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 What is broadband?
What is bandwidth?
What are bandwidth units?
What are the benefits of Broadband?
How is the service connected?
Does it use phone lines, satellite, or cable?
Do I have to make an appointment for an installation
and how long will it take?
What exactly does the installation include?
How does bad weather (rain, snow storms, etc.) affect wireless services?
Is it possible to hook up more than one computer?
How close do I need to be to the Tower to get Arrow internet service?
Do you provide any kind of anti-spam or virus filtering?
Is the connection secure?
What sort of technology is being used with Arrow's solutions?
What kind of contract do I need to sign?
How fast is it?
How much will broadband internet services cost?
What happens if my radio breaks down?
What if I need to move and no longer need the services or the wireless radio?
What if I need to move and need to move the service and wireless radio?
What kind of customer support will I get with my internet service?
Do you have an acceptable use policy for the internet services?
How do I pay for the services?
Does Arrow offer any other products or services?
Who is Arrow?
How can you get Arrow to start offering broadband wireless
internet services in your area?
What is broadband?
The term used to describe almost any always on, high speed connection to the internet. Broadband is a ‘broad bandwidth’ connection. It allows a large amount of data to travel through a medium at the same time. The network traffic is bi-directional. In internet terms, there are download and upload paths for a connection. Many always on, high speed services have lower upload and higher download capacities.
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What is bandwidth?
The bandwidth of a connection is the width of it or the amount of data that can fit through it. To use an analogy, a ten lane road can fit more cars down it than a five lane road. We express the bandwidth in bits per second (bps). This indicates the number of bits of information that can fit down the line for a second. These days, bits per second doesn’t cover many methods of connection so we use kilobits per second (kbps) and megabits per second (mbps) for thousands and millions of bits per second.
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What are bandwidth units?
What do these mean? How fast is 128kbps anyway? We propose the use of a bandwidth unit (BU) to help understand these better. We have chosen 42kbps as a bandwidth unit as it is the average speed of connection to the internet using a dialup modem and most people are familiar with that speed. (While dialup modems are capable of 53kbps, depending on line quality and equipment used, less than 50kbps is more realistic.)
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What are the benefits of Broadband?
The always on part:
Instant email:
When a connection is always on, it isn't necessary to connect (usually dialup) to the network to check for new messages. As soon as a message is sent on the network, it will appear in your mailbox.
Great you say, but I really am not in that much of a hurry for my email. So, when you want to communicate in a hurry, you pick up the phone. Depending on how you do a days work, it can be very useful to be able to depend on a quick email reply instead of dealing with the inevitable voicemail. It is far more efficient than dealing with someone's voicemail or bad mobile reception. You also are probably going to get far more direct communication and undivided attention for the few minutes they are replying. Once you get used to emailing rather than phoning, you will probably prefer it. The other added bonus is that you have a record of the communication. It is sometimes difficult to remember exactly what you said or asked later when it's a phone call.
Instant Messaging:
There are many software programs available for free which allow you to send the equivalent of text messages to anyone else logged into the internet. While many look upon this as a toy, more and more people are using it as a legitimate means of business communication. With an always on connection, friends, family, business associates and others can see if you are available and drop you a note which instantly appears on your screen. You can choose to reply now, later or not at all. You can also choose to let people know when you are online or not and change your online 'status' if you don't want to be disturbed. You can stay in touch with someone in the same building or equally effectively with someone anywhere else in the world. It can still be used without an always on connection; it is of course far less effective though.
Most of these software programs will also support voice and video communication over the internet. You will need a microphone and speakers or preferably a headset for voice communications and a camera for video communications. While voice will work well over a dialup connection, video will be very broken up and slow. It may not be worth the trouble. Voice and video will both work far better on a broadband connection. Arrow would be happy to quote on any of your voice or video needs. Make a request now
reception@atg.net .
Virus updates:
This area of internet life is becoming increasingly challenging. Viruses are travelling quickly and infecting more machines. One of the most important things to protect yourself is to have antivirus software on your machine. However, without constant updates of your virus 'definitions', the software can be almost useless. Virus definitions are specifics of new viruses that have been discovered. The software on the machine grabs these from the software manufacturer as they are made available. They tell the software on the machine about new viruses and how to deal with them. Without these definitions, the software won't be equipped to recognize new viruses and eliminate them.
Without an always on connection, you might connect to the internet, download an email and open a virus before the software gets a chance to get the latest info. You then have a complicated and possibly damaging cleanup job to do. With the always on connection, the software will have grabbed the info sooner and your PC will be protected.
Arrow can supply Antivirus Software with One Year Subscription for $59.00. This software works in protecting and blocking your computer from viruses via email, Internet browsing and general use which harm and slow down your computer and network. Please see additional request/options section of the sign up form for more information.
Windows Updates:
Microsoft has a service available to all recent operating systems which configured correctly will automatically check for, download and install new security updates on your computer. It does this in the background. Again, with an always on connection, it does this continuously. The recent blaster worm would have been far less damaging had more people had this feature enabled and been connected to the internet. Besides security updates, the service provides more recent drivers and updated versions of utility software as they are made available.
The high speed part:
Everything is faster!:
Almost all communication done with a computer is two way. Higher bandwidth connections mean the information gets to and from you faster. It enhances the web browsing experience to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the sites you visit
Streaming media:
This is one of the coolest applications of the internet. Visit any news website (for example) and you will have the option to view video of the latest news from around the world. You can click on a link and the video is 'broadcast' to your computer. This video stream is coming down the wire to you in real time. In other words, if the connection fails, the picture stops. If the bandwidth decreases, the picture gets jumpy or breaks up. Higher bandwidth connections allow the video to be received smoothly. There are also usually options to select different quality feeds, depending on the bandwidth available to the viewer. Of course, higher bandwidth feeds offer better quality video.
File downloads:
File sizes never get smaller unfortunately. Every new release of software adds megabytes of extra data. Many programs look regularly for updates on the internet. If they find them, they download them automatically. If you happen to be on a narrowband connection, it will take a long time and tie up your connection. It won't be easy to do other things internet related like send and receive email and browse websites. You may even delay the agony and opt to download it at a later date, again and again.
In addition to these programs and updates, there are large email attachments. Again, they are getting larger all the time. People seldom take the size of an attachment into account when sending, usually as they have a broadband connection and it doesn't cause any grief. However, the person on the other side, receiving the 5MB attachment spends ten minutes downloading it if on dialup. Again, this makes it difficult to do other internet related jobs at the same time and is generally frustrating.
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How is the service connected?
Arrow installs a Motorola Canopy Subscriber unit which is required for Internet service. The unit is installed on the roof or a high point at your location and runs a small cable to your computer or Router for full access to the Internet.
What is a Canopy™ system?
A Canopy™ system is based on wireless broadband technology that provides for high-speed Internet access. The Canopy system was designed to provide cost-effective, “last mile” high-speed data access for residential and business customers who previously were underserved or lived in locations where infrastructure is non-existent. Canopy system is comprised of three major components: Access Point (AP), Subscriber Module (SM) and the Backhaul Unit). A Canopy system utilizes the unlicensed UNII bands in the 900mhz , 2.4ghz and 5.2 and 5.7ghz regions of the radio spectrum
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Does it use phone lines, satellite, or cable?
No, our Internet service is fully wireless from our point of access to your subscriber unit. It is a completely independent system and does not rely on cable, phone lines or satellite.
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Do I have to make an appointment for an installation and how long will it take?
Yes you do need an appointment. Once you submit the sign up form provided on the sign up page you will be put on the schedule.
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What exactly does the installation include?
We set up the Canopy© wireless equipment including any necessary cabling. We will configure your computer and do the network settings for one computer.
We do not provide networking for more than one computer in a household or business situation. If you need a Router and/or other extra peripheral equipment you will need to purchase and have prepared at the time of the installation. This equipment is not included with the installation but can be purchased through Arrow, please see additional request/options section of the sign up form for more information.
The average install itself takes about 2 hours.
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How does bad weather (rain, snow storms, etc.) affect wireless services?
The wireless radios used can hold up to varying degrees of temperature, moisture and wind. This means that your service should work through most conditions.
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Is it possible to hook up more than one computer?
Arrow provides one IP address. To allow two or more computers to be connected to the system you will require additional equipment (eg. a Router or gateway device). This equipment is not included with the installation but can be purchased through Arrow, please see additional request/options section of the sign up form for more information
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How close do I need to be to the Tower to get Arrow internet service?
The tower will cover a signal radius of 10 km.
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Do you provide any kind of anti-spam or virus filtering?
Yes we have anti-spam filtering and virus removal right at our servers. We do not guarantee this as a complete solution, and we suggest you have your own virus protection software on your computer. We do also suggest having your own Spyware scanning and removal tools to ensure you stay protected. This additional software can be purchased through Arrow, please see additional request/options section of the sign up form for more information.
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Is the connection secure?
Yes, the system uses over-the-air encryption and data bit scrambling which helps to prevent any interception.
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What sort of technology is being used with Arrow's solutions?
We use a product called Motorola Canopy. The Canopy solution is proprietary architecture which means it is completely secure. Motorola's products and equipment can be viewed at www.canopywireless.com
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What kind of contract do I need to sign?
Currently, we have No lock-in contract, we provide month to month service.
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How fast is it?
We are up to 80-100 times faster than dial-up. Our speeds are comparable and are often faster than the ADSL and cable connections.
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How much will broadband internet services cost?
Residential internet services start as low as $65.00 per month + $250.00 installation fee. For more information on Residential internet pricing please click here.
Business internet services start as low as $85 per month + 1200.00 installation fee. For more information on Commercial internet pricing please click here.
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What happens if my radio breaks down?
Contact our customer support at 1-877-701-4050. We can usually fix most problems over the phone. If we cannot fix the issue a technician will be sent to your location to repair or replace the equipment.
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What if I need to move and no longer need the services or the wireless radio?
If you are moving to a location where our service is not available, please send us an email at accounting@atg.net with your account name and last day of service.
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What if I need to move and need to move the service and wireless radio?
Advise our customer support department as soon as possible so that we can arrange for an installation date for you at your new location.
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What kind of customer support will I get with my internet service?
Our technical support regular office hours are 8 AM to 9 PM, Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM, Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM Sunday.
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Do you have an acceptable use policy for the internet services?
Yes. Residential users please click here. Business users please click here.
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How do I pay for the services?
Arrow can accept Visa, Mastercard and Visa Debit online. We accept payments by check, money order, bank draft or cash. E-transfers can be sent using finance@atg.net and your account number as the password.
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Does Arrow offer any other products or services?
We have several web hosting and email packages. Arrow can also assist with internal network security solutions. For more products and services offered by Arrow please go to www.atg.net.
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Who is Arrow?
Please click here or See the "ABOUT US" tab above.
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Where (in Alberta) does Arrow currently offer services?
Please see the "LOCATIONS" tab above or click here.
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How can you get Arrow to start offering broadband wireless internet services in your area?
We welcome the opportunity to speaking and meeting with interested individuals and/or committees who are interested in improving telecommunications services in their area but might not know how to proceed. Please call us at 1-877-701-4050 or email support@atg.net
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If you still have questions please call us at 1-877-701-4050 or email us at
reception@atg.net .
Notice to Reader: The information provided is a summary of research and industry experience up to the time of writing and is not meant to purport to be a complete or all-inclusive collection of information on the topic. It is only meant to give the reader a basis of information to understand the topic. To the best of our knowledge, it was accurate at time of posting but may have changed, not contain all material available or since released and no longer be accurate or valid. Readers are cautioned not to make decisions based solely on this material and are urged to verify information and perform their own current research. Opinions expressed by the author(s) are their own and not necessarily those of the company.
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Arrow Technology Group
Santa Fe Plaza - 18236 102 Ave
Edmonton, Aberta T5S 1S7
Phone: (780) 701-4050
Fax: (780) 451-6050
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