Although Cable offers a great deal of bandwidth for a very low cost, speed and latency on a cable service can vary significantly. Some business applications perform better with high-speed Internet services like DSL, T1, Ethernet [...]]]> Recently we announced that Skyway West was offering an enterprise grade Cable internet service.

Although Cable offers a great deal of bandwidth for a very low cost, speed and latency on a cable service can vary significantly. Some business applications perform better with high-speed Internet services like DSL, T1, Ethernet over Copper and Fibre because their speed is consistent and latency low and stable. These include businesses using Voice over IP or connecting multiple offices and remote users.

Skyway West’s solution is to deliver a Cable service bundled with DSL, aggregating traffic over both services while providing additional reliability with Automatic Failover in case one service becomes unavailable.

Skyway’s bundled Cable and DSL offer includes:

Policy Routing:

Policy Routing allows Skyway to aggregate traffic over multiple Internet connections. For example, basic web browsing can be delivered over Cable while traffic that requires low latency (i.e. VoIP) is routed over DSL. Skyway can also route traffic based on the device on our customer’s network. For example, DSL for traffic from an IP PBX out to the Internet and for remote extensions connecting to the IP PBX . Policy Routing can be a huge advantage for Video, Remote Desk Top, Active Directory, VPN’s and Terminal Services.

Auto Failover:

Skyway includes an Auto Failover service, ensuring Internet connectivity if one connection becomes unavailable. We can also move assigned Static IP addresses from one connection to the other, and apply Quality of Service (QoS) for important applications. For example, if remote users are connected to applications using the Static IP address of the DSL service, those same IP’s can be moved to the Cable connection automatically. Skyway can also apply QoS for important applications if and when there is only one Internet service available.

Skyway also offers a Service Level Agreement (or SLA) for business customers that take advantage of our bundled Cable + DSL service. For those wishing to delve deeper into the choice between ADSL and Cable, check out this blog post that explains in detail the differences between Cable and DSL Internet services.

Contact us anytime to find out if our high-speed Cable and DSL services are available, if you you require monthly pricing.

Chris Miles | 604-484-5257 | cmiles@skywaywest.com

The client was [...]]]> Skyway West keeps a record of ADSL problems we have encountered over the years that were either stumpers or real mind benders. In this month’s blog post I would like to share one of those stories with you. For the record, this actually qualifies as both a stumper and a mind bender.

The client was fairly new to us when the problem arose. They were a larger client with multiple locations using one of Skyway West’s bonded internet solutions. It started out simply enough: standard install, no surprises, the service was set up and it just worked… or so it seemed.

A couple of months into the service we had a call from our client’s IT guy to say there appeared to be an issue at one of the locations. The overall speed of the bond was just not what was expected. Of course, being the diligent tech support person I am, I dug in and started examining the situation.

When looking at the separate connections there was nothing obvious that stuck out as an issue. Both services individually were running as fast as they were supposed to, but when bonded they just wouldn’t perform very well. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t find anything I could correct to make the issue go away until, that is, I compared the attenuation between the two services. What I found, interestingly enough, was a significant enough difference in attenuation so that one service couldn’t keep up with the other and data packets were having to be resent. This was what was slowing everything down when the lines were bonded.

A brief explanation of “attenuation” in the ADSL world. Attenuation simply means degradation of signal. Degradation happens when there are line issues or the cable ends are too far away from each other. When these issues appear the ISP (Internet Service Provider) will apply to the line something called SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio). This effectively increases the volume of the signal to attempt to overcome any degradation. If you would like to read further on the subject I can recommend these Wikipedia articles on Attenuation and on SNR.

So back to our story. Now that you understand a bit about attenuation here is our problem. Skyway West is providing a bonded service – in this case two ADSL services are bound together. Both services connect in the same building, in the same room, on the same panel, the inside wiring is the same length and the two ADSL routers are the same type. At the other end the cable lengths are the same and they two services connect to the same central office. So what’s wrong with this picture? Unfortunately, nothing was blatantly obvious. Why would the attenuation be different for both lines when they live right next to each other? We replaced the ADSL router – no change. We had the inside wiring checked – again no difference. We had the ADSL port changed – still no change. We asked to have the line from the Central Office to the building checked – the cable proved to test fine as well.

Well, at this point I was pretty stumped. Everything checked out but we clearly had an issue that was keeping these two services from acting as one. For all intents and purposes the line worked and was judged acceptable by itself. It just wouldn’t play nice when asked to work as part of a “team”. Why? Luckily, 2 days later, we got a break.

Whenever a building is newly constructed it is up to the local telephone company to drop a bundle of cable pairs to the demarcation point of that building (the panel where the lines come in to the building and where the lines inside meet). The more bundles and cable pairs you have coming in the more options you have when problems arise.

I sent another tech out to recheck the cable between the customer and the Central Office. Like the first tech they found no issues with the line. I then asked him to see if a new pair from the drop might help. The tech was kind enough to oblige and eureka!, on the second attempt we had equivalent attenuation on both lines. The speed increased to what it should be and we haven’t had a problem with the service since.

So what difference did the second cable pair make? Truth be told, we can only guess. In my opinion the most likely cause would be an inferior quality spot (or spots), somewhere along the cable. This would have an adverse affect on the signal getting through the line.

The whole process of troubleshooting this issue took approximately 48 hours, including delays while waiting for the field techs to be dispatched. We were fortunate that since the client had a bonded service they never completely lost their Internet service throughout the whole process. There was always one service up to keep them online.

I hope you enjoyed this month’s post. I have put together some interesting ideas for upcoming blogs – enough to last the rest of the year. So make sure you stay tuned. You don’t want to miss out on these: lots of good tidbits in store. I enjoy reading your comments and suggestions so please keep them coming into support@skywaywest.com. I’ll do my best to answer your questions right in my blog where I can. Regardless, you will always get an answer to any emails you send in. Until next month…

–Wes

As with Blackberry the problem [...]]]> In previous blog posts I discussed setting up email on iOS and Blackberry devices. We have now added instructions for Google Android devices to the Skyway West web site.

As with Blackberry the problem in providing setup instructions is the multiple versions of the Android OS. Currently Android has two OS versions for phones and two for tablets. To make things even more confusing, there are also several popular third-party email clients available for the platform. Instead of trying to cover all possibilities, our instructions cover the basic steps to set up mail in the built-in email application. If you still need assistance after going through these instructions, please email us at Skyway West Support, or call 604-482-1212.

Here again is the information you will need to have at the ready to connect up with your mobile device:

Email Address: Your email address
Email Provider: Skyway West

Incoming email settings:
Account type: POP or IMAP. I usually recommend IMAP for mobile devices. Setting up with IMAP on your mobile device leaves the email on the server so your primary computer can continue to access it.
Incoming server: The address of the server that holds your email. Namely email.skywaywest.net

Username: Your account name. Typically your complete email address (eg yourname@skywaywest.net)

Password: Your email password. If you do not know your password contact Skyway West support.

Incoming server port number: The port through which your mail is received. Will be either 110 (standard POP3), 143 (Standard IMAP) 995 (Secure SSL POP3) or 993 (Secure SSL IMAP). Skyway West email allows you to use any of the above. Note SSL only secures your login credentials. SSL does not secure your email messages.

Incoming server supports SSL: Yes / No: Choose yes if your incoming port is set to use SSL. Choose no if not.

Outgoing Mail Server Settings

Outgoing Mail Server: The address of the server that holds your email. Namely email.skywaywest.net

Username: Your account name. Typically your complete email address (eg yourname@skywaywest.net).

Password: Your email password. If you do not know your password contact Skyway West support.

Outgoing server port: The port through which your mail is sent. Port 465 or 587 for secure SSL. (Note: SSL only secures your login credentials. SSL does not secure your email messages.

Outgoing server supports SSL: Yes / No: Choose yes, this allows you to send email from virtually anywhere.

Like the other platforms the how-to is pretty simple to follow. You shouldn’t have too much trouble with it. If in doubt, you are welcome to contact Skyway West support at either support@skywaywest.com or 604-482-1212.

A short story… back in the day, [...]]]> There’s a lot of unhappiness out there among companies that have jumped head-first into an IP-based phone system (VoIP), looking to save money and improve communications, only to discover the vision falls short. Let me tell you how this has come to be…

Big Profits in Dial Tone?

A short story… back in the day, BC Tel, year in, year out, clamored at the CRTC to raise their trunk and line charges…PBX trunks (ground start) in Vancouver reached $84.90 per month, Key System “overlines” (loop start) were $72.00 or so… each!  Among the highest prices in Canada or the US.

Then the CRTC allowed competition for business lines… Group Telecom came along to offer them at $60.00 per month… everyone would be happy… customers would line up to save big, GT would make a healthy profit, what a great concept!

The week they rolled out their first lines, KABOOM!  BC Tel cut all their dial tone prices by 40% or more! What was poor old GT to do? Why, they followed suit of course, and the rosy profit forecasts?  Poof!  (Welcome to the majors, GT… that’s how the game is played.)   Nov. 21, 2002 – The TSX delisted GT Shares.

Ten years later in the “Dial Tone Wars”, there are success stories out there on the competitive side; some companies have figured out how to profit on thinner and thinner margins. What’s diminished is the service level and support once available pre-sale and post-sale, from either side… telcos like Telus and Bell, or the scores of Independent Providers offering SIP trunks or Hosted PBX Services.

Telus and Bell have transitioned technical and support resources from the wired or “wireline” end of the business to the unregulated mobile wireless side; and the slimmer profit margins affects the ability of VoIP competitors chasing the Telco’s wired customer base to offer high levels of service.

In my experience, if your company is spending a minimum of $15K per month on telecom, you’ll likely getting the attention and support level you might expect.

However, for the vast majority of Western Canadian businesses spending less, not so much.

How do you win in this complex, competitive world?  That’s in my next post.

Do you have a Telco or VoIP horror story?  Tell me about it…

Robert McNulty rmcnulty@skywaywest.com