Happenings Around the Shop

It’s been quite awhile since my last post and a lot has happened here at SPITwSPOTS. To summarize, we now have 2 T1s and are looking forward to a productive summer. The last couple of months have had a lot of ups and downs but over all we have made some good progress. For example we have been perfecting our method of using dual radio meshboxes to create more redundancy, stability, and higher throughput. We are reaching more and more remote locations all the time, and are beginning to focus our attention towards “the folks across the bay” By the end of summer the SPITwSPOTS Network SHOULD cover a good portion of the Kachamak Bay area!

Also we are currently pioneering a brand new mesh topology which merges our 2 networks (the backhaul point to point and the client mesh networks) into a single cohesive, flexible, and fault tolerant mesh. At the moment we have several “KEY” P-t-P (Point to Point) links and if any one of them goes down large portions of our net instantly loose internet access until the links are restored, this despite the fact that the client side mesh has multiple links spanning the same area. The new system we are developing will take advantage of these extra links, and allow the network to route around “dead” P-t-P links in real-time! We are currently testing this new technique. If there are no unforeseen obstacles we COULD have it implemented through out the entire mesh within a couple of weeks.

If you have any questions or comments, please give us a call (907)299-2267 or send me an e-mail at administrator@spitwspots.com .

SPITwSPOTS IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE the creation of Super User accounts. Experience the best SwS has to offer! So fast we can’t keep it on the ground! 768 kbps with bursts up to 1 mbps! Existing users, contact us for a free one day trial and special upgrade pricing.The SPITwSPOTS Team

Time flies by here at SPITwSPOTS as we keep busy doing what we do. Busy is becoming synonymous with normal around here, and it’s time to bring you, our valued supporters, up to date on “Happenings around the Shop”.These will be published occasionally here on our Home page and an email copy will be sent to active users for convenience.

It has come to our attention that some of our customers have been having problems in regards to connectivity and acceptable bandwidth. Please note that this ONLY applies to residential customers with client bridge equipment. If you are unsure if this applies to you please call 299-4052.

We have, admittedly, had more than our fair share of network hiccups this month. Upon the advice of our software developers we recently upgraded the network software to the newest version available. However, this has been causing our routers to reboot more frequently. The client bridge at your house connects to one of these routers. If that router reboots, your bridge will switch to a secondary connection. Sometimes this connection is not sufficient for quality service. The bridge will stay connected to this secondary connection until it is rebooted. By turning off your client bridge and turning it back on, you reboot your equipment and it finds the best possible connection again. Our software developers are aware of our problem and are looking into it very closely right now.

In the mean time, if you are experiencing these problems, PLEASE LET US KNOW IMMEDIATELY, so that we can develop a long-term solution. Also, we can provide a more convenient “switch” for you to use to turn your equipment on and off. That way you can simply turn the internet on when you need it and off when you don’t. These devices typically boot and connect in less than 5 seconds and every time you turn it on it will automatically find the best possible connection available. Since it is turned off when not in use, it will NEVER get stuck on a secondary connection.

We sincerely apologize for the inconveniences and truly appreciate your support and patience as we bring this brand new technology to Homer.

PLEASE NOTE: THE ABOVE ONLY APPLIES TO RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS WITH CLIENT BRIDGE EQUIPMENT. PRO USERS ARE NOT AFFECTED. If you are not sure of your equipment type, please call 299-4052.

While client bridges have allowed us to grow, and offer inexpensive setups, we have identified 3 primary problems which we feel make them inappropriate for MANAGED connections. The problems are: the tendency to connect to inappropriate nodes, occasional authentication problems, and the inability of SPITwSPOTS to actively manage the equipment by remotely sensing and adjusting settings. As a result, when there is a problem, our customer will call us and report a problem, then we direct them as to how to solve the problem. We do not feel this is conducive to our goal of creating the “Insanely Great” network. To resolve this we would like to upgrade our residential client equipment to mesh routers. We feel that client bridges are best suited for the do-it-yourselfer, and would be great for people wanting to take advantage of our FREE 128 k guest access. For those who are seeking an always on, DSL style, alternative we are going to start using our professional setups. These setups place a fully functional mesh router on the customer’s premise. Details as to the specific benefits of this setup can be found below. A mesh box is intended to get its internet from multiple sources simultaneously. This means that the conditions that cause some people problems with their bridges “locking” on to inappropriate routers would actually receive an even MORE STABLE connection for the same reason. Also, SPITwSPOTS can actively manage mesh routers. This equipment is designed to always be on, can shift internet sources on the fly, and can even notify us in the event that there is a problem. So instead of the customer having to report any problem, we will already have been notified and hopefully repaired the problem before the customer even notices. We would like to upgrade our current SPITwSPOTS managed residential customers to this superior equipment. However, at present this is cost prohibitive since a mesh router is three times the price of a bridge. We are looking for ways that we might be able to fund this upgrade and provide this enhanced trouble free service for free to our current customers. We are currently seeking (a) grant writer(s) interested in assisting with this project. However we do not yet have an ETA for when, or if, this might become possible. In the mean time we are offering professional setups at a reduced rate of $400, and an even more reduced rate of $200 for existing residential customers who wish to upgrade now. We would like take a moment to mention that we are NOT trying to coerce anyone into upgrading and will in fact do it for free when we are financially able. If you choose to keep your existing bridge SPITwSPOTS will still continue to provide support and seek long term solutions to the handful of problems inherent in these devices. At the same time, we want ALL of our residential customers to know they have reasonable access to the BEST technology and equipment available.

Here’s are the pros and cons of Residential vs. Professional setups.

A standard residential set up costs $200. It is economical and efficient.

Its drawbacks are that it needs to be rebooted when it locks up, it experiences occasional authentication issues and is only suitable for one computer or DSL router. We can monitor this device for signal levels but we can not actively manage it. Also, there is no wireless distribution or walk around area in your home or office with out more equipment.

Our professional set up costs $400. Current residential customers may purchase this upgrade for $200.

The professional setup gives you more stable bandwidth, meaning you get your full burst rate more often. Our routers rarely need to be manually rebooted. We have found it to be less than once every 3 months on average. We can monitor and manage routers remotely, meaning we can do most troubleshooting and tech support from our offices. A router allows you to connect multiple devices and each device utilizes its own account. And as icing on the cake, they offer a wireless signal around your home and can be fitted with an optional indoor antenna to Wi-Fi your home or office.

email sales@spitwspots.com for upgrade scheduling.

email administrator@spitwspots.com for more technical information.

We have also been asked some questions recently concerning the Git Yer e-Mail link on our site.

For starters, we can provide you with an address, your_name@spitwspots.com, for $100/yr. We recommend, however, that for personal use you use a free web-based email account such as Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo mail. These are all free and much more feature rich than our current email service. Gmail provides superior spam blocking and search features with very minimal text advertising and free POP access for your current email client.

For businesses, we recommend you contact us here at SPITwSPOTS and we will assist you in setting up a domain name and an email account at that domain name, i.e. your_name@your_business.com. This will be your very own personal unique email account. You will never have to worry about losing an email address when switching service providers again.

The Git Yer e-Mail link is for people who already have an address @ spitwspots.com. To use it, enter your whole email address, your_name@spitwspots.com, and then your password. Be aware that password is case sensitive. This will let you in to our version of a web based mail program. We can also provide you with a tool to automatically configure your email client. Contact the webmaster@spitwspots.com for assistance.

Hope this clears up any confusion users may have had.

Thank you for your time, support, and patience,

The SPITwSPOTS Team

I am happy to announce that the SPITwSPOTS Network is faster and more stable than ever! Most of our nodes have been up without a single incident for over a week. And the repeaters are all getting better than t1 connections to the backhaule. We are now turning our focus to setting up more repeaters, expanding to new areas (like across the bay), and value added services (like streaming local radio stations and the HOMERwLAN project). We are using a new firewall/router to prioritize traffic. So if you are using VoIP or playing online games let us know the application and if possible which ports you are using and we will adjust our router to give you the best possible performance.

Well switching to 2.4 ghz has helped us to identify and reamdity the problem regarding packet loss. We currently have only one “backhaul” related problem which we expect to be resolved within the week. This problem primarily affects customers in the east end area and can cause occasional Internet black outs or sluggish performance. Also SPITwSPOTS is proud to announce beta testing of our newest feature. We call it “the HOMERwLAN Project”. What this project will to is to create simi-public ip addresses which other people connected to SPITwSPOTS can access. This means that you can play games or transfer files or do video conferencing with other SPITwSPOTS’ clients. In the end we hope to pair this with VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) which can be accessed through the Internet from out side the SPITwSPOTS’ Network. If you would like to participate in the HOMERwLAN Project’s Beta Program . And receive a FREE HwLP IP address or would like more information on the HwLP please contact me at administrator@spitwspots.com .

Well yesterday it happened. Our ISP called and we opened up the building and a few hours later we had a full duplex 1.5mb symmetrical Internet connection However as I watched the line being installed I could not help but feel a twinge of sickness at the knowledge of our upcoming rf-engineering challenges. I have been working with 2.4 ghz wireless mesh networks for a couple of years now, and feel that I am starting to get a pretty good handle on the technology. However just a mesh network is not enough to create the insainly great network. the problem is that in order for the mesh topology to deliver fast, self healing, and redundant fall back service it needs multiple uplink points (ie Internet connections). So we are building a point to point network to feed multiple uplink points in the mesh . We have been working on this sub-network both in theory and in practice since the early days of SwS. However our “backhaul” network (despite apparently good signals) is drooping 1-10% of all the packets sent across it. We have tried several different and time consuming things to try and remedy this. I now believe that the problem is rf in nature (related to the radio waves and antenna). Our target date for when this HAS TO BE FIXED BY is dec 2. (yesterday). So that is why I felt a quiver while I watched large files pouring into my laptop from the freshly installed t1.
As of right now We have a pretty good plan of action. We are going to do what we know best and use 2.4 ghz equipment instead of the 5.8 ghz equipment we are currently using. we believe that this can be done in less than 24 hours. with a reasonable probability of success right off the bat. If it doesn’t it probably means extreamly late night shifts until it works. The only draw back is that the 2.4ghz radios will most likely need to be upgraded to 5.x ghz in the next couple of years. But I can live with that

Well today we got our main point to point backhaul link working. Lets just hope it keeps working when the weather gets bad.

The goal of SwS is to create the “Insanely Great” network. We are a wireless mesh network utilizing all the 802.11a,b,&g technology. To us, “Insanely Great” means more than just a low-cost quality internet service. We believe that our network can do more. In fact our network can flex and grow to meet any needs. We are the network that CAN…We are actually 2 networks. A high capacity, 5.8 ghz, 802.11a network capable of real time data transfers of up to 30mb/s. This network “feeds” the long range, 2.4 ghz, 802.11b network which supplies internet to clients. This network is “mesh” in nature, which means that it can be expanded quickly and easily. So if you want a low latency network to play games with friends across town, or you need to transfer files quickly between two points SwS is here. Just tell us what you need and we can make it happen. Would you like to provide content to the mesh? Need a web site? Want to stream audio or video? Want to host your own game server? All this and more can be accomplished affordably within the SwS network. So what is the “Insanely Great” network? It is what ever you want it to be.

Coming Soon?
HomerwLAN Project. With a subscription to the HomerwLAN Project you will become a member of the largest wLAN in Homer. You will be issued a static IP address which will accessible to any other SwS client. If you want your friends to connect to you in order to play the latest game, or if you want to share files with the office down town. The HOMERwLAN project can help. Connection speeds will be subject to to the limits of your SwS internet account. If you need more than 1Mb/sec please contact the Administrator for “Special situation pricing”.

So where is the network today…?
We just ordered 400mw wireless cards and are preparing to assemble our first 5.8 ghz mesh which should be capable of delivering data transfer rates of 30mbs. The noise which mysteriously appeared a couple of weeks ago (disrupting our communications and cutting our range by 1/2) has mysteriously disappeared last night. During the “thick air” we made plans to significantly upgrade the network, making it more robust and stable. We are following through on those plans, in case the “thick air” returns.

Aaron Larson, Administrator