Wi-Fi

Project Loon – The future of internet connectivity?

23rd November 2018 by admin

In the UK, we have a robust broadband connectivity network that allows most of us in the country to access the internet at any time.

However, you may be surprised to hear that we are part of just a slight majority when it comes to internet connectivity. Reports show that only 55% of the world’s population has access to the internet as of June 2018 – meaning that well over 3 billion people are unable to connect to the world wide web!

Reaching those who are not yet connected is challenging for many different reasons, such as, a lack of funding, poor infrastructure or a remote location.

In 2011, Google X stepped in and began testing a system dubbed ‘Project Loon’. The idea behind it was to transmit an internet connection down to those who need it via a mini-satellite. The original prototype was made up of a weather balloon and a collection of off-the-shelf radio parts.

By 2013, Project Loon was an official Google Project, and the balloon technology had developed via the help of vigorous testing in New Zealand under stratospheric temperatures.

But how does it work…?

The technology developed can be broken up into three main parts:

1) Antennas

They transmit connectivity obtained from ground stations down to any LTE capable phone, much like the way a mobile network transmits signal.

2) Charging Equipment

A row of solar panels power the satellite when sunlight is present and an additional battery acts as a backup during the night.

3) Flight Capsule

This contains the electronics commanding the unit and the navigation system, which uses automated algorithms and predictive models on wind speeds and directions. This is continuously monitored by someone on the ground.

The balloons themselves are made from sheets of polyethylene – the material used to make some shopping bags – and contain helium. When fully inflated, they stand 39ft tall and 49ft wide and can travel for around 100 days.

Taking Flight…

The first to connect to one of the balloons were a family in Canterbury, New Zealand in 2013 and they connected via an internet antenna attached to their house.

The first LTE connection was made in 2014 by a school in Campo Maior, Brazil. It was the first time they had ever connected to the world wide web.

These balloons have since been used multiple times to provide internet coverage after natural disasters. In 2017, Project Loon teamed up with the FCC to provide connectivity to around 200,000 people in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

The Future…

As of July 2018, Project Loon graduated from Google X and has now become a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. It is clear that Project Loon now plays a massive role in supporting humanitarian issues but this new technology could become commercially beneficial in the future too.

Anti-Bullying Week 2018 – How to protect yourself and others online

9th November 2018 by admin

The week commencing 12th November 2018 marks the beginning of this year’s Anti-Bullying Week, the theme of which is ‘Choose Respect’.

The idea behind this theme is to show that bullying is a behavioural choice. From there, we can encourage people of all ages to be respectful instead of hurtful.

One of the biggest types of bullying in modern society is cyberbullying. It is almost commonplace with the new type of behaviours that have formed online, such as ‘trolling’ and ‘stan’ cultures.

Nowadays, it is very easy for someone to post hurtful content online without any repercussions because they can do so anonymously. It can also come from any person with access the internet at any time of the day – meaning that it can be difficult for people to escape online harassment.

However, modern technology can now help keep people away from harmful content, so we’re going to take you through some ways that you can protect yourself, your children or others. Whether it be routers, software or handsets, many technologies now often include screen time limits or application restriction features. Most notably, Apple’s iOS 12 now has a new Screen Time function which encompasses these elements.

Settings like this allow you to limit how much time is spent on devices and how much time is spent using individual apps. This is a great way to manage how much media you (or your children) are creating or exposed to.

Additionally, the content that is displayed when accessing the internet can also be restricted often using age ratings or by banning ‘explicit’ content.

If you have a child whom you feel is a victim of cyberbullying or is bullying others, you can limit their internet access with parental controls. This is a great way of making sure that either a person or device within your household can’t access the internet unsupervised.

It is great to see that businesses are taking into consideration some of the dangers of the internet and placing controllable limits on their products; take a look at the features your router and/or smartphone offers – it could all lead to a reduction in cyberbullying.

In the meantime, if there is anyone you know that may be being bullied, always remember to reach out and support them. Also, if you have noticed any online bullying, be sure to report it as most sites have policies against a cyberbullying.

5G testing has begun!

15th October 2018 by admin

5G is a highly popular topic at the moment, with many industry experts beginning to test and showcase what is possible with 5G.

Companies and individuals alike are preparing themselves for a 5G launch that was previously expected in 2020, however EE are now getting ready for a full 5G launch in the UK next year!

This is much sooner than some expected, including us, which puts us at the front of the pack for 5G release across Europe.

EE is currently testing it’s 5G network and part of this project involves them testing 5G in high capacity areas and hotspots within the UK.

As a result, the first 5G trial site has been switched on at Montgomery Square, Canary Wharf. Montgomery Square is estimated by EE to have 150’000 visitors and commuters every day.

This site is the first of 11 sites that will be launched across East London as the first phase of EE’s 5G launch program. But EE isn’t the only provider that is working on releasing 5G trial sites in the UK…

O2 is beginning it’s 5G testing by using their O2 Arena as a trial site, allowing visitors to experience 5G first hand before O2 plans to release it to the rest of the UK in 2020.

Vodafone has also stated that in the coming weeks they will be launching their own test sites across the UK after the testing that took place at their laboratory in Newbury. Vodafone is trailing 5G in a few different locations. Firstly, they’re opening trial sites in seven cities across the UK including Birmingham and Manchester. They will also be launching hotspots in holiday destinations such as the Lake District in 2019.

They will be the first UK provider to launch 5G outside of any UK city, barring any surprise launches from fellow service providers.

So, what exactly does 5G data mean for us when we’re using our phones?

5G speeds can equal anything up to 1Gbps, which is around 600 times faster than the UK’s average speeds! This means a full HD film that you could usually download in a couple of hours takes just a few seconds! The much larger bandwidth that 5G offers also means that many more people can access these speeds at once.

The O2 CEO Mark Evans explains the importance of 5G to the UK very well. He stated:

For more information on what 5G can offer us – have a read of our ‘5G – The Fifth Generation’ blog.

“The Internet is down!”

3rd January 2018 by admin

The words that no business wants to hear but likely will because at some point your internet WILL go down!

The fact is – your broadband can be affected by a number of factors, most of which your provider is unlikely to tell you…

Luckily, we will! And believe me we’ve heard it all…

…..The cleaner pulling out the microfilter whilst hoovering (YES that did happen to one of our customers – luckily we managed to work it out!)…..

…..A faulty router…..

…..A Big network outage due to bad weather…..

…..Builders behaving badly & cutting through the line…..

And everything in between!

The key point here is;

The risks are out of your supplier’s control and you are left picking up the pieces, the lost time, the revenue and maybe customer satisfaction.

They’re also exactly the same no matter who your supplier is.

So we want to open your eyes to the potential threats and help you protect yourself (as well as your business) from these ‘worst case’ scenarios.

You have to have a contingency plan in place because unfortunately, if your business relies on a single internet connection, at some point you will experience a problem.

And why is that?

Well, we’re sorry to say this but broadband as you know it was not intended to be available 100% of the time. The rate at which we have increased our needs for internet is way ahead of the curve of availability, resilience and speed.

But why have we chosen now to talk about this you may wonder…..?

The answer:

Many of our customers rely on the internet for key business tools i.e. POS, taking payments, CCTV, order processing or even providing customer WiFi – the list goes on!

So when it goes down, we feel the pain and frustration with you.

How can you protect yourself and your business….?

Firstly, you need to think about your internet connection in terms of layers. There are very few businesses who can justify the risk of only one source of connectivity. For those who can’t, regardless of how your current internet connection looks, there are back-up layers available to prevent the worst!

If you are operating from an ADSL or FTTC broadband connection, you may want to look at 1 or both of these 4G backup options:

(i) A 4G dongle simply plugs into any PC and will get you back online ASAP: Perfect to see you through a short term issue, when time is of the essence.

(ii) The more superior routers on the market now offer a 4G fallback feature. This requires no set up in the event of downtime – the equipment would simply switch to 4G mode as required.

If you have Direct Internet Access (such as a lease line) your bandwidth is uncontended which means the connection is dedicated to you only (i.e. there’s no sharing with other people) so the risks of connectivity issues are lower.

However, the chances are you chose this type of connection because fast and reliable internet is imperative to your business and the risk to your business, in the event of downtime, is greater.
Therefore it is still wise to have backup.

Our recommended backup options include;

A broadband Line such as our low-cost standard broadband is the perfect backup option. With pricing from just £14.99 per month, it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind. Our customer Nexus Fusion did just this to support the lease line they already had from another supplier.

To give your contingency plans even greater strength, we have some service add-ons which support all types of connections.

1.Router Care – This service will provide you with a FREE, next day delivery, replacement router in the event of a router fault or failure. Currently priced at £3.50 p/month for an ADSL connection or £5.50 p/month for a fibre connection.

2.Complete Care – This offers all of the benefits of our Router Care package, plus Special Faults Investigator Engineering included, faster response times from BT Openreach with Care Level 3 and Sonar – our 24/7 router monitoring service – for additional peace of mind.

If you want to protect yourself (and your business) we’re here to help. Our team are on hand to discuss any of the options in more detail and help establish the most appropriate according to your needs. Just get in touch and we’ll be happy to talk you through it.

Herd about MK: Boxx’s story

15th November 2017 by admin

With Christmas on the horizon and New Year just beyond; the end of arguably the most exciting year in Milton Keynes’ history fast approaches.

A wealth of events contributed to making the City’s 50th its finest with, perhaps the most poignant being, Herd about MK. A charity with events spanning the course of the year – the project had three aims: bring the community closer together, celebrate MK’s 50th birthday and; most importantly, raise money for 3 incredibly worthy charities. Willen Hospice, MK Dons SET and the MK community foundation.

The project exceeded all expectations – becoming synonymous throughout town, and even made it onto the BBC News. But, just in case you haven’t ‘Herd about MK’ here’s our summary of the event of the year…

After hearing about the opportunity to sponsor one of 50 life size cows, symbolic of MK, we knew that we had to get on board! In addition to the unique nature of this opportunity the chance to raise so much money for charity and attend a magnitude of incredible events was simply unmissable.

Becoming aware of the ‘Herd’ relatively late: we were a little rushed for time in getting our cow looking udderly fabulous. Fortunately, thanks to the help of co-sponsors Cygnus and Format Graphics, we were all set for the big reveal.

Naming, on the other hand, proved a little more difficult! After much mooing and erring we finally settled upon Moopheus – the much wiser and older sister of Morpheus (Just joking).

Moopheus’ first public appearance came in March, when the Herd were unveiled by sponsors to a gathering crowd at Middleton Hall. The reaction was definitely one to remember as the moovelous cows were exposed. Following the extensive photo and video shoots, from both sponsors and shoppers, the herd stayed put for the weekend and provided visitors with a new source of excitement during their shopping trips.

Following their stay in the CMK shopping centre, a select 27 members of the herd were transported to Stadium MK, home of the MK Dons, to cheer the side on in their final home game of the season.
The Stadium wasn’t just the venue for the penultimate Dons outing but also as the finish line for the 2017 Milton Keynes Marathon. Naturally, the heard stayed put to cheer the runners home as well as support friends and family as they eagerly awaited the arrival of their runners.

While the Herd were out raising money so were 50 skydivers, jumping from 13,000 ft, to raise money for Willen Hospice; they raised an incredible £19,000 between them!

Following a quieter couple of months Moopheus made an appearance at the Garden Show held at Woburn Abbey in late June, providing visitors with Wi-Fi connection throughout their visit to the prestigious venue and popular event.

The herd continued to create a buzz about MK throughout the summer – this time participating in a city-wide game of hide and seek, designed especially to keep the kids on school holidays thoroughly entertained. Despite her busy schedule Moopheus was still able to join us for our family fun day at the Navigation Inn, once again keeping the kids entertained, alongside the Instavan Photobooth.

An exclusive race day between the sponsors at Daytona was next in the diary. In late September each sponsor entered a team of four drivers who competed against one another throughout the day. After a valiant effort from Boxx we finished in 11th place. Despite the disappointing finish it was an awesome day and it’s fair to say that everyone involved thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

After months of incredible events the grand finale felt as though it came all too soon. A huge Gala dinner, at the Arena MK, hosted all the sponsors and herd alike. In addition to the fantastic 3 course meal, 50 strong herd and live music entertainment – there was a charity auction which, despite some interesting pieces, helped to raise a significant amount of money for the chosen charities.
All who attended had a fantastic time, some a little too fantastic, making the event a truly great way for ‘Herd about MK’ to bow out.

Despite the end of the year’s big project – neither the memories nor achievements will be forgotten, as the cows now reside with the businesses who sponsored them. Moopheus is free to graze and be seen outside our offices, so feel free to pop down and say hello to her anytime!

Superfast Broadband to UK’s most remote areas

12th February 2014 by admin

Superfast Broadband to UK's most remote areas

A new £10m fund for pilot projects to bring superfast broadband to the most rural parts of the UK, has been announced by the government.

The scheme is aimed at alternative technology providers who can come up with solutions that can be trialled in the most difficult areas to reach nationally.

The government claims to be on target to have 95 per cent of the UK able to access superfast broadband by 2017, at an estimated cost of £790m, but has had problems with the remotest five per cent. The new fund is inviting applications from March 2014 for a range of pilots which will take place up and down the country to help find the most effective way of bringing broadband to all, not just those in well-populated areas.

Potential technologies that could be piloted under the new fund for remote areas are expected to include:

· Using 4G mobile signal to deliver fixed wireless superfast broadband

· Using fibre direct to premises

· Taking fibre from broadband cabinets to a distribution point further down the network, increasing speeds by reducing the reliance on copper

· Satellite technology

The government believes superfast broadband is vital to all homes and businesses and has committed to ensuring that no one is left in the ‘digital slow lane’ simply because of their post code. It also claims that every £1 spent on the superfast rollout will bring back £20 to the British economy.

Maria Miller, Secretary for State for Culture, Media and Sport, said: Our nationwide rollout of superfast broadband will benefit everyone from school children to business owners, parents to patients. An estimated 10,000 homes and businesses are gaining access to superfast speeds every week but now we need to focus on the hardest to reach communities. If we want to ensure that that all communities can benefit then we need to think imaginatively about alternative technology, and the pilots enabled by the £10m fund will be instrumental in helping us overcome the challenges of reaching the final five per cent of premises.

The £10m will be made available to fund projects that will provide answers to several key questions, including identifying which technologies will be most cost effective and commercially acceptable, as well as how they will ultimately be funded.

Suppliers will be able to bid for funding and will need to provide a description of their proposed project, including the costs and the outputs.

Broadband Delivery UK, which is responsible for delivering the rural programme, will evaluate proposals on the basis of criteria such as the quality and prospect of solutions being able to scale to address the final five per cent, for the timeliness and usefulness of the learning that the projects provide, and also the level of funding requested.

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