Q. How do I contact you?

A. Send us an email via our contact page or call / TXT 07719 096 369.

Q. I'm worried about 'signal level', it seems very low - should I be worried?

A. No. A low level of signal is normal and not much is required to make your connection 'work'. Ignoring all other factors (of which there are many) and assuming we're talking 'signal' and not 'noise' (ie. the signal you want minus the noise you don't) the 'level' as shown on most laptop signal meters of between 1% and 20% will only restrict you to a speed of 1mbps, which is not much of a restriction if you think of it as 20 times the speed of a dialup modem. At 30%, 2mbps becomes possible, and so-on up to 50% when 11mbps becomes possible. This is because the network - and your wireless device - retrain themselves continually to match each other's capabilities. BUT, if another user of the node to which you're connected, is connected at below 20% and is transacting data at the same time as you, your rate will drop to 1mbps. A useful technical summary of how it all works can be found here. Please note: there is actually little point in 'aiming-for' 11mbps, for while that may be the speed of the link between you and our network, all users are 'shaped' to a maximum 1mbps of Internet bandwidth and, to achieve that, you need just '20%' of signal (and no noise).

Q. How secure is it?

A. Very. Each user of our network is automatically 'firewalled' against every other user, which makes all users 'invisible' to other users. The wireless links between our nodes are encrypted using a 128-bit AES encryption and Blowfish, although ours is what's called an 'open' network, deliberately setup that way to make it as easy as possible for visitors to find it and use it for Pay-As-You-Go access. But in this context 'open' doesn't mean 'vulnerable': all your sensitive data - online purchases etc. - are bound to be encrypted en-route via the link between you and the vendor (using SSL and the 'https' protocol) and the vendor will determine what level of security will be used, for example, PayPal uses encryption so strong that, without the 'key', it could not be deciphered in your lifetime. Encrypting your data from beginning to end is the only sure way to safeguard your data in transit; encrypting just the link between your laptop (say) and a node (using something like WEP, WPA or WEA) does nothing for your security once the data has passed from the node and onto the Internet. End-to-end encryption via SSL is the only true safeguard, and that will always happen when you exchange data with a bona fide operator.

Q. If I have an account with you can I connect to the network anywhere there is a Brightlingsea Wireless node at no extra charge?

A. Yes! If we provide you with access at your house you will be able to use your account in the Harbour, near the Sailing Club, etc..

Q. I have a wireless-enabled laptop, I'm close to one of your nodes and I want to connect to the Internet: what do I do?

A. Most wireless-enabled laptops running Windows have a wireless control panel icon in the system tray at the bottom right of the screen, like this:

When you come within range of our network, the control panel may automatically pop-up a message: "Wireless networks detected". Click on the wireless icon and a 'network list' will be displayed. If you are within range of our network, our station ID - which is simply 'Internet' - will be on the list. If you double-click on 'Internet' a window will pop-up - 'Wireless network connection' - with two buttons. Click the button which says 'Connect anyway' - and that's it. You're connected. Now open a web browser window, type-in a web address (eg. 'www.bbc.co.uk') and hit the 'Return' key (or select a favorite website). If your connection is any good, instead of seeing the website you chose, you will see our 'splash' page:

If you have a username and password, enter it and click the 'login' button: the website you originally tried to reach will appear in the browser window, meaning that you now have full broadband Internet access.

The splash page also has a hyperlink: 'Click here to purchase a pass or to access selected websites for FREE.' Clicking the link will take you to this website, where you can purchase a username and password with your debit or credit card (or with PayPal), or visit our freebie websites, or both.

With Apple Macintosh computers, simply drop the 'AirPort' menu, select our station 'Internet', then attempt to visit any website: you will see our splash page.

Q. I want to access the Internet aboard my boat in Brightlingsea Harbour (Brightlingsea Creek) - can I do that?

A. Yes, we have three nodes servicing the Harbour and Creek: two regular nodes ashore (one at Brightlingsea Sailing Club and one further up the Creek at Morgan Marine) and a solar-/wind-powered node on the 'Fishermens Pontoon' at the mouth of Brightlingsea Creek, specifically to service the pontoons and loose moorings. We can now practically guarantee a connection for you but, as with any wireless Internet service, there are things you can do to maximise your chances (or minimise your disappointment!). As described in detail below ('I live at 99 X street') your ability to connect to the network - and the performance you will obtain - will be determined by many factors, including: your equipment, its location aboard your vessel, the construction of your vessel's hull, your distance from the nearest node, any obstructions between you and the node. Here are some tips. (1) If you are below and there is, in effect, water between you and the node (ie. the waterline is above the direct line between you and the node) you must move your laptop above the waterline (water absorbs microwaves and no signal will pass through it); (2) If your vessel has a steel hull, ensure your laptop is above the gunwale (any signal which isn't simply refelected by the hull will be carried to earth); (3) Ditto your cabin: the signal will travel through a GRP or wooden cabin but not steel or other metals. (4) If it is vital you connect to the Internet or intend to use the service long-term, equip your vessel with a booster. We can also advise you individually about the best solution for you, contact us for details.

Q. Why should I use Brightlingsea Wireless instead of a 'normal' broadband connection?

A. Lots of reasons. You do not need a telephone line to use our broadband service. This makes our broadband available to visitors and other people who may not have or need a phone line, such as those who make all their calls with their mobile phones, and those who only live part of the time in Brightlingsea. You can use your account to connect to the Internet anywhere we provide coverage so if, for example, you use a laptop at home, you can also use it on your boat in the Harbour, at the Sailing Club, etc. We can deliver higher speeds over greater distances than can be delivered using a telephone line. With a wired broadband connection, in a semi-rural area such as ours, it is not unusual for broadband speed to be reduced by 2mbps for every kilometre you are away from your nearest telephone exchange. For example, if you are 3km away from your nearest exchange, your connection will probably run at around 1.5mbps - not the '8mbps' you may have been promised. With us - under normal conditions - your connection to our network will operate at 11mbps. We do not commit you to a contract - you can pay as you go - which means that if you are not resident in Brightlingsea, you need not pay for the service when you're away. We are also one of the few internet service providers who accept payment via PayPal - we even accept cash when paid via a bank. And we're locally based, which means that if you have a problem with your connection which we cannot solve over the phone, we'll be happy to visit you in person.

Q. How much does it cost?

A. Our charges for visitor and domestic access vary from £1 per hour to £15 per month, with a 'Lite' package available for just £9 per month.

Q. How do I pay?

A. You can pay by debit or credit card, by internet banking or with PayPal, or pay cash at your nearest bank.

Q. How fast is WiFi?

A. Typically you will connect you to our network at 11Mbps; our gateway modems operate at 8mbps; nodes are throttled at 4mbps to help distribute bandwidth evenly across the network; we aim to keep each node operating at or above 1mbps regardless of demand.

Q. I have an Apple Macintosh computer - can you connect me?

A. Totally. We're Mac specialists.

Q. I live at number 99 X Street - will your service reach this far?

A. We have connections running which are more than a kilometre apart (the world record distance for an unamplified WiFi connection on 24.4.2007 was 125 miles!). But you need the right equipment, in the right place.
Best performance is obtained when there is line-of-sight between your antenna and the node antenna: no brick walls, trees or roofing slates in the way. Nevertheless, if you have a wireless card inside your laptop, and you're indoors, and you're within about 50m of a node (see below), you should be able to connect: look for the station ID 'Internet'. (Please note: under these conditions, and for obvious reasons, while you may be able to connect to our network, we will have no control over the performance or speed of your connection).
If you're indoors and 50m - 150m of an node, you may be able to 'see' the network 'Internet' and the signal strength may be reported as 'very good' or even 'excellent', but you may not be able to connect. This will be because obstructions (brick walls etc.) are absorbing or reflecting most of your power, so while the network may be visible to you, you are not visible to the network. You are effectively 'out-of-range'.
The map below shows the locations of our nodes and is a guide to our current coverage:

Q. Where's my nearest node?

A. As of 4 October 2010 we operate 8 nodes: one each at the High Street, New Street, Tower Street, Edward Avenue, Colne Road, Walnut Way on the Manor Estate, Brightlingsea Sailing Club, Brightlingsea Harbour.

Q. The speed of my WiFi connection goes up and down - why is that?

A. As with all consumer internet access products, dlalup or broadband - wired or not - ours is a shared service, so the performance of your connection will depend on what other users are doing while you're doing your thing - this is called 'contention'. The number of users sharing a service at any given time gives a 'contention ratio'. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) advertise their maximum contention ratios to indicate how many people may eventually share your service with you.

Q. The network is really slow today, it took ages for web pages to load - why is that?

A. First satisfy yourself that it's not the website you're visiting that's slow, rather than the network. You can do this by opening another browser window and visiting another website, such as Google or Amazon which operate on fast servers with lots of bandwidth. If these pages load at a satisfactory rate, the problem is likely to be too many visitors to the website you were originally trying to visit. If you want to learn more about how the Internet works visit howstuffworks.com.

Q. My connection has stopped working, I can't load any web pages - why is that?

A. It's unlikely that your connection has been lost altogether. The reports we receive of lost connections are often a PC problem in disguise eg. firewall software preventing the computer from connecting to the network, a virus, or processor overload caused by peer-to-peer gizmos launching at startup and hogging all the bandwidth. If you're using a wireless PCI card, PCMCIA card or USB device, check your signal level monitor (sys tray): if it shows green or yellow then your connection is intact. If it shows red , call us and we'll come and take a look for you. If you've a wireless bridge (a cable which runs into the back of your PC) check your network monitor in settings/control panels: if it shows a poor or broken connection 'Limited or no connectivity' - call us and we'll come and take a look for you.