cut off the internet connection at my work (vlink / xploremedia) with absolutely no warning and a bullshit reason? keep me from surfing the net and listening to streaming music while i'm trying to program? no EMAIL!?!?!
don't ever cut off a geek's internet connection. they get mad.
then they get even.
[ also, check out the edit to my earlier log post here -- looks like the store will be fine ]
[ some background info ]
presently, there are 2 options for high-speed access in function:
1) cable (provided by whooshnet/whistler cable)
2) T1 or greater from Telus / Radiant / (handful of other providers)
(i think there's also some high-speed wireless / satellite providers at similar prices / speeds to the T1's but don't quote me on that one)
so if a store / warehouse / service provider / tech company / etc wants a high-speed connection in function, they either shell out $80/month to whooshnet for a flaky cable connection that goes down all the time, has horrible tech support and hits retardedly high prices when you suck down over 5 Gb of data in a month or they give a T1 provider $1500/month (roughly). telus won't give DSL in function, only T1's.
vlink / xploremedia share an office and an internet connection. they couldn't really afford a T1 line. the internet connection has always been under xploremedia's name since whooshnet wouldn't provide a conection to vlink (bad blood between vlink & whooshnet since vlink snagged the wireless provider contract for whistler village and whooshnet got fuck-all).
[ end background info ]
this friday, our internet connection suddenly died. no surprise, seems to happen a lot (did i mention that whooshnet sucks?). someone phones whooshnet, no one answers -- it's just after 5pm on friday and they go to minimal tech support on the weekends, to my knowledge. when i leave that night, still no connection.
sunday, i head down to the office to hear that whooshnet got back in touch with xploremedia -- "we've cut your connection because you are associated with vlink and we refuse to provide them with service and we now refuse to provide you with service". excellent. hans (head of xplore) is PISSED. keith is pretty annoyed as well but vlink is moving down to vancouver within a month or two and our tech's can do their work over dial-up. and i'm pretty sure the municipality is none too happy about this -- vlink provides tech support for the vlink-rmow joint venture, yodel -- when whistler cable cut off the connection, they're now fucking w/ the muni (albeit indirectly).
so how do you get even? you steal all of whooshnet's business. starting with function junction (you are respectful and leave vlink's areas alone).
you grab a T1 or some other high-capacity line into function junction. you put a couple of antennas on your roof. you put some antennas on the roofs of other buildings to rebroadcast signals. then you blast a wi-fi signal blanketing all of function junction. finally, sell accounts on a sliding scale (barely use this connection? $40-$60 a month. heavy downloader? gonna pay a little more, prolly $80 or a little more a month.) to those businesses i've talked to over the past two days who can barely wait to say "fuck you" to whooshnet.
at 30 accounts, the business is mildly profitable. i already know of at least 15 businesses that will jump ship. and that's only in the cul-de-sac where vlink is located. there's over 200 other businesses down in function, most of which already pay for an overpriced high-speed connection that they probably don't use all that much and half the time it doesn't work all that well.
so, we're starting a wireless isp. already getting some quotes back for some pretty sweet connections, we can get all the equipment at cost (thanks vlink) and it's gonna be no-risk for me (besides any time i invest). plus, it'll be some pretty cool technology and equipment to play with. my network admin skillz are a little rusty but this should get them back up to ninja levels.
if anyone has any suggestions, send 'em my way. i've been delving pretty deep into the tech end already but any help is appreciated. for now, we're just an internet access provider -- we won't be offering email or web-hosting (maybe later).
-mike.
posted by mike at January 19, 10:31 PM