Internet cost and availability

[link626]

Is there still a shortage of broadband access on the rock?
and how much does it cost these days? Are many apartments already equipped with broadband hardware?


Once I get to ross, can i get internet access set up on my laptop right away? I run a business where i need internet access daily, so this is my main concern.

How convenient is the laptop lounge? are there enough ports to jack into? enough privacy? places to sit/study?

Are there plans to make the classroom ethernet ports functional?

[Porsche518]

I need this info too. Adsl or cable definetly in my apt, if anyone knows it would help greatly.

[singer]

Whwn my son and I arrived there weren't any DSL ports available and the cable alternative was expensive and not that dependable. At cable and wireless we signed up for dialup and they charge a small monthly fee and charge each time you sign on to the internet not by the minute.

[oc23]

Is there still a shortage of broadband access on the rock?
yes, there is a shortage. c&w is the only company that provides adsl and their waiting list is 3-4 months. the only cable isp here is marpin. i hear their waiting list is shorter, but i also hear their connection is not as dependable.

and how much does it cost these days?
for broadband internet, whether adsl or cable, it averages around $100EC/mo. this is for the "standard" adsl or cable. you can get faster connections for a higher price. for dial-up, it's a little less but varies quite a bit because you get charged a fee everytime you dial in (per access, not per minute), so your bill depends on how many times you dial in.

Are many apartments already equipped with broadband hardware?
i only know of 1 apartment building that provides adsl for free. there may be others, but i only know of 1.

Once I get to ross, can i get internet access set up on my laptop right away?
i don't know if the IT department will be open when you arrive (which, i assume, will be over the break). but if they are open, you drop off your laptop and they will configure it and return it to you in about a day.

How convenient is the laptop lounge? are there enough ports to jack into? enough privacy? places to sit/study?
the laptop lounge has 23 ports for non-wireless internet users. they also have 1 printer in there. privacy? i don't know how to answer this question. i don't know what kind of privacy you're expecting in a computer room. there are lots of places to study. you can study in the library or in any of the 3 classrooms that they have designated as afternoon/evening study rooms. students even use the pbl rooms as study rooms too. i'm not sure how many wifi zones we have on campus now, but i do know that the IT department is trying to expand them.

Are there plans to make the classroom ethernet ports functional?
of course there are plans. they wouldn't have put the ports in there if they weren't planning on using them.

[link626]

it sounds like wireless is the way to go.

As of now, is the school wireless network set up so that you can be pretty much anywhere on campus and have access to the internet?

Also, how come the IT department just doesnt give us the wireless config info and let us config our own laptops?
My old school did that and it was easy to config our own pc's.

I would rather not part with my laptop for 1 day and let some strangers fiddle with my pc. Punching in a few numbers shouldn't take a whole day. :shock:

[MitchDC]

They aren't there just to work on your notebook - they also have other things to do. They will also install a corporate version of Norton Antivirus to make sure your computer doesn't infect the network and run tests to make sure everything works.

MitchDC

it sounds like wireless is the way to go.

As of now, is the school wireless network set up so that you can be pretty much anywhere on campus and have access to the internet?

Also, how come the IT department just doesnt give us the wireless config info and let us config our own laptops?
My old school did that and it was easy to config our own pc's.

I would rather not part with my laptop for 1 day and let some strangers fiddle with my pc. Punching in a few numbers shouldn't take a whole day. :shock:

[mosfet]

They aren't there just to work on your notebook - they also have other things to do. They will also install a corporate version of Norton Antivirus to make sure your computer doesn't infect the network and run tests to make sure everything works.

MitchDC

it sounds like wireless is the way to go.

As of now, is the school wireless network set up so that you can be pretty much anywhere on campus and have access to the internet?

Also, how come the IT department just doesnt give us the wireless config info and let us config our own laptops?
My old school did that and it was easy to config our own pc's.

I would rather not part with my laptop for 1 day and let some strangers fiddle with my pc. Punching in a few numbers shouldn't take a whole day. :shock:


Hey Mitch,
How far outside the campus can we still be able to use wireless internet??

[MitchDC]

Mosfet, honestly I have no idea. I've been off of Dominica for a semester now and when I was there they were just starting to introduce the wireless network. I'm not positive it has completely permeated the whole campus yet. If they are smart, the signal won't reach off campus at all -- for security reasons.

MitchDC

They aren't there just to work on your notebook - they also have other things to do. They will also install a corporate version of Norton Antivirus to make sure your computer doesn't infect the network and run tests to make sure everything works.

MitchDC

it sounds like wireless is the way to go.

As of now, is the school wireless network set up so that you can be pretty much anywhere on campus and have access to the internet?

Also, how come the IT department just doesnt give us the wireless config info and let us config our own laptops?
My old school did that and it was easy to config our own pc's.

I would rather not part with my laptop for 1 day and let some strangers fiddle with my pc. Punching in a few numbers shouldn't take a whole day. :shock:


Hey Mitch,
How far outside the campus can we still be able to use wireless internet??

[obadya00]

you can barely use it in the designated areas on campus. there are very very few places where wireless exists (library is a good one). you guys are using american standards in relation to the technology on campus. it is important to remember that we are in a third world country so if the school decides to make things wireless, they are going to do it one baby step at a time. progress is made here but not at the speed that "Americans" are used to.



[/b]

[link626]

you can barely use it in the designated areas on campus. there are very very few places where wireless exists (library is a good one). you guys are using american standards in relation to the technology on campus. it is important to remember that we are in a third world country so if the school decides to make things wireless, they are going to do it one baby step at a time. progress is made here but not at the speed that "Americans" are used to.



[/b]



that doesn't sound good.

if they don't have wireless, they should at least have enough ethernet ports for us to jack into all around campus. Ethernet ports are 3rd world technology right now. :roll:

[oc23]

i honestly think the school has great technology. BUT the problem is the pace. EVERYTHING down here moves slower. remember that the school has to work with whatever system they're in. we just happened to be on the slowest island in the caribbean. :(

[bioboy]

Hi Mitch,

I already have the Norton antivirus and the a/b/g 802.11 internet card installed. Would I need to drop off my notebook and have them fiddle with it?

[oc23]

Hi Mitch,

I already have the Norton antivirus and the a/b/g 802.11 internet card installed. Would I need to drop off my notebook and have them fiddle with it?

yes, they will still need to reconfigure it.

[nobody]

[i]and how much does it cost these days?
for broadband internet, whether adsl or cable, it averages around $100EC/mo. this is for the "standard" adsl or cable. you can get faster connections for a higher price. for dial-up, it's a little less but varies quite a bit because you get charged a fee everytime you dial in (per access, not per minute), so your bill depends on how many times you dial in.

How much is the per access fee?

And can anyone quantify what is meant by the cable access being unreliable?

[oc23]

How much is the per access fee?

i don't remember exactly. it's a few cents for every time you dial in. it also depends on what day and time you dial in (i.e., morning vs evening, weekday vs weekend). but if i remember correctly, it's just a few cents in all cases.

And can anyone quantify what is meant by the cable access being unreliable?

it's often down.

[nobody]

i don't remember exactly. it's a few cents for every time you dial in. it also depends on what day and time you dial in (i.e., morning vs evening, weekday vs weekend). but if i remember correctly, it's just a few cents in all cases.

Thank you for that. If it's just a few cents, than it's not that big of a deal. I'm a heavy internet user, I usually stay on for hours at a time, so a per use fee shouldn't be a big problem.

I still think that's a weird of doing things. I have a feeling I'm going to have a lot of differences in the way they do things on the island to get used to. :)

[dimples]

C&W are crooks. I cancelled my dial-up account with them because even with the unlimited plan, they kept disconnecting me, charging me EVERY time I dial-uped. I even called in to inform them of the situation and they told me that it would be ok and all I had to do was to submit a query.

One month, my bill was $700EC, that's $262 US dollars for using slow dial-up internet that was completely unreliable. When I went in to complain, they put out a query, but of course I never got a refund or any explanation. They always told me they were "working on it." By the way, I know this has happened to at least 5 of my friends. One of them got charged $900 EC bc somehow C&W said that they had dialed 1-900 phone numbers.

Another thing...you are supposed to get your $700 EC deposit back 2 months after you close your account. Well, it's been 4 and lo and behold...I see no money! After repeated phone calls and frequent visits to the office, every time I come in I still get "It'll be here next week."

I just called on Friday and guess what? They said it'll be here next week. :roll:

I can't take it anymore!

[oc23]

yes, i had that same problem too when i was using dial-up. i kept on getting disconnected and had to redial in and, of course, have to pay another access fee. a few cents per access sounds like nothing, but it adds up without you even noticing it. this type of billing applies to phones too. on a landline, you have to pay a rental to use the line plus toll charges per minute on the phone calls. calls to cell phones are more expensive than calls to another landline. cell phones all have prepaid cards.

it is frustrating, i know...but you, again, have to remember that you're in a third world country. phone lines are not as easy to come by here as they are in the states. we've taken for granted what we had over there. ...don't get me wrong, i HATE c&w! but for me, it's the inadequacy of the actual people in the company that really makes me angry.

[DrVinsk]

Hello,

As much as I respect the positive attitude of responders, it doesn't help those coming to the island if you're not completely honest. Here goes the truth: You will not get DSL on this island for a long time unless you put in for it way before coming here. Months and months I'm talking. The pace is very slow here, unfortunately it is primarily based on incompetency. When you go to Cable and Wireless, you will stand in line for 30-45 minutes, the internet help desk will not smile and really have no interest in your needs. She is there to collect money, period. I can say I have had good service with dial-up(good as far as dial-up goes). I am preparing you for a disappointment in the technology here. You will get by fine on your own. Bill Huber will help you out alot, but do not expect any help or competency on behalf of the businesses here. That's not a bash, just a fact. I'm an old Peace Corps volunteer and trust me, Dominica has its good features, customer service is not one of them. You'll be fine. Just rely on yourself. I will answer what I can and I will answer honestly ok?

[oc23]

deleted....(duplicate)

[oc23]

Hello,

As much as I respect the positive attitude of responders, it doesn't help those coming to the island if you're not completely honest. Here goes the truth: You will not get DSL on this island for a long time unless you put in for it way before coming here. Months and months I'm talking. The pace is very slow here, unfortunately it is primarily based on incompetency. When you go to Cable and Wireless, you will stand in line for 30-45 minutes, the internet help desk will not smile and really have no interest in your needs. She is there to collect money, period. I can say I have had good service with dial-up(good as far as dial-up goes). I am preparing you for a disappointment in the technology here. You will get by fine on your own. Bill Huber will help you out alot, but do not expect any help or competency on behalf of the businesses here. That's not a bash, just a fact. I'm an old Peace Corps volunteer and trust me, Dominica has its good features, customer service is not one of them. You'll be fine. Just rely on yourself. I will answer what I can and I will answer honestly ok?


before you make comments like this, i suggest you read ALL the posts and read them CAREFULLY, drvinsk. none of us had anything good to say about cable&wireless. ...actually, i think you're the first one to give a good comment about their services ("I can say I have had good service with dial-up(good as far as dial-up goes)"). your "honest" post basically just repeated what we said in all of our "not completely honest" ones.

[ikep]

I don't know whether anyone in this forum has ever configured a wireless router but I can say its not a breeze... Its not configured by putting in an IP address because that would assume a static IP address ie the same computer would use the same IP address every time you log on. They probably use a dynamic address which is given out for a short period of time, usually one day. Then there is the problem of security which requires a unique identifying address which can be found on your computer and is called MAC address, usually can be found under Networks on Windows XP. When I set up a wireless router at work we had to find everyone's MAC address and tell the router to accept access only from those computer whose MAC address is known ie our staff members. After that there's 128 bit encryption so that data are not stolen on the way to the router etc etc
As you can see its not as easy as 123. The network has to be secure.
Its better to have the IT people do it.

[arya]

I don't know whether anyone in this forum has ever configured a wireless router but I can say its not a breeze... Its not configured by putting in an IP address because that would assume a static IP address ie the same computer would use the same IP address every time you log on. They probably use a dynamic address which is given out for a short period of time, usually one day. Then there is the problem of security which requires a unique identifying address which can be found on your computer and is called MAC address, usually can be found under Networks on Windows XP. When I set up a wireless router at work we had to find everyone's MAC address and tell the router to accept access only from those computer whose MAC address is known ie our staff members. After that there's 128 bit encryption so that data are not stolen on the way to the router etc etc
As you can see its not as easy as 123. The network has to be secure.
Its better to have the IT people do it.

you can do all that by making a simple website where you enter your username/password for verification and the websitemakes all the necessary notes and configes the system. really can be as easy as 123.

[nobody]

you can do all that by making a simple website where you enter your username/password for verification and the websitemakes all the necessary notes and configes the system. really can be as easy as 123.

Another easy way is just to give your MAC address to IT and they can configure the access points for your MAC address. That's all that really has to be done to get on the wireless LAN if they use DHCP for addressing. But then you'll need to configure your system for the WEP key.

[MitchDC]

Guys, the IT department is run by IT professionals. They are experienced and have a reason for doing it the way they do. Don't you think it would be easier for them to have students do it themselves as well? Of course it would, but in order to insure security and compatibility, they have chosen to do it the way they do it.

MitchDC

I don't know whether anyone in this forum has ever configured a wireless router but I can say its not a breeze... Its not configured by putting in an IP address because that would assume a static IP address ie the same computer would use the same IP address every time you log on. They probably use a dynamic address which is given out for a short period of time, usually one day. Then there is the problem of security which requires a unique identifying address which can be found on your computer and is called MAC address, usually can be found under Networks on Windows XP. When I set up a wireless router at work we had to find everyone's MAC address and tell the router to accept access only from those computer whose MAC address is known ie our staff members. After that there's 128 bit encryption so that data are not stolen on the way to the router etc etc
As you can see its not as easy as 123. The network has to be secure.
Its better to have the IT people do it.

you can do all that by making a simple website where you enter your username/password for verification and the websitemakes all the necessary notes and configes the system. really can be as easy as 123.

[nobody]

Guys, the IT department is run by IT professionals. They are experienced and have a reason for doing it the way they do.

FYI, I'm an IT Professional for a very large hospital. I helped roll-out our wireless network last year. And since I have to contend with HIPAA, I'm familiar with the security of wireless networks.

Don't you think it would be easier for them to have students do it themselves as well? Of course it would, but in order to insure security and compatibility, they have chosen to do it the way they do it.


I don't doubt that, I just know there are easier and equally secure ways to do things. In IT there never is just one way to do things. I think their method is fine, but I also think there are ways to do things that will provide greater benefit for the student attending Ross.