No Wirez

Statistics Canada Report

noreply@blogger.com (Crewze) — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:54:00 +0000

A report released today by Statistics Canada shows that Internet usage is up for Canadians and using wireless access has increased faster than any other form of access.

80% of Canadians use the Internet on a regular basis for personal reasons. BC lead all of the provinces with 85%, with Newfoundland being the lowest at 69%.

Clearly the Internet continues to have more influence over how we do things in Canada. Now if the government would just learn how to use it :-)

Network Update

noreply@blogger.com (Crewze) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:40:00 +0000

Hope you all had a great summer. We have been hard at work testing the wireless network and getting ready to launch service in the entire Phase 1 & 2 of the East Market, Ottawa.

We have upgraded our management and router software to fix a bunch of issues we have encountered and to provide more features. The network has 5 people in the building who are using the system and helping me test --- thank you all for your help and patience! We have been on the new system for several weeks now with no big issues.

I am in the process of writing a proposal to the board to install the system in Phase 1 &2. Wish me luck and I stay tuned for the big launch.

The First NO for the "The NO Company"

noreply@blogger.com (Crewze) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:59:00 +0000

I wrote earlier about the need to keep a business simple. Just to extend that a little further --- I want this business to also be hassle free. Try to stay clear of the small print.

I always laugh when I see a TV commercial that puts up the small print on the screen and leaves it there for 2 seconds. There is no possible way anyone could read it. When you rent a car there is at least a page of small print on the back of the contract which no one reads except for the odd lawyer.

It should be easier. Provide a good product and people will keep buying it. When they no longer want it or need it they will stop buying it.

So our service agreement will be a simple monthly plan. No long term 3 year deals here. Pay for it and get the service. Done.

So that is the first NO I will talk about. I will write about some others in future articles.

Internet Service in Canada vs. the World

noreply@blogger.com (Crewze) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:49:00 +0000

In a recent article in the Ottawa Citizen by Michael Geist he points out that most of the news about Internet service in Canada recently has been about neutrality (will the CRTC attempt to regulate Internet content) and access to the Internet in rural Canada (for which all of us urbanites subsidize through a special "contribution" on our internet bills). The neutrality issue is now before the CRTC and millions are now in the budget for rural initiatives.

A recent study by the OECD notes that compared to the rest of the world, Canada's Internet service is for the most part is more expensive and slower. In fact if you look at $/megabyte, we are ranked 28th out of the 30 OECD countries. Not so good considering we were near the top of the rankings a few years back.

This goes along with my thoughts that they must be a better and more economical way to deliver Internet service to people concentrated in high rise buildings. This is another piece of evidence that we are on the right track at no.wirez.ca.

KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)

noreply@blogger.com (Crewze) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:39:00 +0000

In a book I read over the weekend called "Go it Alone" by Bruce Judson, he makes the case that any successful business is basically simple. You may have heard of the elevator pitch. The theory is that if you cannot explain your business to someone in the time it takes to take an elevator ride then the business is too complex.

One example is Cisco Systems. Although you may think that they run a complex networking company, their business can be summed up by 3 words "Cisco networks networks".

This is something that all businesses should be aware of. It drives me nuts as a consumer to have trial period pricing, additional fees, taxes and levies added to an advertised price. Airlines are especially guilty of this but cable companies, internet providers and telephone cell companies have raised this to an artform as well.

Although I am still working on my pricing model, I will follow the KISS principle. The price I advertise -- is the price you pay. No hidden charges or additional fees.

no.wirez.ca will provide quality internet access at a reasonable price.

A New Community Internet Service

noreply@blogger.com (Crewze) — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:51:00 +0000

I have lived in a condo in downtown Ottawa, Canada for the past 5 years. I now run my own business from home and use my computer and Internet access most of the day. Like many people I have a wireless router that I use to access the internet connection provided by Rogers.

By looking at the number of wireless routers that I can see from my unit --- I am not alone. For the past several years I have been thinking ---- There must be a better way !!!

Now that I have more time to work on this, I am convinced there is a better way. After having more than 30 years experience in the wireless business I have put together a wireless system that is specifically aimed at high rise buildings. Although there is more to it technically -- think of the hotspot you use at your local coffee shop. No fuss -- no muss. Just fire up your laptop, logon and you are online. No extra equipment or software required.

I am presently doing a small scale test in the building and fine tuning the software required to manage the network.

Stay tuned for updates or visit my website.