Connection to Internet For Leisure Parks.
This picture shows speed test on a rainy evening at Oatfields Leisure Park. The Internet connection is UP TO Eircom 24Mbps connection. The best speedtest recorded was 10.5Mbps. Speed test was taken from Eircom's router, before any park resident connected. This kind of connection is shared by another 47 connected properties in the locality. This displays the available speed to ALL the parks residents at the time the test was done..
We all know the connections are poor.
When we set up Oatfields Leisure Park overtime it became clear a sufficient internet connection was not available in the locality. Oatfields network had four of the best available Eircom connection in place prior us setting up the WiFi network. On setting up the WiFi network we merged the connections into one (four times the speed of one connection). The bottom line is the internet connection would never supply the volume of potential connected people in the park. We looked at the other choices, such as Satellite which was worse. The regional supplier’s offerings which would cause cross interfere with the parks WiFi network. None of the connections would meet the potential demand for the WiFi. network. We set about finding alternatives to discover that there was only one type of connection that would serve this purpose.
Make the connection more affordable.
The most suitable type of connection available at the time of Oatfields set up was a Enterprise RF Link. The pricing quoted at the time had a contract for 24 months. Given the initial investment for the WiFi network, the monthly charge was expensive . We checked with numerous suppliers where prices fluctuated in the wrong direction. We asked suppliers “how can we bring the price of a connection down?” only to be told that a slight reduction would be given if the 24 month contract was extended for a greater period of time. We continued to expose more potential to the suppliers and feel that we have achieved favourable supply rates with several suppliers.
A quality connection will cost yet it should also be understood that the connection effects everything. The WiFi equipment, the quality of the users experience, technical support costs and the parks reputation. If the residents experience at outset is poor they may be reluctant to sign up again. If the internet connection can handle the volume of potential users there is a greater chance of sign up from the resident.
"The details are details. They make the product. The connections, the connections, the connections. It will in the end be these details that give the product its life."