Technology

Our wireless network is based on our own custom built wireless routers. These routers bring the backbone of the network into each into area where we connect a wireless access point to offer service within that area. Most of the backbone is currently operating at 54Mb, and the wireless backbone routers currently in place have the ability to move up to 108Mb in the future.

The customer link to our system will typically be maintained at speeds of up to 54Mbits while our custom routers control the amount of traffic that you can push or pull to the allotted maximum based upon your account type. This limit is typically a burstable 512k for residential service. (Sustained speed is up to 15 times faster than a typical "56k" rural dial-up connection which seldom reaches beyond 33k). Burstable means that you can get short bursts of speed much higher than the sustained limit, allowing most web pages to load very quickly, or smaller emails to be sent or received very quickly. The bandwidth limit really only comes into effect on sustained data flow.

Each backbone router is powered from a single 12 Volt DC source by our own custom made high efficiency switching power supply with a backup battery in each router box. These are ideal for alternative energy sources such as combination wind and solar as they consume less than 60 watts of power. All sites have a built in battery that will provide backup power for about 4.5 hours after an AC power failure. The system is constantly monitored and will automatically page someone within a few minutes if a serious problem is detected.

Our hotspots are based on special low power embedded computer boards with wireless network cards housed inside a weatherproof enclosure near the antennas. This is then powered by a battery that is kept charged with a high efficiency switching power supply. The battery will provide about 16 hours of run-time after an AC power failure. Typically, the entire hot spot consumes less than 5 watts of power. Take a look at our first completely solar powered hot-spot in Melrose.