word Light. Or Lite.

Coca Cola gave the world Coke Light, for those who wanted the same original sweet taste but with zero sugar. Vox Fixed Wireless to the business (WTTB) gives you two options, including Vox Wireless Lite – because we also believe in providing a fantastic product, but with choices available for different requirements.

Wireless Lite is especially good for start-ups and SMEs. It’s also on promotion right now.

Let’s see how well it could work for your business.

A Quick Technology Outline

Fixed Wireless can deliver a Fibre-like experience if the service provider gets it right with regards to capacity and area coverage. This, of course, goes without saying at Vox.

Vox Fixed Wireless is a high-quality, high-speed Fixed Wireless connection, using Microwave technology that can be deployed around South Africa, to ensure that your business is always connected. It’s an excellent alternative when Fibre cables aren’t laid in your area, or as a redundancy option if your Fibre goes down. It’s also a fantastic solution if you need to be connected in a hurry and can’t wait weeks for your Fibre installation.

Coca Cola never officially reveals its recipes, but here at Vox we believe in being transparent, so let’s take a look at how WTTB works.

It’s pretty simple.

A device is pointed at a tower, which services the area in which your business is situated.
The device provides a high-speed Internet connection using Microwave technology, whose access towers are served and connected to Fibre lines as the ‘backhaul’.
Because the station is close to and in view of the premises, a Fixed Wireless connection can deliver a very fast Internet experience with low latency.

Vox Wireless Lite

Vox Wireless Lite is one of two different Fixed Wireless offerings for businesses that we offer, with the other being Vox Wireless.

Vox Wireless Lite – Licensed is a more cost-effective service than Vox Wireless, without compromising on quality. This service is available as a Broadband Primary service but will also make an excellent Failover solution to cater for all your business needs.

We offer a Symmetrical service (same upload and download speeds) of 10 Mbps and 20Mbps, and an Asymmetrical service of 50Mbps and 100 Mbps.

Vox also offers Vox Wireless Lite – Unlicensed, in which different speed profiles are once again offered, but with this option, all speeds are Asymmetrical.

With Vox Wireless Lite, just like Coke Lite, we leave out one ingredient, so where the beverage is minus the sugar, we help you streamline your costs by leaving off the Voice offering that comes with Vox Wireless, which includes a Voice VLAN to streamline your VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) communication.

But don’t worry – if your business grows, you can add more ‘sugar’ later – it’s simple to change options.

Something for Every Business with Vox Fixed Wireless Options

The famous beverage company has a range of refreshing drinks available in several varieties and sizes to suit different lifestyle, and in the same way, Vox Wireless to the Business is able to cater to your different needs and speeds.

All Vox Wireless packages include data and line rental, and speeds can range from 5Mbps to 1Gbps – the flexibility and choice of packages is a real value-add, allowing you to match your speeds to your business needs.

The main features and benefits of Fixed WTTB are as follows:

Quick to deploy in feasible areas: If your business has a remote site where no fixed-line connectivity is possible, Vox Fixed Wireless options are an ideal alternative. They are also generally quicker than Fibre to install.
Duplex Service enables you to transmit and receive data at the same time, giving you dual efficiency.
Managed Service 365/24/7 Support ensures that we’re there when your business needs us the most.
Scalable: It’s easy to upgrade your link to grow with your business.
Business continuity: Can be deployed as a primary or failover service to ensure you are always connected.

Depending on the area and requirement, Vox Wireless works with the following Wireless connectivity providers: Comsol, Easyweb, Kliq. MTN, Rapidnet, Tech5 and VO Connect.

Sweet Offerings to Refresh Your Business

Vox Wireless offers speeds comparable to Fibre, but is more widely available. With quick deployment and low latency, it’s geared to help your business stay connected. Whether you’re in the city centre or out in the country, Vox Wireless ensures your business stays connected, competitive, and ready to grow.

For high speeds and the most innovative, cutting-edge microwave technology on the market, you can’t go wrong with Fixed Wireless to the Business from Vox. Whether it’s Vox Wireless or Vox Wireless Lite, we’ve got you covered with great options.

And we think that’s a pretty sweet and refreshing deal.

On-Premises or in the Cloud: Which PBX Works Best for Your Business?

Posted on 13 November 20242 December 2024 by Natalie van der Merwe

People still need to be able to talk voice to voice for best results

In a world with abundant business communication channels – emails, texting, website dropdown platforms and chatbots – speaking to an actual person through a voice solution is still a hugely important element of the overall communication suite. Texting or chatbots alone can’t replace the personal touch.

Having the option of speaking to a person in real time enables a more intimate connection, helping to develop strong relationships and trust between your customers and your company.

In this article, we’ll compare on-premises PBX with cloud solutions – which one is best for your business?

Outlining Your PBX Options

“Hold on please while I put you through…”

Is there any customer out there who has never yet heard these words? Probably not – it comes with the traditional PBX and customer service territory.

PBX, or Private Branch Exchange, is a well-known element of any organisation’s communications systems between employees and customers. The technology provides telephony functionality such as call transferring, conference calling and voice mail.

The traditional PBX, which has been used for decades, is a business phone system that connects all office desk phones within an organisation on the same network, relying on copper landlines, with the PBX hardware installed on-site.

Over the last decade, we’ve seen a rise in hosted PBX solutions, which are cloud-based alternatives offered by VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) providers. Cloud PBX offers many of the same features as traditional PBX, with less complicated on-site installation and maintenance, potential cost savings, a number of useful features and minimal hardware requirements.

Differences Between On-Premises and Cloud PBX Systems

Different aspects of each system provide insights into how each one could align with your different business needs and environments.

Costs

On-premises PBX systems usually require a higher initial investment in equipment and installation costs. There are likely to be costs associated with maintenance and upgrades.
Cloud PBX generally involves a lower initial setup cost because it needs minimal physical infrastructure. Due to economies of scale, providers can offer Cloud PBX services at a nominal monthly fee, making it cost-effective for businesses with limited capital. A reliable Internet connection is a critical core cost factor, but with advancements in technology, high-speed internet is becoming more accessible and affordable. This allows customers to maximise their investment into quality data connections for their Cloud PBX services

Scalability

Expanding an on-premises PBX can be expensive, often requiring physical hardware or licensing additions.
In contrast, a hosted PBX solution allows businesses to add or remove services as needed, providing greater flexibility and cost savings.

Maintenance and Upgrades

On-premises PBX systems require on-site technical support for maintenance and hardware upgrades. This can lead to operational disruptions and additional labour and parts fees. Furthermore, when parts become obsolete, businesses may face significant challenges in sourcing replacements, leading to unnecessary downtime and further expenses.
A cloud-based PBX system is maintained and upgraded by the service provider, and this remote management makes sure your cloud solution is always up to date with the latest features and security patches, with minimal downtime for the business.

Security and Compliance

On-premises PBX systems allow companies to directly manage the security policies of their hardware but are more susceptible to data breaches if these policies are not managed correctly. This includes risks from outdated software and weak passwords. On-premises PBXs also require physical security measures to protect them from unauthorised access. This would include secure rooms, surveillance and restricted access, which in turn could be more costly and complex to manage.
With cloud PBX solutions, it’s the responsibility of the vendor to ensure that the systems adhere to the latest security standards and compliance regulations, including the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act. Most cloud PBX providers implement advanced security measures to protect the data and prevent intrusions.

Reliability and Performance

On-premises PBX systems are vulnerable to issues such as wear and tear and power outages, because they use traditional phone lines to transfer phone calls. The costs to implement a Disaster Recovery (DR) strategy for on-premises PBX systems can add further expenses for a business.
The reliability of your cloud PBX system requires an excellent Internet connection. It’s useful to implement an Internet failover solution to ensure your internet connection remains up during any disruptions. The cloud PBX vendor should ensure the cloud PBX platform has sufficient redundancy built into it to provide continuous services for customers.

Vox and Your Business Communications: Key Takeaways

Each of the offerings discussed has its own set of advantages and challenges to consider.

Cloud phone systems, particularly hosted PBX systems, are fast gaining popularity as the preferred modern telephone solution for many businesses throughout South Africa. They are suited for companies looking for a minimal initial investment, and their flexibility is perfect for growing businesses or those with fluctuating needs. Furthermore, businesses can enjoy the benefits of a fully managed service where the service provider takes care of the support and maintenance.
On the other hand, on-premises PBX systems are generally more suitable for larger corporations with big budgets and space to host the physical hardware, as well as having the resources to manage and maintain the system.

Choosing between on-premises or cloud PBX must be based on careful assessment of a business’s specific communication needs, growth expectations and budget constraints.

The decision of which offering to take up lies with your business. The ability to offer the best of each possibility lies with Vox – with superb offerings such as our multiple PBX offerings, both on-premises and cloud, and including 3CX (Vox is a Titanium 3CX partner, the highest ranking that can be achieved).

Contact us for more information on choosing the best PBX offering for your business, and keep those voice-to-voice communications enriching your organisation’s customer experience on a daily basis.

From Good to Great: Making the Most of Your M365

Posted on 7 November 202412 June 2025 by Vivienne Fouche

Empowering you and your family across multiple devices

“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” – Ken Olsen, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977

This sentence definitely goes down in history as one of those things people deeply regret saying later. And while it’s easy to predict things in retrospect – ‘Hindsight is 20/20 vision’, as the saying goes – it seems incredible to think that people once lived in a world without access to personal laptops and smartphones in their lives, which have now become such an integral part of our home functioning for work, homework, financial planning and operating, entertainment and simply staying in touch.

The installation of Microsoft 365 (‘M365’) onto your devices will upgrade this even further – this brilliant software can maximise your devices and create truly next-level experiences.

Let’s look at how you can go from good to great with Microsoft 365.

Always Better with M365

“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” —Forrest Gump

But the great thing about Microsoft 365 is that you know exactly what you’re going to get (and it’s always a sweet deal). With Vox and Microsoft 365 for personal use, you can communicate, write, edit, do complex maths-based planning, share ideas, create presentations, and generally stay productive from anywhere, at any time.

Microsoft 365 Personal (for one individual) or Family (up to six people) will empower you and the rest of your family to stay productive from anywhere, at any time, across multiple devices. The subscription comes with 1TB of secure cloud storage space, advanced security features and innovative apps, all in one plan.

Features and Benefits

Some of the features and benefits include the following:

Microsoft 365 works on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets.
Applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote come with offline access and features that make your life easier.
Microsoft Defender provides advanced security for your personal data and devices.
Outlook gives you advert-free secure email.
Microsoft Editor provides advanced spelling, grammar and writing assistance.
Clipchamp video editor’s robust tools, including premium filters and effects, lets you create and edit videos easily, while AI-powered tools give you next-level productivity options.
Stay in touch with 60 minutes of Skype calling per month.
Create and manage databases for big or small projects with Access (PC only).
When you’re stuck, Microsoft 365 Family and Personal Subscribers have access to ongoing 24/7 technical support, via chat or email, with Microsoft-trained experts.

Making Your M365 Experience Better

Enable your life with M365’s multiple tools. Here are some tips to make your M365 experience even better.

Organise Notes with OneNote: Microsoft’s OneNote is an app used for storing information and taking notes. OneNote notebooks allow you to store links, save photos and drawings and write with a stylus, keeping research notes in one convenient spot.
Recall Sent Messages: The next time you mistakenly click ‘send’ on an Outlook email, it’s possible that you can still recall an unread sent message. (Please note: Message recall is only available if both you and the recipient have a Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Exchange email account within the same organisation. You cannot cancel an email sent through Outlook on the web, and you are not able to recall a message that’s already been read.)
Use Keyboard Shortcuts: Microsoft offers dozen of keyboard shortcuts in Windowsto make your life easier. It’s useful to remember a few that work for you the best. For a fun example, hold down Shift + [colon] plus [closing bracket on the zero key] and you get a smiley face. 😊

Don’t Recreate, Restore: Who hasn’t had the awful experience of working for hours on a document, only to accidentally delete it? Microsoft Office 365 enables you to restore your last saved copy (and a number of previous copies). View and restore files in SharePoint or OneDrive by clicking File > Infoand selecting View. You can see previous versions and restore prior content, and while it might not take you back to exactly where you left off, you can still get back a lot of your hard work and then carry on.

With Microsoft 365, you get smart assistance features that help you create amazing content fast on any device. Imagine living in a world without access to Microsoft 365… No thanks!

Click here to find out more about how Vox can help you with Microsoft 365 for home use.

“Greatness is a lot of small things done well.” – Eric Thomas (American motivational speaker and author)

Great Internet Plan, Problem Router?

Posted on 1 November 20247 November 2024 by Vivienne Fouche

It’s weekend at last – but Internet access has slowed to a crawl…

Picture the scene, in this non-Vox household. (You’ll see why that’s important later in the story.)

Dad’s watching the Premier League on a streaming service; Mom’s chatting online to her friend overseas; Teenager is doing the initial download of a long-awaited new game, and Tween is on YouTube. Everyone is happy – and then the dreaded buffering starts. Everyone is instantly much less happy, and more bandwidth is clearly required.

“But wait!” says a lone voice, “we upgraded to a new home Internet plan last week and our new download speed is supposed to be blazing fast – so why is it not working?!!!”

The answer could lie with the router.

New Plan, Old Router?

Wi-Fi, as an enabler, carries most of the Internet traffic in a connected home. Your Wi-Fi router converts the Internet data received via the Fibre Optic cables in your neighbourhood into radio signals, to create your home Wi-Fi network and provide all the devices on it with Internet access, using built-in antennas.

Untitled design 2024 08 13T154659.142 | Vox | Great Internet Plan, Problem Router?

If you have a Fibre to the Home (FTTH) Internet plan that supports a download speed of say 25Mbps, an older router (and fewer users) is unlikely to cause a bottleneck in your connections.

However, if you then upgrade to a new 300Mbps plan (because of Teenagers / Tweens / the Premier League), but your previous router supports only 25Mbps wired, your Wi-Fi won’t be able to live up to the connectivity promise if your Internet Service Provider (ISP) doesn’t supply you with a newer model.

Connect With Vox

Vox connects you to the Internet and thereafter continues to manage your connection. When you sign up with Vox, we will furnish you with a suitable free-to-use Wi-Fi router based on your chosen package. We don’t charge a delivery fee for the router, or even a monthly fee for its usage – this is included as part of your bundle.

As a premium ISP, Vox ensures that, for standard installations, your Vox free-to-use Wi-Fi router is installed by a dedicated Vox engineer. Alternatively, our Self-Install process allows you to install your free-to-use Wi-Fi router, by following an easy step-by-step guide.

- Fun fact: Different Wi-Fi devices work according to varying frequency bands. Older routers work on the 2.4 Ghz frequency, while newer phones and laptops use the more stable 5Ghz range. A dual-band device that supports both frequencies is ideal.

Not all routers over a few years old are necessarily bad, but if you’ve upgraded your Internet plan or added more devices to your network, an older router might have a harder time juggling the extra work than a newer model.

Signs that you might need a Wi-Fi router upgrade include the following: slow speeds; a weak connection; malfunctioning equipment; incompatibility with new devices and even overheating.

- Fun Fact: Old smartphones, tablets, and other devices can slow also down your Internet access, even if you have a new, fast router and an upgraded Internet plan.

jonathan kemper ff96HE413W0 unsplash | Vox | Great Internet Plan, Problem Router?

At Home with Vox

The moral of the story is that new tech needs to meet its match – in other words, more new tech.

As outlined, older routers and network equipment can affect the household’s Wi-Fi speeds, especially when there are multiple users. We believe the issue of having the wrong Wi-Fi router for an upgraded Internet plan with Vox is highly unlikely, because we take care of that level of detail, and the responsibility, for you.

For Customer Service and General Queries, our Vox teams are on hand from 08:00 to 17:00, Monday through Friday, and from 08:00 to 14:00 on Saturdays and non-religious public holidays. You can reach us at help@voxtelecom.co.za or call 087 805 0530.

With Vox, upgrading your FTTH Internet usage plan is a straightforward process, and our Technical Support team is always able and willing to help you. We have a Wi-Fi solution for every need.

Sign up with our Fibre to the Home offerings and say goodbye to buffering and hello to hassle-free, connected weekends – for the whole family.

AdobeStock 478762309 1 | Vox | Great Internet Plan, Problem Router?

Playing Detective: Why Do I Have No Internet Access?!!

Posted on 25 October 202430 October 2025 by Vivienne Fouche

Possibilities to unpack

There’s never a good time for the Internet to go down, and we’ve all been there – that “Oh nooooo!” moment of discovering that there’s no Internet access (generally the polar opposite of an “Aha!” moment). Whether or not there’s an instantly obvious reason as to why you suddenly have no Internet access (for example, an unexpected power outage), you’ll want to get back online immediately to carry on with where you were, whether it was working, streaming, gaming or banking.

Finding out exactly where the fault lies can be a little like playing detective (probably a detective in a bad mood). Let’s take a look at the possible reasons for your lack of Internet access, and how to handle the problem.

ISPs versus FNOs

With Fibre Internet connectivity, customers generally deal directly with their Internet Service Providers (ISP) – which is where Vox comes in – but Fibre Network Operators (FNOs) also play a significant role in the connectivity landscape.

An FNO installs, owns and maintains the Fibre Optic Cable network infrastructure that allows users to access the Internet.
An ISP manages how customers receive their Internet services, essentially acting as a middleman between the FNO and the customer. The ISP manages the speed and bandwidth of the Internet coming from the FNO’s cables into your home, offering different Internet packages to cater for different customers’ needs.

Help – My Internet Access is Down!

Let’s say you’re watching your current favourite TV show via a streaming service and the screen suddenly goes blank (but the lights are still on). First things first: try to keep your blood pressure under control, and then check that the issue doesn’t lie with the TV. If you can access your show on your phone or laptop, then it’s not Internet access that’s down but rather your smart TV.

On the other hand, if you’re having connectivity issues across multiple devices, you can then assume that something has gone wrong with your Internet access. There could be a few reasons for this.

Check that your Wi-Fi router and/or ONT (modem) isn’t malfunctioning: Your ONT (also known as an Optical Network Terminal) is the box on the wall (originally installed by the FNO) that connects the Fibre cables outside your property to your Wi-Fi router inside. Make sure all cables are connected properly and that none have come loose. If everything seems fine, unplugging and plugging back in, then waiting about 30 seconds for the device to reboot, usually fixes most ONT and / or router problems.

Additionally, you might physically be too far away from your Wi-Fi router, or the router itself is in the wrong place. Ideally, your Wi-Fi router should be in a central location in your home, not too close to the floor and away from your kitchen Microwave or other electronic devices that might interfere with the radio signal, such as a baby monitor in a child’s room.

The Wi-Fi network might be congested (externally and internally):

While network congestion won’t necessarily knock out your Internet connection completely, it can certainly cause slower speeds. Are other members of your family causing your Internet access to slow because of massive bandwidth consumption via streaming, downloading or gaming?

Besides waiting for the congestion to clear (or bribing your teenagers to stop playing), you can make the most of the speeds you are getting by placing your router in an optimal location (as outlined above), adjusting your Wi-Fi settings or using an Ethernet cable.

It might be your ISP’s connection, which can go down occasionally due to maintenance or mishaps. You can contact Vox Consumer Support on 087 805 0530, or check out planned maintenance through our Vox Support Portal for an update. Using cell phone-based data or another Internet connection elsewhere, you can email help@voxtelecom.co.za.

The good news is that usually, ISP outages happen rather seldom and are resolved as quickly as possible; it’s not in the best interests of any ISP to be slack in leaving things unresolved.

Is it the FNO? This is where it can get tricky for consumers. Their ISP is usually their first port of call and being told, with apologies, that “It’s not us; it’s the people who provide the Fibre network to your area” can feel like someone is not taking ownership. Having contacted your ISP, you could use your mobile phone data and see if there are any outages reported on Twitter, or perhaps your neighbourhood WhatsApp group. If there’s a number to call, do so – and again, hopefully the problem will be resolved as quickly as possible.

Sometimes, Fibre networks go down because of breaks in submarine Fibre cables in the ocean – that’s generally a global issue, and a massive headache for everyone.

Power outages: If the power goes out, so does your Wi-Fi router, so we can’t forget about electricity issues, whether they are called load shedding, load reduction or come in a no-name brand packaging. Best practice advice is to support your Wi-Fi connection with an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). ONTs and routers use very little electricity, and having access to a UPS could save your Teams meeting – and your sanity.

Few things today are more guaranteed to put us instantly into Angry Detective Mode than suddenly losing our Internet access.

The most common cause is a problem with your router or modem, or a loose cable, but your Internet can also fail because of a more technical reason. Whenever there’s an issue, you can always contact us and we will gladly be of assistance.

At Vox, our help is available 24 hours a day, throughout the year.

When to contact Vox support

If you’ve run the checks above and still have no internet access, contact Vox for assistance:

- Phone: 087 805 0530 (24/7 support)
- Email: help@voxtelecom.co.za

Quick FAQs

Q: My TV lost streaming but my phone works — is the internet down?
A: No – this usually means the smart TV or the app is at fault. Try restarting the TV or app first.

Q: How long do ISP outages usually take to fix?
A: Most ISP issues are resolved quickly; longer outages can occur if there’s damage to the fibre network or major maintenance.

Q: Can broken submarine fibre affect my home connection?
A: Yes. Submarine cable faults can cause wider regional disruptions, which your ISP will report on if affected.

Q: My device shows ‘connected’ but there’s no internet – what now?
A: This often means the device is connected to your router but the router itself has lost upstream connection. Reboot your ONT and router, try a different device, and if multiple devices still have no internet, contact Vox on 087 805 0530.

Q: Can I use my phone’s mobile data as a temporary fix?
A: Yes, you can hotspot your phone to get devices online while you troubleshoot. Remember mobile data may be slower or limited by your cap, so use it for essential tasks until your home connection is restored.

Q: I see a cut or damage to fibre outside my property — who fixes it?
A: Physical fibre repairs are handled by the Fibre Network Operator (FNO). Report the issue to Vox support (087 805 0530 / help@voxtelecom.co.za ) so they can escalate to the FNO and arrange a repair.

Internet, Unplugged: The Convenience of Wi-Fi

Posted on 23 October 20247 November 2024 by Craig Blignaut

(‘The Internet’ and ‘Wi-Fi’ Are Not the Same)

“Hi, can I please use your Internet?”

“No, but you are welcome to access my Wi-Fi – let me give you the password.”

The Internet and Wi-Fi are not the same. Nobody owns the global Internet, but people pay for their connectivity and Wi-Fi services (to the home or office) to access the Internet. Knowing the difference makes for clearer understanding and communication.

And just as it’s the nature of water to flow freely through a well-built system, so does information on the internet when it’s enabled by the correct infrastructure. Wi-Fi enables us to access this information without having to plug in our devices through a cable – let’s take a look.

The Internet of Possibilities

Back in its earliest days, people had to plug their devices into an ethernet cable (or before that, an ADSL connection, which was essentially a Telkom landline) to connect to the Internet.

That’s why people talked about ‘Being online’ – because you were ON the internet, but only because you were connected to a LINE (i.e. the cable).

Today, most people connect to the Internet in their homes (or at their office premises) through a wireless connection, in other words through Wi-Fi access. It’s a huge step up from having to have your device constantly plugged in to remain connected.

So how does Wi-Fi access enable wireless connectivity?

From Fibre Outside to Wireless Inside

Your home Wi-Fi network begins with Fibre Optic cables that are laid outside your property within the neighbourhood by the fibre network operators (FNOs). Through these Fibre Optic cables, Internet data is transmitted at the speed of light.

When you sign up for a Wi-Fi service, an internet service provider (ISP) – like Vox – then takes over. The ISP links the FNO Fibre box outside your property boundary with a separate (shorter) Fibre Optic cable to an optical network terminal (ONT) inside your home.

The ONT is linked with one last short cable into your Wi-Fi router, which then ‘converts’ Internet data received via the Fibre optics into radio signals, to create your home Wi-Fi network.

And voila! You and your devices have access to wireless Internet access in your home.

Internet Like Water

Much like water, the Internet, with its constant access to information and services, has become fundamental to modern life today. So you could also think of the process like this:

Firstly, the Internet is the water that is constantly flowing.
The Fibre cables are your hosepipe – the actual infrastructure that carries the Internet to you.
Your Wi-Fi router is the primary sprinkler that makes the Internet easily accessible. Wi-Fi lets you access the Internet without having to literally plug in your device.
Finally, mesh units or access points placed strategically within your home further sprinkle your Wi-Fi everywhere it’s needed, allowing for the freest possible flow of the Internet and the information it allows us to share.

From the way we communicate and work, to how we shop, bank and entertain ourselves, the Internet has revolutionised multiple aspects of our lives.

Vox can assist you with all of your connectivity needs, from infrastructure to Wi-Fi, with a host of additional options to quench your thirst for fully-enabled communications.

We’re proud to say that there’s no obstacle to free-flowing communications that we can’t solve for you.

Don’t Sleep on Data Backup and Recovery

Posted on 18 October 2024 by Vivienne Fouche

Even Presidents Can Be Hacked

Data is the life blood of all organisations, and any loss of data can have serious implications for a business. The sudden loss of sensitive financial records or confidential information would be devastating to a company, with potential consequences including operational disruption, financial loss and reputational damage, as well as emotional distress to its customers.

Data loss can occur in many different ways. A hardware failure, a power outage, a natural disaster, or a cyber attack could all result in the loss of critical business data. Without a data backup plan, your organisation could be at risk of losing everything.

This means it’s essential to have proactive cybersecurity in place, as well as steps to control data backup and recovery, to protect an organisation’s digital assets. Having a reliable and redundant backup solution can assist companies to recover from incidents such as ransomware or hardware failure.

Three, Two, One: Go! For Data Backup

Data backup is a proactive measure that involves creating duplicate copies of critical data to guard against potential loss. These copies act as insurance against unforeseen events like hardware failures, accidental deletions and even cyberattacks.

Establishing a reliable backup strategy is like giving yourself a digital safety net to protect against risks – or an insurance policy, to put it another way.

Effectively implementing data backup and cybersecurity requires a strategic approach. Establishing a solid data backup plan involves adhering to the 3-2-1 backup rule, which has been used for many years and is supported by solution providers, businesses and even governments.

The 3-2-1 backup rule outlines that three backups must be kept, two of which should be on two different media (usually disk and tape), while one copy must be outside the primary data centre. This approach ensures protection against various scenarios, from hardware failures to natural disasters.

SA President Not Immune from Ransomware Attacks

South African government institutions have been battered by ransomware gangs over the last year.

The Development Bank of Southern Africa was targeted by a ransomware attack in June 2024, with servers, logfiles and documents stolen. In September this year, South Africa’s defence department was hacked by a gang that also allegedly leaked the personal phone number and email of President Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as a portion of the 1.6 terabytes of data stolen from the country’s defence systems.

The country’s International Trade Administration Commission also said it was hit with ransomware in early 2024. More recently, in June, the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) was targeted by a ransomware attack in which hackers deleted sections of their system, including backup servers, which meant that they were required to rebuild many of the affected parts. The attack took place at a time when Mpox outbreaks in the country were of concern.

These statistics show that data loss is a severe problem that can have a significant impact on an organisation, causing financial and reputational damage.

Protect Your Data with Vox

At Vox, we understand the critical importance of keeping your data safe with a backup and recovery plan. As a Veeam Gold Partner, we offer your business the opportunity to create a copy of your data through our Backup as a Service, which uses the 3-2-1 rule.

As a trusted leader in the data protection space, Veeam provides backup, recovery and replication for critical workloads, like VMware, AWS, Microsoft Azure, SQL Server, Oracle, Windows, Linux and NAS, across physical, virtual and cloud platforms, in a single offering.

With the Vox 3-2-1 Backup solution, we provide an onsite data store for fast local restores, and replicates the data to our Cloud repository in case of major onsite disaster. It supports onsite virtual or physical servers as well as Windows and Linux desktops.

We offer a number of benefits:

A fully managed solution with proactive monitoring to ensure data isn’t lost
Ongoing integrity testing ensures that data is not corrupt and that backups can be recovered
The option to quickly restore to Vox Cloud so that users can continue to work.

Companies implementing a backup strategy often only keep data on-site, believing this to be infallible. However, a ransomware attack or critical hardware failure, in most instances, renders the data unrecoverable. With our Vox solution, you can protect against this risk by adding an additional layer of redundancy, as follows:

3 copies of your data: This is the primary copy of the data you are using as well as two backups.
Saved on 2 different mediums: In addition to your primary copy, an onsite NAS device stores your backups, enabling quick restore functionality to reduce downtime.
1 copy offsite in the Vox Cloud: Using Veeam’s Cloud connect, a backup copy is stored and maintained in the Vox Cloud.

The urgency to backup data lies in the potential devastation that is caused by data loss. You don’t want your organisation to become another statistic – or another bad news story in the headlines.

Available in your area