acelere.net FAQ

James Bowman
1946 Pescadero Road
1-877-ACELERE

What is acelere?

Acelere uses a radio network that connects to the Internet through a fast connection. All the time that your computer is switched on, it's connected via the radio link to the Internet. There's no phone line involved, no dialing, nothing you need to do to connect - it's "always on".

How much will this cost me?

There are four connection plans:

With plan A, you purchase the equipment up front - with other plans it's included. These all include unlimited email accounts and web space and static IPs. Businesses should be on plan D.

acelere has no extra charges or hidden fees. What you see here is exactly what you will see on the bill.

What's the coverage area?

We have coverage all over downtown Pescadero. Acelere also runs extensions, giving coverage in:

• The Butano
• Dearborn
• Upper Dearborn
• Loma Mar

For these extensions, which run over leased T1 lines, the rates are different:

When did this start?

The radio mast has been up since Oct 1 2002. AT&T switched on the T1 connection November 7th 2002. The fast Internet service started then.

How much Internet time do I get?

As much as you like. There's no limit. Go crazy.

What can I do with it?

Anything you like. You might need a static IP if you plan on using some P2P file sharing apps like grokster, limewire, or BitTorrent.

What equipment do I need?

We provide the receiver antenna - we're currently using Deliberant outdoor radios.

What about email?

If you want to pick up mail from existing addresses you can do it through the new connection. Also, I can give you as many new mailboxes of the form xxx@acelere.net as you want. A lot of people use free services like Yahoo mail or Hotmail to collect mail from old accounts, and of course these are quite usable over a fast connection.

Can I cancel, or change my plan?

Yes, at any time. There's no contract between us.

How does billing work?

Acelere sends out statements on the 7th of each month. Some people pay by check; some use PayPal. I pay it all into our account at the local bank, and once per month it pays the T1 bill. Sample statement:

How long will this last?

The T1 contracts with AT&T run for 24 months. We're in our fourth contract now, and it will run until November 2010.

More details?

We have a dedicated triple T1 connection for acelere, which is from AT&T and runs into their San Jose hub. We distribute the bandwidth across town using 802.11b/g outdoor equipment.

How big is the antenna?

For most people, we're using a white panel antenna about 10 inches square that needs to be mounted somewhere on the outside of your house, pointing at the nearest transmitter.

Is there be a limit on the amount of data sent/received?

No, unless we find that the connection is becoming saturated. This can be frustrating for everybody, so when this happens a filter makes sure that we all get a fair share at peak times.

How reliable is this?

Of course we aim for 100% availability. One nice thing about a network connection that's "always on" is that it checks itself continuously. So when faults happen - for example, when a cable is cut - they become apparent immediately, rather than when you next log on. However, AT&T and PacBell might let us down, and PG&E certainly will, and when this happens the service will be unavailable.

We have power protection to continue service for at least 90 minutes in the event of an outage.

Is this legal?

Yes, completely! Sometimes people with DSL service share it with their neighbors, which is against the terms of their agreement with their ISP. But in this case the connection we buy from AT&T is meant to be resold - because it's wholesale bandwidth, not retail.

Don't you need an FCC license for this?

No, because the FCC has made this frequency exempt - it's completely open for transmitters and receivers.

Will this work in the rain and fog?

Yes, at these frequencies (2.4GHz) rain and fog don't affect the signal.

How private is this?

The radio network uses encryption, so it's pretty private. Once the data reaches the radio mast, it goes through a firewall, then down a wire into AT&T, so it's at least as private as any existing ISP.

Many people who are serious about privacy use www.anonymizer.com, a "private surfing" product which protects your web access and email from snooping at any point. It costs under $3/month, and is highly recommended. Details are on their website.

Will I need to keep my existing Internet service?

No, unless you want to keep your existing mailbox. For example, if you have an account with Earthlink, you can cancel it, but email addressed to your xxx@earthlink.net address will bounce.

Both AOL and Earthlink have cheaper plans for people who don't need dialup any more, but want to keep the mailboxes.

Will you help me choose the right parts? Get online? Help me if it goes wrong?

Yes, of course!

James Bowman
email: info@acelere.net
1946 Pescadero Road
Support: 1-877-ACELERE