Welcome to the self-proclaimed Rural Ottawa High-Speed Internet Blog. High-speed Internet access is virtually ubiquitous in the urban and suburban areas of Ottawa, but when I started this blog in 2005, only about 60% of the rural areas of Ottawa have coverage. However, even for rural citizens, high-speed Internet access is becoming as necessary as telephone service. Happily, high-speed coverage for rural Ottawa has increased significantly, and not only is coverage reportedly above 90%, many rural residents and businesses now have more than one choice of high-speed ISP.

This purpose of this weblog is to track news and events related to high-speed (broadband) Internet access in the rural areas of Ottawa and, to a lesser extent, in nearby townships.

RSS Feed

I think members of this blog can be notified of any new postings via email. Membership is free (and I won't spam you). As well, if you have an RSS news reader, you can easily be notifed of new postings to this blog by subscribing to: http://firstlinehs.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Postings & Moderation

I've opened up this blog to allow anyone to post to it. However, I continue to moderate and will remove any inappropriate content, e.g. anything not related to high-speed internet access in the rural Ottawa, the Ottawa Valley, Eastern Ontario, and the Outaouais.


Friday, April 12, 2013

Update on Bell TurboHub

I've had the Bell TurboHub for about 26 months now. All in all, I've been satisfied with the service, although there have been a few issues, mostly with peak period slow-downs.

One significant annoyance that I've had a few times is when I've reached by monthly 10 GB download limit. When that happens, Bell stops transmitting data and displays a warning that I've reached my limit, and to click a link to proceed. The trouble is, the link did nothing. This happened at least 2 months in a row. Each time, I had to call Bell to allow my TurboHub to continue surfing, and they always required me to reset the TurboHub. I was working from home a couple of times when this happened, and I lost about 30 minutes of productivity each time. I also asked the technician to set my account so that the limit warning wasn't displayed, and each time, I was told it wouldn't happen again, but of course it did happen again.

About a month or so ago, after receiving a brochure in the mail, I contacted Bell about the LTE service, and was told that the max speed available in my area was 21 Mbps... which I could also get via HSPA+ with my existing TurboHub. So I had my account settings increased from 7 Mbps to 21 Mbps, and (I think) I had my monthly download limit increased to 15 GB. Since then, slowdowns have been very few, and I've occasionally exceeded the typical speeds Bell advertises for the 21 Mbps service (IIRC, 3.5 - 8 Mbps).

This morning, even with an ice/snow storm going on, the receive signal on my TurboHub with the internal antenna is -79 dBm. This is the best I've ever observed it to be, as it is typically -85 dBm, and has been lower than -100 dBm on occasion. (I have an external antenna as well, but I need to orient it better.)

--Chris

5 Comments:

Blogger Leif said...

My parents have a Turbo Hub and while it's better than dial-up they seem to suffer a lot from what seems to be network congestion/slowness during peak periods. To the point where sometimes it's slower than dial up.

To rule out signal strength, I have a couple questions:

1. How do you get those the antenna signal strength readings?

2. What external antennae do you have and where'd you buy it?

Cheers

April 12, 2013 3:02 PM  
Blogger Chris Spencer said...

@Lief.

1. Open a web browser and go to http://www.routerlogin.net/start.htm. Click on Router Status, and then Connection Status at the bottom of the Router Status page. 2nd row of the pop-up window reads "Received Signal Quality(in dbm)". The value is updated periodically (default is 5 secs). I would be concerned if the received signal strength is regularly lower (more negative) than -87 dBm.

2. I have a Yagi antenna. I bought in from City Wireless, through Amazon.ca. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B004UNYNVU/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The trick with external antennas is that they are directional, so they have to be pointed directly at the host cell tower (within a few degrees). The Canadian Cell Tower Map page (http://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/cancellsites.html) may help you locate the Bell tower nearest you.

As I write this, my reading is -81 dBm, which is very good for where I am. However, right now, I'm using my internal antenna as I think my external antenna is out of alignment.


Hope this helps.

--Chris

April 13, 2013 10:53 AM  
Blogger Ben Mooy said...

Have the same modem from Bell, MVBR1210C. Generally my bandwidth is good. My main issue is that the connection often drops and reconnects a few minutes later. Am located on Grey Fox Drive. Noticed this morning that someone is building a new tower on Corkery Woods. Wonder if this is a new Bell tower. Earlier this week Bell was stringing new cables from March/Corkery towards Corkery Woods.

May 10, 2013 3:00 PM  
Blogger Ben Mooy said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

May 10, 2013 3:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The tower you see is for NorthWind Wireless. Bell was installing fibre optic cables with respect to this tower, but I'm not sure what the actual the relationship is. I'm looking at this site trying to learn more about NorthWind and whether we can actually get true highspeed in Corkery.

May 12, 2013 11:56 PM  

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Sunday, November 18, 2012

IT World Canada: Internet access here ‘terrible,’ conference told

According to an IT World Canada article, internet access in Canada is terrible, at least in comparison to internet access in the USA.

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Friday, October 12, 2012

Bell's LGE Turbo Hotspot

Has anyone tested or bought Bell's 4G LTE Sierra Wireless 763 Turbo Hotspot?

From the coverage map, Bell's LTE coverage for Ottawa seems pretty good and is growing. Of course, it does not yet appear to cover the entire city, nor much outside the city.

Bell is advertising "...download speeds of up to 100 Mbps* (expected average download of 12-40 Mbps).", which blows the doors off of the MBR1210 TurboHub (HSPA) that I have, yet under the FlexPlan, the monthly costs would be the same.

I don't know if Rogers has a similar offering or not, but I welcome comments on that too, if it exists.

-Chris

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

As with any remote hub option, the prices are astronomical once you get past your limit. The Rogers hub charges $10/GB up to $500 MAX. They used to be $50 maximum which I was able to live with and normally did live with, but $500 is not absurd. Bell is no better, as the max flex rate is based on 15GB, and some ridiculous /MB charge.

November 15, 2012 11:07 AM  

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Monday, May 21, 2012

CTV: Dial-up Internet still a reality for many Canadians

According to this article on CTV's website [http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20120521/dial-up-internet-still-a-reality-for-canadians-120521/], an estimated 250,000 people across Canada still use dial-up to access the Internet. No shocker that most of these people live in rural locations.

11 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

And, many of us are delivered dial-up speeds by high speed providers on a regular basis. :-(

May 24, 2012 12:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And at high-speed prices.

May 29, 2012 8:47 AM  
Blogger Vishnu said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

May 31, 2012 2:15 AM  
Blogger Vishnu said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

May 31, 2012 2:16 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, I have the Bell Turbo Hub service and it's been so bad lately that we've started using dial-up again. I'm buying a directional yagi antenna in hopes to help the incoming signal. On the very light brighter side the dial-up connection I have is free. I've stopped paying a few years ago but it dial-up still connects. I called the company about a year ago to make sure they weren't billing me through a credit card I might have lost track of but they couldn't find my account. :-)

June 11, 2012 11:12 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nonny on June 11: Just had a Wilson antenna installed for my Hub and the difference is like night & day. Now have a stable connection, no more DNS errors. At present,the installation is temporary, permanent to be done later in the week a with heavier-duty cable, thus will be even better signal strength. Check the Bell site for approved antenna installers in your area.

After enduring the W35 for 17 months, I talked Bell into swapping it for the Netgear or they'd be losing me as a customer. Even without the external antenna, there was a big improvement.

Now if Bell would only do something about their data prices/caps for the Hub ;(

June 12, 2012 9:23 AM  
Blogger Chris Spencer said...

I agree with Anonymous w.r.t. the Yagi antenna. I finally installed the one that I bought a month ago. I have the Netgear MBR1210 Bell Turbohub.

Today, with the internal antenna, the signal strength was -103 dBm. Once I connected the Yagi and pointed it in the general direction of the tower (~7km NNW), signal strength improved to -87 dBm. I re-enabled the internal antenna and the sig strength was -93 dBm, and then I once again enabled the Yagi, and sig strength was -87 dBm.

Your improvement may vary. I cannot get my Yagi high enough to clear the 60-foot maples on my property aqnd the wooded lot next door, and I'm not sure what impact such foliage has on signal strength. Also, it is overcast and raining today. The walls of my 150-year-old house are ~12 inches thick.

I bought my Yagi antenna through a 3rd party company on amazon.ca. AFAIK, it is a Wilson Yagi.

June 12, 2012 3:13 PM  
Blogger Chris Spencer said...

I should point out that an increase of 6 dBm (from -93 to -87 dBm) may not seem like a lot, but it's HUGE, given that a 3 dBm increase represents a doubling (2x) of signal strength. So, a 6 dBM increase is a 400% improvement in signal strength.

Conversely, a 3 dBm reduction is signal strength is equivalent to dividing the power in half.

June 12, 2012 3:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Initial euphoria has subsided somewhat :<. From -85 & -87, now holding at -91, but still more consistent connection than internal antenna, have only had DNS late afternoon. TestMyNet results vary wildly.

I read that pines soak up signals like a sponge, don't know about maples, tho. My neighbour tells me he loses his vehicle's Sirius radio when he turns into his heavily pine-treed yard. With deciduous trees, you should expect some improvement once the leaves drop.

June 14, 2012 8:22 AM  
Blogger Chris Spencer said...

Today, in the bright sunshine, I'm getting -83 dBm. Same maples. :-) Maybe now that the leaves aren't covered with rain drops, it's allowing more signal to get through (less dispersion).

I just read an interesting article -- perhaps written by an end-user -- which echos a lot of what I've been observing. Check out:

http://www.adnetalgoma.ca/HSPA%20Hardware%2017Jan%2012.pdf

June 14, 2012 12:36 PM  
Blogger claytonfarm said...

When I had xplornet fixed wireless (on unlicensed 900MHz band), it was slow but unlimited data. When that service failed due to interference (possibly from Hydro One smartmeter???), no one would but the effort into diagnosing the actual problem. I switched to a Bell Turbo Hub. The change in speed was dramatic and the connection is good all the time, but I quickly discovered my usage exceeded the 3G/month data cap in about 5 days. So no more using youtube like a TV. 3G is fine for email and facebook and web surfing, but forget video streaming when the over use charges add up at $15/GB.

I still keep my National Capital Freenet dial up account active for wireless outages, but so far with 5 months of the Bell service I haven't needed it.

Xplornet is now offering a 4G fix in Almonte with basic packages that include 50GB. I've heard it is working fine, but I'm now locked in to a 3 Year contract with Bell.

If anyone knows how to break a cell contract without the $400 penalty I'd really like to hear about it, IMD.bh9z at ncf.ca

thanks, David

September 22, 2012 8:27 AM  

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Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Storm rolling out 10MBS wireless near Dwyer Hill

Another request for a new thread. I think I'm going to open up this blog to allow anyone to post new posts or comments, and I'll just police it unless it gets out-of-hand. Anyway, here's the new thread:
I have been really discouraged by Xplornet in the last 6 months and I have been looking for **any** other option. My Xplornet speeds have become so slow I can't use Youtube or vpn into work. They tell me it is due to my garage door opener or my wii :-) I was forced to convert from Storm. With my old Storm account I had 3mbs up and down and it was **very** good service. I contacted Storm and they are planning on rolling out a 10MBS service in the Dwyer Hill area if there is enough interest. IMHO if you want internet that is actually usable and you want to deal with reasonable people, go to http://storm.ca/ovs/. dwyer-hill.ex9z@ncf.ca

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

From Storm's website http://storm.ca/aboutus/newsreleases/news20120426.php:

"If you are interested in services in this area, please fill out an online expression of interest at: http://www.storm.ca/ovs

In an expansion that will double their regional coverage, Storm will be providing fast and reliable Internet services to rural areas via their industry-leading high-speed wireless network solution. Internet services, with speeds of up to 10Mbps and generous data allowances (100GB per month), will be available in selected areas beginning in the summer of 2012 as Storm builds out and deploys equipment. A number of packages will be available for this new service, allowing Storm clients to choose the option that best meets the needs and budgets of their homes, businesses or organizations. Beyond wireless services, Storm will continue to be able to provide high-speed DSL and Fibre-based Internet services within the more densely populated town and village centers.

In order to support the new network, Storm is opening a regional office in the heart of Chesterville, Ontario. The successful opening of their Perth office last year continues with the Chesterville office, offering close-to-home, personal, customer service to Storms clients. Storms office will bring new jobs to the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. Office positions will help customers in a one on one setting; providing in-store support, general Internet information, home router sales and set-up, network troubleshooting, in-store service applications, and bill payments, while field teams will be deployed to homes and businesses for network installations and repairs. Chesterville residents interested in the customer service or field technician positions at the new office are asked to submit resumes to hr@storm.ca

We cant wait to expand our high speed coverage and open a new regional support office said Dave Chiswell, CEO of Storm Internet, We have been planning this for over a year and will start deployment and serving customers this summer. Bringing city speeds and pricing outside of city limits has always been a priority for Storm. We look forward to being an important aid in the economic growth of the region.

For more information we encourage potential customer to fill out an online expression of interest at: http://www.storm.ca/ovs or for further questions, please contact Michelle Katz at 613-567-6585 x239. "

May 07, 2012 9:16 PM  
Blogger James Kayden said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

May 11, 2012 1:31 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment about Explornet is pretty consistent with all the other comments I have heard about them. Seems like they can't provide the services they sell, they should live up to expectations or change their sales tactics.

May 21, 2012 9:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We had satellite with them, which was unuseable. Then wireless, which was barely better. After many visits Xplornet let us off our contract. Luckily we found Bell's 2mps Rural (or portable). It wasn't perfect but we go used to it. The great part was unlimited use!! But as we all know by now both Bell and Rogers discontinued that service. I'm now with crappy Bell Turbo Hub.

June 11, 2012 11:18 AM  
Anonymous Jason The Rural Wireless Guy said...

Hey Chris
I work at a competing company to Xplornet over in Alberta here and I just gotta tell ya that maintaining these rural networks is no easy task! For example: right now it is Sunday and there is a weather warning for southern alberta over on the weather network - it gives me shudders because come Monday morning I have to track down issues and get service men out to repair. Poor signal strength can seem to deteriorate speed (among so many other things) if you don't stay on top of it. I feel for Xplornet (but I still think we do a better job than them anyways :P heh). Cheers!

June 24, 2012 8:59 PM  
Anonymous Ed said...

Any update on this? I am looking at moving out to that area of Ottawa (Fallowfield/Dwyer Hill).

November 27, 2012 12:27 PM  

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Monday, April 30, 2012

Seeking advice on high-speed internet in Dunrobin Shores

I just got this request from someone looking at moving from out-of-province to Dunrobin Shores. If anyone out there can provide guidance or advice, please comment.

We're considering a home on Armitage in Dunrobin Shores. Not familiar with Internet here (we are out of province) but have a home-based business that is dependent on high speed. Any advice

I'll open with the usual list of Bell (TurboHub), Rogers (RocketHub), Xplornet, NorthWind, and Pioneer. Links to all of these ISPs are available on this blog site (usually in the right-hand margin of the page).

Bell and Rogers seem to be hit-or-miss in any given area even though they claim to provide excellent coverage over virtually all of eastern Ontario (e.g. Bell is quite good at my home near Manotick but Rogers' signal in the same location is very poor).

Xplornet seems to have high latencies (ping times) and can't seem to maintain reasonable speeds. This too may also vary from location to location.

NorthWind and Pioneer are small local companies. I have no personal experience with them, but in the main, comments from blog readers seem generally positive.

-Chris

8 Comments:

Anonymous Dennis Holloway said...

According to me,Rogers (RocketHub) will be the best for high speed internet in Dunrobin Shores.I haven't heard more about the rest.

May 02, 2012 7:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Northwind Wireless provides free internet access at Dunrobin Pizza and from what I hear their service is pretty good.

May 03, 2012 8:00 AM  
Blogger seo melbourne said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

May 26, 2012 12:38 AM  
Blogger James Kayden said...

Most high-speed Internet connections are faster than 802.11b (don't go by maximum "claimed" speed - 802.11b won't come close to 11mbps in actual use, not to mention I don't think manufacturers are making any 802.11b-only products anymore).
Alberta high speed internet

May 28, 2012 5:33 AM  
Blogger Vishnu said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

May 31, 2012 2:13 AM  
Blogger spudson1 said...

This response is probably a bit late, but I live on Armitage in Dunrobin shores. There are few options here. I currently use Xplornet fixed wireless, which is absolutely horrible compared to their predecessor, Storm. We are waiting and waiting for DSL - most other communities in our area have it now - but I would not count on this any time in the near future.

We are now trying to upgrade to Xplornet's 4G Alvarian system, which I have heard accounts of being much faster and more reliable. Unfortunately, in order to get the current promotion an additional 2-year contract is required for existing customers, and data usage fees do apply. However these are more reasonable than using a Bell or Rogers Turbo/Rocket stick.

Other options along Armitage are Northwinds Wireless and possibly Pioneer Wireless - both offering line-of-sight services. Availability of better speeds increases significantly if you are on the water and can receive signals from the Quebec towers.

Don't count on Pioneer getting you set up quickly. From what I understand, first priority is existing customers, which is great, but getting a new installation can be very difficult.

I am hoping that Xplornet's new 4G offering will solve our immediate needs until DSL becomes available, but please do yourself a favour and explore the alternatives. My firm opinion is that Xplornet is a large, even unscrupulous company fighting to monopolize the market. They do not deliver on their promises, and do not like to put any contracts in writing. The only reason that I am remaining with them is the cost to change, when I am really holding out for DSL, and my optimistic personality - hoping the 4G Wireless service will be better.

Although I am sure your friend has already moved here and made their decision, I thought I should post for future readers. Or if they have found a solution they're happy with, I would love to hear about their results.

September 18, 2012 2:48 PM  
Blogger Amanda said...

Spudson, now that you've had the new Xplornet 4G, how's it working?

December 30, 2012 7:08 AM  
Anonymous Dee said...

Any updates on the Xplornet 4G wireless as per performance?

April 02, 2013 12:59 PM  

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Fibre optics on Richardson Side Road

I live just off of Richardson Side Road which is off of Carp Rd. They have 'installed' the thick fibre optic telephone lines all the way down Richardson. Does anyone know if they will be hooking up the subdivisions just off of Richardson or will it be a case of 'so close yet so far'? Bell people won't tell me anything.

-- Mike

33 Comments:

Blogger OpaB said...

Talked to 2nd level support at xplornet. They stated that the corkery tower will be receving 4g in may 2012. Indeed their website already shows 4g technology for the corkery area. Good princingwithhigh caps.

March 30, 2012 12:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You think xplornet high has cap. If you play games or download movie.Cap not high enough.Upload speed is slow too.There is rumour ther new provider coming to Corkery with no cap. Check out all the rules from Xplornet when tower is full.How much it cost for being over the cap.Plus the cost of setup 4g.

April 03, 2012 10:12 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OpaB, I don't know what you're on, but their largest cap is 30GB. Their prices are astronomical and their service is sketchy at best. I can't get the speeds I'm paying for and I cancelled service with them due to poor customer service, bad networks and excessive charges.

April 05, 2012 9:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I guess you dont live in corkey area, If you look for 3.5 or 900 you cant get it because tower is full.Do you really think 4g going to be better? Play games and find how good xplornet is. I know of people in corkey woods have problem with xplornet because of speed.You pay $100 or $54 a month you get the same speed. Know this for a fact. For your information the tower in manion call Rockland tower.More information there fibre line on March rd. that Rogers has. So next time you ask somebody what there on. Think twice before you write. Guess what i got all information on Xplornet 4g . Plus company have higher cap rate.

April 06, 2012 1:19 PM  
Anonymous Steve said...

I'm just off Richardson Side Road and was forced to switch from Bell 'Portable' internet to Bell's 'Turbo Hub'. The speed is improved but the pricing is HORRIBLE! The only plan they offer is a 'flex' plan which bills you based on usage. This month I'm on track to have my monthly bill go from $50 to $180.00. I've heard nothing but bad news from Xplornet users and Rogers offers the same package as Bell. Does anyone know of an alternative?

April 10, 2012 9:08 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Steve,
Check with Northwind Wireless. No caps, no throttling, decent speed & service. Not sure if they service your area though.

Gus

April 12, 2012 9:12 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Marcpin30
Does anyone who can make a difference every take note of the information on this blog? I moved into Corkery in 2009, Paid 75 dollars to Xplornet for them to tell me I don't get a signal. I have tried Rogers turbo hub, terrible. Going through Hell I mean Bell Turbo hub now and it’s all bad and costly. We weren't told about the cap and we paid for it. We lose or cannot get a signal from 9am to about 8pm.Currently up to 14 phone calls trying to speak to someone at bell. Our phone lines or "Central Office" comes from Almonte 12 kms away so high speed like the urban folk is out of the question. We pay City taxes and we are serviced from Almonte. Perhaps I should ask Almonte for help. City doesn't seem to care and provided inaccurate information in a recent request I made. We have considered moving from our dream house because the internet is such an integral part of our lives as it is with everyone. My kid is not allowed on internet for more than 30 mins a day. Try and do school work and have fun as a kid with that. Not enough voters on this side of the Queensway I figure for us to make a difference. Funny how every small community around gets high speed but we don’t. Constance Bay gets it, oh forgot that’s where the city councilor lives. Maybe one will move into our area someday and understand. Again Rural loses against urban votes.

April 21, 2012 9:09 AM  
Blogger Leo and Marianne Greeley said...

Also in Corkery Woods, best signal I can get is Rogers 3G with an external Yagi. Horrible caps, speed and cost. We will indeed be moving to get away from the frustration unless by miracle Fibe shows up on my doorstep. Been told that the techs have been working in area but that really says nothing. You would think they would want advanced converts as a reason to actually run cables.

April 24, 2012 2:45 PM  
Blogger FireFox said...

Im located in Manion Heights (which I think is on the other side of March Rd from the Corkery Woods folks). After reading this blog entry about the fibre-optic lines on Richardson side road I did notice them on the ride home. They seem to run along Richardson, then follow Beavertail Rd to the Bell phone box at the corner of Beavertail and Old Almonte. So if your phone line terminates at this box there may be hope for DSL or Fibe (ADSL2+). Recall though that phone line length is a big issue with ADSL2 tech. Honestly as much as I would love to get a hardline connection, I just dont know that its worth it financially to Bell to upgrade the lines. The infrastructure cost to wire up Corkery style communities is enormous compared to the new cookie-cutter developments in Kanata, and then the CRTC rules force them to allow re-seller access (Teksavy and friends). From a pure business point of view the wireless solutions are much more attractive to the bottom line than expanding their hardline areas. Sucks for us, but my opnion is that we may be holding our breath for a very long time to see hardline based internet in the rural areas of Ottawa.

I am running a Rogers rocket hub (migrated from Rogers portable internet) and finally bit the bullet on getting an external yagi. The service was just OK in the winter, but as the trees starting getting leaves it got much worse. With the yagi installed on the roof ( clear LOS to the rogers tower ), there is a big difference. Averaging 3 mbs down in peak times (7-9pm) and 5 down just about all other times. Without the external antenna I would be lucky to get 1mbps, and peak time was a dialup style experience.

I dont know if Northwind has made any more progress on their deployment to the Corkery area - has anyone heard from them in the area ? Its really a shame that Xplornet is sucking up municipal and federal grant money and not providing much more than SimplySurf did for the area.

Fox

April 25, 2012 12:30 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It is really too bad that a company doesn't tap into the fibre at the corner of Jacob's Gate and Hwy 49 used by a previous ISP.

I use Xplornet and will jump in a second to find a true high speed alternative. It is pretty fast from 6 AM to 7:30AM . Hit and miss after that. And, I am using the top business WiFi package.

I tried the Rogers LTE stick but only got 3G speeds.

I have been told that Bell is coming out to our area DSL but they need to install some power at the remotes. Who knows. However, if any ISP is reading this, many of us are nearing the end of our Xplornet contract and have had enough experience to realize, it sucks.

I have been in the Corkery/Bearhill area for 11 years. I have been through it all from bonded modems, 3 high speed sat options, 2 WiFi providers. I have looked at fibre to my house and distribution from there.

D

May 09, 2012 2:41 PM  
Blogger goZoom.ca Inc said...

"It is really too bad that a company doesn't tap into the fibre at the corner of Jacob's Gate and Hwy 49 used by a previous ISP."
We looked at that - there's no ROI - Rogers owns that Fiber and it's priced accordingly. Part of the reason why Simply Surf went under was their atrocious transit expense.

goZoom.ca Fixed Wireless Service will be available in Marathon and Deerwood Estates June 1st. We're also looking at a shot to Beartrail and Manion BUT the prospect of DSL via an ONU in that area is a deterrent as that would probably wipe out our ROI so we need to consider that.

Ian Fraser
CEO goZoom.ca Inc
877(613) 622 0093
http://www.gozoom.ca

May 12, 2012 10:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"We're also looking at a shot to Beartrail and Manion BUT the prospect of DSL via an ONU in that area is a deterrent as that would probably wipe out our ROI so we need to consider that."

I assume you mean Bearhill?

I thought you tried doing a shot before but could not get anything helpful. Note the DSL rumour was from 2 different Bell line workers. I am not sure how much validity.

I personally had looked into tapping into the fibre (quotes on service and equipment). I think it would be viable if deployed properly. If done right, there would be no reason to go to any other solution.

I would support an ISP that would be interest in shaking the bed that holds the City of Ottawa and Xplornet.

May 14, 2012 10:43 AM  
Blogger goZoom.ca Inc said...

Yes Sorry - Bearhill. The network is always expanding. BearHill is now a possibility. The viability of serving the area effectively is still not 100% with the type and density of the foliage. The prospect of a pending Landline solution adversely effects the ROI obviously. It should be easy enough to determine if that's what's going on though.
Afraid I disagree on the price of that tail; That's one very expensive Fibre there. Way beyond what I would expect to pay for a 100Mbps drop.

May 14, 2012 9:32 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm moving into the Manion Heights area and have been researching internet options.

This link gives some info on how to get access to some one at Bell who can answer questions:
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r26780696-Wired-internet-Pennycross-Richardson-side-road-ottawa

The person I spoke to suggested 6 months for the address I provided and that Ottawa is one of the primary areas of expansion.

The other good news is that it looks like it will be Fiber To The Neighborhood...which means independents such as Acanac should be able to provide service as well as Bell, I hope.

June 11, 2012 2:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

For Bearhill and subsequent streets on the south side (more or less) of March Road, the only available service provider is Xplornet. There is no direct line of sight to the tower on the Diefenbunker where GoZoom has equipment - even with the 60 foot tower I have.

June 12, 2012 12:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was on the bell webpage today and I will tried the what's available to my phone number and I'm getting a list of bell five options and when I call them it seems to that it's true I was wondering if anyone else has noticed this? Because some times it's just a glitch for one number.

June 17, 2012 11:37 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Do you mind sharing your approximate area? I live near William Mooney and Richardson Side Road and was told by Bell in Feb that June 30 was the magic date for my area. I checked the web site and I still don't have service.

June 18, 2012 11:02 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Do you mind sharing the approximate area where you live? I'm near William Mooney and Richardson Side Road and was told by Bell months ago that work would be completed in my area June 30.

June 19, 2012 8:45 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I live in the 1300 corkery and I've tried a bunch of different address near me and all seem to report getting bell fibe but it could just be a browser glitch or something I was wondering if anyone else was getting similar results

June 19, 2012 9:18 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I tried 1300 Corkery but I get this message displayed above the standard Bell Fibe options.

We were unable to confirm which services are available at 1300 CORKERY RD CARP, ON, k0a1l0

Please try another address or check using your phone number. You can also contact Bell at 1 877 571-1278.

June 20, 2012 12:01 PM  
Blogger goZoom.ca Inc said...

In my experience that usually indicates that the lines are being reworked and DSL service is imminent, or sometimes already available. BUT YMMV... I do not have inside information on Bell's Activities; that's just what I've seen fairly often elsewhere in our Wireless coverage area.

Cheers,
Ian

June 21, 2012 6:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Although we technically have "high Speed" internet where I live the service has only about 50% uptime. Impossible to work from home. I have been to third world countries with more reliable service. Satellite is not an option due to latency issues in real time usage (Skype for example). Thinking of going back to dial-up as reliability is more important than bandwidth.Yes I am in the "city" of Ottawa. Any ideas?
Thanks

July 15, 2012 8:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

you said "Check with Northwind Wireless. No caps, no throttling, decent speed & service. Not sure if they service your area though."

you forgot to say no service also. They suck. Always down. It's either too hot or too cold or too windy or icy or raining or snowing, need I go on?

July 15, 2012 8:19 PM  
Blogger Chris Spencer said...

@Anonymous: What ISP/service are you currently using? There a re two Anonymous postings above -- not sure if they're the same -- that's the problem with Anonymous. I use Bell's TurboHub, which is pretty good, although I got better service after I purchased and installed an external yagi antenna. Your mileage may vary. Roger's RocketHub -- same network -- doesn't work very well where I am, so I suggest that if one doesn't work, you try the other. Xplornet should be available everywhere, but I left them for Bell. --Chris

July 15, 2012 8:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If Rogers owns the fiber on March rd, they would have the most to win from an expansion around - I live in the Corkery area. Especially if they can squeeze cable programming through it - albeit that would mean fiber to the home - but they would put Bell, Xplornet, etc out of business there. Whoever comes first with wireline high-speed, will have a pretty good customer base for some time. Hopefully they will come, it was economically feasible for Huntley and rural Kanata.

July 17, 2012 11:16 AM  
Blogger Chris Spencer said...

I once spoke to a Rogers planning engineer who told me that it costs them $30K/km to lay fibre (hopefully I'm remembering that number correctly -- it was 5-7 years ago), so they require a certain number of houses before they'll even consider it.

July 17, 2012 9:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

30k? 5-7 yrs ago? Not that much. We are at least 150 homes in the subdivision. Roughly 4 km.
Assuming 30k is still there (I'd guess things went down, that's almost always the case with tech) - makes it roughly 120k for 100 (homes that actually sign up)*120 (Rogers average annual service - could be more) aprox 12k revenue/year, not profit, but still, assuming 66% houses would connect (conservative in my mind since there will be no match for the service).
This doesn't include the school across March rd, the other close subdivisions to be "taken", the city of Ottawa facilities down the road.
If I knew someone at Rogers I would definitely contact the person.

July 19, 2012 11:02 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Xplornet just went further with their attrocious service. I am still on their old fixed wireless system (not 4G). I made a package change from the 5Mb to 3Mb package. Without advising me about it, they slapped a 20G cap on my account and charged me an overage fee. Of course they refuse to do anything about it. So any news on when Bell's fiber system will go active along March road?

August 02, 2012 9:58 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It seems it's Rogers' fiber. Sent them a couple of messages ... probably lost in ether.
Don't know how to make Rogers at least aware of the possibility to expand.

August 03, 2012 8:04 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I gave it a go and got to one of Bell's senior techs with regard to DSL service down March road where they already have their fiber. Based on what he told me - and I don't know if he is just not allowed to tell me - there is no plans of bringing DSL over their fiber down March road. I also drove around Bearhill Road, Corkery Road, etc and although there are many of the traditional brown units next to the road, there is no ONU in sight at all. So it seems that although the subdivisions are fairly large, there is no interest in Bell to bring DSL service out here. So the bad news is that most people in the rural areas down March road is either stuck with Xplornet, or if you are lucky you can get one of the other service providers which are localized to very specific areas. If I spend a couple $1000 on a tower, I can see more than just Xplornet, but that cost I cannot justify.

August 09, 2012 3:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Northwind is coming to Corkery/Bearhill by the fall.

August 13, 2012 8:19 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm located near William Mooney and Richardson Side Road. After watching fiber being connected at that intersection I repeatedly called Bell to find out what was planned for the area. I actually received a call back from Bell Engineering. Although the fiber line on Richardson and William Mooney is active there are no ONUs installed in the area and no installations planned. There is a new development across from Pennycross that has fiber to the home but that's it. So no wired service from Bell is planned for any existing residential areas, only new developments.

September 06, 2012 7:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

On the West Carleton EMC weekly paper of November 29, Northwind Wireless had a “Notice of proposed broadband internet tower and community information session “ For a 42 meter height tower on Corkery woods drive. This to be considered by the City of Ottawa and Industry Canada.

December 01, 2012 8:21 PM  

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Thursday, February 09, 2012

CDN article: Rogers to sell USB sticks that can double LTE speeds

It looks like Rogers is upping their game in LTE-land. Currently, Bell and Rogers LTE devices max-out at 25 Mbps, but Rogers' new LTE devices should peak around 40 Mbps... under ideal conditioins.

http://www.itbusiness.ca/IT/client/en/CDN/News.asp?id=65985

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Tuesday, February 07, 2012

CDN Now article: Rogers will stop traffic throttling next month

Here's a link to a recent CDN Now article entitled, "Rogers will stop traffic throttling next month":

http://www.itbusiness.ca/IT/client/en/CDN/News.asp?id=65964

Bell stopped traffic throttling in December:

http://www.itworldcanada.com/blogs/network-world/2011/12/20/bell-will-end-internet-traffic-throttling/63427/

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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

ITBusiness article: Rogers launches Canada's first LTE service

According to the article, Rogers has rolled-out LTE service in the Ottawa area.

It's looks a little pricey for what you get, compared to Rogers' RocketHub/Stick or Bell's TubroHub/Stick (HSPA+ service). From the article:

The Sierra Wireless modem costs $80 on a three year data plan. The flexible plans start at $45 for 1.5 Gigabytes of data a month and run up to $90 a month for 9 GB of data. The plan automatically shifts subscribers up or down levels depending on their monthly use.

Rogers said customers will see average download speeds of between 12 and 25 Mbps, depending on network congestion and spectrum used.

With RocketHub or TurboHub -- especially with the higher speed SpeedBoost option -- rural home Internet users can get similar performance at a lower price than Rogers' LTE service. The LTE plan seems suitable only if you need high-speed with your mobility plan.

15 Comments:

Blogger Paul Brun said...

I live just outside North Gower on Third Line Road. Over here, my internet options are limited. I can either go with XploreNet, Bell or Rogers. I don't like how XploreNet may be imposing throttling limits on daily and/or monthly caps. If I purchase Internet, I want it to be completely open. Furthermore, I don't like the tiered billing that comes with Bell or Rogers Mobile Internet. I opted for Rogers since I was a Rogers customer for a while, but I don't like the service or the billing. I just wish there was a Wireless provider that gives you a fixed price for unlimited or for some really high bandwidth number. It is too easy to reach +10gb between two people.

paul

October 19, 2011 10:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We think there going to be a new internet provider . Northwind .No cap ,good speed, price is right. Corkery woods area. Bell & Rogers cost is high. Xplornet speed up and down.

October 26, 2011 11:54 PM  
Blogger FireFox said...

Anonymous,

Im also located in the Corkery area - do you mean that you wish that there was an alternate ISP in the Corkery woods area like Northwind, or that you are currently able to get service with Northwind ? If there is a new service provider for the area, I would love to hear about it.

Thanks

Fox

October 28, 2011 4:49 PM  
Blogger Chris Spencer said...

I personally (and professionally) think that the days of unlimited download for a fixed monthly price are numbered. All the incumbents are moving to tiered pricing even in wireline services like DSL and cable, and they are still trying to recoup their investments into wireless ISP. Only small operators seem to still be offering unlimited services, and I think they will eventually have to follow the incumbents, since, by and large, the small ISPs are using the backhauls of the incumbents.

That said, as more operators enter the wireless ISP space, we may see downward movement monthly subscription rates, or more likely, increased download limits for the same cost (because companies don't like to have less revenues).

Finally, where I am located (between Manotick and Kars), I've tried both Bell's Turbo Hub and Rogers' Rocket Stick. I get much better speeds from Bell. This probably has more to do with my location than either Bell's or Rogers' service.

So, if you've tried one incumbent and are not happy with the service, you may want to try another.

-Chris

October 29, 2011 8:37 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

NorthWind setting the tower up on Jacob Gate. When i dont know. Talk to David Mckeen at Northwind.

October 29, 2011 10:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bell and Rogers fiber on March rd. Northwind trying to hook up with fibre to tower but the cost is high. Look like we are going to be stuck with Xplornet,Bell ,Rogers Wireless .

November 15, 2011 11:38 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Northwind ready to setup on Jacob Gate in two week . Call David Mckeen

December 01, 2011 10:34 AM  
Blogger shubert1969 said...

I do hope that an alternative high speed provider shows up near corkery woods area. I am with Bell 512K (portable internet) and the speed and connection have been absolutely horrendous these past few months.
Thinking about starting as pigeon delivery service or sending a usb stick by mail.. might be faster :)

December 02, 2011 8:49 AM  
Blogger shubert1969 said...

Bell just send me a letter indicating they will discontinued the bell portable service in the corkery wood area.... They want me to move to the turbo hub...mmmmm an extra 40$ for the same monthly usage. I guess it's Xplorenet :(

January 16, 2012 5:22 PM  
Blogger FireFox said...

Hi shubert1969,

Rogers has discontinued their version of that same service as of March 1st 2011 as well. Just as it was starting to work quite well (solid 2mbps down) for me. The original migration letter that they sent me was for a standard RocketHub data plan, but there were enough users harassing them for something better that Rogers did come up with a special "Portable Migration plan" that I was able to secure. This new plan gets you the rocket hub free of charge and 10 gb of data for $45 and up to 30 gb for $60 on a 2 year term. The original portable internet service was supposed to be capped at 30 gb, so I took the offer before they changed their minds. Was a bit of a gong show trying to get to the right agent to get the thing activated on the migration plan though.

Keep the pressure on them - write them a letter explaining that your usage will result in a larger bill and see if Bell will also make a special migration plan.

Too bad that there arent any other options in the Corkery area. Best of luck.

Fox

January 17, 2012 4:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am working on getting a new provider in Corkery woods. So hang on. If you want to help out call up Northwind for more information. Xplornet cost to much for dial up.

January 25, 2012 8:43 PM  
Blogger shubert1969 said...

Thanks anonymous,

I previously sent an email to David and anxiously waiting for an a-ok.

Stephane

January 30, 2012 1:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Talking to Dave McKeen at Northwind saying they are looking at Two different tower. He think they going to send signal from Jacob Gate and other from the Corkery church. Send email to Dave and use my name so he know who want the service in Corkery woods.
Frank

February 01, 2012 3:40 PM  
Blogger OpaB said...

Heard from Xplornet 2nd level support that they will install 4g from the Corkery tower in May 2012. Pricing is already on their website. Cap is much higher than bell or rogers for same cost.

March 30, 2012 12:44 PM  
Blogger OpaB said...

Heard from Xplornet 2nd level support that they will install 4g from the Corkery tower in May 2012. Pricing is already on their website. Cap is much higher than bell or rogers for same cost.

March 30, 2012 12:44 PM  

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