CardenGuide.com

High-speed Internet is killer! .... if you know what I mean....
It is now one year since the introduction of wireless-high-speed-internet service in the rural parts of the City of Kawartha Lakes. The impact has been immediate and powerful. Our informal survey indicates that not only have many, if not most, dial-up customers switched to wireless but also many who previously did not have an Internet connection are now connected.

Speed Bumps?
Our informal survey also shows that not every installation is problem free. It seems that there are a variety of circumstances which may arise that result in customer dissatisfaction. There are also several misconceptions that come into play:
 "Wireless Internet is line of sight and I cannot see the tower from my place so I can't get connected".
We have often heard this one, and while it is true that, technically , Wireless is line of sight, many who cannot see a tower from their location will get an excellent signal even through dense foliage.
 "The installer came and told us that we would not be able to get a signal".
You should get a second oppinion. It is true that a small number of locations will not be able to receive a signal it is also true that all installers are not created equal.

I will relay an example of the above situations that may be instructive for those considering whether or not to get a high-speed-wireless connection. When Carden Guide made the move to wireless, things at first did not go at all the way we had expected. The installer showed up in the morning when no one was home instead of the agreed upon 2:00 pm time. He left a message on the machine saying that it was not possible to get a connection because there were too many trees.
Fortunately, I had done some initial research and had found that the 900 MHz subscriber unit (antenna) that was commonly in use would 'blast' through farily dense foliage. A call to a second installer proved much more satisfactory. One day later they arrived, and after setting their test equipment on the step in front of my house announced that  there was indeed a strong signal.
 About one hour later they were on their way and I was busily  high-speed web-surfing.

Sure, things are not always speedy. Weather conditions can disrupt, or seriously slow down service. Power outages will often result in loss of signal, although after a phone call to Xplornet technical support you will learn how to quickly restore the connection on your own. On one occasion my signal was lost and could not be restored even after a lengthy telephone call to Xplornet technical support. Once again, a telephone call to my installer got a next day respone and after a fairly minor adjustment to the subscriber unit we were once again back on line.

Our experience has been that  Xplornet technical support has been very helpful, and Stuart Communications of Woodville has on two occasions delivered speedy and expert on-site-service.

One Final Note:
You can check the speed of your Internet service by clicking on the link at the side of this page. It is free, easy and you can take several samples over time to track performance.
You might also wish to complete our informal poll on 'Internet speed' and share your experience with other Carden Guide users.