T1Advice

2006-04-24T10:26:00.001-05:00

More and more voice and data companies seem to be moving toward what we call a "Flex T1". This combines the ease of install of a data t1, and the voice capabilities of an integrated t1. The down and dirty is this, a data t1 gets installed at your location. You run a very short VOip connection back to the POP. At the POP, the VOip connection gets converted back to regular telephone. A couple things happen here that makes this very attractive. One, you get a full data t1 at your location. If you are not using any voice lines, you get a full data t1 of internet. That is 1.5 meg up and down of bandwidth. Very attractive for businesses. Two, the VOip run is very short, probably just a few miles before it is converted back to regular telephone. This removes the possibility of poor sound that sometimes accompanies a VOip connection. Also, most companies are able to run each phone line at between 40 and 60k of data. That leaves a whole bunch left for data. Third, local calling is usually unlimited, and long distance rates seem to be better than what you get for integrated service. Add in the ability to add lines as you need them, and you get a very attractive solution for the small business user.

I would consider this option if you have a business that has up to 12 - 14 lines and have a need for a dependable, always up internet connection. As more and more businesses are running their own servers, a data t1 is crucial. Why not take care of your voice needs as well? A "Flex T1" can usually be installed in almost all areas where data t1's are available. If not, a VOip solution will accomplish the same thing. Just a bit longer haul!

2006-04-24T10:26:00.000-05:00

Flex T1's

2006-04-24T09:59:00.000-05:00

Free 411 Service

2006-04-14T15:46:00.000-05:00

In the last six months a very unique service has begun operations that is finally a no nonsense, value service, that can be enjoyed by everyone, for free! When that happens, and the person that starts something like this is a friend, I really feel the need to write about it. I am talking about Jingle Networks and 1-800-Free-411.

This is truly a free 411 information service. You dial an 800 number, and get the number you are looking for. How many times have you been in your car, stuck in traffic, and late! (As I was to a recent dentist appointment). Of course I did not have my dentist's number handy. One quick call to 1-800-Free-411 though, and I was able to connected to my dentist. Sorry to say they still kept my appointment even though I was late.

So what is the catch? You will be required to sit through a very short 15 second advertisement. Not a bad trade off for something that costs $1.25 through my cell phone provider.

Scott Kliger, CTO and founder of Jingle Networks, tells me that the 411 industry is a billion dollar business. They hope to grab just a small share of this. From what I have seen, I'll bet they get more than a small share!

Give 'em a try, 1-800-Free-411.

I Now Supply Time Warner!

2005-11-11T12:41:00.000-05:00

For a news flash, I am now a supplier of broadband to Time Warner Cable. Do you think I am kidding? No way!

Here is the story. After months of seeing my local Time Warner Cable Guy sitting, blocking half of my driveway with his cable van for hours on end, I came to a couple of conclusions. One, he is seeing my wife and waiting for me to leave. Not an impossibility as I have had friends that have had weirder things happen with their spouses! Two, he likes the view of the street from my house and takes extra long lunch breaks. Or three, he is hacked onto my wireless router and using my internet that I purchase from Time Warner Cable!

When I mentioned my theories to my wife, you can imagine her response to my first question. "Seeing the cable guy? Are you nuts?" After ducking from her roundhouse swing, I thankfully went on to my next theory. The view from my street. It is OK, but nothing to write home about. I live in a 100 year old Victorian House. Well kept, looks good. Would I want to sit out there for hours? Probably not! On to number three. How do I figure this out without looking like an idiot and doing what most would do, just ask.

Being the smart guy that I am, I shut off the Time Warner Cable, went back to hiding behind the curtain and watched. Sure enough, the Time Warner van goes into reverse and slowly backs up. Then, into drive and inches forward. Back to reverse and back to his original spot. "Hmmmm" I think. Now back to the wireless router. I quickly unplug it, back to my voyeur spot behind the curtain. I barely get back and I see the van back up slowly, pull forward slowly, then zoom angrily away! "Ah-ha" I think! "Gotcha!"

Later in the evening as I proudly present my findings of how I provide Time Warner with their own service, my wife says, "What are you, nuts?"

I guess I am!

Shameless Promotion

2005-11-05T23:05:00.000-05:00

Funny, in August I posted an article on Intrastate Point to Points. I am sure most people don't have a clue what the heck these are. In October, I received six comments about what a great article it was. After calming down from my frenzy of a change of careers to technical report writing (wow), I looked closer. Guess what? Every comment was plastered with links back to the commentor's web site! I have been used as a link farm! Great. Here I thought I was educating the world and I have become fodder for shameless promotion! Oh well, must be the Blog Gods upset that I waited so long to post.

Never Again!

Intrastate Point To Point T1 Pricing

2005-08-07T21:44:00.000-05:00

This quick article was written for those that are looking for a very specific solution to a very common application. My experience in the Telecom world has shown me that there is a great deal of misinformation about point to point T1's. A lot of IT managers and CFO's are led to believe that the only option for this very simple circuit are the local LEC's in the area or state their company is located in. I am here to tell you that those folks are paying too much! I know because I deal with this every day. I see double and triple the cost of what I am able to offer, all for the same speed and criteria.

If you have looked for point to point t1's in the past, you know what you need. If you don't know, here are the basics. Many financial institutions, brokerage houses, insurance companies, and any company with more than one in-state location, need the ability to transmit information back and forth with a very secure, private connection. Due to the sensitive information involved, or due to HIPPA laws, this information cannot take the chance being out on the general internet. Many hackers have perfected the art of gaining access to company servers. To avoid this, you need a point to point or private line.

Private lines, or point to point circuits, are very basic in their design. You have a local loop between your place of business back to the central office. From there, your designed circuit travels (privately) to the central office that is closest to your main location. From there, another local loop finishes this circuit at your main location. That is it. A very simple design and solution for a very common need.

Through some very unique contacts I have developed, I am able to offer these circuits for almost every state in the US and location at a flat rate. There are a few that I cannot do. Unfortunately, you cannot supply everything to everybody! This is as close as possible though. No longer are you tied to one company with no chance of competition for better rates. I am able to offer circuits through a Tier One backboned company that you are very familiar with, and at a great price.

If you have checked prices on the internet before, you have to supply contact information, telephone numbers, etc. Then you are flooded with emails and telephone calls. I know this, this is what I do. I also know that for this specific product, you need a price. Point to point circuits are very specific. You know what they are, you know what they do. What you need to know is price, who the supplier is, and what kind of technical support is available. You need the best of all three worlds!

For Intrastate Point To Point T1 circuit pricing at 1.5 meg up and down speeds, click here:
Intrastate Point To Point

WiFi Hot Spot Setup

2005-07-17T15:04:00.000-05:00

This article was written by a friend of mine, Dave Jackson. Dave is CEO of ImageLink and does an excellent job of explaining the basics of Hot Spots. Dave has graciously given his permission to include this article on my site. Please take advantage of Dave's expertise and call him in regards to WiFi!

WiFi HotSpot Setup Tips & Overview

Article by David Jackson, CEO ImageLink Networks

This article was prepared to help individuals understand the startup process of creating a
WiFi Internet environment WiFi zone for profit or offered free to your users. It is also
intended specifically for café style or small restaurant owners or “Do-it-yourselfers”.
WiFi HotSpot Setup Overview may be redistributed or published at anytime as long as it
remains in its original state.
© ImageLink Incorporated
WiFi HotSpot Setup Tips & Overview
IlinkWi-Fi.com

Congratulations! Most likely you’re reading this article via an interest or love of wireless
technology. Wireless Internet access or WiFi (wireless fidelity) technology, as you know
works no different than most other wireless signals.

Using a 2.4 GHZ signal frequency range, we are able to legally broadcast a public
broadband frequency that can be received by a WiFi enabled device. This device can be
in the form of a WiFi equipped laptop, PDA (personal digital assistant), or other.

Your goal as a café owner is to broadcast this signal for the benefit of your patrons. You
as the venue owner should decide whether to offer free or paid service to your customers.
While there are many free services available in cafés as this was written, the trend
appears to be sliding back to paid access services. This is in theory that venue owners are
realizing free WiFi service really does incur management expenses and possibly
attracting too many freeloaders. There are many articles written on this controversy
alone, you can read my thoughts on the subject here:

http://www.imagelinknetworks.com.blogspot.com

Assuming you have now decided which way to go (free vs. paid) for your venue, you will
find that setting up a WiFi HotSpot Zone is done in two parts.

Part One

Secure Your Broadband

Choose an ISP to secure your broadband connection. I recommend using a business DSL
(digital subscriber line) circuit for high speed access. It is important that your users have
an efficient & successful experience while in your venue. When your customers have a
delightful experience they will return. The goal is to make your café stick to your
customers and keep them coming back for more.

You should know, it is typically forbidden to resell or redistribute residential DSL or
Cable high speed Internet lines for commercial use. Even some business DSL ISP’s will
decline access for WiFi commercial redistribution. You must read the fine print in the
ISP’s TOU (Terms of Use) document before purchasing. ImageLink Networks has
specifically setup several providers across the United States for this purpose and can help
you obtain the correct broadband line for redistribution. In most circumstances, a DSL
line should be sufficient for a busy café or restaurant. Hotels, Motels, or MDU’s (multifamily
dwelling units) will need a much wider broadband pipe to keep up with demand.
Understanding how much broadband access you require, type of usage, speed
availability, and plan pricing is best handled by specialists from our broadband network.

It is quite easy to find business broadband pricing and provider availability by taking
advantage of ImagelinkNetwork.com’s online price quote tool. All you need is the
installation phone number & address, and local loop pricing will instantly be found. Be
sure to check the box in step 2 of the process to select business broadband information.
A quote will be generated for you instantly, and then a broadband specialist will contact
you as a follow up. Be sure to discuss with this consultant your need for a broadband
provider to redistribute or resell your WiFi service.

It is very important for you to make sure the providers TOU allows you to do this. If you
need assistance in finding the right provider, do not hesitate to contact us direct at
sales@ilinkwi-fi.com. We will need all the same information you provided for your
quote, including the installation phone number and business name.
Generally, business DSL Internet service ranges in price from $59.95 to $199.95
depending on your location in relationship to the local carrier loop. (access distribution
point)

Part Two

Managed WiFi Subscriber Gateway

Once your broadband has been activated or in the process to be
provisioned, you will focus your energy on setting up the WiFi
network.

This is accomplished via a managed subscriber gateway as
explained here: http://www.freehotspotgateway.com/index2.htm

You must understand the difference between an OPEN network and SECURED network.
Simple Definitions:

OPEN WiFi Network – An open unprotected or unlocked wireless web access
experience. This network allows any roaming person to surf through your computer
network Ip’s without any way to track, monitor, or eliminate their presence.
SECURED WiFi Network – Is a controlled, monitored, managed, authenticated wireless
web access network. Prior to access, a user must log in with a unique IP and be
authenticated through protected radius backend servers. These servers control and
monitor rogue spammers, illegal activity, and other problems such as under age Internet
surfers looking for porn or using your network to download illegal copyrighted music.

So therefore, one of the main purposes of our secured PWLAN (public wireless local area
network) is to protect your liability even if you want to give access away. Each end user
is authenticated upon connection that allows for account deactivation if found to be
conducting illegal or unethical activity from your venue. You could be held liable for
their actions if you offer an OPEN wireless network. If you do nothing we recommend in
this report, please understand the difference and why you should have a securely
managed network. To find more information about this subject, check our web log:
http://www.imagelinknetworks.com.blogspot.com or search the Internet for horror stories
of this kind. Your ISP can instantly and WILL shut you down without notice, and place
your venue in a black list for DSL service. This also does not take into account dealing
with local authorities.

The Do-it-yourself WiFi Kit
as advertised on http://www.freehotspotgateway.com/index2.htm includes what you
should choose for a gateway:

Secure AAA Radius Server end user authentication
24/7 Abuse monitoring
Listing in national database with JiWire and Wifi Zone for increased customers
End user connection support
Server located in major data center with back up resources for stability
24/7 system health monitoring
Notification system for ISP connection outages
Email notification for warnings and errors.
Venue phone tech support
Security system prevents unauthorized tampering of the computer and operating system,
and restores the system into a default state on each end user logout
Integrated to support PDA, laptop, or any wireless device
Co-branded portal and landing pages configured, managed and monitored for each venue
Real-time and historical reporting on subscribers, bandwidth usage, and location
demographics.
1 Free Internet surf access account
End user - client VPN tunneling support for secure office connections
Carrier class gateway using 802.11g wireless system
Complete End User billing subscription service, no merchant account needed
Easy Plug-n-Play setup instructions
All your customer's need is a WiFi enabled laptop, PDA, device to connect

Bottom-line, what all this really means: ImageLink Networks takes care of all the
backend end user registration accounting so you can concentrate on marketing your WiFi
service. Although never seen, the other end of your service is the authentication and
monitoring of your zone done by AAA radius servers. Technicians have full access to the subscriber gateway should a problem be detected.

Once you have filled out the forms to order the subscriber gateway. It will arrive preconfigured
to your location; the venue will be listed in national WiFi Alliance databases,
while marketing table cards, signage, and simple install instructions will be found in the
box. The iLinkWi-Fi system described above is literally Plug-n-Play. All you do is plug it
into your DSL modem, power it with AC cord provided, and wait for it to authenticate
itself with the backend servers. This process usually takes just minutes…

The gateway itself will provide wireless Internet up to 50,000 sq ft of unobstructed view.
Obstacles in the way of your antenna line of sight may require more complicated setups.
However, there are many, many ways to work around obstacles like walls, trees, etc. If
you run into a weak signal, don’t get discouraged.

One of the easiest ways to eliminate this problem is to broadcast a stronger signal that
will pass through or around these objects. Though it will add to your setup cost,
ImageLink Networks can set you up with custom made amplifiers and antenna packages,
as well as provide a virtual WiFi layout for complicated designs.

Getting the signal strong enough to the WiFi device is the goal and battle that you are
trying to win. However, broadcasting the signal is only half of it. Receiving and
connecting the fidelity loop back to the gateway is also just as important. You will find
that when working in more complicated setups, users with a higher gain wireless antenna
device will certainly be able to work at greater distances than devices with lower gain.
This is true even though you are broadcasting the same powerful signal. In most cafés, or
relatively confined waiting areas where WiFi HotSpots are setup up, this is never a
problem since the end user is close to the antenna or broadcasting device.

Should you find yourself in a complicated venue setup, it is best to consult the experts for
help. You can find them at http://www.iLinkWi-Fi.com

Once you have installed your broadband and subscriber gateway, of course your next
logical move is to focus on marketing your new WiFi HotSpot. We have found that word
of mouth works best. Be sure to consider all types of media and giveaways to promote
WiFi. Examples might be… Get a free soda with a paid hour of Internet or Get a 30
minutes free WiFi with a paid daily meal special.

When entering your venue with a WiFi enabled device, end users will simply turn on
their device, click on their Internet Explorer or Internet browser software and
automatically they will be presented with your semi-customizable log in and sales page.
They cannot do anything else with your secured WiFi network, until they pay or buy a
SurfCode from you. This allows for full control of the PWLAN. Once the end user has a
valid account or SurfCode, they are free to surf the net, play games, connect to the
office, send email, etc.

Since the venue gets 70% of the revenue from your paid WiFi network, all accounting
and reporting is done monthly by ImageLink Networks. Gross sales will be calculated
and you will be sent a check for the gross amount less Imagelink’s 30% share for end
user support and credit card processing fees. This system keeps you hands off from the
tedious end user accounts. And best of all, you set your own prices!

ImageLink Networks is a division of ImageLink Incorporated, a Maryland based telecom
& broadband and wireless access specialists. To find out more of our telecom services
please surf to any of our web properties:
www.iLinkWi-Fi.com
www.ImagelinkNetworks.com
www.imagelink.us
www.FreeHotspotGateway.com
www.CompareDSLProviders.net
© ImageLink Incorporated

DSL

2005-06-23T14:49:00.000-05:00

It seems that I have been dealing a lot with dsl in the last few months. I thought I would offer a little insight as to how business dsl works, the carriers that tackle this job, feet from the CO, and why do 50% of these wash out!

Usually when customers are looking to me for dsl, they have found that their local provider does not offer service. The same goes with residential customers looking for service. If their local provider can't get them hooked up, they figure they will go business class, surely they will have something. Just so everyone knows, when you run the "last mile" of copper, whether it be T1 or DSL, it is running on the local bell's copper wire. If the local bell says service is unavailable, there is not any to be had. They control the wires, they control the facilities. Whether you want business or residential, the local bell dictates who gets what. My experience has shown most folks go the local bell route first. When they say "No Service", everyone starts looking on the internet and my inbox overflows!

If that is the case, why would anyone go to anyone other than their local bell? Well, for the extras. By that I mean static IP's, webhosting, and private backbones. Maybe you need to make this a VPN. You may require dial up back up if you have POS. I know a lot of restaurants that have dsl to process credit card payments. A DSL often goes down, if you don't have a back up like dial up, the business could be paralyzed. Also, most Business DSL accounts offer extra email accounts and provide web hosting. If you are a national company or chain, it makes sense to deal with one or two companies, as opposed to ten or fifteen. What you get here are additional services to make your business more efficient. If you are small or do not need the extras, stay with your Bell! My two favorite carriers are Megapath and New Edge. They offer exceptional service for both DSL and T1's.

Next, distance back to the CO or Central Office. Anything more than 10,000 feet and you probably are going to have difficulties getting ADSL. You might pick up IDSL but remember, it is slow, 144k upload and download speed. And is costly! Most folks just think DSL should be everywhere. A two to two and a half miles radius from CO is what you need to make this work. Any more than that and you better think about cable or satellite.

My experience has shown that because of all the above, 50% of my DSL orders wash out before provisioning. Most are because of a lack of consumer understanding and equipment availability. Just remember this DSL is wacky. It is never a done deal until it is all in and running!

VOIP A Bit Different!

2005-05-06T19:29:00.000-05:00

Since VOIP has become such a buzz word, I thought I would bring you up to speed on a new product that really should do quite well. This is designed like an Integrated T1 which is a combination of voice and data. The usual problem here is the lack of T1 speed, 1.5 meg up and down. Most folks end up with 512 or 768k. Not bad, but not great when you consider a T1 is so darn fast!

Most quotes that I receive for integrated come in with four to six voice lines and 768k data. To be cost effective with an integrated circuit, you really need to have a minimum of eight voice lines. The problem I have seen is that most of the carriers will not lower the number of lines. You can hook up just four, but you end up paying for eight or sometimes twelve lines. Add in taxes and you are way over budget! Not a good fit for the small business.

The solution? A data t1 line with voice capabilities (VOIP). You also need a large national carrier with a footprint in many local areas to provide the service you would expect your local lines to provide. I have just that! Local numbers you can port, up to full data t1 speed (1.5 meg), no equipment to buy, and unlimited local and long distance. Really the best of all worlds. And, what makes this really great, a minimum of four voice lines. Add all the benefits up and you find a terrific service that only varies slightly in price in most major markets here in the US. The final kicker? A 90 day guarantee. If you don't like the quality, service, etc., you are done. No obligation. I can't think of one carrier with this option.

Give me a call and we will see if it is right for you!

Unique New Product

2005-04-15T21:18:00.000-05:00

I don't often do this, but I wanted to mention a unique new company that has really helped me in my business. The name of the company is 2Speak. I believe they are headquartered in South Africa but easily do business here in the USA.

I call a lot of people all over the country as a closer for Shopfort1. Many people do not put in their correct telephone numbers when looking for voice or data T1 quotes. I guess they figure I'll "make them buy some thing"! Most do supply a good email for contact though. The way 2Speak works is really great. I log into my home page, add the email contact of the person I am trying to get a hold of, hit the email icon, and within 10 seconds my phone rings. When I answer, I am asked if I was expecting this call, if so, press one. At the beep I leave a voice message just like an answering machine. Next that message is sent as a wav file to email. Now they have a message from me the next time they log in their email account. You can't get away! The cost? Four cents a minute and 95 cents a month if the account is used. If you don't use it, no charge!

Also, if you have long distance calls to make, you log into the same back office, enter the name and phone number of the party you want to call. Now for the same drill. Hit the phone icon and within seconds your phone rings. You pick up and next you are connected with the party you want to call. All for four cents per minute. You do not need to change anything with your present provider. This is actual VOIP that the call is carried over.

I have already made contact with many possible customers that I would not have been able to the old way. My new customers are quite impressed with the technology. And for long distance calling, it is a heck of a lot cheaper than a phone call!

Try 2Speak. I think you will be very happy you did.

How Important Is An SLA?

2005-03-25T21:21:00.000-05:00

You hear about SLA's. Some companies demand them, some users don't even consider them, because to get one, you gotta come up off some bucks!

I am going to tell you a horror story that involved one of my co-workers. It very easily could have happened to me. I know it sure made me do some thinking about how I do business and the role the internet has played upon myself and most everyone these days.

Lance has the responsibility of agent support within my organization, Shopfort1. Lance works out of Chicago and uses cable as his internet connection at about $50/month. Same as myself except I am in Ohio. Most days he in online as much as me. Agent support is never ending, supplying things like vendor contact info, sales support, and general hand holding. A very busy job. Add in instant messaging, emails, and being the contact for all contract paperwork that goes through Shopfort1, highspeed broadband is a necessity. Well, it happened! What we all dread, not just a few hours down time but 46 hours! Almost two full days. Lance's life came to a standstill as he tried to conduct business on dial up. As anyone who has ever gone back to dial up knows, get me a stick to poke in my eyes while I am waiting! Horrible!

After hearing this awful scenario, it came to me how many businesses in this world do business on cable or DSL broadband. You may or may not know this, but there is no SLA (service level agreement). These companies will do their best to get you back up. But as to when is up to them! Think about this, if you do "any" sales at all on the internet, how much down time can you "afford"? Divide your sales by the hours worked in the week and you get an idea. Now consider a T1. Did you know T1's have uptime of 99.99% Did you know that time to repair normally starts within the hour for most circumstances and never more than four? Can your business live with extended downtime while waiting for repair. I hate to tell you what Lance "lost" as a result of these two days down. Not to mention the frustration!

Is there more cost? Yep. Is there better guarantees of uptime? Absolutely! My experience has shown that these businesses can certainly get by with this extra cost of a T1 line. After the purchase, these old DSL and Cable users are astounded at the speed and uptime they get. A few hundred dollars are more than made up by less down time and better productivity. Take some time and look at your present situation. Weigh the pros and cons. You can even call me, I'm sure there will be more horror stories by then!

Data Back Up

2005-03-22T22:01:00.000-05:00

Are you backing up your company's data as well as you think you are? Everyone I ask this question to says "of course!". But are you really? I am sure you have done the necessary homework, bought a back up hard drive or equivalent. You might even back up to cd-rom or some other portable device. What do you do from there? If you are not scheduling this procedure on a regular basis, you know as well as I do that it is not getting done often enough. Even if you do back up, what do you do with the back up? Leave it on your desk, carry it around in a briefcase, or worse, take it home to be left who knows where?

Most T1 providers that I deal with now offer a data back up as a small add on charge. For about $50/month extra you can get around 5 gigabytes of space for backup. This data transfer can be set to happen at off peak times like weekends when little or no staff disruption will be noticed. All of your info can be uploaded to a fire safe, theft safe, sterile environment that often times is back up again. Even your back up is backed up! That is some good back up!

Think about what you are now paying for backed up data through purchased equipment add ons, all the extra time spent backing up, and the peace of mind knowing this "is" being done on a regular basis. Your data is being stored securely and remotely.

More and more clients are opting for this method. Check and see today if your carrier provides this service. For such a small cost the rewards are huge if something unforeseen arises.

Back Home From Vegas (and not broke)!

2005-03-19T16:52:00.000-05:00

What a trip! I have not been to Las Vegas for 5 or 6 years. What a change! Of course I have said that every time I have gone since 1987. I'm sure it will change again.

As far as these types of trips go, this was by far the most successful. As a closer for Shopfort1, it was kind of nice to be "hunted down" by our vendors on the convention floor. We were told countless times how much they appreciated our business. Shopfort1 also made the top 1% sales club for ACC Business. This is their highest level. A very great honor for us!

I sat through many meetings with our carriers and have come home with a lot more knowledge than what I went out with. In the next few weeks I'll relay some things I learned that will help you with your decisions. Some topics will include frame over DSL VPN's, software based call centers, and low cost back up storage options.

Las Vegas is nice, but it is nice to get back at it!

Viva Las Vegas!

2005-03-12T14:48:00.000-05:00

March is here again, and we all know what that brings! March Madness? St. Paddy's Day? Spring Break? Maybe a stock car race? Well, yes to all of those, but it also brings our annual Partners Show in Las Vegas.

At this show, most of the closers from Shopfort1 gather to meet with each other, management, and our Channel Managers from all our different carriers nationwide. We have classes scheduled along with the necessary face time for each vendor. Here we can complain or praise our vendors for the service we have received this last year. This year will be especially exciting since Shopfort1 has become such a force to be reckoned with. In past years, vendors said, "show us". Well we have! We are now number 1 or close to it for all the vendors we represent! There is not enough time in the day now for the trainings, dinners, and invitations bestowed upon us.

Because of that, we receive special pricing that other agents are not able to obtain. That helps us as Product Specialists, and also helps our clients save money. Contracts written one year ago may now save money on a new deal.

What a great time to be in this industry with all that is going on. What better than to learn something and go to Vegas! Get out the wheel barrels, when I come home, I'll need lots of help!

Wireless ISP's

2005-03-10T21:44:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you how many times I have heard, "DSL is not available in my area. Cable won't come this far. I heard satellite is costly. What do I do to get past my dial-up account?".

Well, short of installing a fractional or full T1 for yourself and spending somewhere between $350 - $1,000/month, here is an idea. Have you considered wireless technology? Just like the wireless router for your home or office, this works the same but on a larger scale. You have a couple options. A neighborhood ISP can be set up rather inexpensively and can connect 5 - 25 (maybe more) homes together. One T1 is run to a main location and the signal is then routed wirelessly to the other neighbors who would like to be part of this. Very fast service can be obtained pretty cheaply. A larger scale version of this may provide internet access to a whole community. I know of one high school student in particular who was bankrolled by his grandfather and was making a profit in less than 5 months!

This option works and is explained very well at "Broadband Wireless Exchange Magazine". Go to: http://www.bbwexchange.com/howto/ for a real nice six part article that is very easy to understand.

So, for those that feel "out of the loop" because of the lack of broadband at your home or business, try wireless!

When Would You Like That Installed?

2005-03-07T21:03:00.000-05:00

During the day, a lot of T1 and DSL leads come across my computer screen. Most are the garden variety type. Occasionally, some catch your eye. Take for example a recent OC48 quote request. For those of you that don't know, an OC48 is a very big data pipe. VERY BIG! Like 2.48 Gbits big. That is huge. Not many of these across the country. They exist but are few and far between. I was interested to say the least.

I have the ability to do a reverse search on the telephone number. The number comes up to a residence. Now this much is for certain, there won't be an OC48 at a residence. I called. A younger fellow answered the phone. I asked for Steve. The answerer said Steve was not at home, he was still at school. He would be home at 3:30 PM. "Great" I thought, "Here goes!" I asked "Is Steve your brother?" "Yes" was the reply. "Do me a favor?" I asked. "When Steve gets home, tell him the fellow from Shopfort1 called, they will be installing the OC48 this Friday. Please have your $100,000 install deposit ready at that time." There was silence until the brother figured out I was kidding. We both laughed and I thought that was that. A little later my phone rings. It is Steve. Very apologetic, it seems his brother neglected to tell him it was a joke! A little later, Steve's mom called, very frantic. Seems she was unaware of the joke either. I explained the situation but there was no laughing on mom's end. "I'll be talking to Steve," she said.

Not everyone has a sense of humor it seems!

Frame Relay VS DSL With VPN

2005-03-04T20:38:00.000-05:00

It seems like everyday you learn something new. Today I learned that Juke Box's no longer have records or CD's. They are now hooked up by high speed broadband and digitally connected to a server. When you request a song, you are digitally connected to a server that who knows where the music is. This music is then brought back by file and then played at the location! Wow!

Something else I have known though, is that businesses for the last few years have spent a bunch of money connecting their satellite offices by frame relay. This type of connection is very costly and speeds that are affordable rarely get above 384k. After speaking with Rob Butler from New Edge Networks, the newest way to get past this is SDSL with a VPN (virtual private network). SDSL is much more affordable with speeds from 384k up to 1.5 meg. Add in an inexspensive VPN solution and you have now connected to a private network that has been engineered for your specific application. We have documented cases of $1000/month frame sites that have been able to drop back to $300 - $400/month charges for DSL with VPN. An incredible savings!

What is the drawback? Time to repair and SLA (Service Level Agreements) become the biggest poroblem. Time to repair for a T1 line gets started within four hours. DSL is 24! A T1 line has 99.99% uptime. DSL has no guarantee but will guarantee the speed on SDSL.

So, is it worth it? For some it certainly will. DSL has become very reliable. For others, the critical nature of their business will not allow this. The risk of even a short down time possibility is too much. But as we all know, a significant monthly savings may negate a short period of dsl connectivity issues!

Welcome

2005-03-01T16:16:00.000-05:00

Thanks for visiting my very first "blog" entry. What you will find as you return are a number of articles that will help you make your T1 decisions. Whether you are a small shop or large IT department, my expertise will help you make sound decisions about your Broadband purchase.

As a closer for over a year now with Shopfort1, I have dealt with a wide variety of data, voice, and intgrated T1 applications. Add a little bit of DSL, business and residential, into the mix along with local Bells and a national footprint of carriers, and the result is true T1Advice that you can turn to for help. I have helped folks from all over the country with our services and have never hesitated to let someone know when service was not available.

Check back often, post questions, I'll be glad to help!