I sell my equipment to the users...this is substanitially less cost up front for me. Imagine how long it would take to get back my money if I had to pay for 50 client units (or hopefully more soon).
I sell the unit to them for $349 plus $150 to install it. That is pretty much a wash all the way around for up front costs. And like you said...I feel that most clients will not swap over to cable or dsl being that they already paid me $500...as long as they are getting fast and reliable service. My rates are cheap enough. I use PayPal for ALLLLL money transfers including the automated monthly subscriptions. This does not lend itself to a "pay per bit" billing system. The only change in billing is when a client exceeds their usage...then I send them a PayPal bill. Easy and painless. NO NEED FOR A BILLING DEPARTMENT!! Sure it is 3% per transaction...but I dont care. It is worth it. Will your MicroTik do autothrottling if a user hits a max cap?? Sully -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Eje Gustafsson Sent: Sunday, July 06, 2003 7:50 PM To: The Wirefree Network Subject: Re: [smartBridges] Could not regain association All they need to do is purchase a $60 soho broadband router then their 10 computers will look like one computer to you. There is NO way you can control how many computers they have on your service. Sure you can prevent them from using more then one direct connected to the net but then all they need to do is get a bb router or turn on ICS and the rest of them will be able to get on.. Don't charge more for more computers. charge for the amount of data instead. Encourage them to have lots of computers. Sell them a broadband router cheap. Then charge them per bit used. Give them say 5gig of transfer per month and charge them $5 per gig over usage. But back to the point no you can not prevent them from getting more then one computer online more then basically hijack their computer and you keep administrative control over it.. Just charge for more usage instead. Also be sure to lock them in under a contract basis and keep owner ship of the equipment that way if they want to move to cable later on if they are still under contract with you they will have to pay to get out of the contract and you get back your equipment and can redeploy it. But also if you sell them the equipment at cost that tend to make the loyal because they don't want to "waste" that $300 investment to purchase another $100 investment for a cable modem to switch service. Best regards, Eje Gustafsson mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] The Family Entertainment Network http://www.fament.com Phone : 620-231-7777 Fax : 620-231-4066 - Your Full Time Professionals - eBay UserID : macahan --- searchable smartBridges mailing list archive. http://www.mail-archive.com/smartbridges40part-15.org/ -- TWN> Now have 45 customers on 1 aPPoChris...You and I are in the same boat. I, TWN> too, charge for small networks over single computers. $39.95 for one TWN> computer and $69.95 for 2-6 computers (residential prices) with 1 Gig and 2 TWN> Gig transfers per months, respectively. TWN> To tell you the absolute truth....I am freaking disgusted by my clients TWN> "cheapness". <-- its a word. Our homes range from $400k to $550k...so TWN> these people have money. TWN> When I put an add on their doorstep, they call me up in almost tears (of TWN> joy)....saying..."FINALLY...FINALLY....HIGH-SPEED INTERNET WHERE WE LIVE...I TWN> WILL PAY ANYTHING." My service is unthrottled 1.5 Meg up and down. So...my TWN> prices are WAY lower than what I could be charging. But...it is all part of TWN> my business plan. I want to be around for the long haul. Not just rape TWN> them for a few months...then DSL or cable modem access moves in and they all TWN> switch over. TWN> So...back to my "cheap customers"...anyway....once it comes down to the TWN> actual selection of the service plan (39.95 or 69.95), they all turn into TWN> freaking cheapos. URGGGHHHH...I hate it. They will say stuff like, "Well, TWN> Yes... I have 5 computers in my home...but can I just pay $39.95 if I just TWN> use one at a time?" Or...my favorite straight up lie, "I only need the TWN> $39.95 account because we will only use this one computer for Internet." TWN> You know DAMN WELL that they are going to spoof that MAC into their router TWN> and be smiling like they made one over on me. TWN> I am seriously thinking of installing VPN clients on each "PAID" computer TWN> that will only allow THAT computer Internet access. But even then...I bet TWN> there is some easy way around it. For example, using Windows XP "Share TWN> Internet Connection" option. TWN> Anyone have a way to stop this?!??!?! TWN> Sully TWN> -----Original Message----- TWN> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TWN> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of phantam TWN> Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2003 10:31 PM TWN> To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' TWN> Subject: RE: [smartBridges] Could not regain association TWN> As far as I can tell I have yet to see a SB slip a MAC of a client behind TWN> it through, im glad for this mac nat or whatever u'd like to call it, TWN> because its easy to do management on it, and I don't have to worry about the TWN> clients changing there dumb network cards. HOWEVER it kinda sucks when I TWN> normally charge more for multiple computer networks and I can't tell if TWN> someones scamming me with a router or a switch L but oh well its kewl its TWN> still limited at the sb mac TWN> Chris TWN> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- TWN> -- TWN> From: The Wirefree Network [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] TWN> Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2003 3:42 PM TWN> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TWN> Just finished replacing one of the 3 bad units. This is what I found TWN> out...and probably how I will test my units prior to deployment from now on. TWN> I logged into the unit with my laptop. I then noticed that I was TWN> associated. So...I did a "reset" with simpleMonitor. It lost association TWN> and did not regain it. So, I hit "reset" again and it associated. I then TWN> tried this several times. 2 out of 3 times it WOULD reassociate, but that TWN> 3rd time it would never regain assocation. I tried continuous pings to the TWN> AP and to the GATEWAY with no help. It would not regain association unless TWN> I hit "RESET" a couple times. TWN> I just wanted to provide this info to everyone as a way to check your TWN> units prior to deployment. Could save a few bucks with replacement labor. TWN> Here's a question: TWN> 1. Way back when, the airBridge units used to pass the MAC address of the TWN> internal NIC. Therefore, you had to have the internal MAC in your TWN> authorization table (not the sB unit). So...here's my question...Now, with TWN> the new firmware, is it possible that the internal MAC is showing up at the TWN> AP (sometimes) and being rejected? I only put the sB unit MAC in my TWN> authorization table. TWN> Just an idea.... TWN> Sully TWN> -----Original Message----- TWN> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TWN> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Mark P. Sullivan TWN> Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2003 8:14 AM TWN> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TWN> Subject: RE: [smartBridges] Now have 45 customers on 1 aPPo TWN> Thanks for the info. But, you have to agree that this is NOT TWN> acceptable. You cant possibly ask the customer to do this everytime?? TWN> Sully TWN> -----Original Message----- TWN> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TWN> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of David Blood TWN> Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2003 8:07 AM TWN> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TWN> Subject: RE: [smartBridges] Now have 45 customers on 1 aPPo TWN> I have recently found that with some of the units the don't want to TWN> reassociate I can turn them off for five to ten minutes then turn them back TWN> on and they then work great. Not sure why this works but it did for 3 of my TWN> customers this last week. The tuff part of this trick is just sitting there TWN> doing nothing for 10 minutes to see if it will work. TWN> Kind Regards, TWN> David TWN> -----Original Message----- TWN> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TWN> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Mark P. Sullivan TWN> Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2003 8:49 AM TWN> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TWN> Subject: [smartBridges] Now have 45 customers on 1 aPPo TWN> Well...thought I would keep everyone posted on my numbers. TWN> As of last weekend, we went from 30 to 45 units off a single aPPo. I TWN> actually have 30 units directly off my head-end aPPo (one of which is the TWN> repeater) and 15 more off the repeater. The latest 15 are all airBridges. TWN> We are pulling about 1.2 Gig per day through the head-end (500 meg of which TWN> is from the repeater clients). TWN> 1. I did the bulk update with the latest simpleNMS and changed TWN> RTS/CTS and FRAG to 1496 and 100 on all client units (not head-end). This TWN> was a pretty cool feature. However, twice within 1 day ALLLL my units lost TWN> association and I had to reboot my head-end aPPo to get them back. TWN> So...needless to say, I changed the RTS/FRAG settings back to default. No TWN> problems since. TWN> 2. I used simpleDeploy to burn ALL new customers. I then hot TWN> tested them for a minimum of 24 hours prior to deployment with none of them TWN> blinking an eye. Out of the 15 deployed, I have 3 units that are losing TWN> association and not getting it back. I have had the customer do a power TWN> reset by pulling the plug, factory default reset, etc, etc....but no luck. TWN> Oddly enough, one of the 3 units just came back online this morning with no TWN> assistance. Pretty darn flakey! Note: all the units could be pinged from TWN> the wired side and logged into (but DEAD on the wireless side). Now I am TWN> going to go do some climbing and replacing. TWN> Side Note: My head-end aPPo which has been online since Dec 25th 2003 TWN> is going down hill quick. The symptoms are this: TWN> 1. About 3-4 times a week, the unit becomes unresponsive on the TWN> Ethernet side while still passing traffic (hard reboot). TWN> 2. The RTS/FRAG thing mentioned above really had me shaking in my TWN> boots (reset to default). TWN> 3. I have been working with sB for a while on this flakey aPPo, TWN> and I am now struggling with EC to get a replacement unit before this one TWN> dies. TWN> I think that sB is awesome. They are VERY responsive and have even TWN> phoned me personally to resolve issues. All my units previously deployed TWN> are working wonderfully. 3 out of the latest 15 have not. That doesn't TWN> look good, but I am sure they are getting to the bottom of it. Maybe it is TWN> a bad simpleDeploy release?? TWN> Sully -- [This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus] The PART-15.ORG smartBridges Discussion List To Join: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (in the body type subscribe smartBridges <yournickname> To Remove: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (in the body type unsubscribe smartBridges) Archives: http://archives.part-15.org The PART-15.ORG smartBridges Discussion List To Join: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (in the body type subscribe smartBridges <yournickname> To Remove: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (in the body type unsubscribe smartBridges) Archives: http://archives.part-15.org
