WiMAXATL

How To Setup Google Voice as a Landline with the OBi100 VoIP Telephone Adapter

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:30:00 +0000

As a Virtual Employee, I spend most of my workweek on the phone in my personal home office. I have a cell phone, but it's not very cost effective to use valuable wireless minutes on long conference calls. So I set out to find a better, less expensive way, to add a dedicated phone line to my home office. It didn't take me long to me to find the OBi100 VoIP Telephone Adapter by Obihai Technologies Inc.

The OBi100 is first (maybe the only) Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) ATA device to support Google Voice without the need of a PC. This means you can plug this little device into your home network and attach any landline phone you have available and start making calls using your Google Voice account in minutes. The best part of all this is the cost. The OBi100 only cost around $39 on Amazon.com. No, that is not per month. Since Google Voice currently is free and allows you to make and receive unlimited calls in the US and Canada, all you need to buy is the OBi100 for $39.

Again, here is what you need:

A FREE Google Voice account (Link)
The OBi100 VoIP Telephone Adapter (Link)
A Telephone (I am sure you have a few laying around)

If you are new to Google Voice I urge you to take a moment to learn a little about all the fantastic features the service provides. It is much more than just making telephone calls over the Internet. This LINK will provide you with all the resources you need to lean about the service.

Basic Install Steps:

Unbox the OBi100
Connect analog phone to the OBi PHONE port.
Connect an Ethernet cable to the INTERNET port and then connect the other end to your Internet router or switch.
Connect the 12-Volt power adapter to the OBi power jack and a power outlet.

Installation Video

Testing The Install
The nice thing about the OBi100 is that you can test drive the unit right after installation without going into the deeper configuration.

Install the OBi100 as illustrated above.
Use the phone you connected to dial **9 222 222 222
Follow the instructions to perform the echo test.
Hang up.

Now that you got the OBi100 installed and working, it is time to link the device to your Google Voice account. **Note** The OBi100 has a load of features I am not going to cover in this post. The goal is to get your up and running with the OBi100 and Google Voice as quick as possible.

Go to http://www.obitalk.com, Register, then log in to optimize your OBi100 device.
Once you are in OBiTalk you should be guided to the Dashboard wish displays all of your endpoints.
Use Add Devices link to register your new OBi100 device.

Here are a series of screen shots so show you exactly how this process will work: http://www.obihai.com/add.html

The first time you add a new device the Device Configuration screen will be displayed. (See the screen shot below)

I suggest naming your device in the Device Display Name something friendly and definitely change the Webpage Admin Password. You may also want to go ahead and set your Local TimeZone and whether want Daylight Savings Time. Now let's setup Google Voice.

Google Voice Configuration
Select the short-cut button labeled “Google Voice Set-Up” or the Service Provider 1 or 2 text to edit the settings. Of you choose the later, select Google Voice from the list of Internet voice service providers.

If you want Google Voice to be the primary line, go ahead here and select that option. There is also an option for 7-Digit dialing so enter your area code in the field provided. When ready, enter your Gmail Username and Gmail password into the fields provided and click submit.

**Note** To use the Google Voice communications service on your OBi100, you must have made at least one call from your Gmail account's "Call Phone" feature. To do this, sign-in to Gmail and place a call from your computer's browser with the Gmail "Call Phone" function located on the lower left side of the Gmail window.

Once you have confirmation that your settings were applied you are ready to make and receive calls using your Google Voice number on the phone you have connected to the OBi100

Take it for a spin!

At this point you should be able to pick up the phone and dial any number in the US and Canada using your Google Voice number/service at no cost.
Have someone call you on your Google Voice number and validate that it rings to the phone connected to the OBi100.
All the great features of Google Voice are at your disposal. If you don't answer your phone, Google Voice will apply the rules you have configured and send it to Voice Mail.
Voice Mails will be transcribed and sent to you just like any other phone you have configured in Google Voice.

I hope you find this blog post helpful but if you have any questions please leave a comment so I can try to answer. I can tell you that so far this setup is working great for me. I am able to make 1-2 hour long calls with no dropouts or issues so far. The system-on-a-chip configuration that drives the OBi100 is very efficient and helps to maintain the quality of service you expect from using a phone. In a world filled with cellphones and smartphones, it is nice to have a reliable telephone at my desk that won't eat wireless minutes.

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My New Book Is Available NOW!

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 19:49:00 +0000

My first book "Confessions of a Virtual Employee: How I Quit Working As Hard and Learned to Love The Job" is now available on the Amazon Kindle book store. Buy now for only $4.99 or if you are an Amazon Prime member you can read it for FREE! I produced this short video that I call a book pitch to articulate what the book is about.

Desription:

We live in a hyper-connected, post-9-to-5, technology-injected modern, mobile world, and yet many of us still mindlessly commute to the traditional office status quo. Have you ever felt like the daily grind is simply pointless? That you find yourself missing events with your family because of work or that you're spending too much time on your commute? What choice do you have? The short answer? Plenty of choice! Confessions of a Virtual Employee will give you the tips and tricks to unplugging yourself from the mainstream and give you the ability to work, and live, on your own terms.

As told by William Higgins, a seasoned IT professional and legitimate Virtual Employee, Confessions of a Virtual Employee is a practical guide for transforming the way you work to become a better, happier, and more productive employee. With Confessions of a Virtual Employee you can give yourself all the choices you never thought you had!

William Higgins was featured in the latest edition of The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss and is finally making good on his promise to Tim by writing his own book about becoming a modern Virtual Employee. Join William as you learn about: Setting up your Virtual Office, Personal Productivity, Email, Virtual Meetings, Social Network and much much more!

New CLEAR Spots, Personal Wi-Fi Hotspots, NOW AVAILABLE!

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:52:00 +0000

Want faster, unlimited mobile Internet for that Apple iPad, iPhone 4, or any other Wi-Fi enabled device? Today, CLEAR is making available 2 new products that can do just that!

The new CLEAR Spot is really 2 products in 1.

A WiMAX Modem
A Wi-Fi Hotspot

With a CLEAR Spot you do NOT need to install any software on your computer or mobile devices to access the Internet. The CLEAR Spot devices connects to the CLEAR WiMAX network and then broadcasts that connection through a Wi-Fi signal. So, any device with Wi-Fi (i.e. Laptop, iPad, iPhone, Smartphone, etc..) can connect to the Internet with the CLEAR Spot.

Cost and the Competition

As you can see from the illustration above there are 2 new devices to select from. The main difference is that the CLEAR Spot 4G+ can connect to both the CLEAR 4G network and the older, slower 3G networks. 4G is faster but not as widely available as the current 3G network. So if you travel or find yourself outside the CLEAR 4G network a lot you will want to go with the 4G+ device.

The biggest news about these devices is the cost. The CLEAR Spots are essentially the same cost as the USB adapter plan current available from CLEAR ($40/month for 4G only, $55/month for 4G/3G access). You can also lease these devices like the current USB adapter for $4.99(4G) and $5.99(4G+). But, you get so much more with the CLEAR Spot than you do with a USB adapter. The most important benefit would be you can share your connection with a CLEAR Spot between 5-8 devices. So that means you entire family can use the same connection while in the car or on vacation.

The image below shows 2 of the main competitors to the new CLEAR Spots. As you can see, CLEAR has positioned the new devices to be very a good value overall.

I will provide a more detailed review with video once we can get one of the new devices in house. For now, please leave you comments and questions below if you want more information.

Ready to buy? Just give me a call at 404-781-9622.

The New CLEAR 4G Mobile USB Adapter and Performance Dock

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:05:00 +0000

We go hands-on with the new CLEAR 4G Mobile USB Adapter and Performance Dock. CLEAR claims the new USB performance dock will boost WiMAX signal strength and increase broadband speeds. We put it to the test.

CLEAR Releases Mac OS X Drivers for 3G/4G Dual Mode USB Modem

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:20:00 +0000

CLEAR has finally released the Mac OS X driver for the 3G/4G Dual Mode USB modem. To re-cap, 3G/4G Dual Mode USB modem is the device that allows you to connect to both the CLEAR 4G WiMAX network and also the nationwide Sprint 3G data network. This is a premium device that helps negate any 4G signal issues by allowing you to connect to 3G when 4G is not available. Until now this was Windows only. If you are ready to test it out you can download the driver via the link below. We have yet to test this driver so please leave a comment your experience.

Download:

http://www.box.net/shared/v1dcahk48d

Download CLEAR Connection Manager 1.05 with Windows7 Support

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 02:00:00 +0000

*** Update ***
It has been a while since I have updated this post. There are more USB devices and new connection software available from CLEAR. Follow this link for the most up-to-date software:
http://www.clear.com/support/download/usb/wimax-2-usb-adapter
*** Update ***
CLEAR just released a new version of it's connection manager which now supports Windows7. The previous connection manager did work with Windows7 but you had to spend a little extra effort to get it to work. The new connection manager, version 1.05, installs very easily and now provides all the drivers needed connect to the 4G or 3G network right away.

I did a quick test on my system that is running a retail copy of Windows7 Ultimate and I am happy to report that it worked just fine. I have provided a link to download the new software below.

If your a new to CLEAR and you want to sign-up, please give me a call at 404-492-9779 and I will take care of you.

Getting CLEAR Voice (VoIP) service to work with Fax and CreditCard Machines

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:51:00 +0000

If you use the CLEAR Voice service you may have run into issues with getting an older fax machine to work properly. Also, small business owners may also be having an issue with getting their CreditCard machines to work as well. Here is some detailed troubleshooting information to help you to get things working right.

Configuring Faxing
CLEAR supports faxing over your Clear Voice phone service. You do not need to make any changes to your CLEAR account for this feature to work. You should plug in your fax machine between the Clear Voice Adapter and your telephone, or use a splitter to connect both devices directly to the Adapter. You may have to adjust some settings on your fax machine in order for it to work properly with your Clear Voice Service.

By the way... get rid of your fax machine. Try RingCentral Fax

For maximum success:

Dial *99 before dialing the fax number. It is also a good idea to include a “pause” or comma after the *99. Some machines will let you program this prefix to automatically dial.

Set the “Baud Rate” to 9600. If the Machine does not have Manual Baud rate settings, it most likely makes Baud adjustments automatically.

Turn on the “International Mode” to allow the machine to negotiate the transmission speed automatically

Turn off “Error Correction Mode” to improve the success rate when sending faxes

For machines that have both phone and fax capabilities, set the machine to “Fax Only”. This will enable your fax machine to automatically receive a fax. You will still be able to make and receive phone calls.

Set the resolution to “Standard” (lower resolution)

For more information about these settings, please see your fax machine manual.

Configuring a Credit Card Machine
Most credit card machines are compatible with Clear Voice. These devices either have Ethernet ports for use over the Clear Home or Business Internet connection, or can be programmed to work over the Clear Voice connection. The best configuration is to plug the device into the Ethernet port of your computer or router. This configuration will give you the best transaction speed and reliability. If you do not have this option on your machine, you may want to contact your credit card machine vendor to see if they will upgrade the device to one that has an Ethernet port.

Credit card machines with an Ethernet port (IP based):

If you are not using a computer or router, you can plug the credit card machine’s Ethernet cable directly into Ethernet port (yellow) on the Clear Voice Adapter.

If you are using a computer or router, you can plug the credit card machine’s Ethernet cable into Ethernet port on your computer or router.

If the credit card machine does not have an Ethernet port:

Plug the credit card machine into the Phone 1 port.

Plug the phone into the credit card machine

Program the credit card machine to dial *99 before each dial. You may want to consult your credit card machine manual or call the vendor to walk through the process. If you cannot program the device to include the *99 dialing prefix, you will have to dial *99 before each transaction.

Troubleshooting Hints

The voicemail waiting indicator can cause interference with faxes and credit card transactions. You should pick up the phone and listen for the stutter dial tone. If you hear this tone, you should listen to your voicemail before sending a fax or processing the credit card.

Outbound faxing to electronic fax services may not be compatible with Clear Voice.

Because there are so many versions and variations, CLEAR will not publish instructions or a list of supported devices. For additional help and troubleshooting, check your fax or credit card machine manual or contact the manufacturer. You can also contact CLEAR Customer Care at 888-888-3113 and a dedicated Clear Voice representative can walk you through setting up your Clear Voice Service with your fax or credit card machine.

Feel free to leave a comment on any other tricks you may have found that could help someone else out with a problem with Fax or CreditCard machines.

Clearwire CEO hints at WiMAX Android smartphone

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:04:00 +0000

We have been talking for a while now about the need and desire for CLEAR to release a real mobile handset that can do 3G/4G data with voice. We live in a gadget obsessed culture and that is why you see mobile phones selling so well. In many cases consumers will choose a carrier based on the type of smartphone or device they want to use. The Apple iPhone is a perfect example of this. Some believe that interest in CLEAR 4G WiMAX will increase if there are cool mobile devices that can connect to the 4G network without the need of a USB dongle and/or a portable router.

FierceWireless.com is running a post (Orignal Post) talking about Clearwire CEO Bill Morrow reiterating his company's commitment to launching a dual-mode 3G/WiMAX smartphone in the second half of the year, and hinted that it may run Google's Android platform. Again, you can read the that entire post here: (Orignal Post).

Since Google is an investor in Clearwire it does not surprise us too much that we may see an Android based handset in the near future. We certainly hope that is the case. Having a nice handset on the 4G WiMAX network could be huge for mobile video and other bandwidth intensive applications.

We will continue to keep you all posted on any and all development on this story as we move through 2010.

CLEAR is launching 2 new advanced WiMAX modems in select markets.

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:46:00 +0000

CLEAR is in the process of rolling out 2 new advanced WiMAX modems with some features we have not seen yet from the current hardware offering. The main new feature seen in both of these devices is that they have built-in ATA capability for VOIP. This is good news because customers will not longer need to have a separate ATA device for VOIP. Should make for an easier install and users can upgrade to VOIP without new equipment being installed or shipped. As soon as we get our hands on these we will post more information. Until then, here is the information we do have.

First up...
Gemtek Series G Home Modem

Gemtek (http://www.gemtek.com.tw) was Founded in 1991, and is a leading provider of Wireless Broadband solutions, offering a wide range of solutions from residential to business. Specific details about this device are not yet released yet but this is what we know:

Internal ATA: Yes

Antenna: Omni-Directional

Price is the same as current modems with a CLEAR plan: $79.99 w/$10 discount.

Lease also available: $4.99/mo Market: Las Vegas

Second device...
Motorola Series M Home Modem (CPEi 725)

The Motorola device is a little more known to us. Again, the main feature of note is the included ATA functions. Motorola’s WiMAX CPEi 725 features data and voice access ports and high gain antennas with omni directional performance that should offer good signal strength. It’s highly sensitive receiver exceeds the WiMAX Forum’s specified receiver sensitivity requirements. Also of note is the built-in quality of services (QoS) features, which should provide better data and VOIP performance.

Internal ATA: Yes

Antenna: Omni-Directional

Price is the same as current modems with a CLEAR plan: $79.99 w/$10 discount.

Lease also available: $4.99/mo

Market: Portland

It is unknown at this time if current customers will be able to upgrade to these newer devices or when these may come available in other CLEAR markets.

No, your analog Home Security System will NOT work with VoIP.

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 01:50:00 +0000

Like it or not the title of this post is the truth. Many customers I work with are interested in using CLEAR's Voice (VOIP) service with their current analog alarm system, but I always strongly state that CLEAR does not support the use of VoIP with analog alarm systems. Now that you have the straight answer, allow me to explain in a bit more detail and also provide a possible solution.

The Analog-Digital Dilemma
Most older "analog" alarm systems rely on a standard telephone line to dial-out to the monitoring station. Meaning, when your alarm goes off the security system uses your telephone line to dial the company that monitors your house. The system does this by using an old computer modem. Do you remember the last time you used your modem to connect to the Internet? Yeah, I can't remember either. My point here is that most alarm systems are using OLD TECHNOLOGY. And that older technology works great if you are using an old telephone line. The Internet and VoIP are digital technologies and there are some fundamental issues in getting them to play nice with each other. Here are a few things to keep in mind about dealing with VoIP and your alarm system:

Older technology simply won't work with VoIP because the security system operates on older formats.
Line seizure capability is lost with VoIP technology.
VoIP requires its own additional battery back-up to maintain communications in the event of power failure.
If the router becomes unplugged or malfunctions, the alarm signal cannot be transmitted.
On average, the Internet experiences more service outages than regular phone lines. The security system cannot communicate during these outages.
Alarm signals are more susceptible to loss or distortion when sent over the Internet.

Now, let me pause here and say that I know there are some skilled alarm technicians out there that have been able to make these systems work and talk to each other in some cases. But, each one of them admitted that it is still not as reliable that they need to be. Trust me, you want to know your alarm system can dial-out in an emergency.

Solution: Radio Monitoring
A possible solution to this whole analog-digital issues is to simply convert your system to what is called Radio Monitoring. Even that name is a bit misleading. Radio monitoring means that instead of using a telephone line, the security system uses a wireless data transmission to send the alarm signal to the monitoring station. Similar to the way you would send a text SMS message to another mobile phone. But, in this case the radio monitoring system was designed specifically for the security industry and offers a reliable and affordable solution to loss of phone service. I am personally getting a Radio Monitoring system installed this week and plan to update this post with more information about what to expect with this type of service. The radio monitoring equipment usually costs a little bit more to install and run than the older phone line systems, but you are gaining additional security and features. So you go get what you pay for.

Next Steps and Special Offer!

WiMAXATL has teamed up with Ackerman Security Systems here in the Atlanta area, so if you are interested in learning more about Radio Monitoring or if you are just looking to get setup with a new security system please contact Amy Ash with Ackerman Security Systems. Tell Amy that you were referred by WiMAXATL or William Higgins and she will provide you with your first month of security monitoring for FREE!!!

Amy M. Ash
of Ackerman Security Systems
Email: amy.ash@ackermansecurity.com
Direct: 770-798-6878
Office: 770-552-1111

My CLEAR WiMAX Setup and Netflix Streaming Demo

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:32:00 +0000

I am often asked about my personal CLEAR WiMAX setup in my home. Back in May when CLEAR first launched in Atlanta I dumped Comcast and went 100% CLEAR WiMAX. I do not have the most ideal WiMAX signal. So I had to be a little creative on where I place my home modem. As you can see from the video it work quite well. I took this video a while back and the speeds that demonstrate are not as fast as the speed I am seeing now. It is still a good video showing how I have things setup and may help some people understand a little better what the setup looks like.

Another aspect of this video is a brief demo I do of the Netflix Streaming Video app running on my TiVoHD box. I am a huge TiVo fan and have been an active member of the TiVocommunity.com for many many years (My TiVoCommunity.com user ID is W Auggie H). Since I dumped Comcast I have have used the Netflix app on my TiVo a lot. We use it all the time to for our Family movie night. Anyway, I wanted to show that my TiVo and the new Netflix app work great through my CLEAR WiMAX connection. Even at 3MB download speeds that I am showing at the time. When I was a Comcast customer I had problems running the Netfilx app. The stream would drop out 2-3 times during a 2 hour movie. With CLEAR WiMAX I have a much more stable experience.

So check out the video and leave any questions or comments you may have. I enjoy the feedback.

Sponsored by:

Tweak Your Router to Boost CLEAR WiMAX Download Speeds

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:30:00 +0000

As a CLEAR WiMAX reseller I help a lot of people get up and running on the service. So far I find CLEAR WiMAX to work very well out-of-the box. But, on occasion I do run into a few configurations that don't seem to work as well initially. One problem that pops up from time to time is when download speeds seem to drop dramatically if you connect to the CLEAR WiMAX modem through a wireless router. If you connect directly to the modem (USB or Ethernet) the speeds are fine, but connect through the router and speeds seem to drop off. I decided to dig into this a little deeper to see what I could find out.

In running some network tests I found some strange behavior in relation to packet sizes. It seems like the CLEAR service may have some specific issues with how your router is supporting larger packet size settings. I am not a hardcore networking expert so I will not dive too far into those details, but I do have some information on what worked for me.

** PLEASE NOTE, be careful when changing your setting on your router or PC. It is always good to do a back-up of your settings to make sure you can roll back if needed. ***

Upgrade the router firmware - This is the most common fix to this issue I have seen. Newer routers don't seem to have this issue but older ones do. So one of the first things I would try is update the firmware on the router when you see this issue.
Change the MTU settings on your router. (MTU is the maximum size of a single data unit.) Check out this link for some details there: http://bit.ly/6wG9Pw This post helps you find out what your best MTU setting should be based on your specific Internet connection. It may be different for different people so give it a try to see what you come up with. Once you have the value you want to try, you will need to go into your router firmware settings and see if there is a place for you to manually set your MTU value. Make sure you remember what your current setting is so you can set it back if it doesn't work.
Try running a program called TCP Optimizer (http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php). The TCP Optimizer is a free, easy Windows program that provides an intuitive interface for tuning and optimizing your Internet connection. There is no installation required, just download and run. The documentation is here: http://www.speedguide.net/tcpoptimizer.php.

I hope this information helps. I am very interested in hearing what works or doesn't work for you. Please leave a comment with your experience or advice. If you are still having trouble I will try to respond to your comments with other ideas. Good luck.

Sponsored by:

CLEAR to offer new Professional VOIP service powered by RingCentral

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:19:00 +0000

CLEAR is set to launch a new Professional Voice service that his powered by RingCentral: (Voted: "Best for Toll Free Numbers" by Inc. Magazine). Currently, CLEAR sells consumer VOIP service but is limited to one single line per modem. This was always a huge drawback to using the CLEAR Voice service. Many consumers that use other services like Vonage have the option to add more than one line. This new service and partnership takes it to the next level and plans to offer true business voice services by leveraging a leader in the space already, RingCentral. Details are just now starting to come in but here are some info we already know:

Still waiting on price, but we do know that there will be a discount if ordered with CLEAR WiMAX service.
Hardware will be Linksys SPA-941, or SPA-942, maybe softphone???
Complete Business Phone and Fax System
Unlimited Local & Long-Distance Calling Included on Every Line
Unlimited Electronic Fax Included on Every Line
Full Basic Feature Set & Voicemail Included on Every Line
Auto-Receptionist & Company Directory Included
100 Extensions & Voicemail Boxes Included
Toll-Free (800) Number & 100 Free Minutes per month Included
Select Local Phone Numbers from All Over the U.S.
Extensions Can be Located Anywhere in U.S.
Advanced Call Management & Routing on Every Line & Extension
Advanced Features (Screening, Blocking, Click-to-Dial, Message Alerts)
Music & Messages on Hold Included
Real-Time Software Call Controller and Soft-phone Included
Microsoft Office™ and Outlook™ Integration Included
Pre-configured Professional Cisco IP Phones
Call Queues & ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) for small Call Centers
Web Based Access to All Your Features & Call Logs

I will update this post as I get more details. I hear a lot of good things about RingCentral so this partnership should work our well for both.

Sponsored by:

What's on tap for CLEAR WiMAX at CES 2010?

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:01:00 +0000

The 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is going to be held this week, January 7th - 10th, in Las Vegas. CLEAR (or Clearwire to be exact) will have a booth #30779 at the show and I am eager to see what they may be showing off. I would expect that we are going to hear about a few new WiMAX devices and possibly a sneak peak of what is to come in 2010. I don't expect CLEAR to be doing all the announcing, but look for specific manufactures to be doing most of the show and tell.

The biggest WiMAX-related rumor that I have come across that may impact CLEAR is a possible WiMAX-enabled phone by Sprint, LG and Microsoft. Sprint is hosting a "must-attend" event on January 6th, the day before CES starts with Brooke Shields as the host. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer are both said to be speaking at the event, so you can imagine that that this is a major announcement. The fact that this could be WiMAX-related is great news for CLEAR and Sprint.

Sprint, LG, Microsoft To Intro WinMo WiMax Phone? by Eric Zeman

I am still holding out hope for some sort of Android-based WiMAX device at CES, but that may not be very likely. The Google Nexus One phone will be released this week and so far there is no report that it will support WiMAX. Google is still an investor in Clearwire (and WiMAX) so I hope the Nexus One phone is a preview of possible future WiMAX handsets. I know for a fact that there are efforts to provide WiMAX support in the Android OS, but as for a hardware device, nothing has materialized as of yet.

Check back here for updates this week as we get closer to the show!

Sponsored by:

CLEAR Spot - Personal WiFi Hotspot [Video]

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:32:00 +0000

The CLEAR Spot is a powerful, battery powered wireless router and is a very useful accessory for the CLEAR WiMAX service. Using the CLEAR mobile USB adapter you can use the CLEAR Spot to create a WiFi hotspot and share that connection your friends or co-workers. Here are some simple ideas and situations where the CLEAR Spot may come in handy.

You work for a company that blocks most social networking sites on the company network. If you had the CLEAR service and the CLEAR Spot accessory you could create and share your own private WiFi hotspot and then browse those sites during your break without using the company network.

It is a pretty day and you and your friends want to go out to the local park with your laptops to do some research on a project for school. Using your CLEAR service and the CLEAR Spot accessory you create and share your own WiFi hotspot at the park for you and all your friends to share.

You are a general contractor that is working on building a new house. The job site does not have power or let alone Internet connectivity. With the CLEAR Spot installed in your truck, all you have to do is roll up to the site and now the entire area is covered by WiFi.

Real-World CLEAR Spot Mobile Test

When I first unboxed my CLEAR Spot I decided to take it for a real-world mobile test in a moving car on I-258 in Atlanta. Here is the setup:

CLEAR USB Adapter (Unlimited Mobile Plan)
CLEAR Spot personal hotspot (running on battery power.)
Nokia n71x (connected to CLEAR Spot via WiFi)
Using Qik to stream LIVE video!

Check out the video to see the results. I am happy to report it worked better than I thought!

CLEAR 4G Mobile Internet Service in North Carolina!

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:39:00 +0000

As of December 1st 2009, CLEAR 4G mobile Internet service has launched in select cities in North Carolina. Check out the maps below to get a general idea of the coverage in North Carolina. This is what CLEAR has to say about the coverage:

Charlotte service extends to 834,000 households and covers 441 square miles inside the RT485 beltway that circles the city and expand northward through Huntersville and Cornelous on the southwest through Gastonia, Belmont, and Mt. Holy and on the southeast through Matthews, Mint Hill, and Monroe.

Greensboro service provides coverage to over 626,000 people covering over 320 square miles stretching west from Clemmons and east to Mebane, north from Reidsville and south to Asheboro/Lexington. Overall CLEAR provides coverage in more than 18 cities in the greater Piedmont Triad.

Raleigh service provides coverage to over 785,000 people covering 325 square miles and extends north to Wake Forest, south to Fuquay Varina, west past Highway 55 and east to Knightdale. CLEAR coverage will also include the Chapel Hill, Durham and Hillsborough areas.

If you are in any of these areas and are interested in getting a demo of the new CLEAR WiMAX 4G service please contact my partner in NC:

YesDigital.com

Steve Weinberg
Yes Digital, LLC

919.762.9940
steve@yesdigital.com

Getting the CLEAR WiMAX USB Modem to work on Windows 7

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Some of my CLEAR WiMAX customers out there are having a problems getting the USB modem to work with Windows 7. I was able to get it to work on a machine running Windows 7 Evaluation copy (build 7100) and here is what I did.

Insert the USB Modem into an open USB port.

Go to the Windows Device Manager.

You will see a device called "USBw25100" and it should have a yellow exclamation point associated with it because the drivers will not be installed yet.

Right click on the "USBw25100" device and select or click "properties".

Click on "Update Driver."

Insert the CLEAR USB Software CD into your CD/DVD drive.
Select "Browse my computer for driver software" and browse to the CD/.DVD drive to E:\CommonAppData\Clearwire\Connection Manager\drivers\wimax\Vista\32Bit\Beceem 1.1.1.2 click the "OK " button.

The base drivers for the device should install at the end of the process the Device Manager windows should update to reflect the change. In my case the device now states that it is a "ZTE WiMAX BCM1000"

Now that you have the device recognized by the system you should now install or re-install the CLEAR WiMAX USB Connection Manger software. I recommend that you use the most recent version of the software instead of what comes installed on the CD. Here is a link to the newest version of the software.

http://drop.io/ClearCM/asset/clearcm-v1-01-0054-setup-exe

After you install the latest Connection Manager software the device should now work and you can connect to the CLEAR WiMAX network.

This did work for me, but I understand that other machines or versions of Windows 7 may behave differently. Please leave a comment to let me know how it worked for you.

CLEAR Connection Manager for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard RELEASED!!!

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:20:00 +0000

CLEAR Connection Manager Beta Version 1.03.0062.0 for Mac 10.5 Leopard: Errata

*** Please note *** that I have not personally tested this software yet. Look for a full review of this software next week after we have had time to install and test. The information below is provide by the documentation that came with the download.

This version of the CLEAR Connection Manager supports only Mac OS 10.5 Leopard.
Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard will be supported in a future release.
This version only supports the Motorola WiMAX
The first time you insert your USB device into the Mac you will receive a dialog box titled:
“A new network interface has been detected” as illustrated below.

OS X presents this dialog box any time a new network interface is created. It is not
necessary to select “Network Preferences”. You may select “Cancel” to close the dialog
box.
The signal strength indicator may fluctuate erratically at times and may not provide
accurate information in all cases. This will be resolved in a future release.

>> Download Now <<

New CLEAR Connection Manager Software Released v1.04

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:51:00 +0000

Over the weekend an update to the CLEAR connection manager software rolled out and there are a number of significant improvements I would like to detail for you here. If you are the impatient type, and you want download the software right now, follow the link below to download the software and knock yourself out.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

Save File: ClearCM_v1.04.0067.exe

What's New

New version is 1.04 (or 1.04.0067)
Full color and logo update to match CLEAR corporate direction.
Support for both WiMAX and 3G (EVDO) - New Hybrid Card!
Optional WiFi management.
Quick links to My Account, Usage Meter, and Location.
Backward compatible with Motorola USB and ZTE USB.
Improved diagnostics.
Tray icon shows quick view of connection status.
Much better UI with smart TABS to show different connection methods.
Has location based information. Similar to iPhone, with Google Maps integration.

The new UI and Tabs
The biggest change to the new connection manager is the overall UI change, which includes a new tabbed interface. Different tabs will be displayed to the left based on the type of connections you have available. Here are some screen shots to show you what the different tabs may look like.

New WiFi Features
You now can manage your WiFi connections through the CLEAR connection manager. It is nice to have a single point of management for all of your wireless networks. If you want to use this feature you will need to turn it on in the settings menu. See the screen shots before for a bit more detail.

Updated Menu and Settings
With the new UI changes come some changes to the settings menu. Here are some highlights:

Enable/Disable various adapters.
Manually check for software updates.
Run application on PC startup
Always on Top
Dock to System Tray.
Display Connection Timer
Allow Simultaneous Connections.

What's Next?
I have yet to do a detailed test with the new software. I plan to do that in the next few days. Check back soon to see any updates on this topic. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions about the new software.

Details on the CLEAR WiMAX Backhaul Infrastructure

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:54:00 +0000

Dan Jones over at Unstrung has a nice post that provides some details on CLEAR's backhaul and tower infrastructure. A link to the full article is below.

Ciena in the Clear by Dan Jones

The focus on Dan's post is around the use of Ciena's LE-311v service Delivery Switches and CN 5305 service Aggregation Switches. CLEAR is also using Ciena's Ethernet Services Manager software to manage the remote networks.

If you want to take a peek at what the tower install looks like. Sidecut Reports has a nice little post with pictures of a tower base install in Las Vegas. Hit the link below for the pictures:

Ciena and Clearwire: Together in WiMax

As for the technology at the top of the tower, CLEAR is using Motorola's WAP 400 and WAP 450 Diversity Access Point products. The WAP 400 and WAP 450 utilize tower top power amplifiers linked by their fiber optic cable with the base control unit housed in a small outdoor cabinet situated at the bottom of the tower, creating a very compact cell site configuration significantly smaller than traditional cellular infrastructure products.

Motorola wi4 WiMAX

Well, I know this post is a little tech-heavy but I do get a lot of questions from people that want to know more about how all of this works. I will update this post in the future with any updates or details I find on this topic. If you have a specific question, please leave a comment.

Sponsored by:

Details on Clear WiMAX and Mac Support [UPDATE]

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:08:00 +0000

*** UPDATE ***
I just got word from an official Clearwire (CLEAR) press release that Mac support for the USB modem will be released on August 17th!!! The quote and link to the press release are embedded below.

Owners of Apple(R) Macintosh(R) laptops will be able to connect to the CLEAR network using a USB modem beginning August 17 with the introduction of the Clear Connection Manager software for Mac. The software is compatible with existing Clear USB 4G WiMAX-only modems and will be available for download from clear.com. Dual-mode Clear 4G+ mobile USB service is expected to be available for Macs in Q4 '09.

LINK: Clearwire Introduces CLEAR(TM) 4G Mobile Internet Service to Las Vegas

*** UPDATE ***

As a Clear WiMAX reseller, one of the most common questions I get about the service is, "Does it work on my Mac?" Sadly the answer is "Yes" and "No." Allow me to explain.

The residential "fixed" WiMAX modem, pictured to the left, absolutely supports Mac. In fact, it works with any OS that supports TCP/IP over Ethernet. The interface to this modem is Ethernet and not USB. This modem is made to connect directly to your PC or to a home router. The installation of this device is so easy because it does not require any software install. Most installations you plug this device directly into a WiFi router and thus your entire house can share the connection using WiFi like you do already. This type of installation does not require any reboot or for anyone to change a setting on their computer at all. It's very easy.

The mobile USB modem, pictured to the right, is a different story. This modem does require you to install a Connection Manager on your computer. As of right now, that software only works on Windows XP and Windows Vista, but not Mac. I am working on testing Windows 7 and will report on that very soon. The lack of Mac support with the USB modem is very puzzling. I have not been able to confirm if this issue is hardware related or if it is just a matter of software support. I am working on finding out the real story, so please follow this post for updates.

Current Workarounds
Now, there are a few workarounds for getting the USB modem to work with Mac. I have not tested this myself, but there are reports of people getting the modem to work on Mac by using Parallels Desktop for Mac. This allows you run Windows virtually inside Mac and hardware pass through is supported. When I find a good tutorial about this I will update the link in this post.

Another way to workaround getting the USB modem to work with Mac is to use the CLEAR Spot personal hotspot accessory. The CLEAR Spot is a battery powered WiFi router. In this case, you connect the USB adapter to the CLEAR Spot personal hotspot and then you connect your PC or Mac to the CLEAR WiMAX signal using standard WiFi. This is truly a workaround and not a very good long term answer for supporting Mac and the USB modem. For more information on the CLEAR Spot hit link below to watch a short video.

YouTube - CLEAR Spot - Personal WiFi Hotspot

Future Support
The good news for Mac users is that mobile WiMAX support is only 30 days away. It is my understanding that on August 1st a new hybrid 3G/4G (WiMAX) device will be available, and will feature Mac support. I do not know if this device will be attached to a different service plan or if you can simply buy this device to be used with an existing mobile plan you may already have. I am working on getting those questions answered and will update this post with any answers I can get.

I hope this post helps clarify questions around CLEAR and Mac support. I welcome comments and questions on this post, and I do plan on using this post to update any information I get on this subject.

Channel 2's Clark Howard on CLEAR WiMAX

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:24:00 +0000

Well CLEAR WiMAX has hit the big time because Channel 2's (Atlanta) Clark Howard has officially stated his endorsement of the service. Yes, there is a bit of sarcasm in my tone but to be honest Clark Howard has it spot on. Check out the video below to see what he says about the service.

Clark Howard on CLEAR WiMAX:
http://www.wsbtv.com/video/20054641/index.html

It's actually not a bad video. Clark points out that you can use CLEAR for just Internet and you don't need a phone line, cable TV or a Satellite dish. He goes on to point out that if you use CLEAR for your Internet service and dump your old land line you can save some money. That is true.

Clark also goes on to point out that anytime you add a viable 3rd competitor to any market the consumer wins! It is about time that AT&T and Comcast get put to a challenge.

What is a "Value Added" Reseller?

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:16:00 +0000

Welcome to Blogging WiMAX! If you are reading this post then you may already know that WiMAXATL.com is an authorized reseller of the new Clear super fast wireless broadband Internet service here in the Atlanta area. But, we are much more than just a "reseller" of the Clear service. We like to call ourselves a "Value Added Reseller," or VAR. It's important to understand the difference so I am going to take a few minutes here to explain.

A generic, run-of-the-mill, reseller is someone or someplace that does just that. They "re-sell" a product or service that is provided by someone else. They usually know about as much about the product or service as a slick brochure or the product website That is about it. Best Buy is a huge reseller of a bunch of products. The problem with Best Buy is that you rarely find anyone there that actually knows how to use the products they re-sell. It's just surface knowledge.

A "Value Added" Reseller takes a different approach. A value added reseller will sell you a SOLUTION not just a product. And that my friends makes all the difference in the world. In the enterprise IT world, VARs are critical in helping companies solve problems and create solutions using specific products. But the key ingredient all of this is haivng people that know the products well enough to help create those solutions.

I hope this short explination give you an idea of our goal here at WiMAXATL. We plan to be much more than just a reseller of the Clear products and service. We want to help you or your business understand how to make the technology work and to get the most out of your investment.

FTP

noreply@blogger.com (William Higgins) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:09:00 +0000