Nowfast Wireless Internet

<%@ Page Language="VB" %> Nowfast Wireless Internet

Wireless Internet Services FAQ




	The Home startup package Includes: Basic Equipment packageInstallation price $99 or $75/hr which ever is less. 10 Months of basic service( 16 months with a new computer purchase over $1,200.) 250 KBps 2.5mbps 80 times Faster than 3 KBps Dialup 3 Gigs of transfer Personal web space 6 email addresses Only 27.95/mo after 10 months About what you pay for dialup

Looking for fast Dialup connections?


	check out your Dialup site!!!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why does Nowfast take a deposit when you register even if service isn’t available yet?

A. This is the only way to know for sure you are committed to joining the service. We are building clusters of committed users and service will be extended into areas with enough committed users ASAP. The deposit will be held until we have committed to a serving site close enough to provide you with service. If you recruit your neighbors you will get service faster. If after 3 months it becomes obvious that there is not enough interest among your neighbors to proceed with a serving site we will either refund your deposit with interest or provide you with other options that could bring you service but at a higher equipment cost

Q. How does Nowfast's wireless broadband compare to dial-up?

A. A 56k Dial-up modem operates at 3-5 KBps. Our service operates at 250 KBps a performance improvement of 50 to 80 times. Our service is ‘always on’ so you don’t need to re-establish your connection each time you want to use it. Nowfast Wireless does not require any phone lines. Many wireless ISP’s offer only 5 to 25 times dialup speed. We are building a powerful infrastructure that allows us to offer much higher speeds

Q. How does Nowfast's wireless broadband compare to DSL and Cable Modem?

A. Unlike DSL or Cable Modem, our service does not depend on telephone or cable TV infrastructure. This enables Nowfast to reach many neighborhoods where DSL and Cable Modem are unable or unwilling to go. Our service plans offer performance comparable to DSL and Cable Modem, but with some important differences.
* Better upload speeds than comparably priced DSL or Cable Modem.
* Optional static IPs even on residential service and no restrictions against using servers or VPNs.
* Superior customer service because we are a local company.

Q. How does wireless broadband compare to Satellite?

A. Wireless broadband is sometimes confused with Satellite because they are both forms of wireless communication. The difference is that Nowfast uses a terrestrial microwave system that uses short-range wireless links that 10 to 30 km long. The latency on these short-range links is comparable to wired links like DSL and Cable Modem so the performance remains high. Satellite links have a large propagation delay due to the roughly 23,000-mile distance to geosynchronous satellites. This latency imposes a huge performance penalty on two-way interactive applications, regardless of bandwidth speed. For this reason Satellite should only be considered as a last resort for Internet service.

Q. How secure is the Nowfast Service?

A. There has been much press recently about the security issues of Wireless LAN technology known as 802.11b or Wi-fi. It is true that if the user uses the default settings with most Wi-Fi products it is very easy for an outsider to get onto the network. However, just changing a few settings can make the network secure. There is one large manufacturer of wireless equipment commonly in use in Alberta who claims their equipment is not 802.11 WiFi technology. It is. Basiaclly it is WiFi equipment with a little magic dust that is more aimed to make sure other less expensive equipment can’t be used on the same service than for security reasons. The wireless system Nowfast uses is a completely secure 802.11 Wi-fi system that has been carefully configured for your security.
1. The Nowfast system uses completely nonproprietary technology for the Radio Frequency signals as well as the data protocols. Some would have you believe that only expensive proprietary equipment is secure. That just isn’t true. Our equipment which is industrial strength (carrier grade) uses the latest technology to lock down the network and not only protects the network from outside but protects users from each other.
2. Authentication. No Nowfast radio can communicate with our tower without first having its Electronic Serial Number authenticated against our list of allowed radios. Every radio has one of these numbers including notebook wireless cards and many off the shelf products. Only units with registered numbers can get access to our network.
3. Encryption. The Nowfast system encrypts the user data over the air using 128 bit DES encryption. These characteristics make our service at least as secure as DSL or Cable modem systems. As an example, it would probably be easier to tap into your phone line outside your home than hack through the encryption.

Q. How does the weather affect Nowfast's Service?

A. The effects of weather on Microwave radio signals vary based on the frequency used and the distance the signal travels. With the frequencies and distances in our network, signal degradation due to heavy rain, snow, or fog are negligible. The degradation due to heavy rain is less than .2 db and our system is designed with at least a 10 db signal fade margin.

Q. How large is the antenna used to provide your service?

A. In most cases there will need to be an out door antenna pointing at the serving tower. These antennas are usually less than 10” x10” and white or grey mounted on an exterior wall or on the roof. If you have an existing TV tower that would be a good location. In some cases where users are close to the serving tower there will not have to be an outdoor antenna. In some of these cases the radio unit will be a desktop unit with no additional antenna. Another option may be a range extender antenna that hangs on a wall or sits on its own base. Those who don’t require any additional antenna other than the one included with the radio unit will receive 2 additional months of service with their startup package.

Q. Are there any health or safety concerns with the wireless signal?

A. No. The technology used by Nowfast operates at very low power levels, similar to a cell phone, and much less than the amount that is emitted by your microwave oven. Also, radio frequency power drops dramatically as you move away from the power source. Typically, our antennas would not be placed where any person would be able to stand right in front of it for any significant period of time.

Q. What are the system requirements for my PC to use Nowfast's service?

A.Your PC must have a 10BaseT or 100BaseT Ethernet Network Interface Card (NIC). We do not load any software onto your computer. All your PC needs is TCP/IP software and a web browser. Windows 98 or newer and MAC OS 8.5 or greater include TCP/IP and a browser.

Q. What about a router or firewall is it required?

A. We recommend using a router or our firewall protection service. Any broadband router that has an Ethernet port (10BaseT or 100BaseT) as its WAN or Internet port will work. This includes the wireless routers that are currently popular. Nowfast has suitable 4 port and 8 port routers for sale for very reasonable prices. Nowfast recomends the use of a router because the radio transceiver we use does not block non-Internet protocols (such as Windows' Netbeui) or Ethernet broadcast packets. For security reasons, you do not want this traffic getting onto our network. For performance and reliability reasons, we want that traffic to be blocked. Additional benefits of the router include firewall protection as well as multiple Ethernet ports and IP Addresses to allow multiple computers to be online at the same time. For those who don’t feel comfortable configuring their own router we offer users a low cost firewall service. This gives you security behind our router but it limits some of the things you can do like run a web server.

Q. Can more than one computer share the connection?

A. Yes, we will register two mac addresses per customer. This means 2 radios. Our customer equipment is also capable of bridging. What this means is that we may be able to extend your service wirelessly throughout your home. There is an extra charge for this bridging which covers any additional antennas and connections needed. In most cases it would be less costly to use a wired or wireless router to extend service throughout your home. Nowfast supports the innovative use of home networking and charges based on total household bandwidth consumption rather than on the number of computers. Nowfast can design and install your wired or wireless home or business network.

Q. What is involved in the installation?

A. Generally we will provide a completely configured unit along with very specific instructions on how to self install it. Self installs will mostly involve mounting the unit on a wall an eve, a roof or a TV tower and aiming it at our serving tower. It may also involve loading the drivers for the client equipment. Anyone who bring in their computer to our store can have us load and configure these drivers for free while they wait. Then all that will be left will be mounting and aiming the antenna and hooking up the wires. We can also do the installation for you at your site for $99. This only includes basic installation and configuration. It does not include the installation of towers or poles to get antennas above trees or hills or any networking. Those services can be arranged separately.

Q. What is the typical lead time to have your service installed?

A. If your location is within range of one of our towers and has line of site to that tower, we can usually install within a week to 10 days of you paying for your startup package and network access fee. If when the service is installed and it doesn’t work and you are unable or unwilling to provide a higher point to mount the customer equipment we will refund your startup package in full.

Q. Do I need to have a separate ISP service with Nowfast's service?

A. No, the ISP is included as part of our service. We provide IP addresses, and email accounts as part of our plans. You may wish to continue using a dial ISP if you travel much. Nowfast's dialup service can be found here.

Q. What equipment is needed?

A.Included with your startup package is our basic radio equipment which includes an outdoor antenna. If the antenna can be mounted close to your house it is connected by coax antenna wire to the radio unit inside of your home. If the distance is farther like on a pole, a building or a tower on the other side of a grove of trees or on top of a silo or a barn the radio is integrated with the antenna and your computer or router is connected by Ethernet cable. The closer the antenna is to the radio the better. We don’t install anything in your computer. Our service does not require proprietary equipment. Any 802.11 wireless radio with ad hoc as a feature such as the radio cards in modern notebook computers will be able to get our service if they can get a signal. Modern wireless equipment including that in the latest notebooks is very powerful and has a much longer range than equipment from even as little as a year ago. We use the latest technology to serve and the equipment we provide is also the latest technology. We make no profits on equipment sales. If you already have suitable equipment we reduce the startup package by the amount of the cost of the equipment included. If you need less equipment because you live close to the serving location we add additional months of service equivalent to the value of the equipment you don’t need.

Q. Do I have to change my Internet Service Provider (ISP) and e-mail address?

A.Yes. However, we offer free e-mail addresses Most ISP’s will allow you to pay to keep your current email address. We also offer this service for a very reasonable price if you should ever have to move to a different provider. That means you won’t ever have to change it again.

Q. Is Internet access unlimited?

A.Nowfast Wireless Internet is a full-time connection; your computer is connected 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year or as long as your computer is on. Why does Nowfast charge by data transmitted? All accounts include up to 3GB. This is roughly what most people generally use in a month. Even services that include a much larger amount of transfer only average 2-4 GB per user per month. Heavy users are usually those who are downloading free music and videos and pirated software or opening up their computers for others to download from.. Some of these users can transfer 100GB or more per month while normal users use 1-3 GB. We could charge everyone $5 or $10 more per month to cover the extra bandwidth we need to accommodate these heavy users. We think that would be unfair. Our charges for extra GB of transfer are very reasonable if purchased in advance. Those who have purchased a Gig package are also allowed to roll forward their unused GB at the end of each month. We think we are being fair. If you need a lot of extra GB of transfer you can purchase this capacity in advance at rates lower than those charged by most Canadian hosting companies. Can I run a server on your system? Yes, with our Static IP address option. We can make static IP’s available for an additional charge but only if you have purchased a gig package. There are some services that you cannot use these static IP’s for such as running an email server for the purpose of spamming. Can weather affect the Wireless Internet signal? Generally not however there is some speed loss during downpours. Fog, smog, snow or general rain don’t generally effect the signal.

Q.What can affect the Wireless Internet signal?

A.There is some signal loss going through wood construction walls. Metal, water like in tree leaves, and hills are obstacles to receiving a signal. If you live in a hollow behind a thick grove of trees you will have to find a high spot where the radio unit can be mounted. Generally outdoor units will have an integrated antenna and be connected to your computer or router by as much as 250ft of Ethernet cable. We charge extra for Ethernet cable lengths over 75 ft. Power to the radio unit is provided over the Ethernet cable.

Q Why should I choose Nowfast Wireless Internet access over other high-speed (broadband) options such as Cable, DSL or other Wireless ISP’s?

A.Several reasons. First, our service is by far the best deal out there. The Nowfast wireless service is very fast often faster than ADSL or Cable in smaller communities where the ADSL and Cable providers usually restrict the total bandwidth they send to a community and basically let the users fight it out among themselves for access. Users on our service will experience speeds up to 80 times faster than rural dialup internet. We backhaul a large connection into every location with the idea of making sure everyone gets a strong service. Second, Wireless can go where Cable and DSL can't... into the country and smaller communities. Even where cable and ADSL go they can only serve over short distances. They just pick the plums, do the easy stuff with no regard for the farms and acreages around that community. We make every effort to serve the whole community including establishing smaller serving sites fed from larger ones. These small sites are feasible with as few as 8 users.

Q. How do I pay for my Internet?

A.There are a number of payment options. Everyone pays for their startup package prior to service installation. After that generally we use a preauthorized payment system which can be scheduled to come out monthly, every 3 mo, 6 mo or yearly. All basic service is paid for in advance and transfer overages are paid with the next months payment. Those not paying monthly must have a prepaid Gig Package equivalent to your estimated overages for the prepaid period. Other payment options include credit card payments and a mailed paper invoice. Mailed invoices incur an additional administrative fee of $5.00 per invoice.

Q. How about support?

A.We are a well established Camrose computer store and Internet Provider. Generally you can get us on the phone during the day and if that doesn’t work you can bring your computer into our shop for a closer look. If the problem is configuring your computer to work with our internet generally that will be free to fix. If the problem is deeper like with your operating system or other software we can also fix that for a reasonable charge. In fact we can completely clean up your computer for a reasonable cost.