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Internet options in the Round Valley Area

Updated list with new information found on my latest post.  CLICK HERE!

Updated: February 21st, 2016.  

Your current Internet options in the Round Valley area: (new recommendation of AirMax.  Scroll down to see why).

1 – AirMax (Microwave) – AirMax offers a number of plans that cater to different groups of Internet users.  Most common plans are $40 per month (6Mbps down/2Mbps up) and $55 per month (10Mbps down/4Mbps up).  This technology relies on line-of-sight to the tower.  The link provided above has a map of locations of towers in our area, and the AirMax team continues to build out the network to provide more coverage to more addresses.  I have performed extensive testing on this service since September of 2015, and have been satisfied with the over-all service levels in various weather conditions.  My concerns about it being a wireless technology, and having latency has been minimized the longer I have the service running.  Streaming content as well as on-demand needs such as online gaming are not hindered over this Internet connection.

  • For the gamers reading, NAT level 2 is provided for this connection.  This allows you to host games from your Internet connection.
  • As of 2/21/2016, the updated date of this post, there is no public IP/static IP option with this ISP.  It is the only big caveat I have found with the service that makes it limiting.  I have found workarounds for my own needs, but have also engaged AirMax to begin conversations in expanding their service to provide this as an option for their customers.  It would enable more businesses to make AirMax their primary Internet connection if they have hosted services at their location.

2 – Verizon LTE (3G/LTE) –  I’ve seen ~50Mbps down and ~15Mbps up. The obvious downside to this is that unless you have a grandfathered “unlimited” plan, you will find your data cap rather quickly.  Since the upgrade to LTE, I have seen these speed be consistent.  I also use Verizon’s data services through my iPhone or iPad when traveling.  It is a much safer option while traveling when your other option is the Hotel’s free/pay wireless Internet.  Public WiFi in general is a great way to contract a virus or malware.  It is ZNET’s recommendation to avoid public WiFi when transmitting personal information of any kind.

3 – Frontier Communications (aDSL) – My provisioned 6Mpbs connection usually runs in the 3.5Mbps range with a constant .36Mbps up. It is aDSL so you upload speeds will be affected by the amount of your current downloads. The service appears to be oversold and saturated in local markets, which cause speed issues or total unavailability of service to certain areas.  Frontier has also placed a new WAN link between the Springerville C.O. and Show Low.  This was anticipated to increase and stabilize existing provisioned speeds for aDSL users.

  • Frontier Communications offers dry-loop or “naked” DSL for those not wanting a “home” phone service coupled with their aDSL connection.
  • Frontier Communications offers dedicated circuits as well, but these are not covered in this post as they are not a typical solution for most residential/business users.

4 – Wi-Power (Microwave) –

Wi-power now offers a “media” plan offering a 10Mbps bursted service with dedicated speeds of 5Mbps if you have line of sight to that particular tower.  Pricing is ~$100 per month as of late 2015 for the media plan.

I have called and spoken with their local and regional staff. They will sell “bursted” data, but will only guarante 1.5Mbps up and down.  While discussing my options with Wi-Power they asked what I used the Internet for and how many devices I had.  At the end of our conversation they recommend I stay with my current ISP because they couldn’t guarantee the speeds I was requesting.

5 – DishNET (Satellite) – Offering allowance-based Internet similar to Verizon and other cellular data plans.  The difference is, once you download/upload your allowance your speeds are “significantly reduced for that data allotment period for the remainder of the billing cycle.”  When I installed HughesNET in the early 2000s, this equated to around dialup speeds.  This is also not a good option for any real-time data needs such as stocks and online gaming.  The sheer distance the data is traveling causes latency.

6 – CellularONE (3G/4G being built out). Cellular Data Plan similar to Verizon LTE. Pricing available per GB of traffic.  CellularONE is currently working to build out their 4G network.

7 – Various dial-up services. Do we really need to discuss these? Synchronous 56Kbps connections dependent upon the quality of the cable ran between the C.O. and your computer.

UPDATED Recommendation:  The all-around best choice is AirMax.  I have always looked for a faster, more reliable option for my Internet connection.  I rely on it professionally for work as well as personally for media streaming.  Finding AirMax, meeting their team, and beginning to use it in Q3 of 2015 resulted in me dropping my previous ISP.  I have also became the direct reselling agent for AirMax in our area.  It is both the product I have in my home, and the product I recommend for almost every residential and business Internet need.

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Frontier Voicemail Email Forward

Frontier Communications

Frontier Communications has updated their voicemail system to allow for many features that I didn’t know were available until recently. (Thanks Kellie) You have the ability to login to a webpage that will let you listen, delete, and manage your voicemail. (Frontier Messaging)  The feature that I really like is the ability to forward voicemails to your email inbox.  I have had this feature turned on for a few days, and I really like it.  I have such a hard time checking my voicemail on my landline.  I think this will be the solution to helping me not have 10+ voicemails that I have not been able to respond to.

To turn this feature on:

1 – Log on to https://webmail.frontiermessaging.com with your phone number with area code as the username, and your voicemail pin is the password.

2 – Click Settings on the top right of the menu.

3 – Click Messaging in the sub-navigation menu.

4 – Under Voicemail Auto Forwarding, check the box that says “Auto-forward all voicemail messages as emails to:”

5 – Enter the email address under that you’d like to receive your voicemail on.

6 – Click Apply.

You are all set.  Your voicemail will appear with the number that called you if the Caller ID is available.  The attachment will be a .wav file that is playable on most smart phones.

My iPhone plays them back just fine, but one caveat is that the voicemail is seen as a music file by your smartphone so the voicemail will begin to play through its speaker.  If you are worried about the contents of the voicemail I would recommend wearing headphones, or remove yourself from earshot before clicking on the message.wav file attached to the email.  It is not quite as nice as Google Voice, but a huge step in the right direction.

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iPhone 4 Review (Verizon)

Like many others I stayed up on February 2nd to pre-order my iPhone at 1am Arizona time.  Again, like many others I have been hitting refresh on my FedEx tracking seeing it make it’s journey from California to my doorstep.  Activation was painless (although I have heard of people having issues with activation due to the overwhelming number of activations today) after the mandatory application of  Ghost Armor on my screen.  Ghost Armor is a nice Arizona-based company that provides screen protectors for all sorts of technology.  My iPad, BlackBerry Bold, and my wife’s HTC Incredible all sport the protectors.  It was slightly weird using my Droid X to a picture of my iPhone, and post it to Facebook letting everyone know that beautiful piece of Motorola and Android technology would soon be gathering dust.

Once activated and dried off, I booted up the device and setup my mail (gmail using Microsoft Exchange support for calendar and contact syncronization), my voicemail, and Google Voice number.  After my core messaging applications were in place I plugged the phone into my MacBook Pro for the initial sync (which is known to be notoriously slow and drawn out).  Many of my iPad applications that had been designed for both iOS devices were synced over (including my “must-have” LogMeIn Ignition, DropBox, and Documents ToGo Premium among others).  45 minutes had my music and apps installed and ready to go.  The process was painless, and surprisingly easy.  My only wish would have been to have the option to import all  the settings, accounts, and logins from my iPad to my iPhone.  A small qualm, but it would have made the process even more plug-and-play.

So far the experience has been great.  I have not dropped any calls (but that has never been a problem for me on Verizon Wireless‘ cellular network), I have the familiar iOS experience from my iPad, and at the end of the day it is an Apple product.  I do not see the inability to use voice and data services simultaneously a problem, because I like most other geeks are never too far away from another piece of tech.  Those who enjoy Apple products will enjoy the iPhone.  For many in the tech field we desire technology that “just works”, and while my background would dictate that I would be an Android phone supporter (which I am, I have a Droid X, HTC Incredible, and a Droid R2D2 currently on my family share plan even after my switch to the iPhone) I need a phone that just works.  I do miss Swype a little, bit but I’m sure having it auto-correct me incorrectly more and more will will be a short-lived downside to switching to the iPhone (I would be okay with the option if it was available on my iPhone someday).  This device, much like my MacBook Pro and iPad, is reliable and ready for me consume and create content whenever and wherever I need.

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Skype | Video Conference for the rest of us

#mce_temp_url#

My earlier post about the Microsoft LifeCam was based around us setting my Great-Aunt up with Skype so she could see and talk more with her family.  Tonight while waiting for mom to come home, we Skyped Gwen.  While I helped Gwen type her Christmas Card over LogMeIn Rustyn chatted with her.  I think he had fun, what do you think?

It should go without saying, but for those unfamiliar with Skype, it is a great solution to being able to getting to see them and share memories.  They offer high-quality video one-to-one video chatting.  The newest release of Skype also allow for group chat between multiple people.  This is to be a premium service that will be charged after the 28 day trial.

My brother-in-law was living in Connecticut when we bought home, and they’ve never been here. They did get a tour as my wife told them all about it while I walked around with my laptop. Check out our LifeCam writeup, it would make a good Christmas present.

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A return to analog goodness

A transfer to another location for a business is never the easiest thing, especially when you have a remote office accessing data at the office that is moving.  ZNET helped a company move to their new location, and part of the migration was getting dial tone to each office.  It was a great refresher since leaving Azstar Communications.  The DSL, phone, fax, and credit card machine were all moved over, and are running happy in their new home. It was a nice break from the norm to get to get out my punch down tool out, and do some cabling.  Remember ZNET Networks when you need voice and data cabling.  Check out their phone cabling, isn’t it pretty?