Happenings Around the Shop

I am happy to announce that all SPITwSPOTS customers are now eligible to receive a 25% discount on all Pizzas at Spices located next to Kachemak wholesale! Just tell them your user name and you will receive a discount on any regularly priced pizza! (Pleas note that this does not include the 2 for $20 one topping special) We are very happy to be doing business with Spices and encourage everybody to try their pizza. I personally had a small meat lovers pizza their this afternoon and have to say it was great. (They even made it without cheese just for me .) (In case your wondering…James and Justin had a large supreme pizza with extra cheese and also said it was great… )

I am happy to announce the successful setup of our newest customer in Barabara subdivision (about 4.5 outside of Seldovia)! They live on “Dirty hippy/hairy feminist way” (which they assured us was just a joke )

This was our very first setup across the bay and the first time we had to mount our equipment to a tree! It was also the first time we ever had to “fly in” to do a set up. We went over with the assumption that it would be difficult to get a good signal. However we were pleasantly surprised to find that we had at least half a dozen different SPITwSPOTS signals to choose from. We were easily able to select the strongest signal and completed the set-up in record time. We boarded the plane to seldovia at 10am and finished the set-up at about 12:30! Making it one of our fastest setups to date. But you can’t measure the success of a set-up by how quickly you finish. When we finished we had an SNR of 11 db (that’s good ) and raw data rate of 11Mpbs. Meaning that this customer can take full advantage of our lightning fast 3Mb subscription!

Due to popular demand we are reinstating our discounts on one year subscriptions. Any one buying a full years subscription for either Standard 2Mb or Super 3Mb will now have the choice of either paying for 10 months and getting 2 months free or paying the full 12 months and receiving a free autoaccess account (that’s 2 accounts for the price of one). So if you need to use your SPITwSPOTS account in two different locations (i.e. at home and at the office) you can’t beat our 2 for 1 offer. If on the other hand you only use SPITwSPOTS at one location and want to keep down your yearly expense you can save $100-$180 per year by taking advantage of our one year discount.

Here is a list of our new one year subscriptions.

Basic 400k is $240 per year and comes with a free second autoaccess account.
Standard 2Mb is $500 per year OR $600 per year with a free second autoaccess account.
Super 3Mb is $900 per year OR $1,080 per year with a free second autoaccess account.

SPITwSPOTS is committed to offering the highest quality and most affordable internet in Homer. If you have an idea as to how we might better serve you or the community please feel free to call me at (907)399-3379 or e-mail me at administrator@spitwspots.com

After recent discussions with clients I have come to the realization that
I have not adequately communicated the details of our recent speed and price changes.

Essentially we have lowered our prices and increased our speeds. This is
how it works. Due to technical limitations we can only provide 3
different speeds. We need to offer significantly higher speeds that are optimized for streaming video. Since we can only offer 3
speeds altogether we have essentially dropped the lowest speed.

Here is a break down of our old speeds and prices. Basic was 256k @
$15/month, Standard was 512k @ $40.25/month, and Super was 1Mb @
$75/month.

The new speeds and prices are as follows. Basic is 400k @ $20/month,
Standard is 2Mb @ $50/month, and Super is 3Mb @ $90/month.

There is very little real world difference between 400k and 512k. If you
were at Standard 512k and were satisfied with your speed then you will
most likely be satisfied with 400k AND your monthly bill will be cut in
half. If on the other hand you always wished that it would be faster you
can more than double your speed for a mere $10 more per month. (2Mb offers
a nearly flawless streaming video experience

Again I apologize for not explaining this better before hand. I did not
properly anticipate how this change would appear to some of our customers.

We are constantly trying to improve our service and are committed to
offering the best internet at the lowest price anywhere in Homer. I feel
that this new structure offers a greatly improved value for your dollar as
well as improving the speeds available to the cost conscious consumer.

Feel free to e-mail me at administrator@spitwspots.com or call me at
399-3379 if you have any questions or comments.

Ever since the early days of SPITwSPOTS there has been a problem.  It has affected a large number of our customers at one time or another. It was first notice during one of our earliest residential setups.  Or network has been shaped in part by attempts to minimize this problem.  He have endeavored to educate new customers on what to do if the problem occurs.  And we have tested a variety of different client devices to try and find solutions. None of these things brought us acceptable results.

Recently we have been getting reports from other ISPs that someone has been sending SPAM from our network. Most likely this is being caused by an infected machine without the knowledge of its owner. However if we do not stop this unwanted SPAM we could be blacklisted from certain parts of the internet or loose our internet connection all together.

In order to stop outgoing SPAM we have instituted new firewall rules to block ALL outgoing e-mail unless that mail is going to an approved e-mail server.

If you are using “web-based” e-mail (like yahoo and hotmail) this will not affect you at all. If you are using Outlook Express, Outlook, or another e-mail client AND use ACS, SPITwSPOTS, Bluehost, or Gmail. You will also not notice any change. However if you are using a mail client and are currently using another e-mail provider your e-mails will not be able to be sent. You will need to call me at 399-3379 or leave a message at 299-4052 so that we can add your provider to the list of approved networks.

I apologize for this inconvenience but we must all to our part to stop the worldwide epidemic of spam. (and we need to protect the SPITwSPOTS Network so that we can continue to provide quality internet services)

SPITwSPOTS member Nancy wrote in asking:Webmaster: I have two questions,

1. What is the difference between a secure vs. a non secure hot spot? Anyone can log on to either, right?
2. Why so much rebooting of nodes since Sept 26?

Let’s start with this; there are two categories to consider when discussing wireless security, 1) data encryption and 2) whether the users are firewalled from each other.

When data is being sent wirelessly, all traffic can be “sniffed”, meaning a third party has the ability to watch pieces of info, or packets, to go through the air. To secure your data a router will encrypt, or scramble it. With the proper code, the data is unscrambled and read. So, when you sign on to an access point and it asks for WEP encryption or such, it is asking for your piece of the math problem, or the “key” to unlock the code.

A public wireless network by default has to be unencrypted because people need to be able to connect. If one were to give out this key publicly, what would be the use? A private hotspot will ask for an encryption code before allowing you access.

Now, there are two jump points to be concerned with, one being from your laptop to the access point, and then the wireless network’s internal jumps.

We established that when a wireless signal leaves your machine, on its way to a router, it can be sniffed. On the SPITwSPOTS network, we solve this by offering an optional VPN connection, which is a Virtual Private Network. It encrypts the data between your laptop and the SwS network’s hard ware. SPITwSPOTS is the only local provider offering VPN connectivity to it’s premium members for full time security.

As for internal traffic, most all ISP’s have their own internal encryption. SPITwSPOTS uses many layers of high level encryption.

A HOTwSPOT is a secure open public access point. It allows anyone to log on while maintaining firewalls between users, meaning you cannot access any other computers on the network. (Nor can anyone else access your machine.) The second layer is called VPN security. A VPN connection allows for your data to be encrypted from the moment it leaves your laptop’s wireless card. This option is currently only available to premium users. For instructions on how to use a VPN connection, click here, or call Aaron @ 399.3379

So what does all this mean? Unsecured hotspots can cause problems and concern because your data could not only be sniffed, but any open or shared files you have may be freely accessed, and any virus’ or spyware on ANY other machine on the network, can infect you as well. This means that if one computer on an unsecured network is infected by a virus, it can then potentially spread to any other computer on the network. Not good.

Unfortunately, there are no easy tests to see if a network is secure, but there are ways available. One way consists of using two computers to access the network, and seeing if you can contact each other through the network. If you can ping or find the other computer’s files, you are not firewalled from other users, and thus are on an unsecured network. On a secure hotspot you should not be able to ping or access another computer’s files.

WHEW!!! With all that out of the way, there are several reasons that nodes have been rebooting since Sept. 24. We have had many changes in the RF (radio frequency) environment, (due mainly from noise from other wireless sources) and to rectify this, we make settings changes on the equipment, and many times this requires a reboot. Also, we have had an excessive number of compact flash failures. The operating system we use is stored on Compact Flash cards, (similar to USB thumb drives, but internal on the motherboard) and these cards have been failing on us, and we have been exploring why for several months. Unfortunately neither we, nor the OS developer knows why yet. We believe it’s a manufacturing defect, so we are currently changing the manufacturer of our CF cards. Failing CF cards is hard on our gear, and causes reboots. Finally, configuration changes also play a role. Think of the network as a living organism, and it becomes more tangible; it needs to be fed and loved each day to be sure it’s operating efficiently.

Hope all this techno jargon has answered your questions, and thanks for writing in Nancy .

Nancy received a free one week 1024 k pass for submitting questions that we posted and answered. The challenge remains to the rest of you loyal readers out there… send in a question that we post, and receive a free one week 1024 k pass. Not a bad deal, just ask Nancy .

Respect,

Brian “PunK” Ormond & the SPITwSPOTS Team
webmaster@spitwspots.com

Well Brian says I need to write more for the web sight So I decided to Log my day during our recent software upgrade.

10:45am
Well here we go …..
Darius is putting on the climbing harness right now. Soon we will be running on qcode.
…..I really…really…really….REALLY hope today goes well.
10:58am
power is on…we are waiting for the first qorvus box to boot up……………………………………………………………..
11:15am
so far so good…except for mosquitoes……on to node #2 at the alibi……
11:27am
AT NODE B Darius is already just finishing up.
Darius says this one needs some weather proofing
11:40am
just finished testing new qorvus connection…So far I am quite impressed!
on to node T.

11:44am
Just arrived at T. Looks like Darius is almost done.
11:54am
I will have to finish configuring this one at the spit.
now its off to node K at the B&B
12:48
well this one took awhile. but we’re almost done just a pain in the butt case…..
1:19pm
off to the spit…..I have to say that so far I am quite impressed with the unforeseen bandwidth performance !!! I just hope to day continues to be so trouble free…..
1:35pm
I’m on the spit and Darius is now more than one node ahead of me…..
2:04pm
Caught up to Darius. So fare everything seems to be working fine…on my way to south central radar.
2:23pm
caught up with Darius. He is still 2 nodes ahead…..;) so far so good
2:33pm
these ones went pretty fast…..now for node A…the last node on the spit!

4:27pm
Well we did A ….no problems..then a quick burger from the happy face (my favorite burger joint)…..now we have just finished node G and Darius is on his way to start the east end nodes. 10 down 12 to go! Note to self: Node G needs better grounding.
4:39pm
seems to be a problem with the splash page on G so I’m re-applying the patches.
4:55pm
ok …now I’m ready to go on to east end……
5:18pm
We are officially half way done…..
Getting a little concerned about inconveniencing customers…..Brian is making some calls to smooth the way…
5:41pm
we must be getting tired…we just lost 2 screws….fortunately we were able to “borrow” a couple from a local computer

6:22pm
another node down…..hurrah!!
time to move on to the next one
6:23pm
Darius just finished another one……
6:37pm
moving on to node P
7:51pm
finally finished with C….moving on…..
9:59pm
Almost done…turns out people who are connected via Ethernet to their node are not getting internet
10:06pm
got Brian’s node working via Ethernet…not sure how…well on we go.
1:31am
I would be done …….but…….I still have this problem with Ethernet ports ;(
1:46am
alright!!! I’m pretty sure I have the solution….I’ll have to login to almost every node to apply the fix……..
2:52am
I think I’m done …….
I Hope I’m done……..
yah…I’m done…….
It took a little bit longer than I thought it would………
Good night…

For over a month now we have been working in the shop with a new version of our mesh software which we believe will solve our network stability issues. Once we got the new software and began testing it we noticed that it lacked 4 features that are essential to the way users interact (signup and login) with our network. We contacted the software developers who (much to our delight) began going to work to implement the features we need. 2 of the 4 features were implemented fairly quickly and easily once the patches were ready. But the 3rd just didn’t work. So I have spent the last several days working with the developers to figure out how to make it work…..And finally…..at 1am….I figured it out…It was a pretty big deal because if we could not make it work we would have had to re-structure our entire “FREE 128″ system which has over 300 users. So now we have 3/4 of the original features need…And we can probably live for a while without the 4th one. It is just the feature that allows the automated billing system to automatically add a users mac address into in to their user profile at sign up. (in other words without it I will get a lot more support calls from users needing help because they have a dell not a mac…..ha…ha…) but I can probably live with that

It’s been one month since our network set a new record with an insanity index score of 146.7. For those of you who don’t follow our index score let me explain what this means. For a mesh network there are two factors that primarily affect the overall quality of the network. 1: The total number of nodes. The more nodes you have the greater the range and stability of the network. 2: The length of time that those nodes can function properly without an error or rebooting. So if you have a LOT of slightly unstable nodes you can still have an ok network because the mesh is redundant and fault tolerant. Likewise if you only have a few very stable nodes you can still have a good network because everything is always working. And…If you have a lot of very stable nodes you could have an “insanely great” network. The insanity index takes both of these factors into account. We add together the total number of days that each node has been up and running without a reboot or setting change. So if I have two nodes and one has been running for a day and the other which has been running for a day and a half I get an index score of three. There is no limit to how high this number can go. Just like there is no limit to how great a network can be. So what is our score today? Zero. So what changed? Well on 3/23 we “upgraded” the network to a fancy new version of our sophisticated mesh software. The new version had many new and enhanced features. Sounds like a good thing right? Except it turns out that the new software made our nodes more sensitive to power fluctuations leading to more reboots. Also it turned out that many of the new features required new hardware and the new hardware was not compatible with the old hardware and has not quite been perfected yet. But I was determined to rise to the occasion and solve any problems that arose. After all…we are building the “insanely great” network. Right…? But what makes it great? Is it having every new cutting edge feature? Or is a truly great network the one that provides you with a quality internet experience whenever you need it? I concluded that the answer was obvious. So I have decided to turn over a new leaf. From now on: I will NOT be seduced by sleek new operating system offering special features I don’t need. I will develop a separate network for testing new technology in the real world (not just on the bench). I will seek to provide the most consistent service possible by utilizing the tried and true techniques we have developed during the past two years. My new goal is to see our index score reach 500. At which time we should through a party of some sort ;). I understand that the past month has not been a very pleasant experience for some of our customers. And for that I am truly sorry. It has always been my most heart felt intention to provide our customers and the people of Homer with the best and most affordable internet possible. I believe that by reconsidering my position on implementing the NEWEST technology. We can achieve this goal. Thank you to every one who has and continues to support us.

This summer watch our index rise as we continue to build the “Insanely Great” Network.

P.S. call us at (907)299-2267 and tell us where the historical reference “insanely great” comes from and we’ll give you a coupon good for one free day of standard service :).