Scott C. Lemon: 80211.net

Blastyx hits the net

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 18:15:50 GMT

The other day I spent some time with Phil Burns and the guys from Blastyx. We had fun creating a quick video about some of my wireless business (80211.net) and installation. I am still doing a lot of wireless R&D on the side ... outside of my day job at Agilix Labs. Blastyx is doing some very cool work, and they have some very interesting ideas on where to take next generation marketing. You can go and check out the video ... it's the "Wireless Mountain Man" video ...

Mesh Network Experimentation Grows

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 19:11:27 GMT

This announcement is yet another team of people who are capitalizing on the continuing evolution of wireless hardware and software capabilities. This team has created an almost "turn-key" solution for creating wireless mesh networking nodes from inexpensive, and possibly even older used, computer equipment. They claim to have completely automated the configuration of the mesh ... that is a big deal. Expect to see more and more of this ...

CUWiN Goes Public with Open-Source Mesh System. The Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN) released the fruit of their efforts at the end of the week: The project is an open-source effort to provide mesh networking with no center. The system is self configuring among nodes which need no non-volatile or permanent storage. To set up a CUWiN network, you burn a CD with the 0.5.5 software later this week and use it to boot a computer with a support wireless card. The system finds nearby nodes, creates tables, and establishes itself as part of the network. The software is free and open source. The full press release is after the jump.... [Wi-Fi Networking News]

Major Qwest Problems!

Mon, 29 Nov 2004 21:01:00 GMT

November 29, 2004 - As of 8:00am this morning we have been having numerous problems with Qwest. They have indicated they are having major problems with some of their gateways, and that it is effecting services across the state of Utah.

We apologize for the problems, and will continue to work with Qwest - and follow their progress - to get this resolved.

Utah storms, and various outages

Tue, 26 Oct 2004 05:20:30 GMT

We apologize to ur Wasatch County, Utah customers as we had quite a week of storms ... and problems ... up here. It turns out that some of out new outdoor wireless equipment was not as waterproof as they had hoped. With the large storm system that came to the county a week ago Sunday, we lost a total of three new pieces of equipment due to water leaks.

The vendor was great about things. We lost our main wireless tower at our headquaters on Monday morning, after the initial front hit us. We exchanged this device with a spare that we had on hand. The next night - Tuesday - we lost that spare, and the Wing Pointe apartments location.

On Wednesday, we were able to get the repairs completed with assistance from the great folks at Euclid Timber Frames. The vendor has determined the problem and replaced our units. We are back up and running, and continuing to upgrade the network.

80211.net Heading to WISPCon

Tue, 26 Oct 2004 05:14:11 GMT

80211.net will be at the upcoming wireless tradeshow - WISPCON VI which will be going on in Las Vegas from October 27 - 29, 2004. We will be present at the show with two of our partners TenX Networks, and Renasis Engineered Products.

Mermaid Books, and A Cup of Joe

Mon, 04 Oct 2004 04:34:48 GMT

One of our most popular spots in town - A Cup of Joe - has changed owners in the last several weeks. After several conversations with the new owner we were surprised to find out that he is installing his own Internet services. He informed us early last week that we were welcome to remove our services at any time. Instead of leaving our customers without access, we looked at what other businesses might be in the area. As of Friday, we have moved ... across the hall!

We are glad to announce that we have now partnered with Mermaid Books, and are able to provide the same Internet services - at the same prices - at the same location. Mermaid Books is a very cool shop offering a variety of books and other items ... and has a great owner!

Our Cafe PC is now in the sitting area at Mermaid Books, and we still have the same wireless access - 24x7 - that covers the same areas and upstairs. If you want to, you ought to still be able to get access at A Cup of Joe ... so continue to buy your coffee, hang out, visit Mermaid Books, and enjoy your Internet. If you have questions or comments about your service, please feel free to contact us!

Qwest Outage in Utah

Thu, 12 Aug 2004 07:07:52 GMT

Today there was a major Qwest backbone fiber cut by a backhoe just outside of Park City, Utah. That fiber happened to be our main Internet connection for the 80211.net data center. The fiber cut caused a complete network failure. The outage started around 9:00am, and repair of the 144-fiber trunk was finally completed around 3:00pm. During that time a significant portion of the 80211.net network was down and without access.

We apologize for the outage, and will continue to explore ways to implement even more redundancy in our neworks. If you were impacted by this damage and unable to access the Internet, send us an e-mail and we'll add a day of credit to your account!

80211.net now accepting PayPal and credit cards!

Sun, 08 Aug 2004 07:21:11 GMT

Now you can purchase your Internet Access using PayPal, or your credit card! As of last week, we have implemented a new payment system that allows you the flexibility of paying for your 80211.net Internet Access completely on-line. In the past, our 80211.net Internet Access Coupons were available at all of our locations. Some 80211.net locations have made the choice to no longer carry the cash coupons, but don't worry ... you will be able to continue to experience our cost effective service by paying on-line.

Access to the new payment system is through our login page, using the same payment link that you used in the past. Now, once you have entered your username and password, you have the option to click the PayPal link to pay with a PayPal account, or credit card. You will be automatically redirected to the secure PayPal web site to enter your payment information. We are able to accept VISA, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, or eCheck. Upon completion of the PayPal transaction, your account will be updated and ready to use!

We hope this adds even more flexibility to our services, and let us know how we can continue to improve our services!

Bad Ass Coffee - Salt Lake City on-line!

Tue, 27 Jul 2004 04:02:35 GMT

80211.net is happy to announce another Bad Ass Coffee location has joined our network! The Bad Ass Coffee in Salt Lake City, located at 3530 South State Street is now offering Internet Access to their customers. This location has high-speed 802.11b wireless, and also has a PC on-site for customers to use.

The Bad Ass Coffee Company was started on the Big Island of Hawaii in July of 1989 and has become one of the largest sellers of Kona coffee in the world. In 1995, Michael Bilanzich of Salt Lake City, Utah purchased Royal Aloha Coffee, Tea & Spice Company and the Bad Ass Coffee Company. They opened their first Bad Ass Coffee Company store in Salt Lake City in May 1995 at 3530 South State Street, their next location in Park City at 651 Park Avenue in July 1995. They are continuing to grow with numerous shops in Hawaii and throughout the continental United States and Canada.

If you are in the area in Salt Lake City, stop in ... grab a coffee and something to eat .... cruise the net ... and enjoy!

Thu, 15 Jan 2004 16:08:01 GMT

Preparing for Sundance!
In preparation for the Sundance Film Festival, 80211.net is glad to announce the coming of another location - in Park City, Utah!

The Bad Ass Coffee Company at 651 Park Avenue will have Ethernet and 802.11b Wireless Internet Access for anyone wanting to grab a cup of coffee and jump on the Internet. The installation is being done now, and is scheduled to be completed by Friday.

80211.net provides low-cost, high-speed Internet access at several locations in Salt Lake City, and this new location expands our reach to the Park City area. A complete list of 80211.net Internet Access Locations can be found here!

Mon, 27 Oct 2003 17:04:53 GMT

More connections at A Cup of Joe!
As of this weekend, there are new Ethernet connections that have been installed at A Cup of Joe, increasing the places that you can sit, enjoy a good cup of coffee, and cruise the Internet with your laptop.

A Cup of Joe, located at 353 West 200 South in Salt Lake City, was one of the first 80211.net locations to open. They offer a broad range of fresh roasted coffees and a number of other treats. In addition, they host a range of meetings and gatherings from the local art community.

The upgrade this weekend added new Ethernet jacks near the front windows looking out to 200 South, and new Ethernet jacks on the wall to the right of the cash register counter. All of these are 10/100Mbps Ethernet connections, and add to the existing Ethernet support and 802.11b wireless access.

Stop in, bring your laptop, and give it a try!

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 17:57:19 GMT

New location coming! Emigration Market
We have a new 80211.net Internet Cafe coming on-line soon. The 802.11b wireless access is now up and operation, and we are completing the Ethernet wiring, and coupon sales system over the next week or so.

Emigration Market is located at 1700 East 1300 South, Salt Lake City, UT and is a complete grocery store, deli, and cafe. Customers will soon have the ability to enjoy high-speed Internet Access while sitting indoors, or out on their patio.

This new location adds to our existing locations in the Salt Lake City area -

A Cup of Joe (353 West 200 South)
SugarHouse Coffee (1100 East 2100 South)

Fri, 29 Aug 2003 00:36:34 GMT

Planned update of 80211.net Wasatch County network
On Saturday morning, August 30th, 2003 we are going to perform some updates to the Wasatch County network that might impact users in Wasatch County. These updates will allow us to provide better and broader coverage throughout Wasatch County and the Heber Valley.

We will be starting our work on Friday evening, and begin the major work around 8:00am Saturday morning. We plan to complete the work by early afternoon on Saturday. The current work plan does not involve any work that will cause network problems, however as usual issues can always arise. In these cases, we will work to minimize the time that the network might be down.

None of the updates that we are performing will have any impact on our Salt Lake City locations or Internet Cafe's.

Thu, 28 Aug 2003 18:47:45 GMT

Major Qwest outage disrupts 80211.net service!
Once again, Qwest communications had a fiber-cut accident in the Park City / Summit County area that knocked out all phone and internet services in Summit and Wasatch Counties.

The outage lasted 6 to 8 hours and was not fully recovered until somewhere around 6:00pm last night. After that time, we were able to work on our systems, resetting the appropriate servers and services to get things back up and running by this morning.

We apologize for the problems, and please feel free to contact us about credit for lost time!

Tue, 29 Apr 2003 06:11:20 GMT

Internet Access at A Cup of Joe!
80211.net is glad to announce (a little late!) that we are now offering high-speed Internet Access at A Cup of Joe in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. You can find this awesome establishment at 353 West 200 South and be prepared for an inviting environment, great coffee, a quick snack ... and of course wired and wireless Internet Access!

We want to thank Joe for inviting us to compliment his business with ours, and we look forward to providing our customers with a quality experience!