tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7039285143425550962024-02-20T02:46:16.291+13:00Zenbu Networks News and EventsNews and events in the Zenbu Networks world. New developments, events we are involved with and news from the Zenbu Team. Any network problems, planned outages etc will also be published here.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-91983158737876649742014-12-25T00:05:00.000+13:002014-12-25T00:05:04.960+13:00New Zealand Zenbu hotspot pricing changes.<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />
Hi everyone,<br />
<br />
Just quickly placing a little something in the Christmas stockings.<br />
<br />
What is that you may ask?<br />
Well... simply, more data for less $.<br />
<br />
We've halved our prices! Now you get more bang for your buck when purchasing credit online via the Zenbu website.<br />
<br />
Prior to this change, credit purchased online at all New Zealand and Cook Islands hotspots cost 10 cents per MegaByte used.<br />
...Now, at all New Zealand hotspots which are not satellite based, the price is 5 cents per MegaByte.<br />
<br />
The change took effect at 00:00 AM, Thursday, December 25, 2014 NZDT (GMT+13) and applies to any internet connections activated after this time.<br />
<br />
(So, for those of you who have already purchased credit on our website... you should notice your remaining data has doubled at applicable hotspots. For everyone else, all the more reason to purchase some credit!)<br />
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Have a great day and a happy, safe holiday period. Merry Christmas!</div>
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<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Regards,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">The Zenbu Team</span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-1301325129510248062014-11-18T11:13:00.001+13:002014-11-18T11:15:01.908+13:00Cook Islands Zenbu credit pricing changes.<br />
Hi everyone,<br />
<br />
The busy season is nearly upon us and just in time, we have another quick announcement to make!<br />
<br />
With the arrival of the new <a href="http://www.o3bnetworks.com/">O3b satellite network</a> and the subsequently introduced broadband plans (which are cheaper and faster!) we can now (and have!) lowered the cost of credit purchased from our website for Cook Islands hotspots.<br />
<br />
Prior to the change, online purchased credit at Cook Islands hotspots was (NZD) 30 cents per MegaByte.<br />
After the change, this pricing has come inline with the (current) New Zealand price of (NZD) 10 cents per Megabyte.<br />
<br />
This change took effect;<br />
00:00 AM, Monday, November 17, 2014 CKT (GMT-10)<br />
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Better, faster, cheaper internet for both hotspot operators and thus their customers alike.</div>
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Another great leap for internet availability in the Cook Islands!</div>
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<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Regards,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">The Zenbu Team</span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-32942921235056280052014-11-07T11:22:00.000+13:002014-11-07T11:22:12.890+13:00Some older operating systems / web browsers are no longer supported.Hi everyone,<br />
<br />
Just a quick update;<br />
<br />
Coinciding with the phasing out of the SHA-1 (secure hashing algorithm), operating systems and web browsers which do not support at least SHA-2 will no longer be able to use Zenbu (specifically, to access the secure pages of our website such as logging in / buying credit).<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Note: This change was made on Tuesday the 4th November, 2014.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
SHA-1 has been <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deprecation">deprecated</a> since 2011 and is soon to be treated as <i>insecure</i> by common browsers (For example:<br />
<a href="http://blog.chromium.org/2014/09/gradually-sunsetting-sha-1.html">http://blog.chromium.org/2014/09/gradually-sunsetting-sha-1.html</a> )<br />
<br />
You can check whether the version of your operating system and / or web browser meets the minimum requirements <a href="https://support.globalsign.com/customer/portal/articles/1499561-sha-256-compatibility">here</a>;<br />
<a href="https://support.globalsign.com/customer/portal/articles/1499561-sha-256-compatibility">https://support.globalsign.com/customer/portal/articles/1499561-sha-256-compatibility</a><br />
<br />
One of the more common platforms that people may still be using (but will no longer work with Zenbu) are versions of Windows XP prior to Service Pack 3.<br />
<br />
Arguably, if your computer is using a version of Windows XP prior to Service Pack 3, then irrespective of Zenbu, it should not really be connecting to the internet at all (for your own security / safety).<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Regards,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">The Zenbu Team</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-73836530855582123692014-09-25T10:53:00.001+12:002014-09-25T10:53:17.999+12:00Zenbu Android App<br />
Hi everyone,<br />
<br />
As we wind our way up to the busy season... another update from Zenbu is ready for public use.<br />
<br />
Our announcement this time is regarding a new project by the name of... "Zenbu Connect"<br />
<br />
Zenbu Connect is an application for Android devices which is chockablock full of convenience. You save your user settings into the app once and from there on out you are pretty much sussed for using Zenbu.<br />
<br />
Containing often requested features such as auto-login and convenient on the fly access to your usage history / credit balance, this app is highly recommended for all users connecting to Zenbu with an Android device.<br />
<br />
Check it out here:<br />
<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zenbunetworks.zenbuconnect">https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zenbunetworks.zenbuconnect</a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
==============================<br />
<br />
Instructions:<br />
1. Download, install and run the application.<br />
2. Click the top button on the title page and input / save your user details.<br />
(If you don't have a Zenbu user account, you can create one at:<br />
<a href="https://secure.zenbu.net.nz/account/signup.php">https://secure.zenbu.net.nz/account/signup.php</a>)<br />
3. Open the settings page from the main menu and select what you desire.<br />
4. That's it, you are ready to go! Connect to and login at any Zenbu hotspot using the app. Easy, made even easier.<br />
<br />
==============================<br />
<br />
If you have any feedback regarding the app, then by all means, let us know at <a href="mailto:support@zenbu.net.nz">support@zenbu.net.nz</a><br />
...Especially if you encounter a bug! We want all hands on deck to squash those. :)<br />
<br />
Regards,<br />
<br />
The Zenbu Team.<br />
<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-22945546169520294192013-12-02T14:54:00.002+13:002013-12-02T14:54:33.171+13:00Zenbu Version 2.0<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hi everyone,<br /><br />Summer looks to be in full swing and Christmas just around the corner. Many of you out there will likely be revving up for the busy season and just in time for you we have an</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> early present that should hopefully help things go even smoother than always. Something new to do with Zenbu that we would like to share and hope that you will find helpful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />So, let us start with a token *drum roll* ~~~~!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We would like to announce the arrival of our latest firmware version, Zenbu 2.0! *Cue the introductory catchphrase*</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><i>A new version of the Zenbu firmware years in the making, as reliable as ever and ready to restrict data usage, to seek out new features and security, boldly going where no Zenbu firmware has gone before.</i></span></div>
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<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There are numerous improvements added for the convenience of hotspot operators and also some behind the scenes alterations which have tackled a number of both relatively common and very rare annoyances (while much of the modification and fine tuning is likely never to be noticed, we implemented them just because we could).</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Of probably most convenience</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, operators can now turn their Zenbu router's WiFi on/off and change the channel (operational frequency) that it is broadcasting on <a href="https://secure.zenbu.net.nz/admin/#details">via our website</a>.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This version also allows us more insight into the state of a Zenbu router itself and the environment in which it is operating. So,</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> in the unlikely event that a need for troubleshooting arises, we are already at least a few steps out of the dark (and that much closer to identifying an issue).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Last but not least... some of you may have noticed the change and be wondering what on earth is the following signal; "<b>Zenbu XS [user+pass=zen]</b>"<br /><br />This is the same signal coming from the Zenbu router but utilising <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi_Protected_Access">WPA2 enterprise encryption</a>, encapsulating with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protected_Extensible_Authentication_Protocol">PEAPv0 MSCHAPv2</a> and authenticating by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.1X">IEEE 802.1X</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">However, putting aside the details and keeping it nice and simple;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Essentially... the Zenbu XS signal is more secure!</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br />
<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(For those interested, some of the technicalities are located below.)</i><br />
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As the signal name implies, the username and password for connecting to the wireless signal are both 'zen'.</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> (Note; this is not the key used for encryption of your transferred data.) Once connected, the procedure for logging in via Zenbu is the </span><a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/faq.php#56" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">same as always</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />So the next time you see one of these signals, if your device is capable of handling these security features, then <b>give it a go!</b> (and feel assured with the knowledge that at that point in time, the data that you are transferring through the air has an extremely robust padlock on it!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We hope you all enjoy the summer. So far so good!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Regards,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Zenbu Team.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">================================</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">======</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Technicalities</i></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When connecting to the XS signal, by <u><b>checking the security certificate</b></u>, you can confirm that what you are actually connecting to is indeed an authentic Zenbu hotspot.</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Furthermore, due to the nature of the security protocols being used, a number of <b>unique keys</b> are negotiated on connection. These are <b>dynamically generated,</b> specific to the user's current connection and only the user device and Zenbu system know these. No one / nothing else (not even the user).</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the case of signals using pre-shared WEP/WPA encryption keys (PSK) the key (for connection AND encryption) is the same for all devices connecting to the network and must be provided to anyone who wants to connect. For it to be a public WiFi hotspot, this pre-shared key would be disclosed to an ever increasing number of individuals... which effectively renders encrypting the data transmission pointless. i.e. <b>the same as an open signal</b>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />When a signal is open or effectively open like in the above case using shared keys, people can potentially snoop on the wireless traffic of those connected and see what they are up to. Note however that...<br />Even in this type of open or "shared key" environment any data that should be secured (like your online banking) is likely using SSL or other encryption methods anyway. This is because it needs to be encrypted as it traverses the internet where there are likely many more nasties than in your immediate environment!<br /><br />[Secure sites starting with https are encrypted from end to end (which also includes over the wireless link). Encryption of data being sent between a device (client) and a secure website (server) is unrelated to the encryption of all Wi-Fi transmission between a device and a wireless router. In the case of SSL traffic over a '<i>secure'</i> wireless link... the data is effectively double encrypted, for the wireless portion.] <br /><br />Given the above, an open signal isn't really that much of an issue... but of course, people do like to see "secured" on their connection label.<br />So, with that in mind, we have opted for the only worthwhile option that provides a real security benefit in the public Wi-Fi environment Zenbu must operate in (rather than the false sense of security proliferated by pre-shared keys).<br /><br />In the case where</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> negotiation of dynamic, unique keys is performed upon connection (e.g. to Zenbu XS signal), as the master key is not known, snooping is a futile cause (beyond using a supercomputer to brute-force the lock... such a culprit would have no means of comprehending the garbled data).</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Even if someone were to attempt disguising their device as someone else's (by </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">MAC address spoofing</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) this would not get them the key required to decrypt the data being transmitted. Due to the dynamic variables involved upon key creation, they would merely generate a different set of keys for their own connection at that point in time.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The only method left is to try and create a fake hotspot that imitates the Zenbu signal and try to capture the keys that users provide when someone carelessly connects. Which of course brings us full circle. <u><b>Checking the security certificate</b></u>.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>secure.zenbu.net.nz</u> / <u>secure.zenbu.net.au</u> are our domains and only ours. If it shows our domain when connecting to the XS signal, then you can be sure that what you are connecting to is an authentic Zenbu hotspot. Otherwise... run for the hills!</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">================================</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">======</span></blockquote>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-76475707613201748302013-09-14T12:59:00.001+12:002013-09-20T12:08:52.467+12:00Mobile device usage trends and the repercussions.<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hi everyone,<br /><br />As we gradually build up to that busy time of the year, I thought it would be befitting to provide some information about relevant trends and what is going on with the network as a whole. As such, following on from similar entries, here is a quick update containing some statistics.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">First of all... </span>We hit the 10 million connections mark! and with that milestone, a total of 359,135,308.09 MegaBytes (342.5 TeraBytes!) of data has been transferred through Zenbu systems since 2006.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"<a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/faq.php#28">What is a Megabyte?</a>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">=============================================</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> To do the cliche</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> sales pitch often used for storage devices... that is;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /> Transferring, this <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/images/zenbu-logo.gif">Zenbu logo</a> [gif] (2537 Bytes) 148,435,421,685 times!<br />This <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/images/fseg/Ruapehu-lg.jpg">image of Ruapehu</a> [jpg] (207,253 Bytes) 1,817,009,475 times!<br />This <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/images/fseg/Rangitoto-lg.jpg">image of Rangitoto</a> [jpg] (527,648 Bytes) 713,696,753 times!<br /><br />Loading the list of "<a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/zones_status.php?format=PDF">Zenbu Wireless Internet Wi-Fi Hotspots</a>" [PDF] which is updated daily [490,666 Bytes = 0.4679 (4dp) MegaBytes @ 2013/09/13 1645] approximately ~ 767,488,810 times.<br /><br />Sending the text from the world's longest novel 313,523,292 times!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">[<a href="http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-1/longest-novel/">Guinness World Record</a>] </span>("A la recherche du temps perdu" by Marcel Proust containing an estimated 9,609,000 characters = 9,609,000 bits = 1,201,125 Bytes = 1.1455 MegaBytes)<br /><br />Several lifetimes streaming and listening to music in MP3 format!<br />2915.36 years @ bitrate [32 Kbits/s] (lowest possible quality of MP3)<br />971.79 years @ bitrate [96 Kbits/s] (somewhat low quality MP3)<br />728.84 years @ bitrate [128 Kbits/s] (mid range quality MP3)<br />583.07 years @ bitrate [160 Kbits/s] (mid range quality MP3)<br />485.89 years @ bitrate [192 Kbits/s] (often used high quality MP3)<br />291.54 years @ bitrate [320 Kbits/s] (highest possible quality of MP3)<br /><br />According to the <a href="http://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2853702">Youtube live encoder settings</a> and dependent on the file format, video & audio codecs of the video being watched;<br /> Between 133.27 and 310.97 years of [426x240] 240p Youtube videos!<br />(@ Bitrate MIN 300 Kbits/s MAX 700 Kbits/s)<br /> Between 93.29 and 233.23 years of [640x360] 360p Youtube videos!<br />(@ Bitrate MIN 400 Kbits/s MAX 1000 Kbits/s)<br /> Between 46.65 and 186.58 years of [854x480] 480p Youtube videos!<br />(@ Bitrate MIN 500 Kbits/s MAX 2000 Kbits/s)<br /> Between 23.32 and 62.19 years of [1280x720] 720p Youtube videos!<br />(@ Bitrate MIN 1500 Kbits/s MAX 4000 Kbits/s)<br /> Between 15.55 and 31.09 years of [1920x1080] 1080p Youtube videos!<br />(@ Bitrate MIN 3000 Kbits/s MAX 6000 Kbits/s)<br /><br />A whopping 831.33 days of video feed at the <a href="http://www.blu-raydisc.com/assets/Downloadablefile/BD-ROM-AV-WhitePaper_100604%281%29-15916.pdf">maximum bitrate specified for Bluray</a> video! [40 Mbit/s]<br /><br /> Or... perhaps of more relevance for those operators out there, you could simply watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5bXb8l52yk">this video</a> (6,484,979 bytes) about mounting the Zenbu router (</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">WRT54GL)</span> to the wall 58,069,681 times.<br /><b><br /> Oh the possibilities! ;)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">=============================================</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />(Correlating this with the last time we checked; in the space of 9 months that is an increase of 3.6 million connections and 153,219,204 MB data transferred (about two fifths the total in just the last year.) ...and if I do say so myself, WOW!)<br /><br /><br />So now, with that big announcement out of the way let us move along.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Using the same method / sampling as in previous entries, below is a simple collation and breakdown on the device types and mobile Operating Systems that were used by people when visiting our website (page-views) this previous July.</span><br />
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<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Wgd-GL8YD_hDyxgyoEHZip5ZQJ2OcUZUATKBvK8KAYvemBHhX3CNqFIgy4XxjryufrIUfWKITRm6KEytCw-B_Q1e3mv4k2-HY0OLrG-nW5Nli-LLXXUAU2XXBg" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As we can see, the expected shift towards mobile devices has steadily continued and page-views from such mobile devices now account for about 54% of the total page-views to our website. (This is an increase of 16% over the results reported a year ago in <a href="http://news.zenbu.net.nz/2012/11/new-team-member-australia-availability.html">October 2012</a>.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While the number of desktop page-views per month having decreased (by about 10,000~20,000) does have a contributing effect to this trend, by in large the results are just plain due to the proliferation of mobile devices into the consumer market. Quite s</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">imply, an explosive increase in the number of page-views from such mobile devices.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Regardless of this enormous expansion in mobile device usage however, it would seem that the relative share of the mobile device <i>pie</i> by each of the Operating System has not really changed at all.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This can be seen by Apple's share having only increased by a fractional 0.72% (to approximately 63%). Likewise, while the Android and Apple </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">smartphones </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">h</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ave swapped places, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">they are still neck and neck.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But what are the effects of this steadily increasing trend towards mobile handheld device use and what does this mean for those of you who are operating / utilising Zenbu systems?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well, to discuss this topic, I would first like to start off by debunking a common misconception regarding wireless signals and the hardware that propagates them...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So to start off, for those that may be under the impression that signal emission </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from your wireless routers (Zenbu included) and access points is diminishing in strength over time (aka '<i>ageing'</i>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">...this is not the case.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>There are no moving parts in a router so mechanical '<i>ageing</i>' is out of the question</b>. If anything were to be '<i>ageing</i>' it would be electrical and it would be first and foremost the capacitors (which over time, just like rechargeable batteries, hold less and less total charge</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Routers can however, get damaged and as a consequence </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">die.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Note: You can increase the likelihood that your router <u>will be damaged</u> by placing it in unsatisfactory conditions such as;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">* Temperatures under 0°C or over 40°C (<b>heat stress damage</b>! thermal expansion / compression!</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Do not put the Zenbu router in a freezer, a hot ceiling cavity, above a fireplace or over a cooking range.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">* 85%+ </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">humidity</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> (Rust is a big one especially near the ocean but regardless; Water and electronics are </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">simply </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">not compatible! Getting the router wet will likely short the components if electricity is flowing.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">* Connecting to dodgy electrical sockets + </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">electrical surges</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. (This can fry ports, the internal radio, and often will just break your router.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">All the above things that will break your router... are totally unrelated to the <i>strength</i> of the wireless signal. Y<b>ou either have a working internal radio,</b></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> sufficient electricity to power it and thus a current from the radio to the antennae... or you do not</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The EM radiation emitted by antennae are constant. The physics involved do not change. Sure, p</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">eople can come along and physically damage the router but the things that </span><u style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">may change over time</u><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> are the;</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Surrounding noise floor. (e.g. interference from the newly installed wireless equipment, other WiFi capable devices, etc. The more WiFi signals in the area, the more noise and as such interference there will be on the frequencies they operate.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Placement and composition of materials in the environment. (Concrete walls, metal sheeting and objects, etc)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and <b>the capabilities of user devices themselves</b>.<br />(While it may be stylish, metallic casing is a poor choice when it comes WiFi communication [and also cell reception for that matter]. Conductors, which most metals are, reflect almost 100% of radio waves within the first few atoms of the surface.)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Note: Something that does not take place over time but happens instantly and will damage your routers internal radio resulting in a forever weak signal / no signal at all;</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Replacing the antennae while the power is on.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Replacing the antennae incorrectly.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Replacing the antennae with something of poor quality.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We recommend coverage extension devices, connected to port 1 of the Zenbu router, over replacing the antennae for a good reason.)</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, given the increased number of mobile devices in use and understanding that mobile devices generally do not provide as robust wireless connectivity as their pc/laptop/usb dongle counterparts... it is expected that relatively the proportion of users that experience poor reception would increase (and with it the total number of complaints that the internet service is '<i>not working</i>' or '<i>not good enough</i>' will to).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This gradual increase in and shift of users to such mobile devices (and the resulting increase in aggregate floor noise) thus gives rise to an illusion that the signal strength is weakening over time and as a result the effective coverage reducing in radius.</span><br />
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The reality however is that, for the most part; users are trading off functionality for mobility and fashionability.</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So in conclusion, what does this mean for operators and users?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<u style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the operator</u><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">;</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Where wireless coverage may have been sufficient a few years ago, now there <b>could be a necessity to install additional access points</b>.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The areas that may or may not need further coverage would of course be determined by customer demand and your preference / discretion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<u style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the user</u><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">;</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Caveat Emptor</b>. <b>Not all devices are created equal</b>. If WiFi receptivity is important to you, make sure to research what you are getting into by purchasing for example, '<i>a metal brick'</i>.</span><br />
<ul>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-86481338459347326552013-08-15T16:59:00.000+12:002013-08-16T13:21:52.570+12:00Zenbu design in the 'modern world'.<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hi everyone,<br /><br />Hope we are all in good health. It would seem that the cold chills we were facing for a while there have passed and along with this new wave of comparatively warmer weather I would like to post our first blog entry in a while. (A bit of a long one so I have <b>bolded</b> the important parts.)<br /><br />Today</span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">s topic is regarding the perhaps not so well understood reason of;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why Zenbu is designed the way it is and with what purpose in mind.<br />(Hopefully we can dispel some general misconceptions along the way.)<br /><br /><br />So without further ado, every now and then we receive remarks regarding it being </span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>the 21st century</i></span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> and that we have </span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>outrageous prices</i></span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> (and were Zenbu an ISP providing internet to a contracted account holder, then I would likely agree).</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />However, Zenbu does not provide the internet connection that Zenbu hotspots are run off and as such </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">in the conventional sense of the term,</span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">we are not </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">an Internet Service Provider</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What we do provide is a guest internet access system where the focus is placed on the controlling of access and data usage.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />With that being said, I would like to explain why we believe Zenbu style systems are the only realistic way to provide fast and reliable public (= shared) internet access.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First of all, this exaggerated sense of technological advancement in the aforementioned remarks; what exactly is the source of this perception? Well, a simple hypothesis would be that it is likely due the fact that <b>yes, </b></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">internet</b><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> [data allowances] & [data use] are increasing.</b></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><b>But</b>... and a big but that is, the incongruence between expectations (due to the above skewed notion of advancement) with the reality of internet provision... is from the lack of understanding / awareness that <b>the [internet speed] of our standard ADSL connection is not increasing proportionally.</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ADSL speeds have not increased in New Zealand since it was introduced. As a matter of fact, upload speeds were actually faster when ADSL was first introduced!</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Yes, newer faster alternatives, such as VDSL and UFB have emerged.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- No, unfortunately, most places do not have access to such services.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(and for many locations the only option is still expensive and slow satellite connections.)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We find that, often reference is made to </span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>unlimited data plans</b></span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> and the cost of residential broadband etc as reasoning for why prices should be lower or more data should be provided (usually requesting that it should also be free at that!).</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br />Unfortunately, what is entirely overlooked is that these plans <b>are</b> <b>not </b></span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>unlimited speed plans</b></span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> (such a thing does not exist) and that Zenbu operators are actually free to provide data at their own discretion and pricing. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Which is of course a judgement which only they can make.)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />So taking that all into consideration, to be nice and concise, our explanation is basically;</span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">[internet data allowances] not = [internet speed]</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">[internet data use] = [internet speed] x [time]</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Increasing [internet data allowance] does not affect in any way the maximum [internet data use] possible in a specified amount of time. It just changes/removes an arbitrarily chosen number after which an ISP does </span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">something</span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> (e.g. charge $ / throttle speed).</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br />If a public hotspot operator decides to provide and people use more data on a connection that can only go the same maximum speed, the result will merely be an internet connection that is relatively more overloaded, slow and unreliable than it was previously.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>More / unlimited data allowance does not change this reality.</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br />Given that the purpose of Zenbu is essentially to protect an operator</span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">s internet connection from being overloaded and allow public provision of a fast & reliable internet connection to multiple users simultaneously... the price of Zenbu credit purchased online is set at the lowest common denominator (currently satellite connections) that should sufficiently protect internet connections from being slowed down in this manner.<br /><br /><br />Sometimes we are told that, because devices these days have all sorts of software and apps on them that automatically sync, update, use the internet and consume lots of data... our system design is no longer relevant in the </span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>modern world</i></span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Our response to this of course is; </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>i</b></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">t is exactly for this reason</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">,</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">users are not controlling such things themselves, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">letting rogue software/apps, viruses/malware, p2p etc run wild and free... not applying the slightest bit of discretion when using a publicly shared internet connection)</span></div>
<div>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">that systems such as Zenbu are required more than ever</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Below are some quick calculations for reference purposes;</span></div>
<div>
<u style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></u>
<u style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Standard ADSL</u><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">[10Mbit/s download] = 1220.703125 kb/s</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />[1Mbit/s upload] = 122.0703125 kb/s <br />100MB @ 10Mbit/s = ~1 minutes 24 seconds.<br />100MB @ 1Mbit/s = ~14 minutes.<br />1000MB @ 10Mbit/s = ~14 minutes<br />1000MB @ 1Mbit/s = ~1 hour 40 minutes</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Ultra Fast Fibre</u><br />[100Mbit/s download] = 12207.03125 kb/s<br />[50Mbit/s upload] = 6103.515625 kb/s<br />100MB @ 100Mbit/s = 8.39 seconds<br />100MB @ 50Mbit/s = 16.78 seconds<br />1000MB @ 100Mbit/s = 83.89 seconds<br />1000MB @ 50Mbit/s = 167.77 seconds<br />10000MB @ 100Mbits/s = ~14 minutes<br />10000MB @ 50Mbit/s = ~28 minutes<br />100000MB @ (So on so forth.)<br /><br />So on a fast ADSL broadband connection someone uploading a 200MB video to iCloud (or the equivalent) would consume the entire available bandwidth for about half an hour leaving everyone else running very slowly.<br /><br />Fibre provides much faster speeds, yes.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fibre provides more data over the same time to the same # of users, yes.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Does it stop a single user with unrestricted access from overloading the connection? No. </b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(This is of course why purely </span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">time based</span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> designs for public internet access are not a sensible idea.)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Given a finite amount of speed [x], [y] maximum amount of data can be transferred over [z] period of time. Introduce an unknown [n] number of users that [y] needs to be shared between and it becomes very quickly apparent that a means of restricting data usage is required.<br /><br />If a single person wants to connect to a single internet connection then sure, it does not particularly matter how much data they use. (their usage does not affect internet speeds for anyone else).</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">However, public WiFi is a different story.<b> In order to have many users connected simultaneously while maintaining good transfer speeds for all... data must be restricted.</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br />A good way to put all of the above into perspective is;</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>An internet connection is like a water hose.</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Many people just want to fill their glass with water and are done very quickly allowing others to also fill their glass with water ('light' usage) but then there are those who want to fill their entire pool with water and they sit their hogging the water for a long time ('heavy' usage). During that time, people that just wanted to have a drink are left to lick droplets of water on the pool side in order to quench their thirst.<br /><br />You can increase the diameter of the hose & the number of hoses.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Users can also fill (house designers continue to build) bigger pools.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Unfortunately, <b>the size of pools is increasing much faster than the diameter of our hoses</b> and the </span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">fire hydrants</span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> that were in mind when designing such pools are only available overseas.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br />Finally, to wrap things up, the topic of <b>copyright infringement</b>.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Beyond not providing internet at all (understandably not the preferred option), data restriction is the most effective method of curbing such illegal activity from taking place on your internet connection.</span><br />
<ol>
<li><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Making data sufficiently expensive</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> that it would cost the user more to download copyright material like movies, than it would to rent or outright purchase the product, </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">removes the incentive</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> of doing so in the first place. </span></li>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
<li><b>Not providing sufficient data</b> for a user to complete transferring of the files <b>renders attempting to do so pointless</b> and a waste of data. (movie files can be quite large) </li>
</span></ol>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
The reason we bring this topic up <a href="http://news.zenbu.net.nz/2011/05/another-busy-summer-and-some-peer-to.html">again</a> is because we have received a few enquiries regarding some services which claim they can protect public internet providers (i.e. the broadband account holders) from potential copyright infringement charges.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">All we have to say regarding this is that they either;</span></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Do not fully understand how the internet and the peer-to-peer networks for that matter operate.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Do not understand that the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">"</span><a href="http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2010/0119/latest/whole.html#dlm2764312" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">" applies only to peer-to-peer file sharing.</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 20.796875px;"><br />(So "blocking" access to websites [which is likely to be ineffective anyway] does not actually impact on people<span style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal;">'</span>s ability to use peer-to-peer file sharing software.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Or are just outright being misleading / purposefully omitting information / falsely advertising.</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>It is not possible to provide access to the internet in general and at the same time 100% stop users gaining access to parts of the internet. Blocking access to a website does not stop and is unrelated to illegal peer-to-peer file sharing.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You can implement censorship and blocking mechanisms which can indeed stop a majority of people, but anyone that does want access and has any technological know-how, will be capable of circumventing any such block. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Note that peer-to-peer file sharing does not involve websites at all (it is people sharing files directly with each other) and the software that they use to do so is specifically</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> designed to circumvent any possible </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">block</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> that may be in place</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Under the </b><a href="http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2010/0119/latest/whole.html#dlm2764312" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill</a> <b>t</b><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">he account holder can be held liable for illegal peer-to-peer file sharing. The bill does not apply to websites at all.</b></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(and yes, we agree, it is a ridiculous law... but let</span>'<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">s not dwell on it.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The bright side is that no Zenbu operators have had a problem so far!)</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Regards,</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Zenbu Team.</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-60269524986046022622012-11-06T12:54:00.000+13:002012-11-06T12:55:42.866+13:00New team member, Australia availability, usage updatesHi everyone,<br />
<br />
Well it has been a while since the last news post but things have been far from quiet here at Zenbu HQ. We have been working on all sorts of things some of which have already quietly been added to the website and you will have noticed but many of which are background performance enhancements that further improve speed and reliability.<br />
<br />
One major development this year (that has happened quietly, so far) is that we have finally made the Zenbu system available for use in Australia. Over the years we have been contacted by numerous people asking whether they could use the <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.au/australia-wi-fi-hotspots/" target="_blank">Zenbu Wi-Fi hotspot system to provide internet access at their businesses in Australia</a>. Up until earlier this year the answer was always no, but because there was an apparent lack of easy to use, reliable, affordable Wi-Fi management systems available in OZ we decided we should do something about it. Now we have. The Zenbu wireless system is now available for use in <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.au/" target="_blank">Australia</a>, and it is just as reliable and easy to use as always. The <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.au/" target="_blank">Zenbu Australia website</a> is <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.au/">http://www.zenbu.net.au</a> and people can securely order a Zenbu system online for use in Australia at <a href="https://secure.zenbu.net.au/purchase_wireless_router">https://secure.zenbu.net.au/purchase_wireless_router</a>. Easy.<br />
<br />
A <a href="http://goo.gl/Nppjr" target="_blank">recent article in The New Zealand Herald</a> discussed mobile data roaming charges for international travel and the shock people often experience when they return to their (sometimes HUGE) bill. What the article doesn't mention is that the main reason for the exorbitant bills is simply that the telcos typically charge ridiculous prices for <i>roaming</i> data usage. For example, <a href="http://www.telecomroaming.co.nz/" target="_blank">Telecom NZ</a> and <a href="http://goo.gl/857mR" target="_blank">Vodafone NZ</a> charge $30 per megabyte and $10 per megabyte respectively for <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/cook-islands-wi-fi-hotspots/" target="_blank">data roaming in the Cook Islands</a> (prepaid prices as advertised on their websites on 5th November 2012). If they didn't charge so much people wouldn't be so shocked at their bills! In comparison Zenbu charges only 30 cents per megabyte for data usage in the <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/cook-islands-wi-fi-hotspots/" target="_blank">Cook Islands</a> and we are hopeful that we can lower that price even further in the near future!<br />
<br />
Speaking of mobile data usage, a breakdown of current usage of our service by different mobile devices follows. Sure enough, since the iPad was released the market share of iOS has increased quite dramatically. Guess that is what happens when you create a product that sells millions in the first few months after release! About 38% of visits to our website are now by <i>mobile devices</i>, up from about 10% a little more than a <a href="http://news.zenbu.net.nz/2011/07/updated-mobile-usage-stats.html" target="">year ago</a>.<br />
<br />
The following is the current breakdown (during the last month):<br />
<table cellspacing="20" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><th>Device type</th><th>Percentage of users</th></tr>
<tr><td>Android</td><td>36.3%</td></tr>
<tr><td>iPhone</td><td>34.4%</td></tr>
<tr><td>iPad</td><td>19.2%</td></tr>
<tr><td>iPod</td><td>8.7%</td></tr>
<tr><td>Blackberry</td><td>0.6%</td></tr>
<tr><td>Symbian</td><td>0.4%</td></tr>
<tr><td>Others (PSP, Windows etc) combined</td><td>less than 1%</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In total we have now had over 6.4 million connections and a whopping 205,916,105 megabytes of data has been transmitted via our network of hotspots! That is over 200,000 gigabytes (about 200 terabytes)!<br />
<br />
In more news we have a new member of our team here at Zenbu HQ. Hayden started with us at the beginning of October. He has hit the ground running and is doing a good job. It's nice to have another pair of capable hands to help with things here. So a warm welcome to Hayden. Please be nice to him if you are in contact, at least while he settles in! 8-)<br />
<br />
Okay until next time I hope all is well out there. Enjoy the beginning of summer. It's already great to score the odd bit of daylight savings sunshine after a long day on the computers.<br />
<br />
Regards,<br />
<br />
The Zenbu Team.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-34125322155372028122012-02-28T15:10:00.001+13:002012-03-07T13:01:45.792+13:00Some updates (automatic and other)...Hi everyone,<br />
<br />
Well the shadows are getting longer and this morning felt downright wintery (although to be fair after a recent trip to Rarotonga to sort out some things up in the <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/cook-islands-wi-fi-hotspots/">Cook Islands</a> most NZ days feel a bit wintery) so after what feels like a short (non-existent?) summer apparently autumn is nearly here, certainly officially anyway.<br />
<br />
Firstly as a follow up to my previous post regarding forced automatic Skype updates I'm happy to report that since <a href="http://news.zenbu.net.nz/2011/11/some-bits-and-bobs-skype-updates.html">making the changes mentioned</a> I haven't had a Skype update forced upon me. Perhaps this is simply due to Skype not thinking their recent updates were worthy of forcing upon people or maybe (hopefully) the solutions suggested to stop the forced updates actually work. So at this stage I can report that the modifications <i>may</i> work and Skype is still fully usable (and there have definitely been updates to Skype for both Mac and PC since the "fix" was implemented). So far so good on that front.<br />
<br />
Now while on the topic of software automatically updating itself without warning I'd like to mention another common culprit that many people don't often think about - web browsers. It is understandable that updates to web browsers are fairly regular, but it is still a bit annoying that a few of the most commonly used web browsers (including my personal favourite <a href="https://www.google.com/chrome">Google Chrome</a>) will by default update themselves automatically in the background without explicit authorization from the user to do so. What's more (at least in the case of Google Chrome) it is not always easy to stop such updates from occurring. So in case anyone else is keen to try to maintain some control over when and what software changes are made on their computers/devices I'll provide a few tips on disabling automatic updates in the common browsers (valid at the time of writing). Warning: as is often the case if you want to successfully deviate from the path of least resistance things can get a bit <i>tricky</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>Google Chrome</b> (<a href="http://support.google.com/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&topic=1064255&answer=187207">reference</a>):<br />
<br />
On a Mac: In a terminal window execute 'defaults write com.google.Keystone.Agent checkInterval 0'.<br />
<br />
On a PC: Set the registry value of <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="code" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Update\AutoUpdateCheckPeriodMinutes</span><br />
to the REG_SZ (string) value of "0"<br />
<br />
<b>Firefox</b> (<a href="http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Updating%20Firefox#w_how-do-i-configure-update-31optionssf32preferencessf">reference</a>):<br />
<br />
1. At the top of the Firefox window, click on the Firefox button (Tools menu in Windows XP) and then click Options. 2. Click the Advanced panel. 3. Click the Update tab. The auto-update options are displayed and can be modified.<br />
<br />
<b>Internet Explorer</b>:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525">Disable automatic Windows updates</a>. Anyone using Internet Explorer on a Mac (seriously?) is on their own and can surely work Google!<br />
<br />
<b>Safari</b>:<br />
<br />
On a Mac: Disable within 'Software update' settings (just click on 'apple' -> 'Software update'). I recommend disabling all automatic software updates as OSX generally has fairly frequent, large software updates (iTunes, iPhoto, system software etc).<br />
<br />
Sorry if that is all a bit technical and please be aware that I'm not attempting to provide complete instructions for all browsers on all operating systems, more just a prompt to make people aware that their web browsers will often automatically update themselves without explicit authorization at the time of the update. This can be frustrating not only because it uses bandwidth but also because it can make plugins, apps etc unusable. Hopefully the above instructions are helpful and of interest to at least some people.<br />
<br />
Now because this post is already pretty long I'll just give a brief update of a few happenings at Zenbu HQ. We have now had over 4.3 million connections in total and on average there are nearly 10,000 connections a day! We also have our first [trial] <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.au/australia-wi-fi-hotspots/">hotspot online in Australia</a> (hi <a href="http://mangroveyoga.org/">Mangrove Yoga</a>!). We have had numerous requests from Aussies over the years hoping to use our wireless system over there (mostly after experiencing it firsthand while in New Zealand) and if the initial trial works well we will hopefully make the Zenbu system widely available in Australia during the coming months. Oh yes, and we have nearly 1000 hotspots online now, a milestone that should be reached in the next few months.<br />
<br />
Okay that's about it from HQ for now. Enjoy the remaining few weeks of daylight savings (<i>summer</i> really did go quickly!).<br />
<br />
[PS. <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/6522079/Telecom-customer-billed-2000-for-70Mb-of-data#share" target="_blank">This guy</a> should definitely have used <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/cook-islands-wi-fi-hotspots/">Zenbu for internet access in the Cook Islands</a>. It would have saved him over $2000!]<br />
<br />
Regards,<br />
<br />
The Zenbu Team.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-89926631866865650702011-11-17T15:54:00.000+13:002011-11-17T15:54:28.090+13:00Some bits and bobs - Skype updates, Android growth, and some handy software...Hi everyone,<br />
<br />
Well it's been a while since the last post and we've been very busy at Zenbu HQ. We now have over <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/new-zealand-wi-fi-hotspots/">870 Zenbu Wi-Fi hotspots</a> throughout New Zealand and the Cook Islands. That is over 120 new locations that have joined the Zenbu network since back in July. We also had our 3 millionth connection on the 15th September 2011 and are already close to 3.5 million only a couple of months later!<br />
<br />
Now I'd like to quickly bring up something that has annoyed me for a while - automatic, forced, Skype updates (have there recently been more updates than usual?). There is no longer any way to disable automatic updates within the Skype software itself and Skype forces updates on their users at fairly regular intervals. And it apparently isn't only me this annoys. There seems to be an <a href="http://community.skype.com/t5/Windows/I-want-to-turn-off-automatic-updates/td-p/51134">ever growing chorus of discontent out there</a>. Not only do the automatic updates use bandwidth but I don't like any programs running on my computer to download or install updates without my explicit approval (at the time of the specific update). For Skype in particular I preferred the user interface of some of the earlier versions and would like to continue using them.<br />
<br />
So what can you do about it? Sadly the solution is a bit geeky but apparently blocking access to ui.skype.com (204.9.163.158) in your firewall will stop Skype from being able to automatically update itself [see the <a href="http://community.skype.com/t5/Windows/I-want-to-turn-off-automatic-updates/td-p/51134">link above</a>]. I have only recently implemented this myself (after the most recent forced automatic Skype update - the straw that broke the camel's back!) so I cannot yet confirm that it works, but Skype still apparently works fine after making the change and if future automatic updates are blocked I'll be a happy camper. Fingers crossed. I also wonder if putting a '127.0.0.1 ui.skype.com' in the 'hosts' file would be sufficient? [Note that 'conn.skype.com' and 'ui.skype.akadns.net' also resolve to '204.9.163.158']<br />
<br />
While on the topic of software, a handy little program for sharing a single internet connection between multiple devices that I have used a bit recently is <a href="http://www.connectify.me/">Connectify</a>. Basically it allows a (Windows) computer to act as a Wi-Fi hotspot. So, for example, you could connect to Zenbu on the computer running Connectify then connect your other devices to the signal coming from the computer. This is a handy way to use more than one device simultaneously with a single user account. This method also allows devices that can't login to the Zenbu system on their own (eg. they don't have a web browser etc) to access the internet and can also be used to share a mobile broadband (cellular) data connection with devices (such as iPads) that don't have USB ports to which you could connect a USB mobile broadband data stick.<br />
<br />
Before I sign off I'd also like to mention the continued growth of Android. In the last month Android has comprised 5.8% of <i>total</i> visits to our website (and 39% of <i>mobile</i> visits). Mobile devices now account for 14.2% of visits to our website up from 9.5% in July 2011. Google certainly seems to be onto a winner with Android!<br />
<br />
Nice that daylight savings is well underway and the long warm evenings of summer are with us. Enjoy.<br />
<br />
Regards,<br />
<br />
The Zenbu Team.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-8326667622288085622011-07-20T15:20:00.006+12:002011-07-20T15:56:33.303+12:00Updated mobile usage statsHi everyone,<div><br /></div><div>Just a quick update of our "mobile" usage stats for those (geeks) out there who are interested in such data. About a year ago (July 19th 2010) the following was the breakdown of mobile device usage and mobile users comprised just over 3% of total visitors to our website.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><table cellspacing="20"><tbody><tr><th style="text-align: left; ">Device type</th><th style="text-align: left; ">Percentage of users</th></tr><tr><td>iPod</td><td>37.6%</td></tr><tr><td>iPhone</td><td>24.6%</td></tr><tr><td>Symbian (Nokia etc)</td><td>18.0%</td></tr><tr><td>iPad (not even officially on sale in NZ yet)</td><td>7.9%</td></tr><tr><td>Android</td><td>7.5%</td></tr><tr><td>Blackberry</td><td>2.1%</td></tr><tr><td>Windows Mobile</td><td>1.5%</td></tr><tr><td>Others (PSP etc) combined</td><td>less than 1%</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div>As of today (again statistics from the preceding month) the following was the breakdown of mobile operating systems used to access our website. Mobile devices comprised 9.5% of total visits to our website in the last month.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><table cellspacing="20"><tbody><tr><th style="text-align: left; ">Device type</th><th style="text-align: left; ">Percentage of users</th></tr><tr><td>Android</td><td>35.1%</td></tr><tr><td>iPhone</td><td>29.8%</td></tr><tr><td>iPod</td><td>18.9%</td></tr><tr><td>iPad</td><td>12.8%</td></tr><tr><td>Symbian</td><td>1.3%</td></tr><tr><td>Blackberry</td><td>1.2%</td></tr><tr><td>Others (PSP, Windows etc) combined</td><td>less than 1%<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span>So it seems pretty clear that 1. usage of mobile devices to access the internet is increasing; and 2. Android is growing in popularity phenomenally quickly!</div><div><br /></div><div>Being somewhat geeky ourselves we have a good selection of most of the devices listed above and can certainly vouch for the convenience and usability of mobile devices. I expect their usage will continue to increase.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hope the school holidays are being appreciated by all.</div><div><br /></div><div>Regards,</div><div><br /></div><div>The Zenbu Team.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-50275420394014517022011-05-06T10:02:00.014+12:002012-03-26T16:56:41.763+13:00Another busy summer and some peer-to-peer infoHi everyone,<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Well we have had a very busy summer. Since October 2010 the number of <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/new-zealand-wi-fi-hotspots/">Zenbu WiFi hotspots</a> has increased from 500 to over 680 and on 21st February 2011 we had our 2 millionth connection! It was only April 2010 that we had our millionth connection so in under a year we have had over 1 million internet sessions on our network. Also through the first few months of 2011 on average over 2000 people per day have used our service, about double the number of users in 2010. So on the growth front it certainly seems like good progress!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Now, we have recently been contacted by several people concerned about the "new copyright law" (the "<a href="http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2010/0119/latest/whole.html#dlm2764312">Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Bill</a>") that has recently been introduced. This has been getting a fair amount of media attention but fundamentally does not change the legality of anything. It is already illegal to download copyright material without the consent of the copyright holder and this bill just "seeks to amend Part 6 of the Copyright Act 1994 to provide more effective means for copyright owners to enforce their rights against people involved in unauthorised sharing of copyright material via the Internet (infringing file sharing). It aims to provide copyright owners with a fast-track alternative to existing remedies under the Act". So apparently nothing is becoming any more or less illegal due to this bill, only the means of resolving copyright disputes are changing.</div><div><br />
</div><div>How does this affect people sharing their internet connection with others? Well really it shouldn't change anything as it is already illegal to download copyright material without authorization.</div><div><br />
</div><div>As far as the Zenbu system is concerned, by design it is prohibitively expensive to download big files (like music, movies etc) regardless of whether it is done legally or illegally. For example using an inefficient protocol such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BitTorrent_(protocol)">Bittorrent</a> (one popular peer-to-peer file sharing system that has relatively high protocol overheads) it would probably cost upwards of $100 to download a movie - certainly not something many people will do! So unless you are providing free internet access, people will not download movies, music, tv shows etc over the Zenbu connection as it is simply too expensive. This protects your broadband connection from heavy use which would leave you with either a big bill, slow speeds for the rest of the month or at best a slow connection while people download movies and it also helps protect you from "copyright infringement". Regardless of whether people do it legally (using <a href="http://www.itunes.com/">iTunes</a>, <a href="http://www.digirama.co.nz/">Digirama</a> or even peer-to-peer software) or illegally (using Bittorrent or other peer-to-peer software) it is a good idea to minimize the transfer of large files over your broadband connection.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Other than with the disincentive of price provided by the Zenbu system, people concerned about the risk of peer-to-peer file downloading can generally block file-sharing protocols at their broadband modem. The administration page of the broadband modem will generally have a "firewall" or "filter" option which should allow you to easily filter/block peer-to-peer traffic. It is much more likely that people with unrestricted access to the internet (staff, your children, friends etc) will use file-sharing than anyone connected via the Zenbu connection (unless you provide people with free internet access). Because it is all traffic over the broadband connection that needs restricting the best place to block peer-to-peer traffic is it at your broadband modem (or at your ISP).</div><div><br />
</div><div>If your existing broadband modem doesn't have such an option it would probably be worth calling your ISP and asking them if they can provide (or at least recommend) one that does. Many broadband modems supplied by ISPs are pretty poor quality so this could be a good opportunity to get a better, more reliable, more functional (and often much faster) modem. Not only should it allow you to block peer-to-peer traffic but it should also provide a much improved internet experience for you and your customers.</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://bit.ly/iE9et1">Here is an article</a> with information on some <a href="http://bit.ly/iE9et1">broadband modems</a> commonly provided by ISPs in New Zealand - <a href="http://bit.ly/iE9et1">http://bit.ly/iE9et1</a>. The information provided is in-keeping with our experiences of different broadband modems. Basically a good modem should never need restarting to stay online and should provide good speed and reliable connectivity to your computer(s)/devices. As well as the modems recommended at the link above I highly recommend <a href="http://www.draytek.com/">DrayTek modems</a>. We use the <a href="http://draytek.com/user/PdInfoDetail.php?Id=9">Draytek 2700e</a> (<a href="http://goo.gl/7NkIx">some other DrayTek modems are here</a>) for one of our broadband connections and in over 18 months it has not once needed restarting and has been super reliable (and yes it has the option of blocking peer-to-peer services). Of course you should confirm that any equipment or service you are considering buying will actually do the job you want with the manufacturer or your ISP before you purchase it.<br />
<br />
Please be aware that completely blocking all peer-to-peer traffic is technically very difficult, if not impossible, as the peer-to-peer traffic can be encrypted, different ports can be used etc. and a determined user will likely get around <i>any</i> blocks that are put in place. There is an aspect of cat-and-mouse between peer-to-peer file sharing software developers and the network administrators that attempt to block or disrupt the peer-to-peer traffic. Naturally our politicians are a long way from the front lines of this technical battle ground! A combination of blocking or restricting traffic at your modem and pricing that makes the use of peer-to-peer file sharing unattractive is likely the best solution available.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Edit: Additional information on the copyright amendment bill is available at <a href="http://3strikes.net.nz/">http://3strikes.net.nz/</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Well that has turned into quite a long post. Any Twitterers out there who prefer things in smaller doses might like to <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ZenbuNetworks">follow our twitter feed</a>.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Regards,</div><div><br />
</div><div>The Zenbu Team.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-53796046436430203262010-10-01T12:40:00.004+13:002010-10-01T15:09:59.550+13:00GST changes, more connections and over 500 Zenbu locations onlineHi everyone,<div><br /></div><div>Well it's about time for another quick update on things here at Zenbu HQ.</div><div><br /></div><div>As most of you are probably well aware, GST in New Zealand has increased to 15% as of today, October 1st 2010. Despite the increase in GST we are <b>not</b> going to increase our prices.</div><div><br /></div><div>For people providing Zenbu wireless access who are not registered for GST the increase in GST means there will be a change in the per-megabyte amount you are paid for usage. You will still be paid 50% of revenue we receive, but the amount we receive has decreased so the amount we pay will also decrease.</div><div><br /></div><div>Up until today we have been paid 8.89 cents per megabyte by customers who purchase credit online (10 cents less GST @ 12.5% = 8.89 cents) and 50% of that has been paid to the location at which the credit is used (4.44 cents per megabyte). From today because we now only receive 8.70 cents per megabyte (10 cents less GST @ 15% = 8.70 cents) the location at which credit is used (if not GST registered) will be paid 4.35 cents per megabyte.</div><div><br /></div><div>GST registered zone operators will continue to receive 50% of the GST inclusive payment we receive from customers (5 cents per megabyte).</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, with that taxing topic out of the way I'm happy to point out we now have over 500 locations providing Zenbu wireless access (518 Zenbu hotspots are online as I type this). The map of New Zealand is very well covered (<a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/new-zealand-wi-fi-hotspots-map">http://www.zenbu.net.nz/new-zealand-wi-fi-hotspots-map</a>) with Zenbu hotspots available from Mangonui in the north to Stewart Island in the south and most places in between (including Balclutha, Waiau, Waipukurau, Temuka, Rangiora, Great Barrier Island and many other places outside the "main centres" that many businesses focus on). It's nice to see all the smaller towns around NZ gradually appearing on the map.</div><div><br /></div><div>I should also mention we now have over 20 <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/cook-islands-wi-fi-hotspots/RAROTONGA/">Zenbu locations in Rarotonga</a>. It's a much easier destination to visit for people who need to stay in touch than it was before the Zenbu wireless system was made available (if I may say so myself). On that front, Cook Island operators can now register a Cook Island bank account to receive payments from us. Just click on the "register a bank account" link on your zone administration page and provide your account details.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now it was only back in April that we had our millionth connection. Already, only 6 months later, we have had nearly 1.5 million. The 1.5 millionth connection should happen sometime in the next few weeks. It's great to have so many people using the system so frequently.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well that's about it from us.</div><div><br /></div><div>Regards,</div><div><br /></div><div>The Zenbu Team.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-9065789695586524292010-07-19T11:33:00.005+12:002010-07-19T12:41:40.432+12:00Improved mobile website now liveHi everyone,<div><br /></div><div>Just a quick note to let everyone know that the improved Zenbu mobile website is now live. People have always been able to access the Zenbu website, login and use the internet on their mobile devices, but as the number of people using mobile devices continues to grow we thought they should have an improved interface. So when people use their <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/">iPhone</a>, <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipod/">iPod</a>, <a href="http://www.android.com/">flash Android cellphone</a>, <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/">fancy new iPad</a>, or trusty old Nokia to access <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/">our website</a> they should now have a better experience - not so much scrolling and zooming required.</div><div><br /></div><div>For those interested in a few geeky stats, keep reading. People on "mobile" devices only account for just over 3% of visitors to our website (by far the majority still use "normal" computers). The following are the most popular mobile devices used:</div><br /><br /><br /><table cellspacing="20"><tbody><tr><th style="text-align:left">Device type</th><th style="text-align:left">Percentage of users</th></tr><tr><td>iPod</td><td>37.6%</td></tr><tr><td>iPhone</td><td>24.6%</td></tr><tr><td>Symbian (Nokia etc)</td><td>18.0%</td></tr><tr><td>iPad (not even officially on sale in NZ yet)</td><td>7.9%</td></tr><tr><td>Android</td><td>7.5%</td></tr><tr><td>Blackberry</td><td>2.1%</td></tr><tr><td>Windows Mobile</td><td>1.5%</td></tr><tr><td>Others (PSP etc) combined</td><td>less than 1%</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />So there's some info on our mobile users. I expect we will continue to see usage by mobile devices increase and it'll be interesting to watch the changes in the types of devices people are using. Apple is certainly dominant in the category at this stage!<br /><br />I'd also like to quickly thank all our hard working servers for working so tirelessly, reliably and without any complaints! Although they probably don't appreciate the gratitude, they really do a good job humming away in the Maxnet data centre 24/7 keeping the Zenbu service running smoothly. Thanks to them (and I guess their managers deserve some credit too!) the Zenbu website has been available 99.996% of 2010. The only downtime was the scheduled server maintenance back in January. So good job servers!<div><br /></div><div>I hope all is well out there and that all our zone operators (and all the school kids) had successful school holidays.</div><div><br /></div><div>Regards,</div><div><br /></div><div>The Zenbu Team.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-5506154889606740752010-06-09T16:00:00.004+12:002010-06-09T16:44:57.909+12:00A few new things and some milestonesHi everyone,<div><br /></div><div>It has been a busy start to 2010 for us and apparently also for most of our zone operators. On average there have been well over 1000 people per day using the Zenbu network, well up on the numbers from the previous summer.</div><div><br /></div><div>During the summer we upgraded some of our servers making the Zenbu wireless service both faster and even more reliable than ever. Since the beginning of 2010 our system has been available 99.996% of the time and the minimal downtime we have had was during the scheduled outages when we were upgrading the servers!</div><div><br /></div><div>We have also recently reached a few milestones. Notably our millionth connection happened back in early April and we have now had over 200,000 visitors to the Zenbu.net.nz website since we started! It is very satisfying to see the growth and to pass such milestones.</div><div><br /></div><div>The number of locations with <a href="http://bit.ly/bVTRRd">Zenbu WiFi access in the Cook Islands</a> continues to grow and The Computerman up there seems to be doing a good job promoting the Zenbu wireless solution. Rarotonga is now pretty well covered and people should never be too far from a Zenbu WiFi hotspot if they need to make sure all is well on the internet while they're enjoying the warmth of the Cook Islands.</div><div><br /></div><div>Function-wise we have recently added the ability of zone operators to add <i>friends</i> with a limited amount of free data they can use each month. This is a function that had been requested by a few operators over the years and makes good sense. So it is now possible to provide a user with say 1 gigabyte free access per month and have their credit automatically reset each month on a particular day (eg. the day your broadband allowance resets). Great for venues with long term guests, regular customers or even people just wanting to control their kids' internet usage!</div><div><br /></div><div>Well although it feels like it's time to hibernate for the winter, we'll be busy improving things for all our users.</div><div><br /></div><div>Regards,</div><div><br /></div><div>The Zenbu Team.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-22197344900686198142009-11-12T17:38:00.005+13:002009-11-12T17:59:07.958+13:00Making it a bit easier to find thingsHi everyone,<div><br /></div><div>Well things are already getting busier for the summer, at least according to our usage statistics. It looks like the accommodation providers out there are filling up and tourists are once again roaming around the country in force visiting Zenbu wireless zones as they go. With all the iPhones and other nifty little computers out there that are easier to carry than ever, more and more people are taking their Wi-Fi gizmos with them on holiday.</div><div><br /></div><div>To help people find Zenbu hotspots we have improved the search functionality on the list of our wireless zones (which is getting pretty long these days!). It is now possible to display a list of all <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/new-zealand-wi-fi-hotspots/">New Zealand Wi-Fi hotspots</a> or a subset like <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/new-zealand-wi-fi-hotspots/PAIHIA/">Wi-Fi hotspots in Paihia</a> or <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/new-zealand-wi-fi-hotspots/KAIKOURA/">Wi-Fi hotspots in Kaikoura</a>. People can also search for Zenbu wireless internet zones in specific towns or regions (for example <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/new-zealand-wi-fi-hotspots/COROMANDEL/">Wi-Fi hotspots in Coromandel</a>, <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/new-zealand-wi-fi-hotspots/BAY OF PLENTY/">Wi-Fi hotspots in the Bay of Plenty</a>) using the search form on the list page. All the lists can be downloaded as a PDF file and saved to a computer so that the next Zenbu wireless internet zone is easy to find even when an internet connection is not available.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, it's definitely satisfying to have a list of zones so long that it needs to be better managed. We hope the new changes make it easier and more convenient for anyone wanting to find one of our wireless zones.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bring on summer!</div><div><br /></div><div>Regards,</div><div><br /></div><div>The Zenbu Team</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-63733664174937743122009-08-21T16:00:00.004+12:002009-08-21T16:37:36.594+12:00Zenbu Cook IslandsHi everyone,<div><br /></div><div>Well it's been a while since the last post and we've spent a busy few months sheltering from the weather in front of the computers. It now feels like we're emerging from winter and everything is springing back to life.</div><div><br /></div><div>The most major recent development is that Zenbu is now available in the Cook Islands. It is exactly the same system as is available in New Zealand but because broadband internet access up there is so expensive (and slow!) the price for Zenbu credit is 30 cents per megabyte. The Cook Islands is about the only country we've seen that has broadband plans that make New Zealand's seem great! For those interested (and who want to feel better about the prices and broadband speeds we get here in NZ) please have a look at <a href="http://www.oyster.net.ck/about/index.php?about=idsl">Cook Islands' broadband plans</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Zenbu customers who have purchased credit online in New Zealand can use their credit in the Cook Islands but will be charged the Cook Island price. People who purchase credit online while in the Cook Islands will be able to use their credit and will get NZ's cheaper price when they're back in New Zealand (so their credit will go even further). You can <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/zones_status?location=cook%20islands">view a list of the zones available in the Cook Islands here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>So welcome to the Cook Islands and thanks to Marcus at Air Rarotonga who discovered the Zenbu wireless system while in New Zealand and thought it was a good solution for them. We hope many happy tourists enjoy the Zenbu internet access that is already available and that the Zenbu wireless system will proliferate in the Cook Islands as it has in New Zealand.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well we now have over 350 zones online and the network continues to grow quickly. Thanks to everyone involved.</div><div><br /></div><div>Regards,</div><div><br /></div><div>The Zenbu Team.</div><div><br /></div><div>PS. Yes we do have new stickers in stock now. Please let us know if you'd like any to advertise your Zenbu wireless service.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-81721077944546910562009-05-29T12:45:00.004+12:002009-05-29T13:21:53.601+12:00Pago, lots of new zones and some new stickersHi everyone,<div><br /></div><div>Well it's been a good month weatherwise for slaving over a hot computer and not feeling like you're missing out! (Although it was very nice to see some sun for the first time in a while yesterday!)</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the outcomes of all the work is that as of today Pago has been added as a payment option for people purchasing credit for their Zenbu accounts. Pago allows people without a credit card to make payment using their Pago "wallets" (basically online "bank" accounts) linked to their mobile phone or email account. It's a pretty nifty system which can be used to send payments to people by text message or email (not just for shopping online). More information is available on the <a href="http://www.pago.co.nz">Pago website</a>. As always we are keen to hear any feedback regarding Pago (or anything else).</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, this month has already seen the addition of 20 new Zenbu wireless zones to our network. Welcome to all the new venues. For people roaming the country, the addition of Dunkin' Donuts outlets in Auckland and <a href="http://www.whollybagels.co.nz">Wholly Bagels</a> in Wellington is handy. Easy to stop in for a bite to eat, a coffee and a quick internet session before moving on to your next destination. It's always very satisfying to see the new zones <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/zones_map">pop up on the map</a> and start being used.</div><div><br /></div><div>We have also received several requests lately from people wanting Zenbu stickers. We had run out of the previous stickers and were planning on redesigning them before having more printed, but because demand is relatively high we have ordered more of the same. They should be ready by the end of next week and we will forward them to customers who have requested them. If anyone else would like some stickers please let us know and we'll put you on the list.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rumour has it that Sammy at Zenbu.co.nz has the latest <a href="http://bit.ly/8NoUR">Google Android phone</a> in his hands so there may well be an Android version of the <a href="http://wiki.zenbu.co.nz/index.php/IPhone">Zenbu App</a> coming out sometime soon. Go Sammy!</div><div><br /></div><div>Alright, time for a bit of lunch for me before getting back into an afternoon on the computers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Regards,</div><div><br /></div><div>The Zenbu Team</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-89688407085053641092009-04-27T10:58:00.004+12:002009-04-27T11:29:10.273+12:00Record payments to our zone operatorsHi everyone,<div><br /></div><div>Well yesterday was another record for payments to our zone operators. For the first time ever we paid out over $8000 in a month, with the total coming in at $8016.71. I hope the upward trend continues despite the typically quieter winter period coming up! Thanks again to all our zone operators.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lately we're seeing (and hearing of) an increasing number of people roaming the country choosing to stay at accommodations and visit businesses offering Zenbu wireless access. We recently received a great email from one such person who had spent about a month in New Zealand, traveling from Auckland, to Paihia, through Tauranga to Rotorua and Ohakune, then through the South Island, connecting at 13 different Zenbu venues along the way. How much did it cost for internet access to do all that? For this visitor the total cost was $5. No wonder he liked his Zenbu experience and took the time to send the following email after returning to Germany!</div><div><br /></div><div>"Hi, i want tell you about my great expierience with using Zenbu on my holiday in NZ. It is so easy and cheap. <a href="http://wiki.zenbu.co.nz/index.php/IPhone" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 170, 238); text-decoration: underline; ">The iPhone application</a> is very helpful. Every Hotel/Motel should have a Zenbu router. Greetings from Germany."<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It is certainly very satisfying to see our little network being used as we hoped it would be and to receive such positive feedback from happy customers!</div><div><br /></div><div>In other <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">news</span>, and loosely related to people roaming the country choosing Zenbu businesses, because the number of venues providing Zenbu wireless access has been increasing constantly we have finally had to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">clean up</span> the map on our website. It is now hopefully much easier to find our wireless zones in particular locations. As well as being easier to find, any accommodations signed up with <a href="http://www.vianet.travel/">Vianet</a> can now be booked online, directly from the links on our map. You can view the map of our wireless zones at <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/zones_map">http://www.zenbu.net.nz/zones_map</a>. Note that if you're at one of our wireless zones, you will need to login to the website in order to see the map. If you have any suggestions for the map of our zones or any experience with Vianet that you'd like to share, <a href="mailto: info@zenbu.net.nz">please do!</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, that's about it from HQ. Back to work for me.</div><div><br /></div><div>Regards,</div><div><br /></div><div>The Zenbu Team</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-75177841529086072202009-01-14T09:18:00.003+13:002009-01-14T09:30:45.906+13:00Some street view and record payoutsHi everyone,<div><br /></div><div>I hope you have all had a good Christmas and beginning to the new year.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is just a very quick note to let you all know that we have added Street View to our maps, so you can now check what different locations look like before visiting. It has been handy and interesting for us to tour the ever growing Zenbu network and get a better idea of the layout of many of our zones. You can view the map at <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/zones_map">http://www.zenbu.net.nz/zones_map</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Also, December was yet again a record month for payments made to our zone operators. A total of $6284.46 was paid out. It is very satisfying to see the ongoing growth. We are also hearing more and more often that the Zenbu wireless system is being recommended by our customers to others. This is about the best compliment we can receive and are pleased that so many of our customers think so highly of our solution.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's about it from Zenbu HQ. I hope you have a great 2009.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time, thanks for using Zenbu.</div><div><br /></div><div>Regards,</div><div><br /></div><div>The Zenbu Team</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-63403947496329837602008-11-17T12:40:00.003+13:002008-11-17T14:53:14.613+13:00More records fall by the waysideHi everyone,<br /><br />It's been a while since the last update but there are a few things we think are worth mentioning.<br /><br />First, each of the last 3 months has been an improvement on the previous record for customers using the Zenbu wireless network. In October we paid out a record total of $4000.61 to our zone operators. That's up from <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">only </span>$2396.68 in July. It's very satisfying to have so many people using the system. The current maximum number of simultaneous users that we've seen online is 94, which is certainly quite a crowd!<br /><br />This growth means we'll be adding more servers over the coming months to provide an even more reliable service and allow for continued expansion. We already have quite a collection of servers, that can comfortably handle the current load, but we're very happy to have plenty of redundancy and capacity so the Zenbu service will continue to be as robust as possible. If we are making any changes that might impact service we will post the information on our website.<br /><br />Some of you may have noticed already but we have recently added a Live Chat option to our contact page. This allows people to contact us without having to call and without needing to be able to check their email. Hopefully it will be accessible to everyone, even those not able to login to use the internet, but if you experience any problems using the service please let us know. If the trial goes well Live Chat should become a permanent feature.<br /><br />I'd also like to mention the new Zenbu search application which runs on the Apple iPhone. For details please see <a href="http://wiki.zenbu.co.nz/index.php/IPhone">http://wiki.zenbu.co.nz/index.php/IPhone</a>. It's great to have all that info in your pocket with no need to pay data charges. A Windows Mobile version should be available sometime in the future. Good job developing it Sammy!<br /><br />Well, we welcome all the new zone operators who have signed up to provide Zenbu wireless service over the last couple of months. It is very nice to continually see new zones popping up on the map!<br /><br />Until next time thanks for using Zenbu.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />The Zenbu TeamUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-45968143267912119512008-08-01T11:41:00.003+12:002008-08-01T13:02:34.858+12:00A record month of payments to zone operatorsHi everyone,<br /><br />Well the horrible weather throughout most of the country for most of July apparently kept people inside using the internet. We made record payments to our zone operators of $2396.68 in July. On top of this, many more people used access vouchers obtained from the operators of our wireless zones for access. So there was certainly a lot of internet use in July! It is very satisfying to see so many people happily using our wireless system.<br /><br />During July we also reached the mini-milestone of 200 zones deployed and online. We are still growing very quickly with much of the growth due to the very positive word of mouth we receive from our customers. Thanks to everyone who uses the Zenbu system and especially to those of you who have told others about it. It's nice to see the map of New Zealand so well covered with Zenbu markers.<br /><br />On the developmental side of things, you may have noticed some new functions we have added to the zone administration page. You can now provide free access to certain websites and can also use your own website as the page people see once they've connected to the internet. It is also possible to 'hide' your zone. This will remove it from the map and list of our zones. These functions are listed as 'Premium' services on the administration page. In the future there may be an additional charge for using some or all of these functions, but for now they are available free of charge.<br /><br />A new payment option has also been added. People can now use American Express credit cards when purchasing credit online.<br /><br />Well that's about it from Zenbu HQ. Hopefully we'll see the sun again sometime in August!<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />The Zenbu TeamUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-77549948638699770472008-04-17T11:52:00.003+12:002008-04-17T12:12:15.132+12:00PDF list of zones and a bit more searchHi everyone,<br /><br />Another function has just been added to our website.<br /><br />People often want a list of our zone locations which they can take with them. Well, now you can easily create and download a PDF list directly from our website. This is great for printing and giving to people and for people to save to their own computers so they can look up our zone locations when they are away from an internet connection.<br /><br />Both the address and the GPS coordinates of zones are provided, so high-tech travelers carrying GPS devices can find the zone by coordinates (if they think our New Zealand addresses are a bit difficult to work with). Other contact details for the zone are also provided.<br /><br />You can also search for zones in a particular location and save this sub-list. If you're going on holiday to Paihia (for example), just display the zones in Paihia, then save the PDF list to your computer or print it out and take your pick from the list when you get there.<br /><br />The lists are updated daily, so will always be up to date.<br /><br />You can try this new function on our <a href="http://www.zenbu.net.nz/zones_status.php">zones list</a> page.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />The Zenbu TeamUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-57499224088029220772008-04-11T11:30:00.003+12:002008-04-11T12:04:59.882+12:00Adding access codes as friendsHello everyone,<br /><br />Another quick update on happenings here at Zenbu HQ.<br /><br />Well, it seems that every month we are setting records for payments to zone operators. Last month we paid a total of $1746.04 and on top of this zone operators sold a lot of their own access vouchers! It is very satisfying to see lots of payments being made to our zone operators as it means more and more people are using the Zenbu Wireless Network. And we're still growing very quickly. In just the last month we have added another dozen zones. This time last year we only had a dozen zones in total!<br /><br />A minor function which has been added recently is the ability to add access codes as friends of a zone. This means the access code will have free internet access. This may be useful for venues wanting to provide unlimited internet access for a limited time (conferences, special customers etc). Just create the access code as always, then add it as a friend on your zone administration page and give it to the person you want to have unlimited internet access. When you want to stop the unrestricted internet access, simply delete the access code from the system or remove it as a friend. We hope at least some of you find this function helpful. (Thank you Simon for the suggestion.)<br /><br />As always, if you have any requests for new functions please let us know. We listen closely to feedback and requests from customers and most requests make it onto the ever-expanding planning board.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />The Zenbu TeamUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703928514342555096.post-47608429765375756842008-02-28T15:23:00.008+13:002008-11-07T18:13:31.652+13:00Zenbu stickers and instructions for connecting...Hello everyone,<br /><br />Just a quick note to let all zone operators know that we now have waterproof outdoor stickers available. These are designed to be added to your existing signage to help advertise your Zenbu wireless internet system.<br /><br />There are two sizes available, the larger is 25.5cm x 14cm and the smaller is 9.1cm square. Both are printed on UV resistant, waterproof vinyl suitable for being displayed outdoors.<br /><table><tr><td valign="top" align="center"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8rRm8MV7ZhrK1gXxRHRsULRGNefFSZ-cV6iN1KTrkWGF0O2bGhAwjGmn9KgYZWu5VgF1u9oflmTx60tU7OwZuO5JpgftQgzWnZrktaq-7iEzRHbaeqxL9mn9Ot8t2IWNJSJrKtvy-lo/s1600-h/sticker-255x140mm.gif"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8rRm8MV7ZhrK1gXxRHRsULRGNefFSZ-cV6iN1KTrkWGF0O2bGhAwjGmn9KgYZWu5VgF1u9oflmTx60tU7OwZuO5JpgftQgzWnZrktaq-7iEzRHbaeqxL9mn9Ot8t2IWNJSJrKtvy-lo/s200/sticker-255x140mm.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171855721584596626" /></a><br />[ 255mm x 140mm ]<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO0Qjp03Nltb8qHHN0yFtoKHcrCEMkQdGFobLVIm13EEXsm8jv4mCUdGWkiAWlQll3BgvSO4onVn0vaqWfEEYzIAhh4MKzNBsWe65-Lr1-ss9_cX82zmDneCSMP42EJseXIJeXZMh_k8Q/s1600-h/sticker-91mm.gif"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO0Qjp03Nltb8qHHN0yFtoKHcrCEMkQdGFobLVIm13EEXsm8jv4mCUdGWkiAWlQll3BgvSO4onVn0vaqWfEEYzIAhh4MKzNBsWe65-Lr1-ss9_cX82zmDneCSMP42EJseXIJeXZMh_k8Q/s200/sticker-91mm.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171862460388284066" /></a><br />[ 91mm x 91mm ]<br /></td></tr></table><br />If you would like some of these stickers to use at your zone, please send us an email and we will post some out to you.<br /><br />We have also been asked by several zone operators whether there are any instructions available that they can put in their rooms to help people connect to the internet. Connection instructions have been available on our website for some time, but were obviously too well-hidden for many people to find. There is now a more prominent link to the connection instructions on the zone administration page. <br /><br />Please let us know if you'd like some stickers or still have difficulty finding or printing the instructions for connecting to the internet.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />The Zenbu TeamUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0