Wireless modems bring high speed internet to the Perth Hills
High speed broadband has finally arrived in Serpentine-Jarrahdale. Jarrah Bark connected today with an excellent signal using a wireless modem and high gain portable antenna from the "Chestnuts" in Jarrahdale.
The user friendly DIY installation was relatively trouble free as Telstra staff provided good support service. The connection speed is a steady 384k as compared to 128k for ISDN and less than 56k for dialup modem. We will shortly be trialing a VoIP (voice over internet protocol) system which will allow us to make 10c phone calls to any telephone number in Australia.
Bigpond are also offering a "try before you buy" connection service with a money back guarantee if the wireless connection does not work as expected. Jarrahdale and other hills residents now face a much brighter internet future with a signal from the CALM tower probably able to reach over 90% of residents.
The map which was supplied by Telstra shows probable signal strength from the tower and gives an idea of what sort of reception can be expected. Dark green is excellent. Light green is good. Yellow is moderate/poor. While there may be a few "dead spots" most people will get a very useable signal. Jarrahdale is likely to move up from "dead spot" to "hot spot" with high speed broadband reception generally rated as excellent. Click map to enlarge.
Existing and new home builders should consider running a second coaxial cable into the house along side their TV Antenna lead to facilitate an external modem antenna. This antenna will normally guarantee excellent reception for most Perth Hills residents. A reputable antenna installer will test your premises to make sure you will get access to wireless broadband before installation.The cost of wireless broadband at your place
After eight weeks of evaluating our best choice of an immediately available broadband wireless service to the majority of Perth Hills residents is the Bigpond G-Fast plan which delivers at a speed of about 245kbps or over five times as fast as the average dial-up modem and twice as fast as ISDN. It should be noted that BigPond undertakes to deliver a minimum speed of 152kbps on this plan.
This plan offers 1,000MB (1GB) of download for $49-95 per month. The speed is adequate to use internet telephones such as Skype or VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). Only heavy users of the internet will find that this plan falls short of their needs. We noticed very little difference in speed between this plan and the more expensive Super G Fast plan.
There are however additional costs for most subscribers which should be taken into account.
This gives a total of $1,127.40 for the first twelve months or $93.95 per month.External wireless modem from BigPond (USB connection) $249.00 External roof mounted omni-directional antenna (Installed) $279.00
More information from Telstra on 131 282
The picture shows an external wireless broadband antenna added to a standard television antenna in a heavily timbered area of the Perth Hills. This antenna is providing a signal strength of better than 95%.
Installation by Paul Morris of White Horse Antennas
Tel: 9525 5903
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