FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

>> FAQs - Frequenly Asked Questions

What is broadband? Think of the internet as a huge multilane motorway, think of the cars as packets of information, each car carrying just a small part of the information to make up, for instance, A web page. (presume for now that you are on a 56KBps modem) Your computer sends our a request for a webpage, (i.e. you click on a link) unfortunately you live miles from the main highway, down a single track road (the modem and phone line) think of your request as a single car that leaves your house and starts to make its way down the little narrow lane leading eventually to the motorway. When it arrives at the motorway, it quickly finds the address it wants, orders the information on the request, and immediately a line of cars, each carrying some of the information you have requested, set off on the journey to your house. Whilst on the motorway, they travel quickly, sometimes several abreast, but when they reach the single track road they form a nose to tail stream bumping along slowly to reach your house (and your computer) Thats dial-up, so what about broadband? Broadband is moving into a new house right next to the motorway with a very wide entrance! Instead of just 1 car (packet) going down your road at a time, several can turn into your house at the same time! So you get the packets faster!. Heres the math: Dial-Up @ 56 Kbps (kilobits per second) 1 byte=8bits so the maximum download speed you could see on dial-up is 56\8=7KBps (kilobytes per second) download speed. 1Mbps Broadband (1 megabit per second or 1024 bits per second) 1024\8=128KBps download speed 2Mbps Broadband (2 megbits per second or 2048 bits per second) 2048\8=256KBps download speed The above are theoretical maximums! If you get... 3 to 5KBps on a dial-up service, 100 to 120KBps on a 1MBps broadband service, 190 to 220KBps on a 2Mbps broadband service ...you are doing pretty well! To learn more about the technologies of different types of broadband click here. For info on Wireless Broadband click here. How can I get broadband? By contacting us! If you cannot get regular DSL broadband or do not have a telephone line but still wish to use broadband, contact us and we will let you know if we can help you get super fast internet access via wireless technology. How much does broadband cost? Community broadband networks are costed on their size and number of subscribers. If you have pre-registered under a grant scheme you should be eligible for free installation of the broadband equipment. The monthly fee greatly depends on how many people sign up to use the service and the cost of backhaul, we aim to stay competitive with other broadband suppliers and take annual reviews on prices to keep the price down if viable. To see this scheme in action please look at the case study on 'Langtoft' village where we are currently offering 2mbps broadband for £15.99, this dropped from an original £25.00 monthly charge. Do you offer support? Yes! We offer an extensive range of support features and contact lines. We do not believe in call centres and believe that the person you talk to should know exactley what you need know, we will also kindly answer any questions you may have about your own hardware or software issues. We have spent a great amount of time compiling web-based help and support features, we urge people to start here first as 90% of the time their problem can be solved by self help. In the case you cannot connect to the internet you can call our support line that is open between normal working hours, which is soon to extend to evenings and weekends. If you have a persistant problem we want to know about it, so please do not hesitate to call us. What connection speed can I hope to receive? The speed that you will receive will be dependant on what backhaul your communiity has in place. If you have DSL backhaul you should frequently see speeds of upto 2mbit. If you are on a satellite backhaul network you can see speeds of up to 3mbit but with a latency delay. Why is my download speed and upload speed different? The speeds are different because the use of the 'internet' dictates so, if you imagine when you are surfing a website, downloading files or watching streaming music or video all the information is travelling to you (downloading), you usually only upload to the internet is when you send an email or update your website. In short, the majority of the time you download more than you upload so that is why it is biased in such a way. What do you mean by "Always on"? An "Always on" connection means you can keep your connection in use 24/7, there is no need to dial-up or wait untill someone is finished using the phone, you should not get disconnected and should be always available when you need it. Because broadband is an "Always on" service your computer is more at risk from nasties such as hackers, viruses, adware and malware. We take security very seriously and to help you protect your computer from these threats we have created a security eGuide which can be found here. If you have any further questions about security please email us here. How long does a standard installation take? A standard client installation usually take approximately 2 to 3 hours, this includes all equipment and computer configuration, so when we leave your property you should be online! >> Guide to Client Installation click here. For a mesh host installation we usually require 4 to 5 hours to ensure all equipment is running within parameters before we leave the property. If you have chosen to be a mesh host you will also be online when we have finished the installation. >> Guide to Mesh Host Installation click here. What are the minimum requirements needed to connect? Software Requirements: We currently install broadband on any of the following operating systems; Microsoft Windows 98SE, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Server 2003, MAC OS/OSX and various Linux Distributions. We prefer not to install Wireless broadband on operating systems below Windows 98, and encourage clients to upgrade, this is due to the older operating systems having limited native networking support. It can work but we are unable to give full support if anything goes wrong. Hardware Requirements: IBM/PC 5x86 Processor or above CPU Speed >500mHz RAM: (Win98/ME) >128MB (2000/XP) >256MB Hard Disk Space Free: >1GB 10/100 Network Interface Card In Windows you can check most of you specification by 'right clicking' the 'My Computer' icon and selecting properties. Will you need to modify my computer before I can receive broadband? We may have to install a Network Interface Card (NIC) into your machine, this is just an extra card that will be placed inside your computer and will allow your machine to connect to our network and the internet. You may not need this card installing in your machine as it may already have one, if your computer is relatively new then it will be likely that it will have ethernet implemented onto the mainboard. >> How to check if I already have an ethernet port click here. We have more than one computer, can they all use broadband? Yes this is possible, although the other computers that need an internet connection need to be connected somehow. This can be done by "hard wiring”, using a cable to a network hub, or it can be connected using a wireless network card and an access point. Another method that you can use is Ethernet Over Mains (EOM). These devices plug into a 13amp wall socket near your computer and a cable from the device to your computer. The network signal goes through the mains into the device and into your computer. This technology is very handy as you can move the device anywhere within the house as long as you have an electric socket. note: We have found that the EOM devices are sensitive to 'dirty' noisey mains and can be affected by high levels of transience frequencies in rural and industrial areas. Please ask for a demo before choosing this option. Can I use broadband for online gaming? If your community has DSL backhaul online gaming should not be a problem, online games such as HalfLife, CouterStrike, Quake3, Warcraft III play fine :) If your community has Satellite backhaul online gaming could be a problem, FPS (First Person Shooters) need fast response time and due to the satellite latency issue these games are usually not playable. Strategy Games and Online Card Games do not suffer as much as these do not usually need fast response times. What security risks should I be aware of when using broadband? When using broadband there are different risks that you should be aware of. The most common threats are Hackers and Viruses. There are solutions to these problems that should be implemented onto your system. These risks are more apparent because with broadband you are connected for longer periods of time which means that the connection is more vulnerable. Does the Wireless system pose a risk to my health? Extensive research has been carried out into the wireless standards we use and it concludes that wireless signals are not a risk for your health, more information can be found in our health and safety section. Will you have to install a large telecommunications mast in our area? No, definately not, we will not be installing a telecommunications mast in your area. We will only need to install aerials at the points where our nodes will be. These aerials are small and very inconspicous, and run at very low power.