My Clear/WiMax gear arrived last night so I took the day to give it a thorough shakedown in a variety of ways. My company is a reseller but I wanted to be sure I knew the in's and out's, pros and cons before selling it to our customers. Clear uses the Spring network FWIW.
WiMax promises super fast high speed mobile Internet anywhere in the coverage area. In your office or home, in your car, in the park, at a ball game, you name it - the promise screaming fast - almost fiber speeds.
In one major area they do deliver 100%. In another major area they do not... yet. I'll discuss both.
The basic package comes with 2 devices. A modem for your home or office, and a USB modem about the size of a flash drive. The USB modem is for people who want to roam and have Internet access.
Setup was VERY easy. Absolutely anyone can do it. It took about 30 seconds. They really did a nice job here.
I have an AC to DC converter in my truck so I can plug in and get AC power whenever I need it. I plugged USB modem into my laptop and plugged in the wireless modem into the AC.
The good: If you are a home or office user and you are within the coverage area it delivers. I drove around NE Tarrant County following the coverage map. I made several stops at different offices, stores and houses of folks that I know to give it a thorough test. Once connected I used http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest for my download and upload tests.
For home and small office people, I was able to get between 2.5 Mbps and 9.4 Mpbs download speeds. Seriously! At 10 different locations in Colleyville and North Richland Hills the wireless modem gets a great signal and and the speed simply flies.
Faster than cable and DSL, but not as fast as fiber.
The bad: The USB modem for roaming is wimpy. Does not get a good signal at all whatsoever. The only way I could get it to connect and stay connected was to be within about 100 yards of the tower and have a direct line of sight. This is not the way it's supposed to work. Or what they are selling us. I do believe they'll fix it however. Remember this is brand new stuff. Clear - so far - appears to be a well managed company and well capitalized for the long haul.
I did get on the phone with Clear's tech support for a while to try to remedy the USB situation. They answered immediately. And an American who spoke perfect English answered. He said basically that the USB antenna is just not very strong.
Also, Clear's service is not available in the Southlake area yet. I did get a signal south of 1709 in Southlake. But I could not get any signal north of 1709 no matter where I went. Southlake is supposed to get service in early 2010.
Bottom line: If you are a home or small office, this is a great solution for you. If you want to wander wherever you want around town, wait a little longer.
If you are interested, please call or shoot us an email. We want you to "try before you buy." We'll come to your home or office, plug it in and let you try it for free.
Prices are between $35/month and $75/month. VERY little or no setup fees. They want to make this extremely easy for you.
Sincerely,
Matt Porter
Christian Geeks - IT Consultant
(817) 605-1819
AIM: BigTex0
http://www.christiangeeks.com
http://twitter.com/christiangeeks
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
WiMax - Wireless Internet at Fiber Speeds! And it's mobile!
In the next 2 weeks we'll introduce the next generation of wireless Internet to our area. The technology is called "WiMax."
WiMax basically is this. Internet speeds between 6 Gbps up to 18 Gbps. This is as fast as fiber by current standards. It's extremely simple to set up. And it's not very expensive. Roughly $60/month. And NO setup fee. Seriously.
This is the first "game changing" technology to come along is a very long time. If you are unhappy with your current Internet connection for any reason, I urge you to give us a call.
Starting November 1st, here's what we'll be able to do. We can bring a demo unit to your home or office and hook it up to your network or computer for no cost and let you try it for a few minutes. Compare it to what you have now and see how you like it. "Try it on." If you like it, we'll hook you up immediately or order the equipment you choose. Then you'll be flying at speeds you've never seen before.
You'll be able to surf the web anywhere in DFW at fiber speeds. You can be in the park or in a moving car (passengers only please, hahaha.) If you are in a location that does not have high speed internet this fast, you can share it with the office.
There are endless possibilities. Just think about what you can do with Internet that fast, anywhere anytime. No joke folks.
Get excited about it. WiMax is here!
Sincerely,
Matt Porter
Christian Geeks - IT Consultant
(817) 605-1819
AIM: BigTex0
http://www.christiangeeks.com
http://twitter.com/christiangeeks
WiMax basically is this. Internet speeds between 6 Gbps up to 18 Gbps. This is as fast as fiber by current standards. It's extremely simple to set up. And it's not very expensive. Roughly $60/month. And NO setup fee. Seriously.
This is the first "game changing" technology to come along is a very long time. If you are unhappy with your current Internet connection for any reason, I urge you to give us a call.
Starting November 1st, here's what we'll be able to do. We can bring a demo unit to your home or office and hook it up to your network or computer for no cost and let you try it for a few minutes. Compare it to what you have now and see how you like it. "Try it on." If you like it, we'll hook you up immediately or order the equipment you choose. Then you'll be flying at speeds you've never seen before.
You'll be able to surf the web anywhere in DFW at fiber speeds. You can be in the park or in a moving car (passengers only please, hahaha.) If you are in a location that does not have high speed internet this fast, you can share it with the office.
There are endless possibilities. Just think about what you can do with Internet that fast, anywhere anytime. No joke folks.
Get excited about it. WiMax is here!
Sincerely,
Matt Porter
Christian Geeks - IT Consultant
(817) 605-1819
AIM: BigTex0
http://www.christiangeeks.com
http://twitter.com/christiangeeks
Friday, September 25, 2009
Blue Screen of Death - Is it really fatal?
I brought up the subject of the famous "Blue Screen of Death" in a large group today. And was amazed at the passionate answers I received. All were of great fear and trepidation.
Blue screens usually are not a complete loss. It is normally a driver problem or hardware beginning to fail. Here's 3 examples I've solved very recently:
Oh, and keep backups! You won't be sorry.
Sincerely,
Matt Porter
Christian Geeks - IT Consultants
(817) 605-1819
AIM: BigTex0
http://www.christiangeeks.com
http://twitter.com/christiangeeks
Blue screens usually are not a complete loss. It is normally a driver problem or hardware beginning to fail. Here's 3 examples I've solved very recently:
- If your hard drive is failing I would attach her hard drive to another PC an attempt to save your pics.
- External drives cause this sometimes. Just unplug your external drive and see if the problem goes away.
- This morning's case was a network driver. Just updating some software and problem solved.
Oh, and keep backups! You won't be sorry.
Sincerely,
Matt Porter
Christian Geeks - IT Consultants
(817) 605-1819
AIM: BigTex0
http://www.christiangeeks.com
http://twitter.com/christiangeeks
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Dell Mobile Broadband Error
I solved a problem today that is very common. But when you read the Dell discussion groups lots of people are complaining about it. And Dell does not have a solution. This is for laptops that have a mobile broadband modem built in.
The error is:
Dell Mobile Broadband Card Utility
Unknown Application Error: 9999
The customer I solved this for today spent 10 hours with Dell and AT&T tech support. Uninstalling, reintalling, letting them have remote control of the computer, the whole 9 yards. The customer was VERY frustrated.
I hooked up my AT&T phone to her laptop and found that the computer would not recognize it.
I went through several steps eliminating possibilities. Finally I found the solution and it was very simple:
1) Download the latest version of AT&T Communication Manager here and save it to the Desktop.
2) Uninstall the current AT&T Communication Manager. Reboot.
3) Install the AT&T Communication Manager I just downloaded.
Then BAM! Everything worked. I was there a total of 1 hour.
I don't know why Dell and HP couldn't figure this one out. But it's an easy solution. Hopefully someone will read this and be helped by it.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Matt Porter
Christian Geeks - IT Consultant
(817) 605-1819
AIM: BigTex0
http://www.christiangeeks.com
http://twitter.com/christiangeeks
The error is:
Dell Mobile Broadband Card Utility
Unknown Application Error: 9999
The customer I solved this for today spent 10 hours with Dell and AT&T tech support. Uninstalling, reintalling, letting them have remote control of the computer, the whole 9 yards. The customer was VERY frustrated.
I hooked up my AT&T phone to her laptop and found that the computer would not recognize it.
I went through several steps eliminating possibilities. Finally I found the solution and it was very simple:
1) Download the latest version of AT&T Communication Manager here and save it to the Desktop.
2) Uninstall the current AT&T Communication Manager. Reboot.
3) Install the AT&T Communication Manager I just downloaded.
Then BAM! Everything worked. I was there a total of 1 hour.
I don't know why Dell and HP couldn't figure this one out. But it's an easy solution. Hopefully someone will read this and be helped by it.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Matt Porter
Christian Geeks - IT Consultant
(817) 605-1819
AIM: BigTex0
http://www.christiangeeks.com
http://twitter.com/christiangeeks
Friday, September 4, 2009
Computers and Seniors
Lately we've had a lot of calls from people who are retired. Various ages. 60's to 80's. They really make an impression on me. They really get into the Internet and working with the computer. And feel absolutely cut off from the world when they lose their Internet connection. It's a very lonely and isolated feeling.
Many people of that generation choose to ignore technology altogether and claim ignorance. Reflecting back on my grandparents (who are now singing His praises in heaven) I know my grandfather would have loved the Internet. He was a news and sports junkie. Always in the know about the issues. On top of that he worked the daily crosswords in pen.
My point? I have a special place in my heart for helping retired folks. They have a limited income, and are very insecure about their computer skills. But the computer IS their attachment to the outside world.
This reinforces my point that I preach a lot - the computer is a very personal experience. People customize it, arrange their icons "just so." And when the computer doesn't work right, it rocks their world!
I thoroughly enjoy helping retired folks. Even if it means not making as much money. I get to make a personal connection with them. And truly get to help them and put a smile on their face.
That's what any good business should be about. Building relationships, and reaching other people for His glory.
Keep in touch!
Sincerely,
Matt Porter
Christian Geeks - IT Consultant
(817) 605-1819
AIM: BigTex0
http://www.christiangeeks.com
http://twitter.com/christiangeeks
Many people of that generation choose to ignore technology altogether and claim ignorance. Reflecting back on my grandparents (who are now singing His praises in heaven) I know my grandfather would have loved the Internet. He was a news and sports junkie. Always in the know about the issues. On top of that he worked the daily crosswords in pen.
My point? I have a special place in my heart for helping retired folks. They have a limited income, and are very insecure about their computer skills. But the computer IS their attachment to the outside world.
This reinforces my point that I preach a lot - the computer is a very personal experience. People customize it, arrange their icons "just so." And when the computer doesn't work right, it rocks their world!
I thoroughly enjoy helping retired folks. Even if it means not making as much money. I get to make a personal connection with them. And truly get to help them and put a smile on their face.
That's what any good business should be about. Building relationships, and reaching other people for His glory.
Keep in touch!
Sincerely,
Matt Porter
Christian Geeks - IT Consultant
(817) 605-1819
AIM: BigTex0
http://www.christiangeeks.com
http://twitter.com/christiangeeks
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Reviewing Mini Notebook's
I've worked with 3 different mini notebook computers in recent weeks. An HP, an Acer and a Dell. In a nutshell I couldn't find anything wrong with any of them. Just know that they are good for a specific purpose.
I will stay away from being to technical. I just want to give you an overview.
All 3 systems were great at browsing the web, doing email and doing light word processing. This is what they are intended for. For the ladies, the mini computer will fit in your purse. When folded up it's the size of a paper back book.
Now, I've hooked up these 3 systems to a network, both wired and wireless. All 3 worked perfectly. All 3 had small hard drives compared to normal sized notebooks. So don't expect to edit any videos or keep any databases on them. But in my opinion this is not what these computers are intended for.
When putting one of these in my lap and using it for a long period of time, I found myself bending over to see the screen. After a while that gets uncomfortable.
All 3 systems do have USB ports. So you can hook up your camera, printer, and - most importantly - your cell phone internet hookup. So you can be traveling, driving, or out around town and have internet access. This is HUGE.
If you are one who travels at all, or just putters around town and you find that you need Internet access from time to time (and you don't want to use your mobile phone for internet access) this is perfect for you.
If you want to use this for your normal everyday computer, and/or write documents with it, this is NOT for you. You will grow tired of the tiny keyboard and tiny screen after a while.
One client of ours said this:
"Works good. Has 1gb memory. Another GB would make it faster. holding it at book to eye level is easy to read. Keyboard has some keys in different places, but if you do any amount of email or text, you get used to it pretty quick."
So that's it in a nutshell. Good for occasional use, can be very convenient. But not for your 8 hour a day computer.
Hope this helps! Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Matt Porter
Christian Geeks - IT Consultant
(817) 605-1819
http://www.christiangeeks.com
I will stay away from being to technical. I just want to give you an overview.
All 3 systems were great at browsing the web, doing email and doing light word processing. This is what they are intended for. For the ladies, the mini computer will fit in your purse. When folded up it's the size of a paper back book.
Now, I've hooked up these 3 systems to a network, both wired and wireless. All 3 worked perfectly. All 3 had small hard drives compared to normal sized notebooks. So don't expect to edit any videos or keep any databases on them. But in my opinion this is not what these computers are intended for.
When putting one of these in my lap and using it for a long period of time, I found myself bending over to see the screen. After a while that gets uncomfortable.
All 3 systems do have USB ports. So you can hook up your camera, printer, and - most importantly - your cell phone internet hookup. So you can be traveling, driving, or out around town and have internet access. This is HUGE.
If you are one who travels at all, or just putters around town and you find that you need Internet access from time to time (and you don't want to use your mobile phone for internet access) this is perfect for you.
If you want to use this for your normal everyday computer, and/or write documents with it, this is NOT for you. You will grow tired of the tiny keyboard and tiny screen after a while.
One client of ours said this:
"Works good. Has 1gb memory. Another GB would make it faster. holding it at book to eye level is easy to read. Keyboard has some keys in different places, but if you do any amount of email or text, you get used to it pretty quick."
So that's it in a nutshell. Good for occasional use, can be very convenient. But not for your 8 hour a day computer.
Hope this helps! Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Matt Porter
Christian Geeks - IT Consultant
(817) 605-1819
http://www.christiangeeks.com
Monday, March 30, 2009
The Conficker virus - Read before April 1, 2009
This Conficker virus is a legitimate virus threat which should be taken seriously. Scheduled to go active on April 1st, 2009 the virus has online communities on alert speculating about potential effects.
Office PCs:
If your system has requested a reboot please do so immediately to apply the latest patches your I.T. team has pushed out to your system.
As is always the case be diligent when opening e-mail attachments from unknown sources or browsing web pages and notify I.T. team members of unexpected or suspicious activity.
Home PC:
To protect your home system, first patch the vulnerability using the link provided by Microsoft which corresponds to your operating system:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS08-067.mspx
Once completed you can download the latest updates for your Anti Virus software and then perform a complete scan.
If you have any problems or questions upgrading contact Christian Geeks and we will assist you to resolve them. Call us at (817) 605-1819 or http://www.christiangeeks.com.
For more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conficker
Office PCs:
If your system has requested a reboot please do so immediately to apply the latest patches your I.T. team has pushed out to your system.
As is always the case be diligent when opening e-mail attachments from unknown sources or browsing web pages and notify I.T. team members of unexpected or suspicious activity.
Home PC:
To protect your home system, first patch the vulnerability using the link provided by Microsoft which corresponds to your operating system:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS08-067.mspx
Once completed you can download the latest updates for your Anti Virus software and then perform a complete scan.
If you have any problems or questions upgrading contact Christian Geeks and we will assist you to resolve them. Call us at (817) 605-1819 or http://www.christiangeeks.com.
For more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conficker
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Backups and the Economy
I've lost track lately of 2 things. 1) How many hard drives we've replaced or had to wipe clean due to system failures, or user error. And 2) How many people I've talked to that are being hit hard by the economy.
1) Backups: We've replaced a huge number of people's hard drives lately for various reasons. System crashes, power failures, viruses, we even had one poor lady who deleted all her photos then defragged her hard drive. Then called us to recover her photos. We were able to recover some of them, but defragging permanently wiped out some of them. She was heartbroken.
Point being here is to keep backups. The most painless solution I recommend is ClubBackup.com. You get 1GB free and it runs automatically. It will back your files up to the web site and to a local external hard drive if you have one. You install the software and never think about backups ever again.
2) The Economy: We get calls several times a week from folks who are truly feeling the effects of the economy. It's bad folks - I know it is. From the bottom of my heart I feel for you, I really do. I talk to people who are close to starving because of a job loss.
If the economy is affecting you and you need computer help we will do what we can to assist you. We've been known to give away free parts and quite a few free complete systems that are 2nd hand. Parts like hard drives, monitors, network cards, CD-ROM drives, sound cards, microphones,... perfectly good stuff, just not brand new out of the box. So if you need help, just call. It doesn't hurt to ask. We keep a stash of parts for this very reason.
What's important to me is making the relationship with you. So that down the road when things improve for you, you'll remember ChristianGeeks.com.
If you are in the DFW area call and let's talk. (817) 605-1819.
I'll be praying for you.
Sincerely,
Matt Porter
ChristianGeeks.com - Computer Service
(817) 605-1819
1) Backups: We've replaced a huge number of people's hard drives lately for various reasons. System crashes, power failures, viruses, we even had one poor lady who deleted all her photos then defragged her hard drive. Then called us to recover her photos. We were able to recover some of them, but defragging permanently wiped out some of them. She was heartbroken.
Point being here is to keep backups. The most painless solution I recommend is ClubBackup.com. You get 1GB free and it runs automatically. It will back your files up to the web site and to a local external hard drive if you have one. You install the software and never think about backups ever again.
2) The Economy: We get calls several times a week from folks who are truly feeling the effects of the economy. It's bad folks - I know it is. From the bottom of my heart I feel for you, I really do. I talk to people who are close to starving because of a job loss.
If the economy is affecting you and you need computer help we will do what we can to assist you. We've been known to give away free parts and quite a few free complete systems that are 2nd hand. Parts like hard drives, monitors, network cards, CD-ROM drives, sound cards, microphones,... perfectly good stuff, just not brand new out of the box. So if you need help, just call. It doesn't hurt to ask. We keep a stash of parts for this very reason.
What's important to me is making the relationship with you. So that down the road when things improve for you, you'll remember ChristianGeeks.com.
If you are in the DFW area call and let's talk. (817) 605-1819.
I'll be praying for you.
Sincerely,
Matt Porter
ChristianGeeks.com - Computer Service
(817) 605-1819
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Sharing a 3G Mobile phone Internet Connection
We had a fun one come up this week that was rather unique. We have a customer in Springtown, TX - out of range of any high speed Internet services. Not even satellite. He came up with a clever solution.
He is using his AT&T 3G connection for his home network's Internet. He bought a little thumbdrive size device that he plugs into a USB cable, then plugs the cable into his desktop PC. And that allows him to access the web.
He called us because he has a laptop that he wants to share that Internet connection with and wanted to know what to do.
He installed a $40 Linksys wireless router from Wal Mart and we came out to get his laptop going. We set up Internet Connection Sharing on his Desktop. Then got his laptop hooked up to the Linksys just fine. Then viola! Everything started humming. He was able to browse the web on his laptop just fine.
"Necessity is the mother of invention" right? Give high marks to Danny in Springtown, TX for this one. Very clever!
Danny also taught me an acronym. ME, a computer guy, a new acronym! hahaha. Here it is.
P.U.S.H.
P - Pray
U - Until
S - Something
H - Happens
Life has phases that are very difficult. If you aren't going through something right now, you will. So remember "PUSH". And keep praying and listening.
Happy new year!
Sincerely,
Matt Porter
Christian Geeks - Computer Service
(817) 605-1819
http://www.christiangeeks.com
He is using his AT&T 3G connection for his home network's Internet. He bought a little thumbdrive size device that he plugs into a USB cable, then plugs the cable into his desktop PC. And that allows him to access the web.
He called us because he has a laptop that he wants to share that Internet connection with and wanted to know what to do.
He installed a $40 Linksys wireless router from Wal Mart and we came out to get his laptop going. We set up Internet Connection Sharing on his Desktop. Then got his laptop hooked up to the Linksys just fine. Then viola! Everything started humming. He was able to browse the web on his laptop just fine.
"Necessity is the mother of invention" right? Give high marks to Danny in Springtown, TX for this one. Very clever!
Danny also taught me an acronym. ME, a computer guy, a new acronym! hahaha. Here it is.
P.U.S.H.
P - Pray
U - Until
S - Something
H - Happens
Life has phases that are very difficult. If you aren't going through something right now, you will. So remember "PUSH". And keep praying and listening.
Happy new year!
Sincerely,
Matt Porter
Christian Geeks - Computer Service
(817) 605-1819
http://www.christiangeeks.com
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