Many people fear Earthquakes, Hurricanes and Volcanoes, but the truth is that more people die in natural disasters from drowning than in any other way. We lost over 3,000 people in the Katrina Hurricane, not from winds or flying debris, but rather from drowning. The Hurricane in Mexico killed 3,000 in landslides and another killed nearly that many in Guatemala weeks later. We all know the Indonesia Tsunami, which killed almost 200,000 people.

Recently the very earliest reports of the mudslide in the Philippines in February the Red Cross estimated that 200 people dead even with over 1,500 missing in landslide. The death toll could easily be as high as 2500 local media reports said. In the last twenty-four months floods have killed people in over 138 countries and it is the number one cause of death from natural disasters. Mother Nature continually reminds us that we are merely guests living on the surface of the planet and are not in control.

When we plan for natural disasters and set up teams of first responders we must always consider the need for rescue boats, helicopter rescue and shelters, which are out of flood zones and well above sea level. When planning to help our citizens of the World in their time of need, which could easily be our time of need; we must be thinking of flooding and preventing the unnecessary loss of life from drowning. Consider this in 2006.

Well of course there’s VoIP problems, although I think problems is too strong of a word. Instead I would call this VoIP issues. (Just semantics? maybe, read on!)

Some may be old enough to remember making long distance calls where there was static or crackling on the phone line connection. Maybe you remember having to speak LOUDER in order to be heard on the line. Was that a problem? Maybe to you it was but to the companies providing the service, it was a merely a technical issue that needed to be addressed. The issue was addressed and resolved. Now you expect this high quality service right?

Ok, what about cellular phones? Maybe you’re old enough to remember when calls were dropped or barely audible. Maybe you
remember lugging around those heavy phones. This was a time when a cellular phone was just that, a phone! Was this a problem?
Maybe to you it was but to the companies providing the service, it was merely a technical issue that needed to be addressed.
The issue was addressed and resolved. Now? Well, there’s not too many cellular phones that are ‘just’ phones. You can surf the internet with them, take pictures, record short video clips, change the ringers, store your address and phone numbers, etc.

For both these ‘problems’ above, it was a relatively short time frame between ‘issue’ and resolution. We can draw comparison
after comparison between technology and technology issues. I could start talking about echo cancellers, VoIP gateways,
multiplexors, etc. and the current circuitry vs. the research and new circuitry on it’s way, but that’s not the point of this
article. The point is simply that ‘yes’ there are issues with VoIP but also, ‘yes’ issues are to be expected and ‘yes’ issues
will be resolved.

Some of the most common quality issues are echo and delay. I myself use VoIP over my residential broadband connection and
frankly I think it’s just fine. I like the service and quality of calls, but yes, at times, the echo and delay can be annoying. This is usually infrequent and not worth me canceling my service. The point I’m trying to make here is that, for me, it’s acceptable. Why? Because I understand that this is ‘relatively’ new. I understand that equipment manufactures are building better technology to address these issues. I understand that the popularity of VoIP will expedite the issue resolution. I’ve worked in information technology for over 20 years now and certainly understand this progression in technology.

Other issues are in the E911 service and of course there’s issues with most residential DSL subscribers. Both these issues are directly with the existing phone companies. The FCC is already involved in both these cases and I believe it will be sooner rather than later for these to be resolved as well.

I for one do have E911 service and I am not a DSL subscriber. So E911 for me is a non-issue and using cable access eliminates
having to keep my local telephone company for my primary phone service.

The bottom line, for me, is the cost savings. The cost savings over shadows the occasional echo and delay. E911 has already
made its way into my area and using cable internet access removes my dependency on the local telephone company.

VoIP can be a great way for you to save money on your phone service, but don’t go into this blindly. Most consumers are
intelligent enough to understand the progression that occurs with any technology. It’s pretty good as it is and yes I would agree it needs to be better. I also know, heck I’m confident that the quality of service will continue to improve.

So what’s the bottom line? Go for it. Find a service that will provide you with a free trial period. Take it for a test drive, kick the tires, etc. The higher your existing monthly phone bill is, the sooner you should try out this service.

It’s ok to demand perfection, but perfection takes time. Change is hard and change takes time. Change is upon us and VoIP, in
my humble opinion is here to stay. Give it a try, be realistic. Get the information, get your quote, get your free trial period, you really have nothing to loose and quite possibly money to save!

Provided by the http://www.FullService Broadband provider. Our free service is possible through Try Right Technology, Inc. We provide unbiased and informative information on broadband and communication products and services.

Broadband service providers have never had it better. More people are awakening to this technological revolution that allows high-speed connectivity and unlimited access to the Internet. To cater to the increasing demands of the subscribers there has been a mush- rooming of broadband service providers. The service providers market is at its competitive best. Most offer various promotional schemes and free trial sessions to motivate subscribers to use their service. Service providers like Comcast provide a free two-week trial along with free security protection and virus protection.

While looking for the right kind of service provider it is important to investigate the market properly. This will ensure that you are getting the service you require at a reasonable price. The prices of various local service providers should be compared, and the benefits they offer, their dependability, and their track record and reputation, especially in relation to service, has to be thoroughly checked. The geographical location of the individual subscriber (urban or rural), kind of use the Internet connection is to be put to (large business, office or home use), and the kind of connection desired (cable, DSL, etc.) are also vital components to consider while choosing a service provider. Online information about service providers is also available easily.

Broadbandinfo.com provides information about Internet service providers located throughout the United States. One can also look into online broker services, and websites where free information is available in this regard. Another very viable option is free Internet access. Most service providers do not divulge information regarding this option.

Broadband Internet provides detailed information on Broadband Internet, Broadband Internet Access, Broadband Satellite Internet, Broadband Internet Providers and more. Broadband Internet is affiliated with Broadband Speeds.

Running a business from home has its advantages, including no commute, a more accommodating work schedule, fresh coffee and home-cooked meals at any time you want.

But running a business from home using a home wireless local area network (WLAN) with your computer may lead to thievery of confidential information and hacker or virus penetration unless proper actions are taken. As WLANs send information back and forth over radio waves, someone with the right type of receiver in your immediate area could be picking up the transmission, thus acquiring access to your computer.

Here is a list of things that you should consider as a result of implementing a home wireless network setup used your business:

Viruses could be loaded onto your laptop which could be transferred to the company’s network when you go back to work.

Up to 75 per cent of home wireless network WLAN users do not have standard security features installed, and 20 per cent are left completely open as default configurations and are not secured, but are made for the users to have their network up and running ASAP.

It is recommended that home wireless network router/access point system setups be always done though a wired client.

Always change the default administrative password on your home wireless network router/access points to a secured password.

Enable at least 128-bit WEP encryption on both card and access point. Change your WEP keys periodically. If equipment does not support at least 128-bit WEP encryption, consider replacing it. Although there are security issues with WEP, it represents minimum level of security, and it should be enabled.

Change the default SSID on your router/access point to a hard to guess name. Setup your computer device to connect to this SSID by default.

Setup router/access points so as to not broadcast the SSID. The same SSID needs to be setup on the client side manually. This feature may not be available on all equipment.

Setup your home wireless network router to block anonymous internet requests or pings.

On each computer having a wireless network card, network connection properties should be configured to allow connection to Access Point Networks Only. Computer to computer (peer to peer) connections should not be allowed.

Enable MAC filtering. Deny connection to wireless network for unspecified MAC addresses. MAC or physical addresses are accessible through your computer device wireless network connection setup and they are physically written on network cards. When adding new wireless cards / computer to the network, their MAC addresses should be registered with the router /access point.

Your home wireless network router should have firewall features enabled and demilitarized zone (DMZ) feature disabled. Periodically test your hardware and personal firewalls using Shields Up test available at http://www.grc.com. All computers should have a properly configured personal firewall in addition to a hardware firewall.

Update router/access point firmware when new versions become available.

Locate router/access points away from strangers so they cannot reset the router/access point to default settings. Also, locate router/access points in the middle of the building rather than near windows to limit signal coverage outside the building.

You should know that nothing is 100%. While none of the actions suggested above will provide full 100% protection, countermeasures do exist that will help. The good collection of suggested preventative actions contained herein can help you deter an intruder trying to access your home wireless network. This deterrant then makes other insecure networks easier targets for the intruder to persue.

Greg Lietz is an internet business man, freelance writer and computer enthusiast. His websites provide information on wireless internet networking and personal computer hardware that may be of interest to you.

It’s time to fire your mother.

Well, not your real mother, but that other mother who’s ruled
you with a copper fist for most of your life: Ma Bell.

Don’t get me wrong; you can appreciate everything the Bell
phone companies have done for you over the years. Life
would be bleak and you wouldn’t be able to work or keep up
with family and friends without your telephone service.

Some of you may be old enough to remember rotary dial
phones and having to get an operator to make a long
distance call. Maybe you’re not old enough to have been on
a party line, but you may remember your parents or
grandparents talking about having to share a line with their
neighbors.

My, how times have changed. And now you can kick Ma out
of your home and office for good. Not to switch exclusively to
using a cell phone as many have (a new email is making
the rounds that tells of another scientific study showing
prolonged cell phone use can cause brain tumors), but
because you can have VoIP!

You may not be the kind of person who embraces a new
technology right away, so it doesn’t have to be a sudden
breakup with Ma Bell. You can keep her on for while if you’re
afraid to cut the fiber optic umbilical cord and unconditionally
accept this new broadband telephone technology until you
know how it works.

That’s what I did. For a while I had two telephones on my
desk: the Bell phone for incoming calls and my VoIP phone
for outgoing calls – especially for long distance, since it now
costs nothing.

Once you have Voice over IP you won’t be able to imagine
paying anything to make long distance calls in the U.S. and
Canada, or paying $80 or more a month to get a few
hundred minutes of long distance on a cell phone.

If you have a contract with a Bell company or reseller, you
may be hesitant to buy out the contract. But do the math.
Figure out how much it will cost you to buy out the contract
(mine charged $20 for each unused month). Then figure out
how much you’ll pay if you stay with that company for the
length of the contract. Subtract the cost of the buy-out and
that’s how much money you’ll save in the long run.

You can probably cut your phone bill in half and have a
clearer phone line. If you have a separate long distance
company, you can fire them immediately because you’ll get
unlimited local and long distance with VoIP for a flat, low
monthly rate.

You may worry that when there’s a power or cable outage,
your phone won’t work. True, but you’ll have a control panel
that you programmed to tell your VoIP server to
automatically forward your calls to your cell phone when the
VoIP connection is out.

So, maybe it’s time for you to join 17-million other VoIP user
and say, “Sorry, Ma, we’ve grown up and we’re moving on.”

© Copyright 2006. Annette Estes. All rights reserved.
Permission to reprint granted as long as entire article and
tag line are included.

Annette Estes is a Certified Professional Behavioral and
Values Analyst. She’s a life coach specializing in helping
people save money. She is an award-winning columnist
and author. Her book Why Can’t You See It My Way?
Resolving Values Conflicts at Work and Home is in its fourth
printing. Annette was a television news anchor for 15 years
at WYFF-TV and WSPA-TV. One of her missions is to help
others understand VoIP technology. You can subscribe to
her free newsletter at http://www.BestVoipTips.com.

Our client in Chicago did, located right outside downtown too…a right competitive area. Everbody’s looking for some kind of edge and we found it for them. Want to hear…the rest of the story.

Just in case your wondering it doesn’t have to be a major city or suburb, because it worked in a place called Rosedale Maryland, a little ways outside Baltimore. The company owns both locations and wanted an additional way to bring in and retain clients and attract new ones.

David Eivers (great name David!), was contacted thru a referral and suggested a few forward thinking additions. Since they already had a website and a DSL connection, he had them opt for a secure wireless network that their ‘preferred clients’ could access when inside their salon. The preferred clients would receive email updates about specials and additions to their staff and other news about the salon on a bi-weekly basis to get them started. The preferred clients would then receive free access to their wifi network when inside the salon to check email or do any other work that they needed. This created a repeat group of clients coming in for free access and to take advantage of the specials they had received via email.

It also increased traffic to their website (yipee!) and they began adding day spa products to be purchased online, an additional stream of revenue (another yipee!). The Rosedale location picked up clients looking for wifi access in the suburbs. The Chicago location being in a tech-forward looking city got ladies (and men) with their PDA’s, laptops and anything else that could get wifi.

The latest and greatest news is a scheduling calendar that allows clients to request open appoints on the days and times available with an email confirmation from the newly hired digital receptionist (new position from the added revenue). Could this be your salon, increasing the sales of day spa supplies? A better way of salon marketing? Day spa marketing?

How about increasing traffic to spa resorts with aromatherapy products, health spas, hair salons and definitely your own beauty salon! The options could be like new and returning clients…endless!

Get more live info delivered to your RSS reader… http://mogendaviydtechgroup.com/RSS_FEED/hotspotwifi.xml

Daviyd Peterson: 10-year consultant, instructor, trainer -
helps african american SMBs bridge the digital
divide by becoming wireless Small Office Digital Offices (SODO). Free article
on Home Wireless Internet Security and other related articles: http://www.mogendaviydtechgroup.com/firewallsmb.htm.
See a video where big time firewalls duke it out!

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We’re hearing a lot about Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) these days. I for one am a big fan of this technology. Did you know that you could actually use VoIP in 3 different ways? That’s right! There are really 3 different ways that you can ‘make the call’. Ok, you can actually receive the call 3 different ways as well.

First up is probably the most popular. I use this way myself and most of the residential providers out there today use this as well. What is it?

ATA – Analog Telephone Adapter

Your normal phone plugs into an ATA that you received from your VoIP provider. This is the most common way to get hooked into VoIP. This device takes care of all the magic that occurs when you make and receive your calls over your broadband connection. Your analog phone signal must be converted to digital to be routed through your broadband connection and this ATA does the job.

IP Phone – Internet Protocol Phones

As the name would imply, these are ’special’ phones. You wouldn’t know it by looking at them. They look like normal phones. What is different about these phones is the electronics inside them and the fact they don’t take a ‘regular’ phone cable (RJ-11). Instead these phones take an Ethernet cable connection (RJ-45) and also come equipped with the necessary electronics to plug directly into your router.

Computer-to-Computer

This is the oldest and possibly the easiest way to get plugged into VoIP. Here instead of using your normal phone or IP phone to make calls through your broadband connection, you use your computer itself! (You could do this over dial-up, but broadband is certainly better) There are a number of services available that offer no cost or low cost service. You’ll need the software and a microphone to speak into and speakers to hear from and of course your computer and a high-speed internet connection. Some providers offer this service for free when their software is being used on both ends of the call.

Watch out for Wi-Fi (using IP phones) and other advancements in VoIP technology. We truly are on the verge of a major breakthrough in telecommunications. So, what are you waiting for? Make the call!

Provided by the FullService Broadband Provider – http://www.fullservice-broadband-provider We provide unbiased and informative information on broadband and communication products and services. Our free service is possible through Try Right Technology, Inc. http://www.trighttech.com Copyright 2006

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