Here’s the full version of our March newsletter
WiFi and internet improvements have been on the forefront of the job descriptions. There are several ways we can help improve your home and business internet.
What is WiFi? The term was created by a marketing firm because the wireless industry was looking for a user-friendly name. Wi-Fi, often referred to as WiFi, wifi, wi-fi or wi fi, is short for Wireless Fidelity. Wi-Fi is a wireless technology used to connect computers, tablets, smartphones and other devices to the internet.
How does it work? A wireless adapter translates data into a radio signal and transmits it using an antenna. A wireless router receives the signal and decodes it. The router sends the information to the internet using a physical, wired ethernet connection.
Some things you might not know:
The further away from the modem the lower the WiFi signal. The lower the WiFi signal, the slower the speed – We would recommend placing your modem in a central location in the house or if you have a 2 storey house, placing the modem upstairs.
WiFi can not travel well through concrete, metal, steel frames, tiles, and some glass.
Wifi Access Points:
One of the things you can do to improve the WiFi service in your house is by installing Access Points.
What is an Access Point? An Access Point is a network device that allows wireless-capable devices to connect to a wired network. A normal range for these in an open space is approx 100 – 150m. Coverage for any area is determined by it’s environment.
Where does it work best? Access Points work well in homes where the WiFi from the modem is not strong enough to be accessed at the far reaches of the house. Installing an Access Point “boosts” the WiFi signal, allowing you to access your internet service with all your devices no matter where you are in the home.
WiFi Access Points can be hard wired or wireless. We highly recommend hardwiring direct from the modem to the Access Point.
Point to Point Wireless Bridge:
What do you do when you want WiFi in the shed? You install a Point to Point Wireless Bridge.
A Point to Point wireless bridge is used to connect two locations together using directional antennas with line of sight.
They use a combination of small, powerful, highly-directional aerials, routers, and cables to set up the connection.
The connection can be used to receive and rebroadcast any computer network from one location to another, including an internet connection, for up to 5km.
These products are great if you want to share your internet service across multiple buildings on your property.
Hard Wire Data Cabling:
WiFi is great but it doesn’t have the reliability that hard wire cabling does. If you want 100% reliable internet service on your computer, TV or any other device in your home then hard wiring is the way to go. We can run cable from your modem location to every room in the house and install discrete wall sockets so you can simply plug and go. No more drop outs in the middle of that important work zoom meeting. No more freezing during family movie night. No more wasted time waiting for that 30 page assignment to upload to the cloud.
For un-interrupted service, hard wire is the way to go.
Starlink Installations:
We have discussed the installation of Starlink in previous newsletters but we just wanted to reiterate how important it is to have a professional install your cabling. Recently we have been called out to inspect why a customer’s Starlink wasn’t working, only to find that the “handyman” had installed the dish and cable but it hadn’t gone so well. As you can see the cable had been damaged during installation. This resulted in the customer needing to order new cable directly from Starlink. Which meant delays waiting for replacement cable and additional costs to have it re-run.
Our advice – get the professionals to do the job in the first place and save yourself delays and money.
Where have my Brisbane channels gone?
We get a lot of calls about the Brisbane channels. For many years we have been fortunate to receive both local and Brisbane channels, however that is slowly changing.
The Brisbane broadcast out of Mt Coot-tha is being dialed down and therefore we can no longer pick up the signal as well as we used to. This is a determined effort by the broadcasters as we here on the coast are not supposed to received the service. So if you have a very large, long antenna on your roof, you were probably one of the lucky ones who were once able to pick up the Brisbane channels directly from Mt Coot-tha. Chances are this no longer works and therefore is no longer needing to be up there. Chances are it’s also on a very tall mast and if you have a look you’ll probably see another, smaller antenna about half way up that mast. The tall mast is no longer needed either, you can reduce that mast to the height that the second antenna is mounted.
However, in saying that, we do have a relay station for the Brisbane channels at the Bald Knob Transmitter (up at Maleny). This relay station is designed to broadcast the frequencies back toward Brisbane, so anyone on the South side of the mountain would be able to pick up these frequencies. So there are still some lucky ducks on the Coast who still have the luxury of watching the Brisbane channels.
If you can’t get the Brisbane channels, do not despair, the local channels are just as good. They show all the same shows, we even get a couple of channels that Brisbane don’t. Granted Brisbane also get some channels we don’t, not all is lost. Streaming evens out the playing field.
If you don’t have a Smart TV, then you can purchase an inexpensive Android TV, Apple TV or a Chromecast device with google TV. All of these allow you to download the major TV channel streaming apps, 7Plus, 9Now, 10Play, ABC iView, SBS on Demand, as well as all the paid services such as Kayo, Netflix, Stan, etc.
We hope you found this helpful. If you need help improving your internet service then we have the solution for you. If you need help setting up streaming service, we can help with that as well.
All in all, we’re here to help and if we can’t help we can find someone who can.
Easter Closure Dates
Our office will be closed Friday the 29th March – Monday 3rd April.
We will be back 8:30am Tuesday 4th April.
We wish you and your families a lovely break
Until next time, keep smiling.
Mandy and the Sunshine Antenna Service team