Anybody starting a business knows that funding is the biggest problem. Angel investment and venture capital for first round funding are about as scarce as shade in Phoenix. That is of course, unless your Uncle RUSs or Aunt CAFee open up the government (meaning poor taxpayers) purse strings (lookup OpenRange, Main Street Broadband) to people [...]
2012-2013 WLAN Buyer’s Guide
July 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment
It’s time to get the 2012-2013 WLAN Buyer’s Guide, the definitive guide for evaluating enterprise WLAN networks. The evaluation of a Wi-Fi network requires that enterprises carefully consider the changes happening in the user population. Factors in the Wi-Fi world today such as consumerization of IT and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) are driving the enterprise to deploy [...]
Tales from the Towers, Chapter 35: Ubiquiti versus Canopy/Cambium for WISPs
May 7, 2012 by 4 Comments
Before you start reading this article, let me warn you first that it is longest one I’ve written and the only one in which the manufacturers I talk about see the text before publication. I have my opinions and perceptions as many of you do. However, I also wanted this article to be factually accurate [...]
Case Study: Improving Wi-Fi QoS and Performance in Rural Environments
April 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment
This is a case study on how to improve Wi-Fi quality of service (QoS) and performance in rural environments. Problem: poor quality of service in a rural community Without a doubt, one of the major issues service providers will continue to face in provisioning WiFi networks is Quality of Service (QoS). In addition to poor [...]
Tales from the Towers, Chapter 34: Raising Money for a Wireless ISP Business
April 23, 2012 by 1 Comment
I’ve seen business plans for WISPs from small to large, and from municipal mesh to tower-centric models. In every one, I try to look at design methodologies that would make the deployment technically unique. The goal is that the effort pays off in reduced capital expenditures, greater competitive advantage, and hopefully a better financial business [...]
Tales from the Towers, Chapter 33: What’s your vector, Victor?
February 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment
I participate in various forums that cover the wireless industry. One of the things I enjoy hearing about is that unlicensed frequencies can’t work in certain applications for various reasons. Too much interference, too expensive, and if it’s possible why anyone else hasn’t done it, are common objections and just get my hackles up. The [...]
Case Study: Eliminating Performance, Interference Issues With Multi-Channel Wi-Fi access points
December 17, 2011 by 1 Comment
Problem: Providing Wireless Internet Connectivity in a Crowded Environment J&J Telecommunications needed to solve a major customer problem. The 855-boat slip South Shore Harbor Marina located in League City, TX needed to provide WiFi Internet Connectivity to their customer’s Mobile, Laptop and Tablet devices without having to install customer-premises equipment on the customer’s boat. Adding [...]
Tales from the Towers, Chapter 32: S.P.I.R.I.T. – You Can’t Always Get What You Want
December 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment
In the last few weeks, I’ve seen bids that range from wireless municipal specifications from 8 years ago to the desire to reach for the outer limits. Both strategies have unrealistic expectations, just from different ends of the equation. Eight-year old municipal specifications assume that delivering 300Kbps is an adequate expectation for anyone in 2011. [...]
Tales from the Towers, Chapter 31: When in doubt, use your W.I.T.T.S.
November 23, 2011 by 1 Comment
Most WISP operators perform additional projects outside the scope of just providing Internet access. The skill sets required to install backhaul systems to residential or business clients can be utilized in other applications. Although I’ve been fortunate enough to see many unique types of wireless applications, some stick out more than others. Video surveillance, SCADA [...]
Tales from the Towers, Chapter 30: Fear of 2.4GHz for Public Safety Defies Logic
November 21, 2011 by 2 Comments
That’s not exactly how it’s sung by Frankie in “How you wear your hat” but if the slipper fits… Public Safety is scared to use 2.4GHz. Fears of hackers and the fact everything on the planet that is WiFi enabled runs in 2.4GHz. And why should they use it when the government has given them [...]
