Latest from ITPro in Internet

TP-Link just hit a 'critical milestone' in breakthrough Wi-Fi 8 trials – the results are very promising so far, but don’t expect huge speed gains

ross.kelly@futurenet.com (Ross Kelly) — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 07:45:00 +0000

TP-Link has successfully completed a trial of Wi-Fi 8 in a move the company described as a “critical milestone” in the development of next-generation wireless connectivity.

In a trial conducted alongside an unnamed industry partner, the company said data transmission using a “prototype” device. This test successfully validated both the Wi-Fi 8 beacon and data throughput, according to TP-Link.

“This underscores the feasibility of the technology and marks a critical milestone in global Wi-Fi 8 development,” the company said in a statement.

“TP-Link is taking the next important step towards the highly reliable wireless performance that the industry requires, given the increasing availability of devices and bandwidth-intensive applications.”

The announcement from TP-Link comes in the wake of rapid Wi-Fi 7 adoption in recent years. As ITPro reported in early 2024, the Wi-Fi Alliance began certifying devices that supported the new connectivity standard, which offers improved speed and connectivity compared to its predecessor.

Wi-Fi 7, for example, provides speeds up to four-time faster than Wi-Fi 6 and 6E.

However, if you’re expecting similar improvements akin to the jump from Wi-Fi 6E to Wi-Fi 7, you might be left disappointed. This latest iteration won’t blow users away as far as speed or bandwidth goes.

Indeed, specifications released by the company show Wi-Fi 8 will use the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands – which are already used by Wi-Fi 7. Elsewhere, Wi-Fi 8 will also use a 48 Gbps data rate with a 320 MHz maximum channel bandwidth.

So what’s all the fuss about?

What to expect from Wi-Fi 8

TP-Link is keen to emphasize that this marks the first major breakthrough in development of the new standard, which is a significant milestone.

There will be notable improvements for users, however. Chief among these are stability and reliability, the firm noted.

“Wi-Fi 8 is the next Wi-Fi standard, focused on ultra-high reliability,” TP-Link said in a statement. “Instead of striving for maximum speed, it focuses on stable connections, stronger coverage, and smoother roaming – even on heavily congested networks.”

Wi-Fi 8 will also better manage more devices simultaneously and provide users with a stable connection while moving around a home or office space, for example.

“Devices experience less lag and greater stability - even at greater distances from the router.”

Don’t hold your breath for the arrival of Wi-Fi 8, however. The standard still needs to be ratified, which the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) recently noted will be finalized by 2028.

Three and Ericsson just launched a first-of-its-kind managed 5G service for businesses

ross.kelly@futurenet.com (Ross Kelly) — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 10:04:42 +0000

Three Ireland and Ericsson have announced the launch of a new managed 5G service aimed at bolstering enterprise connectivity.

Dubbed 3Business Broadband Pro, the new service represents a “groundbreaking leap in connectivity” for businesses across the country, the duo claimed, providing users with improved reliability, performance, and scalability.

The service will use the Ericsson Cradlepoint X10 Router, managed through the Ericsson NetCloud service, and is targeted for use across a range of sectors, from retail to remote operations.

“By combining Ericsson’s advanced wireless solutions with Three’s customer-centric approach, we are enabling connectivity that will unlock new levels of agility, security, and scalability,” said Ross Hockey, senior director for EMEA service provider sales at Ericsson.

“This innovative platform not only addresses the evolving technology needs of today’s businesses but also paves the way for future digital transformation and growth.”

What customers can expect from 3Business Broadband Pro

Underpinned by Ericsson NetCloud, the duo said the new managed service will give users a “single dashboard” through which they can configure, deploy, and monitor network devices across multiple locations.

This includes access to 4G and 5G connectivity depending on specific needs, Ericsson revealed in a statement.

Meanwhile, the X10 router will facilitate the delivery of the service, with customers also granted an “optional battery backup capability” to maintain connectivity in the event of power outages.

Key features of the managed 5G service touted by the duo include “pro high-speed connectivity” for uploads and downloads, which Ericsson said will ensure businesses can “operate seamlessly without interruptions”.

Scalability is another big talking point with the launch of the service, with enterprises able to adjust usage based on changing needs. This will give users the ability to add new users and locations without the need for costly infrastructure expansion projects.

Other features include “high-grade encryption” and data protection measures to bolster security and ensure compliance with privacy regulations

“Three understands how important it is for businesses to have solutions that are agile, reliable and secure,” said Ciara O’Reilly, head of business product at Three Ireland.

“Utilizing Ericsson’s transformational technology, 3Business Broadband Pro will truly alter how businesses control and engage with their own connectivity systems, providing an enhanced means of managing their users and hardware remotely.”

Similarly, the service will offer customers enhanced support through Three Ireland’s customer care team in Limerick.

This, the duo said, will allow remote access to equipment to streamline troubleshooting and remediation in the event of faults or downtime.

Stansted IT glitch causes thousands to miss their flights

jane.mccallion@futurenet.com (Jane McCallion) — Mon, 12 May 2025 12:10:55 +0000

Travelers at London Stansted Airport, Essex, were left bound to terra firma on Sunday 11 May after an IT issue led to massive delays across several airlines.

In a statement to the PA news agency, the airport said only that there was an “IT outage” that occurred when the terminal was particularly busy on Sunday morning. The airport told ITPro that it was still investigating the root cause of the IT issue “but it looks like it may be related to internet connectivity”.

The airport confirmed to ITPro that while the issue affected "a host of airport systems ... the main ones were airline check-in, baggage and security.

The problem was first identified at 2.30am, according to The Standard and wasn’t resolved until for eight hours, meaning those turning up for early morning flights were caught in the middle of the outage. While Stansted Airport told ITPro that no flights were cancelled during the outage, by the time the systems had recovered thousands of people had nevertheless missed their flights.

While Jet2 and Tui chose to delay their flights and wait for passengers, according to Mail Online Ryanair “dispatched near-empty planes on time to avoid delays later in the day”. The website also reported that some people who were flying with Jet2 and Tui chose to leave Stansted and rebook for flights leaving from alternative airports, rather than wait in the crowds of people hoping to get help from their airlines..

This is far from the first IT incident to cause chaos at a major airport. In 2020, an IT problem at London Heathrow Airport – the busiest in the UK – meant digital departure and arrival boards stopped working, causing passengers to miss already delayed flights.

A 2019 IT outage caused major headaches for British Airways passengers departing Terminal 5 of the same airport, due to a supplier-side issue.

Meanwhile, in November 2015, planes were grounded at Paris Orly airport after a piece of software linking air traffic control with the French met office that ran only on Windows 3.1 malfunctioned.

Over half a million UK businesses struggle with insufficient bandwidth

george.fitzmaurice@futurenet.com (George Fitzmaurice) — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 12:31:58 +0000

One-in-ten UK businesses are being held back by insufficient bandwidth, a new report from Beaming has revealed.

This equates to over half a million (560,000) firms nationwide, including 370,000 small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) on standard broadband services and 122,000 using fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) connectivity.

Medium-sized and large organizations are being affected as well, with around 35,000 of these larger firms yet to upgrade to dedicated ethernet or other gigabit-capable systems.

Poor connectivity is a serious IT challenge, particularly as data volumes and communications traffic increases, the study warned. Network capacity demand from UK businesses saw a 30% increase over the course of 2024, Beaming said.

Insufficient bandwidth can cause a range of issues, the study found. Overloaded networks can delay customer interactions and affect workflows by slowing access to cloud applications and communications tools. They can also force businesses into periods of downtime that prevent communication or transactions.

There’s a security aspect as well, as network congestion can mask suspicious activity and allow malware into systems, making firms more vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Businesses are straining their bandwidth

Bandwidth and connectivity problems can create significant costs for businesses, according to Tom Grange, director of connectivity business at Bionic, and firms need to consider how they manage internet infrastructure.

Video calling tools and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems, for example, can demand a lot of bandwidth, so firms should ensure VoIP has dedicated resources to maintain call quality, Grange told ITPro. Peer-to-peer file sharing can also drain bandwidth, as well as overcrowded connections.

"When multiple employees are using the same, single connection, more devices will use more bandwidth. Because of this, each device is automatically allotted a smaller portion of available bandwidth which can result in slower data transfer," Grange said.

How can businesses mitigate the issue?

Provisioning sufficient bandwidth and ensuring internet connections can handle peak traffic is key, Beaming’s report stated, as well as implementing Quality of Service (QoS) measures that prioritize critical applications.

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Firms can employ advanced traffic management systems, for example - these are tools that can be utilized to manage network traffic more efficiently, prevent network congestion, and ensure smoother operations.

Proactive monitoring is also useful. By keeping a close eye on network performance, businesses can identify potential issues and address them before they become problematic.

Poor broadband connectivity is costing London SMBs billions

Emma Woollacott — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 09:53:00 +0000

London’s small and medium businesses (SMBs) are making £28 billion a year less than they should thanks to slow and unreliable workplace broadband connectivity, new research shows.

High costs, along with the complexity of securing reliable services, make the cost of fast and dependable connectivity prohibitive for many firms, according to analysis from G.Network.

This, the company said, leaves many SMBs at a major disadvantage in terms of productivity, innovation, and competitiveness.

"Digital connectivity is at the heart of London’s economy, but despite extensive availability the SMEs we spoke to for the research are still suffering because connections are too costly and complicated," said Kevin Murphy, CEO of G.Network.

"As an SME ourselves, we understand the challenges they’re facing, and we’re determined to put an end to slow internet speeds."

Working with Censuswide and Development Economics, researchers surveyed senior leaders and business owners at the capital’s SMBs, with the results used in conjunction with ONS data to establish the overall economic impact on revenue.

The study found broadband issues have negatively affected productivity for a quarter of all employees over the last three months, leading to an estimated annual lost output of £5.34 billion Gross Value Added (GVA).

More than half of senior leaders and business owners said they'd considered moving office locations to get better access to faster and more reliable internet services, with four-in-ten stating they can’t serve clients in the way they’d like due to connectivity problems.

A quarter admitted that problems with slow or unreliable broadband have caused them to lose out on business. Similarly, almost half (47%) of business owners and senior leaders said employee productivity is often undermined by poor connectivity.

How improved broadband connectivity can solve SMB problems

SMBs identified quicker response times to clients and customers as two of the key benefits they could reap from improved connectivity.

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Looking ahead, said G.Network, the productivity gap experienced by SMBs is only likely to get worse, with poor connectivity compromising their ability to leverage emerging technologies and remain competitive in an increasingly digital economy.

"London’s SMEs play a key role in powering growth and productivity in the capital," commented John Dickie, CEO of London business advocacy group BusinessLDN.

"This important research from G.Network not only underlines the connectivity challenges that businesses in the capital are facing, but also shines a light on the fantastic growth opportunity that lies ahead, for London and the wider UK, should access to fast and reliable broadband be improved for the city’s SMEs."

New industry-backed IoT security standards aim to improve device safety

Steve Ranger — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 14:30:57 +0000

New IoT security standards could make it easier to choose devices that are hardened against some of the most common vulnerabilities.

IoT covers pretty much any physical device which can be connected to a digital network. IoT devices like digital locks, smart speakers, home surveillance systems, and routers are increasingly common, but have frequently been flagged as at-risk to threat actors.

That poor security can create risks for the users of these devices, such as the wrong people being able to access their security webcam, and can risk opening a backdoor into their network.

IoT security flaws also can create problems for the wider world, such as when vulnerable routers were enrolled into a botnet, which was then used in a Russian espionage campaign. In a recent survey, 50% of IT leaders said they thought IoT was the weakest point of their security.

Now, the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has published the first version of its IoT Device Security Specification, which it hopes will create a single IoT cyber security standard and certification program.

That should give manufacturers an easy way to show that their devices comply with multiple international regulations and standards – and hopefully help consumers and businesses alike make better choices.

The CSA’s Product Security Working Group has consolidated the requirements from three sets of IoT cyber security regulations in the US, Singapore, and Europe into a single program so device makers can comply with international requirements. The alliance has already signed a mutual recognition arrangement with the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

What is the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)?

The 32-page specification includes dozens of specific device security provisions.

Manufacturers must demonstrate compliance with those provisions by supplying evidence to an authorized test lab. If they pass, manufacturers will be able to use the ‘Product Security Verified’ badge on their packaging. a printed URL, hyperlink, or QR code on the badge gives consumers access to more information about the device’s security features.

The CSA said that nearly 200 member companies including Amazon, Arm, Google, Schneider Electric, and Signify (who make Philips Hue and the WiZ smart lights ) have pooled their expertise to work on the IoT Device Security Specification 1.0

The specification includes a set of technical requirements but also broader expectations around updates and privacy. It requires that each device has a unique identity and that passwords must also be unique to each device and cannot be reset to a universal factory default.

Devices are required to have protections against brute force authentication attacks – a common way of breaching IoT devices right now.

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All sensitive data stored on the IoT device must be stored in a manner consistent with security best practices, the specs said. IoT devices also have to support software updates and devices should check for available updates at least once after they are set up and periodically after that, with ‘timely’ security updates provided during the duration of support.

The rules also require device makers to detail the expected device lifespan and the expected cyber security costs for end users. They also need to spell out the capabilities of the IoT device, including its external sensing capabilities, how data is created and handled, and its network access and requirements.

Similarly, hardware manufacturers will need to provide information about what personal data (and what telemetry data) is being processed, how it is being used, by whom, and for what purposes.

Manufacturers also need to establish a vulnerability disclosure process for their devices, which includes a way of reporting issues.

IoT security has been a long-running cause for concern

While some of these steps might seem like the very basics of cyber security, they have often been ignored by IoT device makers in the past. The new specification comes just as governments are paying more attention to the potential security risks in IoT devices.

Earlier this month, the US government launched its own voluntary cyber security labeling program for wireless consumer devices including home security cameras, internet-connected appliances, fitness trackers, garage door openers, and baby monitors.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) quoted figures suggesting there were more than 1.5 billion attacks against IoT devices in the first six months of 2021 – and that there are likely to be more than 25 billion connected IoT devices in operation by 2030.

The UK’s consumer connectable product security regime will come into effect on 29 April 2024, with companies selling devices in the UK required to be compliant from that date. That means being compliant with the ETSI EN 303 645 European standard.

What is the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)?

Drew Turney — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 12:52:40 +0000

As the vast web of internet-connected devices known as the Internet of Things (IoT) has grown, so too has the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Whereas IoT can refer to consumer devices or non-business-critical hardware, IIoT is used to describe the use of sensors to measure and automate machinery across an industrial environment such as a manufacturing plant.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

IoT security strategy: An arms race for businesses

You often hear the IIoT mentioned alongside terms like smart manufacturing or industry 4.0, but it can more accurately be thought of as the operating system that runs them. In essence, the IIoT is the digital infrastructure that lets manufacturing/industrial tools share and report on their use in a meaningful way.

The IoT has been something of a dry run for the IIoT. The underlying code is the same in principle, but the difference within the multimillion-dollar domain of manufacturing and industry is the types of tools that connect, the volume of information they produce, and the need to secure and interrogate them far more deeply than we do with consumer-facing tech.

The IIoT continues to grow, at pace. Although the number of internet-connected people is always growing, there are only eight billion of us. By the end of 2024, there will be approximately 207 billion IoT devices worldwide, per an October 2023 report by Forbes. A large slice of that pie will be occupied by IIoT networks and devices, with the global IIoT market forecast to hit $525.2 billion (£410.4 billion) by 2028 per Statista figures.

How IIoT forms the backbone of smart industry

The IIoT is already deeply entrenched in industries like energy, mining, manufacturing, transport, and healthcare. Like any other data system, from your mobile phone to a rocket launch, it all boils down to digital inputs and outputs, with the examples as varied as the users.

On the factory floor, this could mean keeping track of products as they are assembled, or the status of autonomous robots as they navigate the environment. For example, a packing robot could tell the network when a gripper is vibrating or coming loose, letting you stop production for just long enough to replace it rather than shutting down and incurring a long (and costly) delay after a catastrophic failure.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) plays a crucial role in modern automated manufacturing environments. (Image credit: Getty Images)

But the IIoT extends further than just manufacturing environments. Green energy businesses operating fleets of wind turbines use IIoT sensors to report on their operating efficiency, alerting operators when repairs are needed and giving turbine-by-turbine insights into operation. This is especially crucial for the oversight and ongoing maintenance of offshore wind farms, which can be made up of hundreds of turbines more than 50 miles offshore.

IIoT sensors can also provide live updates on factors outside your industrial environment, such as the arrival of a fleet of delivery trucks. This lets businesses improve routes and optimize supply chains.

How does IIoT work?

All of the benefits of the IIoT are possible thanks to sensors hooked up to every aspect of a physical workflow. Each tool in the process can record and report on inputs, outputs, location, temperature, wear and tear, and countless other measurements. The sensors take their readings and transmit them in a common language across a network, just like your laptop sends information throughout circuits using the common language of the Windows, macOS, or Linux operating systems.

The data is transmitted across a network, anything from a dedicated wired LAN environment to a public (hopefully encrypted) 5G signal. Businesses are increasingly pairing IIoT devices with a private 5G network for improved latency and pairing cloud-linked sensors with those capable of edge computing. The software then takes over, collecting and synthesizing the information into a workable form that gives you the overall insight you're looking for – think of an analytics suite calculating the performance of your entire online presence from your website to social media.

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Data can be fed directly into other systems or presented to a user for holistic oversight. The interface layer presents the results to the user, such as through a browser portal on a PC screen or in an interactive format embedded within a business' own software platform. In the most recent systems, it may even be accessible via a chatbot or AI copilot.

The IIoT takes a snapshot of any or all parts of your operation, letting you identify and zero in on individual components or tools that could be performing better, so your process overall benefits from higher speed, more efficiency, better productivity, more robust safety, or any number of other metrics.

The future of the IIoT across sectors

As the IIoT becomes more widespread, it's generating practices, procedures, and processes that are making it more innovative and enhancing systems across the tech sector.

As interest in green data centers and energy efficiency grows, the IIoT also has a large part to play. Sensors can be used to measure the temperature within data centers, track data center availability, or identify the most demanding workloads. IIoT sensors will be a core factor in helping tech leaders measure sustainability performance.

Firms that create a digital twin, a 3D virtual representation of a building, power plant, factory floor, etc, can inform this simulation in real time using live data from IIoT sensors. The digital twin gives you vastly expanded powers to improve. Whether it's concepting and testing workflow changes before you deploy them or simulating a change in location or inputs, a digital twin gives you a virtual build of your business to play with endlessly for little more than the requisite compute cost.

Another is the hyper-connected world of the cloud. As cloud networks become more widespread and robust across industries, IIoT information from one company or actor can connect with datasets of countless customers, suppliers, and partners for everyone's benefit.

In just one example, sales information from way downstream that reports on how many customers are buying your product can be fed back to the factory floor, automatically increasing or decreasing the speed of production to suit so you don't run out of stock or end up with expensive warehouses full of it.

More people have more insight into industrial procedures than ever before, which will let us build things better, more safely, and more sustainably on a collective basis.

Such vastly expanded datasets will also be the natural home of AI technologies. Big data is so named because the datasets involved are too vast for humans to synthesize and process. Sifting through IIoT data about (for instance) the carbon emissions of the global automotive manufacturing industry to find ways to build better will be where machine learning (ML) algorithms and big data analytics shine.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

What is deep tech?

The industrial world is full of internet-connected things and as the years go on it relies on data as much as any of its more tangible parts. The IIoT will play a pivotal role in the sector’s future and help businesses optimize processes to an increasing degree.

Glasgow eyes goal of becoming Europe’s leading IoT city with launch of new innovation hub

Emma Woollacott — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 10:59:21 +0000

Glasgow City Council and the Smart Things Accelerator Centre (STAC) aim to position the city as one of Europe’s leading locations for IoT innovation through the launch of a new hub.

The public-private partnership, underpinned by £2.5 million in funding, will support the launch of a 250-desk facility named "thebeyond" at SkyPark, Finnieston.

The cash includes £257,000 of government grant funding through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, part of the government’s Levelling Up agenda.

Research into drones, robotics, artificial intelligence, IoT, nanotech, and cleantech will be conducted at the site once completed, and up to 100 companies are expected to be up and running by the end of 2024.

The initiative is supported by industry executives from leading organisations including Dyson, Plexus, Meta, Blackberry, Motorola, and Volvo Cars.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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Paul Wilson, CEO, and co-founder of STAC said the new innovation hub will help foster innovation across a variety of fields and position Glasgow as one of the leading cities for smart things innovation.

"Glasgow can be a powerhouse in the key technologies that will enhance life and industry for the next decades," he said.

"As we build the leading tech cluster around STAC's thebeyond we will gain a reputation and attract international investment. That's the goal, ambitious and realisable. We believe thebeyond will be Europe's largest smart things and IoT space."

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Ricky Bell, deputy leader of Glasgow City Council, echoed Wilson’s comments, underlining the huge potential of Glasgow’s burgeoning tech sector and its ability to compete on an international scale.

"This collaboration will help Glasgow become a leading technology-driven city, with our services and buildings powered by homegrown innovation to the benefit of everyone who lives, works and studies here," he said.

"We will empower Glasgow’s startups to hone their technologies here and then compete internationally, enhancing our position on the global tech stage and bringing a great number of new jobs and careers in this sector."

Glasgow tech infrastructure efforts

Glasgow already has three 'innovation districts': Glasgow City Innovation District (GCID), Glasgow Riverside Innovation District (GRID) and the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District (AMIDS).

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Each of these provides tech startups and enterprises access to a range of accelerator programmes aimed at supporting innovation, product and talent development, and revenue growth.

Meanwhile, Glasgow City Council recently gave permission for Bruntwood Sci Tech to revamp the city's Met Tower to create a large-scale dedicated digital and tech hub.

The £60 million project will provide over 200,000 sq ft of space for the city’s startups, scaleups and larger businesses, with specialist support from Bruntwood SciTech’s innovation services team.

Scottish satellite firm wins major IoT network contract

Emma Woollacott — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 13:45:01 +0000

Spire Global, a Glasgow-based space services firm, has signed a deal to build and operate six satellites for IoT provider Lacuna Space.

The deal - which the companies say could be expanded to dozens more satellites - is aimed at enhancing Lacuna Space's IoT network, which offers global connections for sectors such as agriculture, maritime, logistics, and environmental monitoring.

Lacuna Space said the move will improve the scalability and reliability of services such as global weather intelligence, ship and plane movement monitoring, and spoofing and jamming detection.

"These services are transformational in enabling new applications across a wide variety of industries and solving some of the biggest challenges facing humanity today," said general manager of space services at Spire Frank Frulio.

"With Spire Space Services, we have streamlined the process to architect, build, launch and operate satellites reliably, and at a much lower cost than it would typically require new space companies to build infrastructure in space, allowing revolutionary technologies, like Lacuna’s IoT network, to reach the market faster."

Spire Global deal could be extended

Under the agreement, Spire will initially build and launch six satellites carrying Lacuna Space’s payload and antenna, with Lacuna Space operating the payloads and receiving encrypted data at its Harwell headquarters.

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Spire will handle end-to-end management and customers can deploy a constellation, hosted payload, or a software application using the Glasgow firm’s infrastructure.

The satellites feature Lacuna’s new ultra-high density Gentoo satellite gateway. These gateways work in conjunction with Lacuna’s ground scheduling network, enabling adaptive, regional, fine-frequency algorithms developed using AI from years of satellite-based spectrum scans.

"This contract is a very important step in Lacuna’s progression into commercial operations, and represents over five years of intensive development work to refine the concept and achieve the scalability and reliability required to provide a global commercial service," says Rob Spurrett, CEO and co-founder of Lacuna Space.

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According to a report from the UK Space Industry, Scotland's space industry grew by almost £40 million in 2020-2021, with 183 organizations operating in the area, accounting for more than 8,500 jobs.

The total UK space industry income grew by 5.1% in real terms to £17.5 billion – the second fastest annual growth in the last seven years, outpacing the global industry average.

There are currently five launch facilities under construction or at an advanced stage of planning in Scotland.

This includes:

SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst in Shetland
Space Hub Sutherland at A' Mhòine
Spaceport 1 in the Outer Hebrides
Prestwick Spaceport in Ayrshire
Spaceport Machrihanish in Argyll

SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst in Shetland; Space Hub Sutherland at A' Mhòine; Spaceport 1 in the Outer Hebrides; Prestwick Spaceport in Ayrshire and Spaceport Machrihanish in Argyll.

This latest deal cements Glasgow's position as something of a leader in the satellite business, according to Craig Brown, investment director at the UK Space Agency.

"Glasgow produces more satellites than anywhere else in Europe, and this contract between Spire Global and Lacuna Space is a fantastic example of how the UK’s strong heritage in space manufacturing is accelerating our progress towards global connectivity and new commercial applications for telecommunications," he said.

"This collaboration will unlock opportunities for businesses, using satellites to transfer data and information between millions of sensors on the ground that make up IoT, with the potential to scale up further. I’m looking forward to watching the constellation come to life."

Ditching downtime: Internet reliability with a leased line

dale.walker@futurenet.com (ITPro) — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 13:29:28 +0000

Achieving excellent internet speed and low latency can break down the barriers to productivity and unlock value for almost any business. But without reliability, speed doesn't matter very much.

Just as it’s no good having a good product if you don’t have enough employees to sell it, superfast broadband speeds are only useful to a business if they can be relied upon. Many organizations over-invest in superfast headline speeds without considering this and end up tied to an internet service that is fast but flaky.

Across the UK, poor reliability has a big impact. Research by Uswitch found that 11 million overall UK customers experienced broadband outages lasting at least three hours between 2021 and 2022, with a total financial impact of £1.3 billion on the UK economy.

It’s up to business leaders to ensure that when their employees come to the office, they can reliably connect to the internet and complete their work undisturbed by poor latency, slow downloads, or outages.

When your internet connection is unreliable, it’s not just your leaders or workforce that will bear the brunt of this. Poor performance always finds its way along the chain to partners and customers; finding a solution that means you can be there for your customers when they need you is as much a matter of reputation as it is revenue.

Direct leased lines offer the most reliable internet connection alongside the highest speeds, with upload and download rates ranging from 50Mbits/sec to 10Gbits/sec. They provide symmetrical connections, allowing firms to make use of identical upload and download speeds and work that requires any level of connectivity done to the same high measure regardless of the time of day.

Guaranteed fibre and bespoke maintenance

Because leased line fibre involves a business making a direct contract with an internet service provider (ISP), it comes with guarantees and services that are not standard for every internet contract.

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For example, the ISP laying fresh cable specifically for a customer helps to prevent any hardware problems in the immediate future and ensures that the specifications meet a client’s needs exactly.

In the unlikely event that a business’s leased line does go down, technicians can also react with haste and work with the affected business to resolve the problem as soon as possible. Unlike businesses that share a cabinet with other firms or even residential addresses, those on leased lines can be served on a 1:1 basis by their supplier.

Through BTnet, businesses get a 100% uptime guarantee to make sure that vital services stay running at all times and employees don’t have to sit idle. Alongside the symmetrical connections of the leased line, this means employees can do their work with total confidence in fast connectivity with the lowest possible latency.

Business leaders who choose BT for their leased line will have direct contact with BT from the day the line is installed, rather than relying on a third-party supplier. This begins from the moment a contract is agreed

If something does happen to affect availability, BT offers 24/7 support and technicians will be dispatched to address issues within five hours. In this way, a business’s losses can be reduced even for more severe internet outages.

BT has backed its confidence in BTnet with a promise to reduce the rental charges for customers who experience an outage. Rates are set out in the SLA and can reach the equivalent of ten days’ rental charge for hours lost to outages.

Guaranteed speed

Because a business doesn’t have to share its connection with others when on a leased line, it will never lose out by having to share bandwidth. With a direct leased line, there are no periods in which a business has to deal with slower broadband due to the time of day or the intensity of a neighboring company’s internet habits.

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This frees leaders to adopt or maintain flexible aspects to their working day, including asynchronous collaboration, without the need to predict the time at which the internet will be fastest or anticipate potential slowdowns and outages at a specific time caused by a bottleneck in their business broadband.

A direct leased line for fibre can ensure that an internet connection is maintained all day and night without the need for more staff and whenever an employee needs the internet in the office, it’s there to be used.

The leaders at Castle Grove, a nursing home in Devon, contacted BT to conduct a digital transformation project on its site linked to resident internet demands and its own pugs for a more resilient and convenient WiFi system.

BT sent a local business expert to Castle Grove, to tailor the project to meet the needs of the nursing home. It found that a dedicated leased line would allow Castle Grove to rapidly improve the quality of data transfers taking place on-site. The reliability and guaranteed bandwidth allow Castle Grove to deliver consistent digital services to its residents, in the same way that one’s employees can make use of solid fibre without breaks.

Castle Grove also experiences fairly regular power failures and there was a prolonged period after each power outage in which its internet connection struggled to reassert itself. BTnet means that once the power cut is resolved they are back online extremely quickly.

The reliability of a direct leased line can be further enhanced through integrated cyber security controls. As your first line of defense against malware and other threats, your internet service is improved if it can independently screen against attackers before any additional security measures come into play.

Being able to repel attacks feeds directly into uptime guarantees, with the number of cyber attacks on UK organizations continuing to surge each year. BTnet customers have the choice to add a Cisco firewall to protect their internal network from malicious external traffic and URL filtering to prevent employees from inadvertently visiting unsafe content.

It also comes with resilience guarantees for the core network, which can help prevent distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks from affecting a business’s services.

In choosing BTnet, businesses can achieve the support they need while safe in the knowledge that multiple contingency plans are in place to keep services safe. Even in the most intense circumstances such as a cyber attack on a business’ connectivity, BT works to resume services as they were.

For more information on BTnet dedicated leased line options, click here.

The speed you need: Why go with a leased line over business broadband?

dale.walker@futurenet.com (ITPro) — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 13:27:46 +0000

Every modern business owner knows the importance of a good internet connection. Those moments in which network connectivity fails us stick out in our memory: Calls canceled, projects delayed, emails unsent. With the world more connected than ever, business leaders should treat internet provisions as seriously as other necessary utilities.

But even in a world so reliant on the internet, guarantees of connectivity can still be hard to come by. Business broadband connections can vary in reliability or fail to live up to their promised speeds, which can be endlessly frustrating for workers. Done right, workers shouldn’t have to concern themselves with upload and download bandwidth — the internet should just work for them seamlessly.

Dedicated leased lines are one antidote to this situation. These cut out the middle man entirely by connecting businesses directly to their nearest exchange, and come with better peak speeds and more reliable download and upload in general.

When one uses a broadband connection, one almost always shares bandwidth with multiple different parties in a balance. This is measured using a ‘contention ratio’ expressed as n:1, with a higher number indicating more users sharing one connection and therefore a higher likelihood of bandwidth issues or slow uploads and downloads.

Through a dedicated leased line, businesses can achieve a contention ratio of 1:1, meaning they have guaranteed bandwidth and no dips in speed at peak times. These steady speeds can range up to 10Gbit/sec both up and down, which provides connectivity capable of handling whatever employees need.

Reliable fibre for urban or rural offices

Businesses looking to thrive and expand outside of the UK’s biggest cities have waited a long time to be adequately served by the UK’s fibre boom. Sadly, rural communities are still repeatedly overlooked when it comes to providing internet connectivity.

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A direct leased line can provide fibre to the majority of sites in the UK and can be a far more reliable method of ensuring one has the internet speeds one needs, rather than waiting for a fibre cabinet to be built near the office.

The end result of this is more freedom to choose where you build your business. At present, businesses have to play the post code lottery when it comes to seeking out the fastest speeds, or are often forced to shift their office closer to a city to enjoy the low latency their competitors already do. This creates rural brain drain and prevents entrepreneurs situated outside cities from achieving their goals. Direct leased lines can alleviate these strains.

Another common occurrence with business broadband – and rural broadband in particular – is downtime. Days where the internet is very slow or goes down completely can kill productivity, or drive employees into spending more time working from home. A direct leased line through a service like BTnet Leased Line comes with a service level agreement (SLA) that comes with guarantees for fibre performance.

With BTnet, businesses are given a 100% uptime SLA, to ensure they have the connectivity they need day or night. The service also comes with 24/7 network support, as a person-to-person backup should the worst case scenario happen. It's this kind of consistency, offered independent of location and not limited to large enterprise, that business leaders have been seeking out since the fibre rollout first began.

Dedicated leased line customers also get a symmetrical connection. This means that the upload and download speeds are equal to one another, to ensure that workforces don’t have to compromise on their activities in the name of particularly fast downloads or uploads. Those who do a lot of video conferencing or who work with large file sizes can especially benefit from this.

Upload speed is often lacking in traditional broadband plans, or at least offered at a slower rate than download speed. Having this symmetrical dedicated line also means that workers can send data via the internet without having to worry about potential data theft or leakage.

Latency is another consideration. Those in roles that necessitate accurate and timely responses to events such as being as present as possible during an important video call or interfacing with remote autonomous vehicles need as low latency as they can possibly get, to reduce unwanted lag. BT’s leased line offers a steady 20ms response time within the UK. and 95ms for cross-atlantic connectivity. The former pushes the limits of human perception, with many users unable to clearly discern the little lag that is present.

This all ensures that staff enjoy as lag-free and borderless an experience as possible while doing their daily work. As previously mentioned, if your staff are actively noticing their internet connection, it means it’s too slow. This is the beginning of real dissatisfaction and productivity issues.

Another benefit of a dedicated leased line is the reassurance that one’s data is safe. With no one else sharing the line, there’s no local way for hackers to perform attacks by joining the same network.

Adopting a leased line doesn’t mean committing to a one-size-fits-all approach. Depending on the scale and demand of your business, there are a variety of options for speed and additional tools but all retain those core bandwidth and latency guarantees of a leased line.

Leased lines can be scaled up to suit the growing demand of a business down the road. If gigabit internet isn't a need just yet, one can still tap into the consistency and low latency of direct leased line fibre at speeds starting at 500Mbits/sec.

Business broadband has come a long way in the past few decades, but still has issues that are disproportionately felt by those in rural regions. Through a direct leased line like that available with BTnet, business leaders can ensure their teams have the speeds they deserve, whenever they need them.

For more information on BTnet dedicated leased line options, click here.

World Wide Web Day: Fond memories, business success, history, and more

richard.speed@futurenet.com (Richard Speed) — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 12:59:45 +0000

Hello and welcome to ITPro's live blog World Wide Web Day!

We'll be using this as an opportunity to take a holistic look at the web and how it came to be the underpinning the modern world. We'll look back at all the early internet companies and where they are today, as well as hear from the wider ITPro team and their fondest memories of using the web.

So, what is the internet? And what is the World Wide Web?

Something guaranteed to cause teeth to grind is mixing up the two.

The internet is, effectively, a network of networks and its development came partly out of research from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

As the 1960s drew to a close, the research led to ARPANET, which initially consisted of a pair of network nodes. More sites were connected during the 1970s and ARPANET developed into a decentralized communications network connecting remote centers and US military bases.

Ideal for the challenges of the Cold War.

Although ARPANET was eventually decommissioned, work continued to make the network more user friendly, thanks to the establishment of technologies such as TCP/IP.

In 1990, Tim Berners-Lee and his team built the tools necessary for the web - the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), HyperText Markup Language (HTML), a web browser and a web server. The services operated over the internet and led to the World Wide Web we know today.

Commercial restrictions meant that the internet’s use was limited until these disappeared in 1995, allowing companies to further develop, market, and mature the technology

"But what is the internet really?"

Think of it as interconnected network of physical cables, flowing data between Internet Service Providers (ISPs), data centers, business and residences.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The mid to late 1990s is when some of the earliest successful internet companies were founded. Some remain leaders today. Others... not so much.

Amazon, now the most successful of the early internet companies, was founded in 1994 as an online bookstore.

eBay (formerly AuctionWeb) turned up in 1995 and remains a major player in the online retail space today. It also owned PayPal.

Some, however, have not stood the test of time quite so well. Early pioneers such as AOL and Prodigy gave users a way of accessing the World Wide Web, but fell by the wayside as competing services gained traction.

CompuServe, which had its roots in the 1960s, was another of the 'Big Three' information services which had great success providing user access to the internet before eventually also succumbing to competition from the more open World Wide Web.

Accessing the World Wide Web requires a browser to render web pages.

One of the first widely available was the Mosaic browser, developed by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. While Mosaic did not survive the 1990s, it inspired Netscape Navigator and was licensed by Microsoft to create Internet Explorer.

Netscape Navigator eventually lost the first "browser way" to Microsoft's Internet Explorer. The latter has since been eclipsed by the likes of Google's Chrome (and browser that use the Chromium engine) and Apple's Safari.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

And then there is social media. The World Wide Web and the internet gave rise to platforms such as Facebook, which defined a generation of web use (and is currently trying to define the next one.)

The communication possibilities afforded by the internet and the World Wide Web have also given users micro-blogging platforms, such as Twitter as well as alternatives such as Mastodon and Bluesky.

Users have also been able to make use of forums, such as those hosted by Reddit, in order to exchange ideas via online posts and comments.

As time has gone by, and new services (such as cloud computing) have emerged, concerns around privacy and anonymity have resulted in the creation of networks such as the 'dark web' where private networks can communicate without divulging identifying information.

While some of the content accessible through such services is questionable, their presence also highlights the challenges around privacy and confidentiality faced by today's World Wide Web.

Challenges that lawmakers and regulators are currently debating.

We asked some of our writers for their earliest memories of the internet and the World Wide Web.

Connor Jones, news editor at ITPro

One of my earliest and fondest memories of the internet is squeezing into the spare room of my house as a kid to access the painfully - and I mean painfully - slow computer and playing dial-up roulette with my mum’s supervision. No, not underage internet-based gambling. Being raised in rural England, the internet service was diabolical and it was always a case of seeing if AOL would let us connect on any given evening. The screeching dial-up tone could persist for hours only for us to eventually give up. But even with such a dreadful first internet experience, nothing like the kids of today would ever know, the power of the internet was still as evident then as it is today, and even though it took minutes - plural - to load a single web page, I still knew I was looking into the future.

Years later, when we got broadband - if you can call 1.5 down and 0.1 up broadband (rural internet in the UK!) - I was first able to go online and play video games with my friends. Living so far out in the sticks, I never had the opportunity to go and play football or anything like that after school with my school friends, who lived several villages away, so hopping on Call of Duty in the evenings was my closest equivalent. It was revolutionary and even though my gameplay lagged far more than most, at least I had a trusty excuse to fall back on when I couldn’t quite clutch that last round of S&D.

Richard Speed, staff writer at ITPro

I predate the World Wide Web, and my first experience of being online was trying to make an acoustic coupler work with the family telephone so I could access the University's VAX system.

Then there was the excitement of downloading the first iteration of Doom from a bulletin board, and waiting hours while the modem did its thing only for someone to accidentally pick up another phone in the house and break the connection.

However, my first memorable World Wide Web interaction was following the loss and recovery of ESA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft in the 1990s through what we'd regard today as a 'blog' and being able to email the actual engineers and scientists involved. The interaction opened my eyes to what an incredible tool for communication this technology was going to be.

While things have moved on in the decades since and the World Wide Web has become increasingly complicated in a variety of ways, the fact that SOHO is still doing science reminds me of that first interaction when researchers were suddenly able to publish their progress and respond to over-enthusiastic geeks in near realtime.

Jane McCallion, deputy editor at ITPro

In the early-to-mid-2000s, I used to spend more time than I probably should have watching flash animations and short videos that are still now embedded in my brain: Powerthirst, All Your Base Are Belong to Us, anything and everything from Rathergood.com and Homestar Runner. Many, many in-jokes between me and my friends were based almost exclusively on what I suppose were early memes – to this day, overdone toast is burninated and I mentally ask myself if I'm ready to feel uncomfortably energetic before drinking an energy drink.

Rory Bathgate, staff writer at ITPro

I'd say a good deal of my interest in media and filmmaking came from early-to-mid 2010s YouTube, back when it felt like more of a meritocracy. I feel like with most social media there's a grace period when it first starts where it all feels a bit lawless - people are trying to figure out how it works and what does best there. YouTube certainly felt like that for quite a few years, and I think a lot of people in my generation were inspired by the idea that anyone could become internet famous with a camcorder, a dumb idea, and some friends (much to the chagrin of parents the world over who suddenly started hearing "I want to be a YouTuber when I grow up"). Same goes for Newgrounds animations, which were so homemade but the result of really hard work by talented animators.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sites for the World Wide Web were originally carefully created using text editors or basic design tools, outputting HTML crafted to make use of the very limited bandwidth available. Interactivity was severely limited when compared to modern expectations.

As browsers have become ever more capable, developers have been able to take advantage of services such as JavaScript and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to create web pages that feel more like native applications.

Frameworks such as Node.js and React provide a richness of experience not possible with the tables and frames of HTML. However, with increasing complexity has come increasing opportunities for exploits and vulnerabilities as the surface area for attack has grown.

While most modern web pages you're used to accessing look modern, sleek, and responsive thanks to them taking advantage of the latest technologies and frameworks, there are many others that still look like they belong in the previous decades.

I'm talking about the dark web, the underbelly of the clear web where people go to participate in a different kind of internet experience.

Adopted by the likes of whistleblowers, journalists, activists, cyber criminals, criminals of the traditional kind, and many more, the dark web offers a home for people looking to hide their identities.

Accessed using a specific browser, TOR (The Onion Router), the dark web uses onion routing which relays a user's network traffic through a series of 'nodes' via virtual tunnels which form a patch that's chosen at random by the network. This applies to each and every individual transmission of data.

Onion routing involves data sent with layers of encryption between different servers and ultimately the receiver. The keys to decode these layers are all individual and can only be accessed by the server responsible for decrypting the specific layer sent to it. Each server only knows the network nodes that immediately come before and after it, no others, which helps keeps users anonymous - though, the technique can be broken with enough time and motivation.

Because web pages on the dark web have to jump through so many more hoops than those on the clear web, and the sites on the dark web often don't invest in the infrastructure needed to host highly responsive web pages, then they often look dated, or at least very basic.

Having web pages requiring fewer data packets to load is a way to mitigate the slow speeds while using the TOR browser, offering dark web users the quickest experience possible.

(Image credit: Future)

This is a screenshot of a ransomware organization's dark web-based website. It's very basic, though you can find more responsive services elsewhere.

Dread, the dark web's answer to Reddit, for example, is one of the sleeker web pages you visit using TOR, while many others look like they're composed of little more than a lone HTML file.

There is so much more we could explore with the web if we had longer, but we're calling time on this retrospective for today very shortly.

But before we go, we wanted to leave you with some of the team's final thoughts on the web and what it means to them...

Andreas Theodorou - editor in chief at Tech Software

The first thoughts that come to mind (besides the joys of the dial-up internet) would be the first viral jump-scare video I ever saw. The one where you're watching the car drive through the countryside - I think I was about 7 or 8 and my mum had been sent it by one of her cousins. We sat in front of the computer and my mum told me to follow the car. I did, and then promptly fell backwards out of my chair and into the hallway!

On a brighter note, I think people forget just how much the internet has become a very social place. If you'd told me 20 years ago I would have friends around the world and be able to talk to them almost daily with instantaneous messaging, it would've blown my tiny mind. While I personally detest a lot of the things that social media has become, the sheer connectedness of online gaming and communication makes it easier than ever to speak with and see the people you love. I can talk to my sister and her family on the other side of the country, play games with friends in different countries, and so much more. If nothing else, the internet has propelled us towards a true global community.

Ross Kelly, staff writer at ITPro

I've met some great, long-term friends online over the years playing video games, which has been amazing.

After meeting a group of people playing Rust in 2018, I've managed to keep in touch with them consistently and have had some wonderful experiences playing with them during that time. This includes somewhat of a ragtag international band of folks, including Americans, Germans, a Welshman, and two players from Curacao who now live in the Netherlands. Without the internet, I'd have never met such a varied range of people.

Bobby Hellard, reviews editor, ITPro

I didn't really do anything on the web until I got a MySpace page and it completely changed everything. I wasted hours picking songs for my page and learning how to customize the layouts and themes. I hope Tom is still out there somewhere...

And why not a few fun web facts just to see everything off...

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Email technology actually precedes the World Wide Web. It was invented in the early 1970s in the ARPANET days, long before the web was officially invented in 1989.

The latest available data (2019) from the estimated 265,331 US households still have dial-up internet subscriptions, although it's difficult to know for sure now as dial-up internet is no longer tracked in official broadband surveys.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Firefox logo is a point of contention as some people think it's not actually a fox depicted in the logo.

Firefox is another name for the red panda, a fact Firefox recognized in its official rebranding FAQ page.

However, time has seen Mozilla change its tune and refer to it officially as a fox, as one forum moderator confirmed.

What do you think?

The company that is arguably more synonymous with the web than any other, Google, used to rent goats to trim the lawn at its Mountain View HQ.

Thought of as a low-carbon alternative to petrol-powered mowers, the company used to hire 200 goats at a time to get the job done.

No, we're not kidding you either!

That's it from us - we hope you enjoy the rest of World Wide Web Day. Happy browsing!

What is the Internet of Behaviors (IoB)?

Steve Cassidy — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 07:00:00 +0000

When you see a phrase like the Internet of Behaviors (IoB), it immediately draws connotations with the similar sounding Internet of Things (IoT). Fear not, though, because IoB isn’t a network in its own right. Rather, it’s a targeted business tool that piggybacks on existing IoT networks.

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With the advent of IoT and a flood of internet-facing devices hitting the market, organizations have been excited to take advantage of these entirely new avenues for data collection. Whether it’s using IoT networks in smart cities, such as projects happening in UK cities like Leeds or Edinburgh, or retail giants using sensors to assess customer behavior, the potential for IoT has been widely hyped. But only by applying the principles of IoB can organizations truly understand why customers make purchasing decisions.

What is the Internet of Behaviors (IoB)?

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IoB is a field of research that vies to understand how people use technology to make purchasing decisions. It combines IoT – the idea of using smart sensors and appliances to collect data – with behavioral science and edge analytics. This blend illuminates the ways in which your customers reach buying decisions.

These platforms aggregate and analyze data generated from many different sources – including online activity as well as physical sensors. IoB systems analyze behavior to seek patterns that marketers and sales staff can then use to influence behavior in the future. Marketers can utilize IoB to monetize vast volumes of data that are collected, and under-used, by the many sensors deployed as part of a wider IoT network.

Is IoB ethical?

The principles of IoB might be interpreted as nudging customers towards profitable behaviors. While data-driven behavioral science must be handed with care, this particular mash-up of economics, psychology, statistics, and technology is actually quite respectful of the customer. Rather than trying to manipulate people’s desires, or push them into behaving in a particular way, it’s more about collecting and analyzing low-level information to come up with an offering that better matches their needs.

The future of AI in advertising and media

It’s understandable if you’re suspicious of any type of customer targeting, of course. It’s impossible to surf the web nowadays without being pestered with unwanted promotions and customized clickbait. Social media sites tend to exploit data to bring out the worst in human nature too. But an anonymized overview of typical customer behavior can help you tailor your offering and boost revenues without compromising anyone’s privacy.

How do IoB systems collect and use data?

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that valuable data has to be complex or expensive to obtain. There’s a huge variety of IoT devices out there that are perfectly simple and cheap enough for anyone to deploy at will – and when I say simple, I mean as basic as a pressure pad or a door sensor to track people coming in and out of your cake shop.

Depending on the nature of your business, there may be a huge amount of priceless information already sitting in your web server logs, telling you when people visit your website, where they’re located, and so forth. The magic isn’t in the technology, but in the patterns of behavior that emerges once you sit down with your collected data and work out what it’s really telling you.

What’s the difference between IoB and big data?

Big data isn’t too far apart from IoB. But as the name implies, big-data approaches tend to work best with very large data repositories, unearthing connections that a human eye might miss because they’re lost in the mass of data – or because they involve data points that seem, at first glance, wholly unconnected.

IoB conversely benefits from an expert eye, because a human can intentionally collect and correlate a small selection of data points to draw specific inferences. Beyond just being a large spreadsheet, though, IoB also incorporates edge analytics. This is where technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) come into their own. For example, imagine a CCTV camera that can identify faces and track whether someone entering your shop is a new or returning customer. It’s not a particularly difficult feat for a contemporary AI engine, and it adds a whole new dimension of meaning to all your other collected data.

Don’t expect too much, though. While smart technologies can greatly increase the speed and range of data capture for your IoB analyses, this isn’t a field where a black box can do all the work for you. Some parts of the ideal, theoretical behavioral analysis toolbox are still a good few years into the future.

Gov's broadband plans do little to address 'rural brain drain', expert warns

Rory Bathgate — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 12:43:13 +0000

Rural communities face increased brain drain, poorer business opportunities, and worsening digital exclusion under current government broadband plans, an industry expert has argued.

Poor broadband outreach has undermined the potential of rural businesses, said Dave Happy, Managing Director Telint Ltd and Non-Executive Director Jet Engineering, with many job seekers now being forced to relocate to well-resourced urban centres instead.

Speaking on the IT Pro Podcast, Happy argued the effect of poor connectivity on rural communities is far worse than the stats may suggest.

“The loss to the rural economy of not having this fibre in place is infinitely greater and far more personal than people really understand.

“In terms of gross value added (GVA) I think the stats, if anything, are depressed. I think that the real loss to the rural economy is far more significant than we can report, because one has to remember these are simply economic indices of measurement.”

Happy warned that businesspeople who may wish to establish companies in rural areas are being deterred from doing so due to their poor connectivity. He gave the example of attempting to conduct a simple Teams voice call while driving through Dorset, and having been unable to due to poor connectivity.

The more prospective entrepreneurs and tech workers move to urban areas out of necessity, both in terms of better connectivity and job opportunities, the worse the overall landscape for rural business becomes.

Current network availability may also be hindering innovation throughout rural England. Leading edge technologies such as 5G mmWave also have a role to play in the agricultural tech sector, according to Happy, including using the standard’s high throughput for analysing individual ears of grain in a field. However, Happy argued that the current government thinking on 5G use cases is too siloed for rural businesses to benefit.

Happy suggested that “pockets of excellence” may be deployed, with research and development hubs designed to help build expertise in a given area spread throughout rural England. These could fill the same role as centres such as the University of Sheffield’s new 6G research facility. He’s currently working on a Skills Development and Training Centre for delivering fibre alongside water at Dorset Innovation Park.

These could help to retain local graduate talent, as well as attract workers from around the country to bolster rural business and improve connectivity in underserved areas.

The government’s target is for 99% of UK premises to have gigabit-capable broadband by 2030. However, in its latest update, Building Digital UK (BDUK) reported that only 36% of rural premises are gigabit-capable and just 33% have full-fibre broadband.

“I actually feel deep concern and support, and pity for BDUK, I think they're trying to do a cracking job. They really are trying to make a difference. And their approach to open access and stuff is really good.

“But on the one hand they're doing great work and on the other hand, it almost feels like Ofcom's given them a kicking, because what we're doing by changing what areas are not covered by what, and when, it doesn't seem to me that it's quite joined up.”

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Britain’s fibre broadband boom is continuing apace, and alternative network providers (altnets) are leading the charge into rural spaces. Happy highlighted Wessex Internet as one such altnet direct-burying fibre, and noted that these smaller firms may be key in delivering more fibre for rural areas, and delivering on open network opportunities.

The planned 3G sunset, which will see 2G and 3G services shut down across the UK in order for network operators to prioritise 4G and 5G, could also affect rural businesses to a disproportionate extent. Many rural businesses use cellular services for reliable connectivity, and Happy pointed out that “it is not impossible these days that you might be served by some kind of radio solution, or might even be dependent on your 2G or 3G signal”.

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He argued that as 3G fills a connectivity niche between 2G and 4G, it’s possible that retiring it could be done with minimal disruption, but that 2G is a more critical network without which rural businesses will suffer.

“2G does give you that excellent coverage,” said Happy.

“The difficulty in terms of spectral efficiency is well known, it's not the most efficient. However, I don't think that they can turn it off easily because the quality of the rest of the infrastructure in a rural area simply won't permit it. Now, I haven't seen that actually stated in a press release by anybody anywhere. But that's the real truth behind it.

“So you can't switch 2G off because it's such an elementary baseline and there's nothing else if you did, it would be a disaster.”

The government has begun trials with Starlink in Snowdonia to test the effectiveness of satellite broadband as a solution for underserved rural areas. However, this will not be able to provide gigabit internet and instead will offer top speeds of 200 Mbit/sec through direct contact with special user terminals.

Performing software maintenance at the end of the Earth

James O'Malley — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 08:00:06 +0000

For most of us, updating software requires merely a few taps or clicks on our device before watching a progress bar fly across the screen. For University of Birmingham astronomer George Dransfield, however, it isn’t so easy.

Last summer she took a plane to Hobart in Australia, then, after a spell in quarantine, flew to Wilkins Aerodrome on the coast of Antarctica. After an Antarctic bus ride to Casey Station, and one final flight on board a tiny Basler turboprop, she arrived at her final destination: Concordia Station, which sits 680 miles inland. She came armed with a couple of portable hard drives, a laptop, and seven weeks to perform critical software maintenance.

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Dransfield’s mission was to update the software that processes data collected by the most remote space telescope on Earth. The epic journey was essential because the station lacked anything resembling decent internet connectivity. And this is a problem when images taken by the telescope, A-STEP, are 4,096 x 4,096 pixels each.

“We spend the time taking images of the sky, and each image is about 150MB,” explains Dransfield. “Like most telescopes, you download the raw images to your computer after a night of observing, and you process them yourself.”

It’s getting the images out of Antarctica that’s the tricky bit. The station itself does have an connection back to the rest of the world, but only via satellite, and it can only reach dial-up era speeds that would have been impressive in, say, 1996. “Our internet connection has recently been upgraded,” says Dransfield. “We can now reach speeds of 80kB/sec.”

The only way to retrieve the raw data is if somebody goes the following year and puts it on a hard drive, she adds. Rather than beaming them back at snails’ pace, then, Concordia uses software to automatically analyse images and return a snapshot of the data – akin to attaching a low-resolution JPEG instead of a fully-fledged RAW image file – over the satellite connection. It means that scientists back at the University of Birmingham, and in other places around the world, at least have some data to work with.

Patching the hard way

The software Dransfield was sent to upgrade manages the data pipeline, taking data from the telescope and processing it. It was originally written in IDL, a language similar to Fortran developed in the 1970s. But before heading south, Dransfield was tasked with rewriting the entire stack in the relatively modern Python.

Updating it remotely was not an option. “If I want to edit maybe five or six lines of code, I need to set aside at least an hour,” says Dransfield. “You're in a terminal, you type a letter, and then it takes two or three seconds for that letter to actually appear. I cannot begin to explain how tedious it is.”

Getting the new software installed was important, though, so the telescope could actually do some science. “They changed the camera so the images that came in this year were different from last year's images. So, I had to do a million fixes to adapt everything.”

Even if Dransfield could put up with the dismally slow connection, the limited connectivity means only one person could access the virtual private network (VPN) at once. So, it was time to head for the Antarctic. “This is such an enormous piece of software, so I couldn't just upload it,” says Dransfield, “Because I'd written the software, I had to be the one to install it.”

The two towers of the climate station Concordia, based in Antarctica

Before taking off, however, other obstacles presented themselves. “You'd think that with such big important operations, people would be really careful about everything, but no one could tell me for sure what the specs of the new server were that they had shipped down there,” she laughs. “I needed to test installation on a really similar computer, but I didn't know what that was.”

Although the code was destined to run on a Linux system, she couldn’t be sure exactly which packages and binaries would run on the destination system. Before she set off, she set out to test her code on as many different computer systems as possible, including a Raspberry Pi. This was necessary because the effective lack of internet connection removed a key tool in every coder’s arsenal – access to Stack Overflow. “It was genuinely super challenging to do this job without access to the internet and access to help from other people,” says Dransfield.

Embracing the satellite broadband disruption

Concordia is currently stuck with a torturously slow connection, but things may be about to change. Last September, SpaceX announced that its Starlink satellite broadband system was now available in Antarctica. Satellite broadband is gaining momentum, with many suggesting it could be a definitive solution to rural connectivity woes.

What makes it different to what came before from the likes of Iridium is that Starlink is a mega-constellation of up to 12,000, with almost 3,000 already in space. This means each satellite covers a significantly smaller patch of the Earth – so bandwidth isn’t shared between so many users – and they’re closer to the ground, meaning latency becomes less of a problem for activities such as videoconferencing.

Given Concordia doesn’t have any neighbours, it’s conceivable that if the system was deployed, it could enjoy up to 200Mbits/sec, roughly equivalent to an excellent home broadband connection, and plenty fast enough to shuffle masses of data around.

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Other Antarctic research bases, such as the American McMurdo station, are already trialling the technology. What difference could it make to Corcondia? “That level of bandwidth increase would be transformative,” says Dransfield. “It would save me so much time, I'd be able to SSH in and just make any adjustments that I have to make quickly. It would also mean that we'd be able to, more often, download raw images.”

Dransfield recently attended a conference of Antarctic scientists, and the enthusiasm for Starlink was palpable. “Most people are just like, yes, Starlink, as soon as it's available, we're going to go for that because we need the bandwidth.”

Of the Antarctic scientists present, however, only a handful were astronomers – and this gives Dransfield a very different perspective on satellite broadband. It turns out, despite the enormous bandwidth benefits, she’s not a fan of Starlink. “We have a different thing to balance,” says Dransfield, “because we can see Starlink in our images.”

Could satellite broadband scupper astronomy?

“We're not super keen on the idea,” she adds. “If you look at images from places like other popular observing sites there's little streaks that you see.”

The streaks are the motion trails of satellites in orbit around the Earth, captured because space telescopes take long exposures to capture objects far away in space. SpaceX will be putting up a lot of satellites, and while Dransfield wants the internet, she doesn’t want the satellites ruining what’s one of the most important and unique astronomical sites we have.

It’s a criticism SpaceX has heard before. "I am confident that we will not cause any impact whatsoever in astronomical discoveries – zero," said founder Elon Musk in 2020, "That's my prediction, we will take corrective action if it's above zero."

Space telescopes take long exposure shots and are susceptible to picking up streaks

Theoretically, it’s possible for astronomers to correct their data to account for satellites getting in the way of the telescope. But Dransfield ultimately believes there’s a more fundamental problem. “If we know their orbits then we can just correct our images for them, but I think [SpaceX] underestimate how much additional work that is.”

This sort of error correction is already common in astronomy – the satellites and other objects are referred to as “systematics”, and astronomers are used to modifying their data to account for, say, the Hubble Space Telescope moving into view in the skies above. But Starlink is on a different level.

“It's an additional systematic error in our data,” says Dransfield. “The problem is the more you correct your data for systematics, the more that increases the uncertainty on the actual end result."

For example, if she were to detect a planet in orbit around a distant star, she might attempt to calculate the size of the planet, but the error bars on the calculation will be much wider – because the “systematic” has introduced more uncertainty. “Sometimes we're looking for really, really small events, like shallow changes in brightness of a star, and if you can't trust those changes in brightness because you had a Starlink transit as well, then it could end up just ruining so much otherwise awesome data,” she says.

The battle for space broadband dominance is hotting up

Weighing the trade-off of the potential benefits of Starlink with the impact on her work is difficult – but it’s a battle she worries she is going to lose. “Because there's not a lot of astronomy in Antarctica, our voices are not as important as everybody else who is just like, 'Yeah, but we could have internet.'

“As an astronomer with access to Antarctica, I cannot begin to tell you how unique it is and how special what we can do from there is, in our field of searching for planets,” Dransfield says. “I would prefer it if they didn't contaminate our skies further, to be honest, because the skies are so, so precious.”

Podcast transcript: The crisis in rural connectivity

The IT Pro Podcast: The crisis in rural connectivity

IT Pro — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 10:18:27 +0000

The conversation around UK connectivity is often dominated by the rollout of 5G, or the race for widespread gigabit broadband.

But many rural communities and businesses struggle with a lack of even basic connectivity such as reliable cellular service. This has severe consequences for rural businesses, holding back their growth while accelerating brain drain as younger people gravitate towards urban areas for education and employment.

Some groups have taken measures into their own hands to ensure they receive the connectivity they need. In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Dave Happy, collaboration lead at 5GRuralDorset, to discuss the connection difficulties facing rural businesses and what is being done to help.

Highlights

“I cannot understand after 37 years why we still even have a digital divide, let alone on a scale which with the withdrawal of 2G, 3G, and copper switch off is actually going to be exacerbated not improved.”

“The loss to the rural economy of not having this fibre in place is infinitely greater and far more personal than people really understand.”

"I've heard dates of 3G switch off taking place within 24 months. Now, it might well be that government can set all the targets in the world, and regulators can set targets, wonderful things targets. And sometimes they even get hit. I'm not saying they won't be, I'm not saying they will be, I'm simply saying if 3G is going to get switched off in two years and they can switch off 2G more quickly then they will."

Read the full transcript here.

Footnotes

What is IP telephony and how will the PSTN switch off affect my business?

Dale Walker — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 13:48:23 +0000

Businesses across the UK face a looming deadline to overhaul their telephony services, known as the great ‘PSTN switch off’. Following an announcement by Openreach in 2017, the UK has started to transition away from its legacy PSTN network in favour of a modern, internet-based IP system.

This change will affect every business in the UK to some extent, so it’s essential IT decision-makers and business leaders understand what is coming, and how to make the most of the switch off.

What is PSTN?

In order to understand what is happening in 2025, it’s important to know how things currently work.

The public switched telephone network (PSTN) is the existing infrastructure that supports the world’s public telecommunications. Originally designed for an age of copper cables and analogue voice communications, the network has long been the backbone of the UK’s phone network. In the 1980s it went through a digital overhaul with the introduction of integrated services digital network (ISDN), which allowed the transmission of not only voice data but video, images and more.

PSTN works by setting up a dedicated connection between two call points, using an amalgamation of fibre optic cables, satellites, undersea cables, mobile networks, all connected by automated switching centres.

What is IP?

IP is the technology that will replace PSTN in its entirety. Often referred to as digital phone services or Voice over IP (VoIP), the technology allows for telephone services to be routed over the internet instead of traditional wires and phone lines.

Unlike PSTN, which connects two parties with a dedicated connection using wires, IP functions by converting the spoken voice into a series of digital packets, that are then sent over a single internet connection. As such, so long as a business has access to the internet, telecommunications can be supported.

Why is the change happening?

Openreach has been tasked by the government with modernising the UK’s telecommunications infrastructure, and ultimately plans to switch off the older PSTN and ISDN by 2025. This is a hard deadline, meaning any businesses that are still using PSTN to support their telephone systems will no longer have access to those services.

The switch to internet-based services has been spurred by growing demand for cheaper, more reliable, more accessible, and more flexible phone services. PSTN is widely regarded as being an antiquated technology and a hindrance to those businesses looking for more sophisticated phone systems.

IP services have existed for some time, but it’s only relatively recently that access to high-speed internet connections has become ubiquitous, providing the sort of bandwidth required to create stable connections that match, or often exceed, that provided by PSTN.

This is paired with the fact that cloud-based phone services have become far more sophisticated in their capabilities, and calling features like forwarding, hold functions, caller ID, and scaling services with additional phone lines, are all either free when using IP, or significantly cheaper than PSTN.

Simply put, Openreach is phasing out PSTN in favour of infrastructure that’s fit for the internet age.

What benefits will it bring for businesses

The move over to IP infrastructure will bring a wealth of benefits to UK businesses, regardless of their size or industry.

How a business will directly benefit will depend on its circumstances. Some businesses will be using the switch over as an opportunity to revamp their phone systems, whether that’s embracing more advanced technology or simply consolidating their existing capabilities.

Cost

By far the most immediate benefit will be in expenditure. PSTN is generally more expensive to operate on than IP, largely because all calls are routed over the internet. This means many otherwise unavoidable costs are removed, such as installation fees and the need for dedicated desk phones. It also means that distance becomes less of an issue, with low cost calling available regardless of where you’re connecting. Although businesses will still incur leasing costs, these are far lower than those found on PSTN.

Beyond infrastructure, the VoIP technology itself can be tailored to meet the needs of individual businesses, resulting in further cost savings. For example, BT offers businesses a range of packages tailored to how much bandwidth they are likely to need, ranging from 50 Mbps, to 500 Mbps for larger businesses. In this sense, you are only ever paying for the services that your business needs.

Quality

Although calls made over PSTN can often be high quality, IP technology today is capable of delivering crystal clear audio without dropouts, delays, or echoes. Routing calls over IP is also a way of protecting phone systems from outside disruption, such as when road maintenance accidentally cuts through a phone line.

Greater agility

The switch over will also mean that business numbers are no longer tied to physical premises, which is especially useful at a time when hybrid working is becoming more popular, and businesses are reassessing how much office space they need. In this context, IP allows a business to easily transfer calls between sites, spin up new lines on-demand, or scale back as necessary.

Unified Communication

One of the biggest advantages for businesses is the opportunity to integrate powerful software suites inside the phone system, known as unified communications. This type of setup allows for unparalleled efficiency and collaboration across a business, bringing together multiple communication channels into one environment, whether that’s text, video conferencing, voicemail, and content sharing.

VoIP providers will often package these capabilities as part of their offering. For example, BT has partnered with Cisco Webex to offer integrated video conferencing and collaboration tools as part of its cloud-based service.

This is particularly important given the nature of work today, with many teams being dispersed across different cities, regions, and countries.

What challenges might businesses face?

By now you might be wondering: “This all sounds wonderful… what’s the catch?”

Unfortunately, given the nature of overhauling a base infrastructure of a telecommunications network that’s existed for many decades, there are some complications that come with the switch off.

Legacy devices

It’s important to note that the PSTN switch off will remove this technology from the UK infrastructure entirely, and so any systems that rely on PSTN to operate will no longer function. This includes technology like CCTV and alarm systems, point of sale systems, and fax machines. Without preparation, these connected devices will simply stop working when the switch off happens.

Cyber security

Security can also be a challenge for some businesses, particularly those heavily reliant on PSTN and finding themselves new to advanced phone systems. Fraud is an unfortunate fact of business life, and criminals may be able to exploit digital phone systems using a method known as number spoofing. This allows criminals to manipulate caller ID displays to obfuscate numbers, in order to trick the call handler in some fashion. It’s important then to pick a provider that offers robust protections against the likes of fraud and data theft.

How should businesses prepare for the switch off in 2025?

The PSTN switch off is technically already underway, and so it’s important for businesses to start making their preparations to move over to a cloud-based phone system as soon as possible.

However, the switch off will not happen in one go - some parts of the UK will have to act sooner than others. For example, the first phase of the plan involves a “Stop Sell” date, after which point it is no longer possible to order new PSTN services, or make changes to existing ones. Most UK exchanges are already in this phase and it will have taken full effect nationwide by September 2023.

While the completion of the switch-off is two years away, the process will begin in April 2023 so businesses are encouraged to act quickly to modernise their phone systems. Depending on the size of the organisation, and how reliant it still is on PSTN, the project may involve significant upheaval and many moving parts, and so being able to withstand delay is essential.

To best prepare, businesses need to consider their setup. Businesses with existing contracts with PSTN providers will need to map out when they are able to make the move based on contract renewal dates. This will also involve taking an audit of all the existing services that rely on PSTN, including CCTV, security and smoke alarms, and door control systems.

Let’s not forget the broadband connection itself. Businesses will need a stable connection to support their digital phone system, with call quality being reliant on high speeds and low latency.

BT offers a range of services to help with each part of this journey. An extensive range of IP devices is available as part of BT’s switch over package, which can be tailored to fit existing equipment in some cases. A series of comprehensive user guides and support materials are also available to help businesses retrain their staff if required, and get a better sense of how employees are using the hardware. Finally, BT offers a comprehensive range of technologies, speeds, and support functionality that can be tailored to fit a specific business profile.

Ultimately, the sooner a business is able to switch to a cloud-based system, the sooner they are able to take advantage of more powerful and better integrated tools. It also gives the businesses more time to adjust to the new capabilities and upskill its workforce.

BT and OneWeb succeed in "game changer" satellite connection trial

Rory Bathgate — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 13:01:44 +0000

BT has announced that it successfully connected network masts to OneWeb's satellite constellation - a major milestone in the journey to deliver satellite broadband to the UK's small and rurally located businesses.

The feat meant the two companies were able to deliver 4G data over low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites for the first time, connecting an EE mast to the network core.

Businesses with poor mast coverage, such as those in more remote areas in the UK, as well as those located in areas with older network architectures, are set to be the main beneficiaries of the technology once it matures.

During the trial, a terrestrial base station was connected through the OneWeb user terminal (UT), which then connected to OneWeb’s LEO satellite constellation.

The connection then flowed down into OneWeb’s network and through to BT’s point of presence in London.

Here, there is a direct interconnect into BT 21C, which connects through to IPsec security gateway and onto the mobile core network.

The telco has demonstrated voice calls and group voice calls using the system, which offers greater capacity than would be possible through a direct-to-handset satellite connection.

"A key factor for us was getting that direct interconnect in," said Andy Sutton, chief network architect at BT, told IT Pro. "That’s game-changing for us in terms of quality and capability, and it’s one of a number of direct interconnects we’re going to be building around the world.

“The key point here is not only that we are using the LEO satellite constellation, but also the direct interconnect as well. So we have the end-to-end control of that quality of service user experience, which you wouldn’t have if you were just using a traditional LEO service with internet-based backhaul.”

BT used its test environment in Bristol to carry out the trial, but has also deployed an Intellian dual parabolic user terminal in a field trial site in Shropshire.

It's hoped that testing at this ‘live site’ can begin soon after BT’s Q4 ends in March 2023, which will see both 4G and 5G backhaul tests will be carried out.

The site is currently supported by geostationary backhaul, which provides limited capacity and high latencies. LEO tests in the area should significantly reduce latency - BT's simulations predicted speeds of 100-150 Mbits/sec downlink and 30 Mbits/sec uplink.

BT Business is in discussions with several large enterprise customers about agreements to use the service. Potential partners have also indicated interest in using the infrastructure to provide further resilience in parallel with terrestrial connections.

For example, satellite connections could be established to support an organisation’s SD-WAN should terrestrial connections fail.

As it has a global supplier agreement with OneWeb these partners are based both in the UK and internationally, but its primary focus on LEO networks at this time is centred on UK connectivity.

BT and OneWeb signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2021, with the goal to provide better digital services to underserved rural businesses.

Aiming for a range of resilient options, BT is also working closely with Stratospheric Platforms Ltd. This Cambridge-based aerospace company has trialled its high altitude platform (HAPS) system with BT at Adastral Park in Suffolk, in which unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying at 60,000ft and above to deliver uninterrupted 4G and 5G direct to consumer smartphones.

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Through this multi-orbital strategy, BT aims to provide excellent resilience and speed across the UK, particularly for smaller to medium-sized businesses in under-served rural areas.

“We’ve been able to offer resilient access through space for backing up terrestrial communications. We do that today in some cell sites for emergency services,” said Sutton.

“We see that continuing as a trend in mobile but also being a great opportunity in the wider business world as well.”

It's clear that satellites could be key to boosting rural business connectivity in the UK, alongside widespread fibre broadband rollout and expansion of 5G by mobile network operators (MNOs).

But, addressing the UK government’s Starlink trials in Snowdonia and the Lake District, Sutton said that trials of this kind are not a key focus at this time.

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“At the moment, OneWeb is very focused on B2B and that’s reflected in the types of packages they offer, and the capacity across the constellation. Clearly we see a different approach with Starlink, with a direct business-to-consumer proposition.

“OneWeb has plans to densify its constellation considerably in phase two. And with that densification, they'll be able to offer significantly greater capacity per satellite, and each satellite will cover a smaller area, because there’ll be more of them. So then you start to look at the prospects around delivering - potentially - a consumer-based service on the back of that.”

BT aims to provide 90% of the UK’s geography with 5G by 2028, with the network available on demand to 100%. The OneWeb backhaul service is one part of a wider range of tools to deliver on this goal, with its polar-based constellation now able to provide 24/7 UK coverage.

OneWeb continues to launch satellites to expand its satellite constellation, with SpaceX having helped the firm to launch 40 satellites in January 2023. The firm has done 16 of these launches to date, and recently stated that only two more launches are necessary until its first-generation constellation is complete.

The seven types of power problems

dale.walker@futurenet.com (ITPro) — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 09:35:58 +0000

Our reliance on technology is dependent on the ongoing supply of electricity, with commercial power usually made available via the national grid. As we continue to digitally transform our lives, both at work and at home, this intelligent technology needs power that is free of interruption.

This whitepaper discusses the most common power disturbances and how they can impact businesses both financially and operationally, and the initial steps to take when dealing with power loss.

Download now to learn:

What power disturbances can do to critical equipment
How to safeguard your infrastructure
and How to effectively communicate about power within your organisation

Provided by

Five reasons why Ethernet is better than Wi-Fi

Darien Graham-Smith — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 08:00:08 +0000

We live in a wireless age, and this direction of travel is clear no matter where you look. This is typified by hardware manufacturers phasing out the trusted Ethernet port in modern razor-thin laptops and 2-in-1s. The latest Wi-Fi 6E connections, too, let us stream hundreds of megabytes a second through the air – and next year we expect to see the first Wi-Fi 7 chipsets, promising speeds of up to 40Gbits/sec.

With all this data swirling around us, traditional cabled connections may seem old-fashioned to the point of obsolescence. While Ethernet can’t match the go-anywhere convenience of wireless networking, it still has several advantages over Wi-Fi, and there are five reasons that, for many enterprise users, it will always be the superior option.

Ethernet vs Wi-Fi: Why Ethernet wins over Wi-Fi

1. Ethernet is simpler

You can’t beat Ethernet for simplicity. Just run a cable from one socket to another and boom, the connection is made. Assuming the devices at either end are correctly configured then the link speed, addressing and routing should all be sorted out automatically.

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Configuring Wi-Fi, on the other hand, might be a far messier process and the complexity of this often depends on whether your physical space demands a mesh network or a Wi-Fi extender. Routing cables throughout the premises, on the other, to all terminals is a relatively more straightforward operation.

You don’t need to worry about keeping up with the latest high-end standards either: a £5 cable is all you need to get the fastest speeds. There’s no confusion about different plugs and sockets, as with USB. With the exception of high-end enterprise-grade hardware, all Ethernet links use standard RJ45 connectors, with handy plastic latches to ensure the cables can’t be accidentally yanked out.

2. Ethernet is more secure

Although the latest WPA3 wireless security protocol makes it all but impossible for an intruder to spy on your Wi-Fi connection, not all devices support it – and even if a spy can’t get into your wireless network, they can infer things from its name, signal strength, traffic patterns and so forth. That said, the forthcoming protocol might also be susceptible to future attacks, according to research published in 2020, who discovered a set of Dragonblood flaws in 2019.

With Ethernet, however, there’s no way for anyone to snoop on your data unless they can gain access to the physical cables and connectors. To succeed in an attack, a cyber criminal would need to plug a device into your network physically, while data transmitted through Wi-Fi networks are more susceptible to interception.

3. Ethernet speeds are quicker

Ethernet is almost always faster than wireless. The latest Wi-Fi routers provide high speeds over a short distance but carry your laptop into the next room and performance quickly drops off. A gigabit Ethernet connection can reliably keep up a data rate of around 100MB/sec over any length of cable, up to a huge 100 metres – and there are variants that can go far faster.

Ethernet ports on most devices use the IEEE 802.3ab standard, also known as GbE, which supports a speed of 1Gbit/sec. It doesn’t mean data transfers at that rate, though, with a gigabit Ethernet link actually conveying roughly 920Mbits/sec of usable data. That’s much better than wireless connections, though, where real-world performance rarely approaches 50% of the speed on the box. Many businesses working with big data sets and hosted applications are already using 10GbE, while data centres and supercomputing clusters have options ranging from 25GbE all the way up to 400Gbits/sec, too. Work is even underway on finalising the 800GbE and 1.6TbE standards.

Using Ethernet connections is particularly favourable if there are multiple devices located around an organisation that frequently back up to shared destinations or NAS devices. Sharing larger files between users, too, such as media or massive datasets, might be tricky over Wi-Fi if there’s a lot of activity simultaneously.

4. Ethernet connections are more reliable

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Wi-Fi does allow for more convenience for those moving around a space, such as employees who frequently hot-desk or like to move between workspaces. This is particularly apparent in the age of hybrid work. Moving between sites, especially in an office set up with a mesh Wi-fi network might see the connection drop temporarily, if not properly configured. There might also be blind spots. Accessing networks at the edge, too, can be temperamental. It’s also not uncommon for a router to go down and require resetting for no initially obvious reason.

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Ethernet connections, meanwhile, require people to stay in one location for continuous online access, but they provide a rock-solid, consistent connection, with only tiny variations in the data rate compared to wireless. Environmental interference is a non-issue, and you don’t normally need to worry about network congestion either. Wireless routers, on the other hand, have to divide up their bandwidth between any number of clients, every Ethernet connection represents a dedicated full-speed lane.

5. Ethernet carries lower latency

As well as higher headline speeds, Ethernet has much lower latency than wireless connections. Signals travel much faster through cables than through the air, where they’re prone to interference. On many networks, it’s common to see a higher ping time when pinging a router from a laptop connected over Wi-Fi; but for that to plummet when connecting through an Ethernet cable. Among the advantages, like smoother videoconferencing sessions, it can have a subtle effect on how snappy and responsive your system feels when you’re accessing local networked resources.

What's powering Britain’s fibre broadband boom?

Barry Collins — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 08:00:08 +0000

From The Highlands of Scotland to the villages of Cornwall, Britain is in the midst of a full-fibre frenzy, with dozens of smaller providers – so-called altnets – running fibre to the doors. It’s a massive land grab and, with companies keen to please investors, they’re offering stupidly fast broadband at stupidly cheap prices to attract customers.

But can it last? Will these cut-price fibre providers be able to compete with giants such as Openreach and Virgin Media over the long term? Or will the market go the same way as it did with ADSL, with smaller fish swallowed by the bigger sharks?

What's triggered the full-fibre explosion?

When it comes to delivering end-to-end fibre connections, Britain had – until relatively recently – been lumbering along at a pedestrian rate. At the start of the 2010s, BT set an ambitious target to reach 25% of British households with full fibre, but it quickly faltered. Openreach largely concentrated on delivering the much slower and cheaper fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) and full fibre remained a rarity.

Boris Johnson’s 2025 gigabit broadband vision in tatters, MPs claim

In the past few years, however, something changed. Although Boris Johnson’s bluster about delivering ultrafast broadband to everyone was typically exaggerated, there has been a serious surge in Britain’s full-fibre rollout and experts do give credit to the government and regulator Ofcom for giving it a shove.

“The number of alternative full-fibre networks in the market has rocketed to over a hundred in just the past three to four years, and this stems from the combined impact of several changes,” says Mark Jackson, editor-in-chief of ISPreview.

“Some examples of positive changes include demand side-interventions, such as the government’s rural gigabit voucher scheme, making the economic model for rural builds more viable, and support for providing fibre to public-sector sites, which can later be harnessed by commercial networks for further expansion. Ofcom has also made it easier and cheaper for altnets to viably run their own fibre over existing telecoms poles and underground cable ducts on Openreach’s infrastructure.”

Lit Fibre is an altnets that’s benefited from access to Openreach’s ducts and poles. The company’s CEO, Tom Williams, says the long battle to get physical infrastructure access (PIA) to Openreach’s infrastructure was crucial. “I was involved in PIA right from the very beginning and… it took a good three to five years to get that product to a place where it was viable enough for people to overcome the challenges that it faced,” he says. “I think some of the bigger companies are still struggling with some of those challenges, which is a perfect set of circumstances for more entrepreneurial companies to spring up and take advantage.”

Breakthroughs in PIA have allowed alternative providers to enter the market

The other big factor is money – and plenty of it. With the ongoing economic uncertainty, there’s an appetite to invest in solid infrastructure projects, especially infrastructure that’s going to last a long time. The fibre being put into the ground now will last for at least a generation to come, because as Stewart Crabb, director of B2B at GoFibre says, “nothing travels faster than light”.

GoFibre, which is installing fibre in some of Scotland’s more rural areas, is installing XGS-PON and 25G PON technology from Nokia in its network to future-proof for the speeds that might be needed in the 2050s or 60s. “We’re not building it for today, we’re looking far into the future of what people will need, because theoretically that can deliver 10Gbits/sec to a home,” says Crabb. “Ten gig will never be used in a home today, but we don’t know what’s going to come 20, 30 or 40 years down the line.”

Why altnets have an advantage

The emergence of 100-plus fibre providers is inevitably going to splinter the broadband market, meaning each of those providers will be counting customer numbers in the tens or hundreds of thousands, rather than the millions or tens of millions of people on Virgin Media or Openreach lines. So how do smaller operators hope to compete with the industry giants?

One man who should know is Steve Robertson. He used to be the CEO of Openreach, but has recently joined Lit Fibre as a non-executive director. He believes the biggest advantage the altnets have is they are “starting a business with a clean sheet of paper”.

“The infrastructure space offers you the opportunity to do things that you just can’t do if you’ve got a massive legacy, as I know only too well,” he says. “Don’t get me wrong – there are great things about having a legacy… it’s not a dirty word. But having a clean sheet of paper does give you certain opportunities.

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“If you are a smart, well-funded, intelligent, alternative network provider, you’ve got the opportunity to build and operate your network in a way that is quite different from a big legacy operator,” Robertson adds. “And in doing that, you can give customers a different sort of experience, you can be more personalised, you can be more agile. There’s a big market and there’s places for lots of different flavours.”

Being a new provider also allows companies such as Lit Fibre to shake off some of the problems that have long afflicted the broadband business. “If you look at things like TrustPilot, people are very suspicious, disillusioned and mistrustful of the industry,” says Williams. “Right back to the mid-2000s, people have been saying ‘I don’t get what I pay for’ because it’s always been ‘up to’. So there’s a big job for companies like us to educate the consumer as to how different it is. It’s about building that credibility and demonstrating the fact that full fibre is completely different.”

Wi-Fi vs 5G: Is it time your business ditched broadband?

The other advantage is cost. By piggybacking on Openreach infrastructure and not bearing the cost of digging up roads, the altnets can be very competitive on price. With so many altnets in the landgrab phase, they’re driving down prices to attract customers. “You have got some [altnets] that are coming in and trying to bump up their customer base as quickly as possible, coming in with competitive pricing,” says GoFibre’s Stewart Crabb. “For the end user, that’s great. You are getting more than what you’re getting today for, if not a better price, the same price [as your current broadband].”

The influx of low-cost full-fibre providers is also putting pressure on the big players to not only accelerate the rollout of their own full-fibre networks, but to keep prices down. Openreach doesn’t sell directly to consumers; it wholesales its network to ISPs such as Sky, TalkTalk and Zen Internet. But the company’s managing director for fibre and network delivery, Matt Hemmings, admits the altnets are keeping Openreach on its toes. “I think that [competition] is a very positive thing for UK PLC and its customers, and we are making sure that we remain very competitive on [wholesale] price to ensure that we continue to grow and scale our business, and generate the returns that we that we want to make on our business case for our investment in FTTP,” he says. “The UK is building more fibre homes today than it ever has before and the pace of build accelerates every single quarter.”

Those cheap fibre prices might not be an introductory flash in the pan, either. “If we look across other markets where FTTP has matured, then if anything gigabit speed packages actually become even cheaper. Put another way, over the longer term, there’s scope for prices to fall further and for speeds to increase. Some ISPs are already charging around £25 to £35 per month for their top 1Gbit/sec package, and that may become much more common over the next five years.”

How long can Britain’s broadband boom last?

The full fibre expansion comes alongside a shift in the way these services are sold. For years, broadband has been bundled with other products, such as television, landline and mobile phone packages. But the bundles are beginning to unravel. “We are seeing the market shifting,” says Hemmings. “I couldn’t tell you my landline number, I don’t remember the last time I used my landline. I think and we will continue to see that market shift but we have an obligation at Openreach to ensure that we consider all customers and all their needs across the entire spectrum.”

Openreach’s ongoing drive to switch off the old PSTN network will drive a further stake through the heart of the landline business, with most consumers either sticking to their mobiles or relying on VoIP services for phone calls.

While customers might reap the benefits of cheap gigabit fibre connections for a few years to come, there are doubts over how long the British broadband boom can last. Indeed, in the early days of the cable rollout, there were numerous regional providers that eventually consolidated into one or two big players. When dial-up and ADSL first took off, there were hundreds of smaller ISPs, which were one-by-one subsumed by the bigger companies.

Almost everyone in the industry – even the altnets themselves – concede that there will be similar consolidation in years to come. “It will happen,” says GoFibre’s Stewart Crabb, “but the networks need to be built before you can go buy it. The important thing is getting those networks in the ground and getting customers on it, and getting everybody using it, then you’ll start to see acquisitions.”

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We’re already starting to see overbuilding – areas with two, three or more full-fibre providers – and that creates problems for the business case. “We have a business case to build 25 million homes, which is about 80% of the UK, and we probably wouldn’t stop there,” says Hemmings. If you add up all of the announced plans to build from the various providers, it comes to 75 million homes. This is a problem when there are only 27 million homes in the UK. “I don’t think that, personally, is a sustainable market position,” he says. “I think you will naturally see consolidation over time.”

The good news is that strong competition is forcing altnets to build in places with less competition, places that might not otherwise have got fibre. GoFibre is targeting more rural areas in Scotland and the North of England, for example; Lit Fibre has rolled out in less affluent locations such as Clacton in Essex, because customers can afford its competitive prices and it delivers benefits to the entire community.

It’s the more competitive, inner-city areas where the crunch is likely to be felt. “The market reality is that having a mass of smaller players, many of which will be competing over some of the same areas, often overbuilding several other opponents, is not sustainable,” says ISPreview’s Mark Jackson. Even in dense urban areas, with plenty of customers in small geographic areas, you’d still run into problems with more than five networks competing.

“Wide-scale consolidation in a market that has become as aggressive competitive as this one is thus inevitable,” he continues. “I suspect, given enough time, that we’ll end up back in a position with a handful of large infrastructure players, followed by a smattering of medium-sized and smaller players in particular or niche areas. But not the 100-plus altnets you see today.”

Verizon ends 3G support in US, finalises nationwide shutdown

Rory Bathgate — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 12:38:36 +0000

Verizon has officially decommissioned its 3G code-division multiple access (CDMA) networks, becoming the last major US telco to do so.

Verizon announced that as of 31 December 2022, its 3G CDMA network was no longer functional, in line with moves made by other US mobile network operators (MNOs) such as AT&T which ended its 3G support in February 2022.

The move essentially ends 3G access across the country. A single smaller operator, UScellular, originally committed to shutting its network down without a specified timeframe but later clarified that it also ended its 3G service on New Year's Eve.

Businesses using devices only capable of accessing 3G networks, such as older models of mobile phones, tablets, or diagnostic machinery will no longer have network access. This applies even to emergency calls, and numbers registered to accounts that have not migrated to more advanced networks by February will be disconnected.

Many businesses that still use 3G devices have worked with Verizon to create migration plans that will enable them to quickly switch to 4G and 5G-capable equipment.

Plans had been in place since 2016 to wind down the network, and Verizon notified customers about the change well in advance. As a result, the company reports that less than 1% of its customers still access the 3G network.

Network shutdowns of this kind, referred to as the ‘sunset’ by MNOs, have been planned by MNOs for a long time. Sunsets have allowed MNOs to focus on advanced network services such as 5G, cut maintenance costs for older networks, and to reuse frequencies previously reserved for 2G and 3G services.

“Initially, we announced we would close down our 3G network in 2019,” stated the telecoms giant in a blog post.

“However, we extended our shut off date to the end of 2022 in order to care for our customers and give them every effort to minimise disruptions to their service as they moved to newer and more advanced technologies.

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“That outreach included proactively communicating through billing messages, digital and traditional outreach and even sending some customers updated devices proactively.”

2G has already been discontinued by the major US MNOs. AT&T ended support for its own 2G network in 2017, Verizon 2G was phased out in 2020, and T-Mobile started its own 2G sunset in December 2022.

3G services around the world

For services in the UK, Ofcom has published an outline for shutting down 3G services, including the provisionary dates that each UK MNO is aiming to cease their individual services. Vodafone is aiming to sunset all 3G services in the country by the end of 2023, while EE and Three are targeting early and late 2024 respectively.

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In December 2021 the UK government confirmed that UK MNOs will cease 2G services by 2033 at the latest, though it is likely that some will choose to shut down 2G networks prior to this absolute deadline.

Network availability across the EU is a mixed picture, with some countries ahead of the US and UK on sunset targets. Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands have all discontinued 3G access, and regulatory intelligence provider Cullen International has claimed MNOs in 22 EU countries plan to, or have already, switched off their legacy networks.

Many EU countries are aiming for a 2025 shutdown of 2G services, which could impact internet of things (IoT) devices that currently rely on the technology to send and receive data such as first-generation smart meters.

India’s Airtel sunset 3G in 2020, and plans to do the same for its 2G network by the end of 2023. Japan sunset 2G as far back as 2012, though is only aiming to discontinue its 3G networks by 2026.

Mesh network vs Wi-Fi extender: Which is best for my business?

john@jloeppky.com (John Loeppky) — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 08:00:07 +0000

When you’re asked to think of a location without internet access, you might imagine a secluded rural area far away from the nagging email inbox that plagues your working week. What might not have come to mind is your second bedroom, home office or even dead zones in your workplace.

One-day IT projects to improve your business network

Businesses hoping to resolve drops in signal, or improve network coverage, might wish to explore adding either a mesh network or a Wi-Fi extender to their setup. Both systems, however, suit slightly different purposes. Whether seeking to boost the network at your home office – or your large enterprise – it’s worth considering whether mesh Wi-Fi is better than an extender, and which you should buy for your purpose.

What is a Wi-Fi extender?

A Wi-Fi extender – sometimes called a Wi-Fi repeater – takes your existing wireless signal and expands its range. Often just a plug-and-play solution, although some also have ethernet compatibility, the extender improves Wi-Fi coverage, but not necessarily speed.

Different from a mesh Wi-Fi system, where one device is, in effect, its own router (also known as a node), extenders are meant to be a cheap and simple solution to a pesky dead zone in your home or business. It’s, therefore, often suited more to home office networks than larger office buildings, although could well be useful for small businesses hoping to improve their network coverage.

What is a mesh network?

Mesh Wi-Fi systems, on the other hand, comprise a core router and a number of nodes. These nodes, which look like many home assistant devices we’re used to seeing, pave the way for quicker speeds and simpler expansion of the network.

Wi-Fi extenders in your home are not chained together like a mesh system would be. A mesh network’s devices are constantly communicating with each other, while a Wi-Fi extender is only communicating with your router.

How do these two technologies work?

At its core, a Wi-Fi extender takes the original signal from your router and sends it to places that were previously unreachable. Oftentimes, this means the extender creates its own network name rather than being integrated into something like a mesh. When you’re connecting to an extender, you’re not connecting directly to your main router. This can mean some juggling when you decide how to connect your devices.

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On the other hand, a mesh system uses algorithms to communicate not just with a router, which acts as a hub, but between each node. This is how they collectively share the load as your network needs change. These mesh networks are often deployed in large public spaces like a university, office buildings or sports complexes, and are meant to provide seamless connectivity across a large space with a significant number of users. Where the extender plays the role of an amplifier, the mesh network acts like a whole orchestra.

Is a mesh network better than a Wi-Fi extender?

In terms of costs, setting up a Wi-Fi extender is cheaper, on average, than establishing a mesh network. There are fewer moving parts, it’s less of a technical exercise, and it fits into a consumer niche that demands low prices. Wi-Fi extenders also tend to be simpler to connect – sometimes with a one-button configuration or a simple app integration – but they’re less user-friendly in a large space.

Using an extender is preferable when you’re working in a small space, or connecting devices you know won’t be moving around the space much. This is because the repeater tends to appear as a separate entry in a device’s list of networks it can connect to. Users, therefore, may experience brief connectivity drops as a device switches between the different networks if it moves through the space. These aren’t issues that arise with a mesh network.

The main disadvantage of a mesh network is its price and complexity. While a repeater isn’t all that complex, a mesh network’s nodes are like a series of routers. If setting up your router gave you a headache, then setting up a mesh network might take a little bit of getting used to. Along with that complexity, however, comes an increased level of security and stability. If a Wi-Fi extender has an error – or loses connectivity – devices connected to it likely won’t be smart enough to switch back to your original router and will lose access to the internet.

Who is each of these technologies best suited for?

When it comes to deciding between a Wi-Fi extender and a mesh network, it comes down to individual needs. If you have a small dead zone in your home or business – or if you need Wi-Fi in an upstairs room – then a simple Wi-Fi extender is likely the best solution. If, however, your large business is looking for broad coverage in an expansive space – say, a warehouse or large office building – then extenders are unlikely to meet your needs.

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When choosing between these two options, like with any other IT purchasing decision, it’s important not just to think of sunk costs. A key aspect of this decision is rooted in time. If you think a mesh network will be too complex and create too many concerns for your small team, then perhaps a repeater is the choice. If a repeater, however, means losing connection every time you switch which room you’re working in, a mesh system may be for you.

A business that needs a Wi-Fi network – and has both a large space and a fair amount of foot traffic – is going to be better served using a mesh network. A small company or remote worker, on the other hand, might be better served by a Wi-Fi extender. A mesh network, while it seems intimidatingly complex, offers a better user experience in spaces that put a heavy workload on their internet system. However, there’s no need to make a mountain out of a molehill if an extender will do the trick.

Netgear WAX615 review: Excellent Wi-Fi 6 performance for SMBs

Dave Mitchell — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 12:00:06 +0000

SMBs looking for an affordable Wi-Fi 6 network upgrade will find that the WAX615 has a lot to offer. Priced at only £138 (exc VAT), Netgear's first business AX3000 access point (AP) supports the Wi-Fi 6 high-performance 160MHz channels and comes with a 2.5GbE multi-Gigabit network port to unleash this extra speed.

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The WAX615 may be cheap to buy but it doesn't compromise on features. It combines plenty of business-class features with standalone mode or cloud management and can be used to

swiftly build a meshed wireless network. Its LAN port supports PoE and PoE+ power sources, and you should use the latter if you don't want to see a drop in performance.

It also supports the Wi-Fi 6 Release 2 standard, which enables uplink MU-MIMO to deliver faster upload speeds and improves latency for delay-sensitive tasks such as video conferencing. Energy efficiency is another key feature of this standard, and the WAX615 offers an optional energy efficient mode (EEM) so it will drop from 2x2 to 1x1 MU-MIMO if no clients are connected.

It's easy to deploy the WAX615 in standalone mode, with its local web console providing a wizard that guides you through the initial setup phase. SMBs will find Netgear's Insight cloud portal more appealing, however, as it can remotely manage all wireless networks from one web console, along with Netgear's Insight-enabled NAS appliances, switches and routers.

The price includes a one-year subscription to the Insight Premium service (subsequent years cost £8.95 per device) and provides web portal plus mobile app access and support for multiple sites. You'll need to tread the Insight path if you want meshed networks, as this feature isn't available in standalone mode.

To add the WAX615 to our cloud account, we used the Insight iOS app on an iPad to scan its QR code. We then assigned the AP to our Insight organisation site and, once it was powered up and networked, it connected to our account and started broadcasting the wireless SSIDs we'd created previously.

The portal site page presents a summary of all cloud-managed Netgear devices and uses widgets so it can be easily customised to suit. Choosing the wireless option reveals all APs, more detailed traffic graphs for each radio and a list of all connected clients, along with the detected OS and traffic statistics. To create a mesh network, you can enable a global auto mode for all supported APs or set it at the device level and choose root or extender modes.

Extender APs are placed in range of a root AP and powered but not physically cabled to the same network. After we added a second WAX615 AP to our Insight account, it automatically linked up with the root AP over a 5GHz wireless connection and created a mesh with it.

To speed-test the WAX615, we hooked it up to a Zyxel XS1930-12HP 10GbE multi-gigabit PoE++ switch and connected a Dell T640 Windows server over 10GbE, giving us a test bed supporting a minimum 2.5GbE throughput. Our client system was a Dell Windows 10 Pro workstation equipped with a TP-Link Archer TX3000E Wi-Fi 6 PCI-E adapter, which employs an Intel AX200 chip supporting all Wi-Fi 6 channels.

With the AP's 80MHz channels enabled, close-range copies of a 25GB test file between the workstation and server averaged 110MB/sec. With the AP moved ten metres away from the workstation and into an adjoining room with a partition wall in the way, we saw copy speeds drop to 94MB/sec. After enabling the 160MHz channels, our workstation reported a 2.4Gbits/sec wireless connection and close-range copies averaged an impressive 179MB/sec. Increasing the connection distance to ten metres saw our file copies return a very respectable 157MB/sec.

Netgear's WAX615 combines excellent Wi-Fi 6 performance with great cloud management and delivers it all at a price that SMBs will love. It's easy to deploy and manage, while support for meshing allows businesses to expand their wireless networks easily.

UK government to run Starlink trials in Snowdonia, Lake District

rory.bathgate@futurenet.com (Rory Bathgate) — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 11:12:05 +0000

Remote businesses and homes across the UK will be connected to satellite broadband in a new government trial intended to address unequal coverage of high-speed internet.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced plans to test the effectiveness of satellites in delivering high-speed connectivity in “a dozen” sites considered ‘very hard to reach’, the less than 1% of rural and remote sites where the cost of delivering broadband rises to untenable levels.

Starlink, the satellite broadband arm of aerospace firm SpaceX, has been chosen to support the trial given its already extensive low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation.

For the future of the trial, the government will continue to evaluate other services, and named UK-based satellite operator OneWeb as a potential partner for connectivity in more complex locations.

Test sites include Snowdonia National Park, with the base of the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation (Sefydliad Achub Mynydd Dyffryn Ogwen) and the Ty Cornel outdoor activity facility run by Scouts Cymru both participating. Rievaulx Abbey in North Yorkshire and Wasdale Head in the Lake District were also among the selected locations, while further sites are under review.

The tests will seek to establish the effectiveness of the satellites, as well as the specific benefits of faster connections in remote areas, such as improved communications for rescue teams.

The potential of satellite broadband for rural business connectivity is great, with initial government figures demonstrating that reliable connections as high as 200 Mbits/sec can be established using the technology.

Businesses have also registered interest in satellite solutions. In its response to a consultation on improving broadband for very hard-to-reach premises, published in May, the government stated that 43% of businesses had explored satellite broadband as an alternative to fixed broadband. A further 29% had tried both satellite broadband and fixed wireless access.

“High-speed broadband beamed to earth from space could be the answer to the connectivity issues suffered by people in premises stuck in the digital slow lane,” said Michelle Donelan, secretary of state for the DCMS.

“Ensuring everyone can get a quality internet connection is crucial to our levelling up plans and these trials aim to find a solution to the prohibitively high cost of rolling out cables to far-flung locations.”

In October, the government launched a £15 million competition to encourage UK businesses seeking to enter the satellite internet market, citing the great potential for innovation and job creation within the sector.

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Alongside its satellite trial, the government is expanding its broadband outreach scheme Project Gigabit, and has awarded Northern Ireland-based broadband firm Fibrus a £108 million contract to improve fibre connectivity across Cumbria. Initial Fibrus connections are expected by the spring, with construction commencing immediately.

“Using innovative methods to beam broadband to isolated areas, alongside this latest Project Gigabit deal to level up the north of England, will connect thousands more hard-to-reach premises, helping people get and stay connected,” said James Cartlidge, exchequer secretary at the Treasury.

It is hoped that investment in the region will spur opportunities for employment and apprenticeships across Cumbria, and the government is additionally seeking to award contracts in areas such as Cornwall, Norfolk, and Suffolk.

SpaceX continues to launch Starlink satellites into orbit at pace, with its constellation now containing around 3,000 of an FCC-approved total of 12,000 that could eventually provide internet access for much of the world. The firm now has approvals to provide internet to moving vehicles, and has signed both a partnership with Royal Caribbean and a deal with T-Mobile to construct a satellite-based mobile network.

Zen Internet announces duo of new leadership appointments

Daniel Todd — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 10:18:30 +0000

Technology service provider Zen Internet has announced two internal promotions with the appointment of David Barber as director of strategy and Amanda Rogers as its new head of marketing.

After accumulating two decades of experience at Zen, Barber will now be responsible for the strategic development of the company’s portfolio and its overarching marketing strategy. He will also co-ordinate all of Zen’s strategy-setting, as well as strategic development with key suppliers, the firm said.

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New head of marketing Amanda Rogers will report directly to Barber, overseeing the creation and implementation of marketing strategies that target both new and existing customers.

Rogers and her team will support the consumer, partner, and business operating divisions with marketing communications and campaign activity to help build brand awareness and grow market share, Zen added.

“David and Amanda have already made significant personal contributions to the development of Zen as an established player in the connectivity, cloud, and communications markets,” said Paul Stobart, CEO at Zen Internet.

“Going forward, our ambition is to be recognised as the most trusted service provider, delivering an exceptional customer experience, underpinned by the highest quality technology.”

Founded in 1995, Zen Internet has grown to become the largest B Corporation-certified telecommunications and network connectivity provider in the UK and now has a staff base of more than 500 people.

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The Rochdale-headquartered ISP provides broadband, data, voice, hosting, and infrastructure services to homes and businesses across the country, as well as complex network and cloud solutions for large businesses through strategic partnerships with AWS and Cisco. The firm also works indirectly via its network of channel partners.

In its announcement, Zen said Barber and Rogers will play a key part in helping the business take advantage of new market opportunities.

“Notwithstanding current economic headwinds, the next few years are likely to be full of opportunity for Zen as the market moves to full fibre and the cloud,” Stobart said.

“David and Amanda will play an integral role in ensuring that our business, product and marketing strategies are shaped to help us deliver on our ambitions and make the most of the opportunities that lie ahead.”

The future of wholesale distribution

itpro@futurenet.com (ITPro) — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 15:41:15 +0000

The wholesale distribution industry is seeing new challenges as a result of digital transformation, with customers able to purchase goods across channels, and demand cheaper, personalised products. It means switching suppliers is easier than ever, so wholesale distributors need to build better, more value-added experiences for customers.

This whitepaper looks at how wholesalers can adopt servitization, providing value-added services and solutions alongside their products, to meet changing customer demands, and how businesses can digitally connect with customers and partners through technology including IoT and 3D design.

Download now to learn more about distributor challenges and how a multi-pronged approach can result in a greater ROI.

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How we test routers and access points

IT Pro — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 10:57:46 +0000

How we test

Wireless networking can be a fickle beast at the best of times, which is why it’s important to ensure that your equipment is able to handle your needs. To this end, all of our wireless networking reviews include rigorous performance testing to measure the speeds, range and stability they can provide.

Wi-Fi routers and mesh systems

Our primary testing premises for standalone Wi-Fi routers and mesh systems (as opposed to business-specific APs) has a total floor area of around 90m2, split across two floors. For each router, we install the latest firmware and place the unit in a fixed location at the front of the building. For mesh systems, the second node goes at the far end of the adjacent room.

We then connect a NAS drive to the router via Ethernet and connect to it on the 5GHz band from a laptop. Next, we measure speeds by copying a series of large files to and from the NAS from five locations throughout the building.

To measure each router’s performance over both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 5, we carry out these tests twice, first using a laptop equipped with a 160MHz Wi-Fi 6 card, and then with a 802.11ac adapter, measuring both upload and download speeds.

As ever, we need to emphasise that wireless networking speeds are affected by all sorts of environmental factors, so the absolute speeds we measure may not be replicated in your installation. However, our results give a good indication of the relative performance of each system: the products that worked best for us are highly likely to do well for you too.

Alongside performance, our reviews also take additional features and value for money into account, from which we arrive at a star rating out of five.

Business APs

Our primary testing setup for business-grade APs consists of a Windows workstation fitted with an Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 adapter supporting channels up to 160MHz, which we connect to the AP using 80MHz channels, and (if available) the 160MHz channels – this gives either a 1.2Gbits/sec or 2.4Gbits/sec connection speed. We’ll also use a server connected to the same network via a wired 10GbE link as a file transfer target, which prevents any unexpected bottlenecks.

To test performance, we’ll map a shared drive from the server to the PC which is connected to the AP on test. We’ll then time how long it takes to copy a 25GB test file between them over both short and longer ranges, and also using 80MHz and 160MHz channels where applicable.

We start with a short-range connection with the AP in the same room as the test PC, and then move the AP into the next room at a distance of 10 metres, including a stud wall partition between it and the PC.

What is a router and how does it work?

John Loeppky — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 08:00:06 +0000

You’ve signed up for internet, your installer has arrived, and now you’re faced with a box with blinking lights. Routers can come in all shapes and sizes, with different models offering varying levels of network performance and all kinds of features, from those that improve range to sharpening up network security.

Best Wi-Fi routers and access points 2023: Get the strongest signal and top performance

Regardless of the specific router you're looking for, its role in networking is an essential one, promising unfettered access to the web. There’s more than meets the eye, though, and there are several ways your organisation can make the most of the router and unlock its potential.

How does a router work?

To explain what a router in networking is, we can suggest thinking of your business’ router as the air traffic control of your configuration, sending data packets around your network and out to the wider web.

Whether that’s interfacing between your devices and the internet, or allowing data traffic between your devices – like casting content to a television or using a server or network attached storage (NAS) device to share your data between computer – the router is at the centre of the action.

A router identifies the IP address of devices in order to know exactly where to send data that’s being distributed by a user. It’s not just about knowing which device is where on your network, but also about knowing how best to distribute that data.

For example, on routers that have two bands, usually 2.4 and 5GHz, one band may be tasked with smaller internet of things (IoT) devices, while the larger band can be assigned by the owner to devices that hog more bandwidth, like workstations.

It’s worth noting that the words modem and router are sometimes used interchangeably. A modem, the first device of its kind when computing became more accessible, allows for a single connection. It’s the front door, so to speak, between your network and the wider web.

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A router, on the other hand, takes that connection and allows your network’s devices to talk to each other and do things like scanning the web for advice and guidance. In other words, in modern configurations, the two parts and functions are combined into your router.

What are the different types of routers?

First, let’s explain the difference between a wired router and wireless router. A wired model allows connections from its ports – acting more like a network switch, but does not have a way to connect wirelessly to your devices. While a wired connection, similar to the one from the ethernet jack in your wall, will be faster, it does allow for less flexibility. A wireless router allows for wireless connections and is the one we’re most familiar with. The models often provided by internet service providers (ISPs) often function as wireless routers with a couple of wired ports to boot.

From there come three key types of routers. The one we’re most familiar with, the one you’re likely to have at home, is a core router. Its job is to be the main hub for one network’s activity. If we’re stretching this analogy even further, the core router is the single staffer on the runway using batons to point your network traffic in the right direction.

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That’s different from an edge router. Its job is to connect with other networks and work at the boundary of the network. Instead of being clad in a rain jacket on the tarmac, the edge router is working with its friends in the IT environment, equivalent to air traffic control. Your typical home office network won’t need an edge router, generally speaking, but in a deployment like a huge warehouse or a university campus, edge routers are needed to manage traffic across a large space or a place with a large volume of network traffic and devices.

The third main type of router is a virtual router. Rather than being a traditional physical box you might associate with the label, a virtual router is run from a more typical computer or server running specialised software. With this added flexibility, virtual routers can also run virtual private network (VPN) software, allowing you to make sure all of the traffic that runs through that router is encrypted with an extra layer of security.

What factors are important in a good router?

The first thing to consider, like any tech purchase, is what exactly you need the router to do. You don’t need to make a mountain out of a molehill and buy something that could service a massive warehouse when you’re working in a tiny office. You’ll want to make sure that it’s up to the latest standard that your devices can support – the latest being Wi-Fi-6 or Wi-Fi 6E. You also want to keep in mind what speed your network connection is. No matter how competent the router it’s only as fast as your incoming connection can put it.

As for weaknesses and pitfalls, you must keep in mind the router’s security features, most of which come thanks to its firmware. While these devices tend to automatically update, routers are susceptible to a distributed denial of service attack (DDoS). This is when a network is flooded with nuisance traffic to throttle its ability to function properly. Businesses, therefore, must adequately safeguard against the potential for such attacks.

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Routers also usually come with a default name and password for the administrator privileges that allow you to configure settings. Make sure you are up to date on what security features your router comes with, how you can personalise them, and whether your model is particularly vulnerable to a specific form of attack.

The last concern – and it’s one most people don’t want to talk about – is that any physical piece of hardware is prone to misuse by staff or contractors that are less-than-ethical. It’s best to ensure that checking your router’s settings and activity is part of your regular network maintenance. Don’t just, as the saying goes, set and forget.

What is mesh Wi-Fi and how does it work?

John Loeppky — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 08:00:06 +0000

Hearing the squeaking and squawking of a dial-up modem isn’t the only indication your network solution is out of date. Walk into any store that sells networking equipment and you’ll be confronted with two main solutions: a single router – what you see in most homes – or a mesh Wi-Fi network product.

Best mesh Wi-Fi 2021: banish dead spots and boost your broadband

Although mesh Wi-Fi products may seem complex, there are both advantages and disadvantages to deployment. Mesh Wi-Fi may be powerful and extend range, for instance, but it isn’t necessary for all businesses or remote workers – it depends on a variety of factors including business needs and the size of a property.

What is mesh Wi-Fi?

Mesh Wi-Fi systems are networks that operate a bit like a pyramid. Instead of your internet being supported by a single router – the Atlas of IT technology, destined to shoulder the weight of your data transfer – mesh networks rely on a series of nodes. These nodes, which are physical devices often shaped like pucks or small speakers, share that load and allow for simpler connections, easier expansion, and quicker speeds.

While some customers may choose a cheaper Wi-Fi extender to achieve the goal of expanding the coverage in a given space, most of those products can only speak to the router itself. With that constant back and forth comes a large swathe of problems, including reduced signal quality and a more difficult user experience.

Whether you need a mesh wireless networking solution is, at its core, a question of scale. However, if you can swing it, a mesh network will – generally speaking – increase your internet speed and provide a better overall user experience.

How does mesh Wi-Fi work?

From a technical point of view, these networks use what is called a mesh topology to communicate with one another. Then, algorithms are used to determine what traffic should go over which node of the network.

Two or more nodes are connected to establish the mesh Wi-Fi network, with one node connected to an internet modem and the others placed throughout the space. These nodes are all part of the same network and share the same separate service set identifier (SSID) and password, which makes scaling up or down really simple.

These nodes also handle backhaul, the task of moving data back to the initial access point to the internet (in this case, a mesh router). Large-scale installations, like at universities or for open Wi-Fi projects in cities, are usually reliant on mesh networking. The volume of traffic would not be manageable at that scale otherwise.

Why do businesses and remote workers need mesh Wi-Fi?

With more and more people working from home over the last two years, the number of properties accessing the internet has surged, with more and more people getting online too. The pandemic saw more than 700 million people come alone, according to the UN, raising the total number of internet users to 4.9 billion. In 2020, meanwhile, 92% used the internet daily, reported the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Best mesh Wi-Fi alternatives

The need for internet speed may differ depending on your business, however. If you’re content with your current ethernet solution, and you don’t have a reason to upgrade, then mesh Wi-Fi networks might not make a difference. For example, if your only use of wireless networking is for customers in a small waiting room, corporate wireless mesh network might be too costly or confusing. However, if you’re a tech startup and you have hundreds of users on their phones or laptops at any one time, then a mesh Wi-Fi network might make sense.

For the remote worker, especially if you have a lot of people that you are sharing a space with, a mesh network might fit the bill. Operating a mesh network is also straightforward, with the distributed structure mitigating against outages. That’s because if one node fails, it doesn’t mean the entire network goes offline. Lastly, by default, extenders often rely on having a SSID, the name it gives itself. In practice, this means that you don’t have to switch between extenders as you move to different parts of the house. With a mesh solution, in the eyes of your device, the network is a cohesive whole.

What are the drawbacks of using mesh Wi-Fi?

While there are a number of clear advantages to mesh Wi-Fi networks, such as the capacity to increase range and the ease of scaling up networks, there are also some drawbacks.

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For one, these networks are much pricier than many commonly used alternatives; you can purchase as a traditional no-mesh extender for up to £30, for example, while a mesh Wi-Fi system from a reputable brand can easily cost hundreds of pounds. Secondly, more nodes mean more devices to plug in. This means that if you have minimal power outlets, or you’re worried about your power draw, a mesh network might not be the best solution.

Lastly, it’s widely reported that mesh networks are initially more difficult to get running than your usual setup. With something like an extender, you’re often clicking a few buttons and then you’re off to the races. However, a mesh network – much like a surround speaker system – requires you to choose the optimal places around your property to put the nodes to achieve maximum coverage.

Also, with a mesh network, you’re often tied into one ecosystem, so mixing and matching brands can be difficult or near impossible. Similarly, if you choose a mesh system from a lesser-known manufacturer that could go out of business, you may be left without customer service or additional products if and when you run into issues or want to expand.

How do you secure mesh Wi-Fi networks?

While mesh networks are marketed as being more secure than their counterparts, there are some concerns you want to keep in mind when attempting to boost your network.

Each node of a mesh Wi-FI network is more akin to a computer than a regular Wi-Fi extender or repeater. With that additional capability comes the possibility of additional risk. On the plus side, many mesh offerings come from massive brands like Google and Amazon, which have protections built into the hardware and software, including elements like encryption and real-time antivirus.

How to boost your business Wi-Fi

Finally, If you’re the type of consumer who already trusts these techno giants with your data then you can rest a little bit easier knowing that tasks like the automatic updates you’ve set on your smartphone or tablet will be implemented within your Wi-Fi connection.

With more nodes come more physical access points, too, but in a home office setting, mesh networks are often tied into smart home solutions. If your Google Home ecosystem is also powering, say, a security camera, then your network is, in effect, working to protect itself.

No Wi-Fi is better than slow Wi-Fi

Nicole Kobie — Sat, 29 Oct 2022 07:00:07 +0000

My sister and her family visited me in June. As her children are approaching their teenage years and are travelling from Canada – which has terrible and expensive roaming mobile plans – the first words out of my niece and nephew wherever we went was: “What’s the Wi-Fi?”

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This isn’t a dig at younger generations. They were asking because they knew their parents had already sussed it and were diligently tapping the login details into their iPhones.

This was no problem when we were in London. The capital and other well-connected cities in the UK have solid mobile coverage and decent speeds. Head to rural locales, however, and it’s like going back in time. I’m sure many readers who live in pretty, but poorly served, places are nodding along right now.

As of 2020, 190,000 UK properties were unable to get at least 10Mbits/sec, according to Ofcom, leaving the families and businesses at those locations struggling on useless connections. Also, it’s not as if 10Mbits/sec is what most of us would call speedy.

I’d rather have no internet for a week than slow, unreliable internet, and I know this because my sister and I rented a holiday house in an area called the Cotswolds Water Park. This mini Lake District two hours from London was born from the harvesting of limestone gravel; after the work was done, local streams filled up the pits. I know this because I just Googled it, and Wikipedia told me so. That was a thing I could not do while on holiday.

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The internet was so slow that checking a historical fact caused tears of frustration. Load the website of the local Argos to see if they had badminton racquets in stock? It was faster to drive to the store. Place a grocery order to restock soda and candy for the kids? Again, better to get in the car. Upload a photo to Instagram or sharing one to a family WhatsApp group? Forget it, we’ll have to paint a picture with our words.

We tried a few things to make the Wi-Fi work, beginning with taking away the kids’ phones to see if they were just hitting the web too hard. That wasn’t it. My husband thought the mesh network in the house was poorly arranged, so reconfigured it. That didn’t fix it. The main router was in a closet, so he drove to the shops and bought a longer cable to bring it closer to the humans who wanted its powers, but alas, no luck.

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Mobile access was no better. Remember 3G? I don’t want to, but we were lucky to get even that. Most of the time it was non-existent, too.

Plenty of you are probably thinking I should be grateful for the unwanted digital detox, and any real holiday should be offline, gallivanting outside with the kids. But this is the UK, and it rained. Stuck inside, I wanted to stream music, download movies, update games on the Nintendo Switch, refresh my Kindle library to start a new book. It isn’t like the old days either, and I can’t exactly drive to the out-of-business Blockbuster to buy a DVD when the house didn’t even have a player.

Plus, my life is online. I needed to respond to a few work emails; that was possible so long as I didn’t mind the message sitting in the outbox for a day before sending. I also needed to access my bank to pay bills, log in to Tesco to add a few key items to a grocery order, and search for what local towns were worth visiting and how to get there.

We aren’t spending too much time on our smartphones, actually

If there had been no internet access at all, we would have been better off. Our smartphones would have been useful only as cameras, and stayed in our pockets the rest of the time. I might have missed paying a bill or had to do an extra run to the shops and gotten lost on the nausea-inducing local roads, but at least I wouldn’t have stared at my phone screen, frustratingly refreshing it in the hopes that it would just load that last little bit.

I haven’t had to think about internet speeds for years. My connection at home and around town have made always-on internet as predictable as water running from my tap. My holiday in the damp bit of the Cotswolds was delightful, but it was also a reminder that so many people in this country don’t get the benefits of the online world on tap the way the rest of us do, impacting how they live and work. Nobody should have to live like that. We wouldn’t tolerate 190,000 people being forced to fill their kettles from a slow dribble. It’s time the government finally treated broadband like the utility it is.

Build innovation, intelligence and sustainability into your industrial processes, with the cloud

itpro@futurenet.com (ITPro) — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 14:02:38 +0000

The industry roadmap towards ‘4.0’ is in progress. The potential of connected machines, devices and processes is clear, and AWS, with its partners, are building the IoT sensors, cloud services, and applications to improve quality, reduce costs & predict maintenance needs, whilst building more sustainable operations.

The digital transformation of these industrial and manufacturing processes offers many opportunities, but how can you accelerate your transition, embrace change, while maximising your investment in on-premise machines, devices and tooling?

We invite you to watch AWS and industry leaders for a review of what is possible; Hear from your peers on their innovations and ideas, and learn about the role of technology in enabling your future opportunity.

This free on-demand webinar covers key topics including:

Analyst review on Manufacturing & Industrials current transformation & outlook
Keynote on Technology led transformation
Business Leaders Panel: Driving Innovation, Transformation, and Sustainability in the cloud
Fireside chats discussing: Engineering & Design in the Cloud, Smart Products & Machines, Supply Chain Management and Sustainability

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Vodafone and Altice launch €7 billion joint venture in Germany

Zach Marzouk — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 10:54:29 +0000

Vodafone has partnered with the French telco Altice to launch FibreCo, a joint venture which will deploy a fibre broadband network to up to seven million homes in Germany, its biggest market.

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The new company intends to invest up to €7 billion (£6 billion), 70% of which is expected to be financed by debt, and will be owned 50% by Vodafone Germany and 50% by Altice. It aims to construct and operate a “fibre-to-the-home” (FTTH) broadband network over a six year period.

The British telco currently offers up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) connections to over 24 million homes in Germany. It hopes the partnership with Altice will complement its upgrade plans for its existing hybrid fibre cable network where it's aiming to provide 10 Gbps speeds in the future.

Around 80% of the roll out will focus on large housing associations in Vodafone’s existing hybrid fibre cable network footprint and the remaining 20% will be outside of the British telco’s current footprint, focusing on neighbouring homes.

FibreCo is set to offer wholesale access to all telecommunications service providers to fully exploit the potential of the infrastructure. The joint venture will benefit from Vodafone’s commercial expertise, and relationships with housing associations, and Altice’s FTTH roll-out, wholesale, and operational expertise.

“This partnership builds on Vodafone’s significant next generation network with Altice’s industrial expertise and proven Fibre-to-the-Home construction capabilities enabling us to bring gigabit connectivity to even more customers in Germany,” said Nick Read, the chief executive of the Vodafone Group. “We are proud of our long-standing relationships with housing associations and pleased as a trusted provider to bring more connectivity options for tenants.”

Additionally, FibreCo has contracted engineering and construction company Geodesia, an Altice subsidiary, for the majority roll out and construction and maintenance. The creation of the joint venture is expected to be completed in the first half of 2023 and is subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approval.

Vodafone is expected to receive cash proceeds from Altice of up to €1.2 billion as part of the transaction. This includes an upfront payment of €120 million at closing, additional deferred payments of up to €487 million as the roll out progresses once the first 1.5 million homes have been passed and until the end of the roll out. It will also receive an earn-out of up to €595 million based on FibreCo’s performance.

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The British telco is investing in its biggest market after it suffered a drop in service revenue in Germany earlier this year. The group said in July 2022 it had lost 79,000 TV and 64,000 broadband customers in the first quarter, a 0.5% decline in service revenue in the country after a law came into effect ending automatic renewals and one of its IT systems underperformed, according to Reuters.

The company said that customer losses weren’t as bad as the previous quarter after it managed to fix its IT problems, and churn related to the new law started to decrease.

"We're on track to resolve the issues in Germany by the end of the summer as planned, which will further support a gradual recovery in our commercial performance," Read said at the time.

Internet pollution is only getting worse

Jon Honeyball — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 07:00:06 +0000

It seems that every day we read about pollution around the world. From whales caught up on nets to particulates in the air we breathe, from water infested with everything from toxic chemicals to raw sewage. Then, there is the growing horror of microplastics, which are small chunks of plastic officially defined as being smaller than 5mm in diameter. Now, I read microplastics are being found inside living creatures.

What is AdTech and why is it at the heart of a regulation storm?

The pollution problem is getting worse in the world of computing and the internet, too, except here it’s mostly related to a tidal wave of advertising material. Some of it is obvious, with websites that are often more advert than content a particular bête noir of mine. Other adverts are more insidious, such as those injected into video streams on YouTube. I understand the need for advertising revenue, and that I can pay the monthly YouTube fee to get rid of the inserted adverts, but this doesn’t rid me of the almost endless product placements made within the video itself.

Then, there’s my hatred of the inline feed adverts on Facebook, which has reached the level of almost a nervous tick. I have a morbid fascination with hitting the “block advert” button on the iOS app, then flagging the advert as “irrelevant” and then blocking the advertiser, which can eventually make the Facebook advertising algorithm back off for a few weeks. On desktop browsers, Social Fixer strips the feed of much unwanted rubbish, but Social Fixer and Facebook appear locked in an endless game of cat and mouse as Facebook tries new methods of getting around the filtering.

It doesn’t stop there, of course – buy a new computer and you can rest assured there’s a wheelbarrow full of rubbish to be immediately uninstalled, starting with the ubiquitous antivirus trialware. I strip laptops back to the bare minimum, keeping only necessary vendor-supplied tools for updating firmware and drivers.

So, you can imagine my horror at reading reports that a company, Glance, is about to launch its lockscreen tool for Android phones in the USA. It replaces the standard lock screen with its own platform and, as you can probably expect, this means adverts can be delivered directly to this screen. Although the company insists that it isn’t an ads platform but a “smart surface”.

It’s time to ditch software subscriptions

“In the US, monetisation on the lock screen surface will be primarily driven by the Space that a consumer chooses to consume at any moment,” its blog says. “For example, consumers can pay a subscription fee for premium news wraps by a major publisher arriving every morning on their lock screens; or, they could choose to buy products from merchants when the product drop of the day surfaces on the lock screen.”

Time will tell how Glance works in the US – and you can expect the UK won’t be far behind – but my suspicion is that Glance-enabled phones will be supplied by telcos for a slightly lower fee, much as Amazon offers a discount on some Kindles.

Adverts have their place, but only if there is a clear understanding that the costs to the end-user are reduced, often to zero, by accepting the adverts. That requires a clear understanding that you either get the adverts, or you can pay a small subscription and get the clean feed. However, no one wants to engage in that discussion, mostly because it requires them to put a value on the advertising feed, and thus onto the end user uptake.

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If I find a site or platform that offers a paid-for subscription, I will usually try it for a period. If I find the feed still laden with adverts, of whatever sort, then I will back away and have few qualms about applying technology to get the feed in a form that I want.

It really is about time that there was clarity in this space. Buy a laptop with all the crapware installed and pay a price. Pay slightly more and get it without. Then I can choose, based on the cost of my time, to clean things up.

At the same time, we need to talk about online advertising and its place in our lives. And this is before we even get onto the enormous amount of user profiling that is happening in real-time of each and every internet user, and the question of where and how that data is being used.

The future of AI in advertising and media

I absolutely would not buy a smartphone that had built-in advertising of the form provided by Glance. Telcos have no right into my phone operation other than providing raw connectivity.

It is no longer acceptable to just sit back and assume that we’re going to get swamped, and that there is nothing we can do about it. All that will happen is the pollution will grow and mutate until, like microplastics, it’s so pervasive that we can’t even spot it anymore. It's just there, inside our devices. It’s time we put these companies back into their box.

The IT Pro Podcast: The road to 10Gb broadband

IT Pro — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 16:23:34 +0000

Fibre rollout appears to be going well, with the majority of UK homes and businesses able to access gigabit-capable broadband. But there is still much confusion around what exactly terms like ‘full fibre’ mean, and adoption still lags behind international partners even as businesses turn to greater bandwidths than ever before to undergo digital transformation.

Moreover, many rural businesses aren’t being catered to by large network providers, and as they remain on copper lines, wonder if alternative providers might hold the keys to connectivity. This week, we talk to David Tomalin, Group Chief Technology Officer at CityFibre, to discuss the UK’s broadband infrastructure and what businesses can look to gain from the network in the near future.

Highlights

“Yes, absolutely, worker happiness is absolutely fundamental. We see at the moment, across the industry, high churn rates as we've come out of the COVID constraints, and people are working, looking for that more balanced working life environment. And that's, there's not nothing wrong with that, but it's about us embracing it as a country, as a community of industries. Because we absolutely have to close that UK productivity gap.”

“I think that the market is never competitive enough. We, again, it goes back to what is in our DNA: our DNA is to be a competitor. Why are we successful? It's because we are competitive, but we need to keep our edge. And the only way that we can keep our edge is having other competitors in the market to keep up that creative tension.”

“we have got the potential to ensure that the telecoms infrastructure in the UK is no longer the constraint upon our society. The investment that we're putting in the technology that it enables, should unlock a potential of opportunity for everyone, in every walk of life, to endeavour to their maximum potential as an individual, and as a business. And I think that is transformational, compared to any other time over the last two or three decades in the telecoms history of the UK.”

Read the full transcript here.

Footnotes

Podcast transcript: The road to 10Gb broadband

IT Pro — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 16:23:22 +0000

This automatically-generated transcript is taken from the IT Pro Podcast episode ‘The road to 10Gb broadband'. We apologise for any errors.

Rory Bathgate

Hi, I’m Rory Bathgate, and you’re listening to the IT Pro Podcast.

This week, we’re getting our daily dose of fibre.

Fibre broadband has become a priority in so many of our lives, and we all learned the importance of good internet during the long lockdown months of the pandemic.

You can find links to all of the topics we've spoken about today in the show notes and even more on our website at itpro.co.uk.

You can also follow us on social media, as well as subscribe to our daily newsletter.

Don't forget to subscribe to the IT Pro Podcast wherever you find podcasts. And if you're enjoying the show, leave us a rating and a review.

We'll be back next week with more insight from the world of IT but until then, goodbye.

Satellite broadband could turbocharge rural business connectivity

Rory Bathgate — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 07:00:06 +0000

Satellite connectivity is undergoing a major expansion, benefiting from major investment from organisations such as SpaceX, OneWeb and DISH. SpaceX’s Starlink, for instance, now has more than 3,000 satellites in its constellation, while OneWeb has recently partnered with French satellite operator Eutelsat to boost its coverage. Public sector organisations, such as the EU and DARPA, are also getting in on the action, with the former set to launch a constellation this decade to serve Europe with 5G. The latter, meanwhile, has launched a competition to develop a satellite network to transmit encrypted communications.

The battle for space broadband dominance is hotting up

Although the cost of launching a satellite may seem extortionate right now, when seen as part of a larger outlay that provides broad coverage, high investment might make sense. Each satellite can provide coverage for a very wide area, whereas fibre will never be able to reach every single customer; some businesses and households will always be too remote. Additionally, for areas lacking basic infrastructure, satellite deployments might arguably outpace the fastest cable laying operations.

The satellite broadband industry has jumped on this opportunity, and sees a great deal of potential in providing connectivity for difficult-to-reach customers, like people living on mountains or based in far-removed rural areas. Due to practical issues, and market forces, this customer base has traditionally suffered from unreliable coverage and slow speeds, while those based in major towns and cities have been able to get ahead.

Organisations like SpaceX, however, are hoping to be the remedy. Starlink, for instance, says its services provide internet for “remote and rural locations across the globe”, while OneWeb claims it “exists to remove the barriers to connectivity that are holding economies back”. The company highlights the widely publicised “digital divide” experienced by more than three billion people in rural and remote areas worldwide, pledging to bridge it in a way fibre optic cables haven’t yet been able to.

The dismal state of rural connectivity

Although cities seem like a natural home for major businesses, swathes of organisations operate in rural areas, with more employees than ever before also working from home on city outskirts or the countryside. Government figures show 23% of all registered businesses in England are based rurally (549,000), with remote areas host to more businesses per head than urban areas, excluding London.

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Last year, Three’s head of government affairs, Simon Miller, argued the government was underserving rural organisations, despite continued full-fibre rollout. Even rural areas with a range of connectivity options face reduced speeds, too, with 2020’s average speeds in rural England standing at 51 Mbits/sec versus the urban figure of 84 Mbits/sec. Some businesses even lack services as basic as reliable mobile phone signal, preventing them from engaging in digital transformation or performing tasks like video conferencing.

The status quo is hugely frustrating, Dave Happy, 5G RuralDorset spectrum standards & security lead, tells IT Pro. “I find it chronically depressing that, after the sharp end of 37 years of deregulation, that we're even still having the discussion at all,” he says. “The notion that a rural community should be settling for just coverage and not adequate connectivity speeds is itself a concept founded on shaking and shifting sands.

“When you think about everybody now, using one-time pass codes for purchases online – I can’t, and 15% of the country, after 2025, may [still] have a similar problem. Is that the kind of world we want to live in? It’s a bigger failing and it could be addressed by policy decisions higher up, and I’d like to see a little bit more weight to those policy decisions.”

Why did the government’s 2025 full-fibre dream fail?

Could comprehensive satellite coverage alleviate these problems? Happy is quick to contest the claim satellite launches could provide coverage quicker than fibre for rural businesses, although low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites might play a role in future. He cites one provider that was deploying 50km of rural fibre a week, which has risen to nearly 70km. This organisation has four ploughs in operation and is directly burying the fibre.

Despite the ongoing rollout, though, communities not currently served by fibre optic cable can face quotes of tens of thousands of pounds to get lines brought out to them, or must wait until larger network operators see their area as profitable enough to recoup the cost. In comparison, satellite broadband customers can expect smaller setup and monthly fees — organisations in the United States, for instance, can get 350 MBits/sec for $500 per month, with a one-time setup fee of $2,500 through Starlink.

Ofcom’s role in spectrum allocation is key

In 2021, BT and OneWeb signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the intention of exploring LEO satellite communication for rural customers. This partnership will focus on improving capacity, mobile resilience, backhaul and building out coverage in challenging locations. The two firms will also consider ways to develop new services beyond the UK’s shores for BT’s global customers.

As things stand, the company expects high-altitude platform (HAP) systems to combine with LEO satellites, with the firm examining applications for LEO around resilience, such as backhaul backup in remote areas, according to a spokesperson. There are challenges, though, at play. Although LEO, on its own, offers a number of possibilities, there are capacity constraints that means it might not be practical in offering a ‘direct to customer’ option. Capacity constraints, specifically, could translate to spectrum rationing – particularly if Ofcom rules the increasingly crowded satellite market must directly compete with internet service providers (ISPs) for high-frequency millimetre wave (mmWave) bands above 24Ghz.

Little consensus has so far been reached over the rights of satellite operators within Europe. MmWave offers greater bandwidth and lower interference than other bands, which puts it in high demand for both satellite networking operators as well as for 5G usage by traditional network operators. Sharing issues, therefore, may occur above 40.5GHz, according to Aarti Holla-Maini, secretary general of the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA), which will mean requiring emission limits on 5G equipment. “We have urged Ofcom to ensure protection of satellite DL (40.5GHz – 42.5GHz) with separation distances, as well as protection of satellite UL (42.5GHz – 43.5GHz) satellite receivers from aggregate interference from 5G base stations.”

GSOA isn’t concerned allocation will necessitate spectrum rationing, with some groundwork having previously been laid. “This part of the band was foreseen for some years as a priority band for 5G by the EU anyway,” adds Holla-Maini. “But it’s potentially a deployment constraint because satellite operators will have to co-exist with 5G in urban areas, which might put constraints on where we can deploy gateway earth stations.”

Gateway earth stations are satellite dish hubs that send data from fibre networks to a constellation and to a user’s own receiver, and vice versa. They require adequate space, free of obstructions such as tall buildings or dramatic geographic features, as well as weather conditions conducive to good radio transmission – the same set of criteria required by telecoms infrastructure. Beyond interference caused by stations packed too closely, competition between operators could rear its head not through allocation, but the mundane problem of real estate on the ground. Urban areas could be particularly difficult to populate with infrastructure, both due to competition from existing 5G masts and reduced space.

Accessing untapped ultra-rural potential

While the debate over spectrum allocation rages on, rural businesses continue to suffer. Scotland, home to some of the leading lights of the UK tech sector, has stark differences in connectivity between cities and rural communities. “Scotland’s got some specific challenges – 98% of the land mass is classified as rural or ultra rural, which means that to start with they haven’t got the decent connectivity,” says Julie Snell, Scotland 5G Centre chair. “Trying to enable that has been a really big challenge, and the pandemic really brought it home.”

The Scottish government officially defines rural areas as “accessible” if they have a population of less than 3,000 within a 30 minute drive of a settlement containing 10,000 or more people, and either “remote” or “very remote” if the drive takes more than 30 mins. Snell notes there’s great potential among business in remote communities that isn’t currently being tapped, with 21% of the Scottish GDP coming from such rural areas, despite the fact they’re often poorly connected. Bridging the digital divide could hugely boost the economy.

Wi-Fi vs 5G: Is it time your business ditched broadband?

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“Satellites have absolutely got to be part of the solution in Scotland, which has now got a huge space industry,” Snell continues. “We are looking at it, and not just for Scotland, but any other really remote areas. It isn’t always necessarily about 5G – it’s about the best connectivity you can get. In some cases, it’s never going to be reached by wireless, and it’s never going to be reached cost-effectively by a fibre link. There are times when it’s going to be satellite.”

It’s clear satellite broadband offers a compelling story that makes it sound an ideal solution for rural customers’ woes. After all, if one relies on the market, there will likely always be businesses whose premises are too far removed for network infrastructure providers to justify running fibre to, without huge setup costs being passed onto the end-user. For several good reasons, it may be some years before UK businesses can make full use of satellite broadband, but, when deployed and utilised correctly, LEO satellites could prove a powerful and permanent antidote for underserved rural business.

What is a network switch?

Richard Sutherland — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 21:12:27 +0000

What is a network switch?

A network switch is a hardware device that connects devices on a computer network, enabling them to transfer data back and forth over network cables.

What does a network switch do?

Transfers data between the devices on your home or office network.
Adds more ports to an existing network so you can connect more devices.
Keeps a record of the devices connected to it, so data can be routed to the correct device.
Can be used as a bridge between two local networks.
It sometimes has limited configuration options, typically via a web browser interface.

How departments benefit from network switches

IT department

(Image credit: Unsplash)

IT departments can use network switches to connect more devices to the office network. As the needs of a business grow, a switch is a simple way to add more computers, printers, scanners, or other devices to a company network. Simply add a network switch to the existing network, and you have many extra ports to plug devices into.

Content teams

Content teams can use network switching to quickly transfer large files across the network. It can take minutes or even hours to transfer huge files like video or audio content over a wireless network. Network switches are the least expensive way to get a high-speed local network, and their plug-and-play nature means it is simple to extend your network as and when you need to.

Dev teams

Development teams can access on-site resources at lightning speed. Any servers, databases, devices, or computers can be accessed across the wired network connected to a switch. Since your network is wired, transfer rates are much faster than wireless networks. This can make the tools that dev teams use daily feel more responsive, and it also reduces wait times.

Features and benefits of network switches

Increase the number of devices that you can have on your local network

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

When you attach a network switch to your local network, you get more LAN ports. Each LAN port supports an additional device, so the number of devices that you can use on a single network increases.

Faster than Wi-Fi

Why wouldn’t you just use wireless access points? On the whole, wired network connections are much faster than wireless connections.

You can get a speed of around 10Gbps or more using a typical network switch as part of a wired network. In contrast, the fastest possible Wi-Fi speed is around 6.9Gbps, and in practice, you’ll rarely be able to get speeds over 1Gbps.

Network traffic is intelligently routed

When you send network data across a wireless network, it typically gets sent to all connected devices, causing traffic congestion. Network hubs, an older variant of the switch, also have this limitation.

Switches are smarter. They keep a record of the unique MAC addresses of all devices connected to them, so most network traffic will only be sent to the correct recipient instead of being broadcast to all devices.

Physical networks are more reliable than Wi-Fi signals

Wi-Fi signals are subject to interference that makes them unreliable. Signals have to travel through walls and negotiate their way around objects. Since so many Wi-Fi networks are now used within close proximity, there’s often a great deal of interference from neighbouring networks, as well as other electronic devices.

Connecting computers using a network switch has none of these issues, so your network speeds will remain consistent.

Computers networked with cables alone are more secure than wireless networks

Wireless networks have been plagued with security issues since their inception. Fundamentally, broadcasting network data through the air for anyone to receive creates new potential vectors of attack. Your Wi-Fi network password can be hacked, giving malicious users in the area access to critical business resources.

To remove the potential for wireless attacks entirely, you can use a network switch to connect all your computers. The only way that an attacker could breach this network would be to gain physical access to your premises.

That said, if your network is connected to the internet via a router, you still need to mitigate against attacks coming from there.

How much does a network switch cost?

The pricing of network switches depends on the speed, the number of ports, and any additional features that you need.

To give you an idea of pricing, a basic eight-port Gigabit switch costs between £15 and £40. A similarly basic Gigabit-speed switch with 24 ports will cost around £100.

Managed switches, which have administration interfaces and more advanced features, can be more expensive. An eight-port Gigabit switch costs around £30 to £70, for example.

Another feature that bumps up the price of a switch is PoE, or power over ethernet. These switches can offer power to select devices, like phones and IP cameras, over a network cable. This typically adds around £15 to the price of a switch.

10-Gigabit Ethernet switches, which are 10 times faster than Gigabit switches, typically cost £110 to £450, depending on their additional features. Even larger and faster switches can cost thousands of pounds.

Network switch FAQ

What is the difference between a switch and a hub?

Hubs came before switches, and they do approximately the same job but less efficiently. Hubs transfer data between devices but don’t store a record of which devices are connected to each port. Instead, when a network message is received by a hub, it is broadcast to all other connected devices.

This works for small networks with low traffic but causes network congestion. Using hubs has long been criticised due to this, but they still turn up from time to time in old networks that haven’t been upgraded to new standards.

Should I choose an unmanaged or managed switch?

An unmanaged switch is the most basic plug-and-play form of the network switch. There is no configuration or control panel, and you have little control over exactly how the switch functions. But unmanaged switches are typically cheaper than managed ones.

A managed switch includes some form of a control panel, usually a built-in web server that you can access from your computer or mobile device. This can add a wealth of functionality to a network switch.

Managed switches can include control over LAN traffic priorities, security rules, failover configuration, and remote troubleshooting of networks. Managed switches can sometimes work in unison to increase the bandwidth over a network.

If price is the only concern, an unmanaged switch will be the best option. But managed switches can bring a great deal of functionality to the table, and they’re often not much more expensive than unmanaged switches.

What is the difference between a switch and a router?

A switch is designed to work on a single network. A router can transfer data from one network to another. This is why many home internet connections use a central router: its main function is to transfer data between the local network and the internet service provider’s external network.

The delineating line between these two types of devices is blurred because many routers and “smart” switches can perform multiple duties. A router can often work as a switch, for example. But in general, switches are simple devices for extending the number of ports on a single network, and routers transfer data across multiple networks.

What dictates the speed of a network switch?

The speed of network hardware has gradually increased over the decades. If you purchase a switch today, you have quite a few options. The cheapest is Fast Ethernet, which offers up to 100Mbps. Then, there’s Gigabit Ethernet, which can transfer up to 1,000Mbps, and Ten Gigabit is capable of transmitting 10,000Mbps. Even faster switches are available, but the faster the speed, the more you have to pay.

It’s also important to recognise that the devices that you connect to the network must also have the supporting hardware to take advantage of a fast network speed. For example, if the network card in your laptop only supports speeds of 10Mbps, that’s the fastest speed that data will ever transfer to and from it, even if you connect it to a much faster network.

What is PoE and do I need it?

PoE (power over ethernet) is a standard protocol for sending power over ethernet cables. A switch that offers PoE not only has the ability to transfer data between networked devices, but it can also power some small devices so they don’t need a separate power supply. Small PoE switches can also be powered via ethernet themselves.

Devices that commonly use PoE include IP cameras, VoIP phones, wall clocks, intercoms, and point-of-sale kiosks. Being able to power these network-connected devices without running a separate power cable can simplify office infrastructure.

Main takeaways

Let’s go over the most pertinent information that you need to know about network switches

Network switches are hardware devices that you connect to your network
They have network ports to which you can connect devices like computers and printers
By using a switch, you can increase the number of devices that share your network
Unlike hubs, switches attempt to send data only to the recipient device with the correct unique MAC address
Network switches expand the size of your local network. They don’t typically have modems or router functionality, so they can’t be used alone to connect to the internet

A guide to testing your wireless router's performance

Richard Sutherland — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 21:11:43 +0000

Your wireless router has the critical duty of transferring data between your wirelessly networked computers. It often acts as a bridge between your home/office network and the internet, too, so when your connection speeds begin to dip, it makes sense to check whether the problem lies with your wireless router or your internet service provider.

You can identify issues with your wireless router by using some great Wi-Fi speed testing tools for Android or iOS. For larger business networks with multiple wireless routers, we recommend using the best network monitoring tools to get an overview of your entire network and identify bottlenecks.

How to test your wireless router’s performance: Preparation

It’s important to recognize that there’s a difference between testing your internet connection speed and testing the speed of your wireless router. A wireless router that performs well will offer excellent speeds across your home or office network.

Popular speed testing tools like Speedtest from Ookla and Project Stream from Google are useful for testing the speed of your internet connection, but they can’t show you the maximum speed your wireless router can handle when copying or streaming across your home or office network.

Typically, a wireless router will be able to offer speeds that are a lot faster than the internet connection your ISP provides you. The average UK internet speed is only around 42 Mbps. Most Wi-Fi routers are capable of at least 433.3 Mbps, and newer 802.11ax routers have a theoretical limit of 9,600 Gbps.

Performance testing on a wireless router means testing the speed of your Wi-Fi network. Besides showing the data transfer speeds you can get when copying or streaming between your devices, it can help you ensure your router is enabling you to get the maximum capacity from your internet connection.

To test the performance you’re getting from your Wi-Fi router, the easiest way is to use a wireless speed test tool available for Android or iOS.

Step 1: Download and install a wireless router testing tool

Several Wi-Fi network speed test tools are available for Android, iOS, Windows, and Linux. Wi-Fi Speed Test is a local Wi-Fi speed testing tool for Android, available for download from the Google Play Store. This free version contains all the features you need to test a wireless router’s performance. The Pro version, unlocked for £1.79, removes ads and allows you to run longer tests so you can better test your wireless router’s stability.

If you don’t have an Android device, you can use an iOS alternative such as Wi-Fi SweetSpots, available on the App Store for iPhone.

Step 2: Set up Wi-Fi Speed Test

Connect your phone to the Wi-Fi network you want to test. By scrolling left in Wi-Fi Speed Test, you can check network details such as the SSID, channel, and expected link speed.

There are a few options you can change in the More Options menu, but generally, you can leave them as default. If you’ve purchased the Pro version of this software, you can set the Wi-Fi test run time to be longer than 10 seconds.

Step 3: Run a Wi-Fi Speed Test

Press the Start button and wait. A latency test will be performed first that will tell you the number of milliseconds it takes to get a reply at all from the wireless router. Then a 10-second Wi-Fi speed test will be performed.

Check the average speed the test got against the maximum link speed of the connection, which is shown at the top of the screen. Wi-Fi transfer speeds in the real world are never as high as the theoretical top speed because of error checking and interference, but if the speed is significantly lower than expected, the router may be incorrectly configured or there may be Wi-Fi congestion in your area.

Step 4 (optional): Wi-Fi Analyzer

Another tool for testing your wireless router’s performance is Wi-Fi Analyzer, available on the Google Play Store. This app has a few tools that can help you get to the bottom of poor performance on your Wi-Fi network.

Wi-Fi channels are frequency bands that your wireless router can use. If your Wi-Fi network shares a channel with multiple other strong Wi-Fi signals, the traffic of all networks will be sent over the same radio frequencies. This causes congestion in the radio band that will slow down your network speed.

The Channel Graph shows you all the wireless networks in the area, their signal strengths, and the channel they use. Similarly, the Channel Rating tool will suggest the best Wi-Fi channel to use for the least interference.

Finally, the Signal Meter will show you the strength of the Wi-Fi signal as you move around your home or office. This can help you to identify Wi-Fi “dead spots.” You can consider installing a Wi-Fi repeater to improve the coverage of your Wi-Fi signal.

A guide to testing your wireless router's performance: Summary

In summary, to test the performance of your wireless router, you can use simple speed test tools available on Android and iOS or a more comprehensive network monitoring tool such as Network Watcher, Pulseway, or Atera.

If you’re not happy with the speed you’re getting from your wireless router, you may want to consider various options for boosting your wireless router signal. Alternatively, you can upgrade your router by choosing from the best wireless routers available today.

Best email client for Windows

Daniel Blechynden — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 21:04:42 +0000

Although the digital world is changing rapidly, email remains one of the primary communication methods for businesses across the planet. Email apps are available for virtually any operating system, and many programs also have versatile web interfaces.

But selecting the best email provider for your business can be very difficult, especially if you don’t have experience or comprehensive knowledge in the field. Every single program comes with its own feature list and target audience, and in many cases, there are various subscription tiers and options available.

It’s worth noting that many email clients are 100% free, forever. However, these also tend to be quite simple, lacking advanced features and the functionality of higher-end paid alternatives. Some clients focus on security, others prioritise ease of use, and still others aim to provide a rich feature list for a customisable experience.

In our search for the best email client on Windows, we’ve tested countless programs, focusing on those with a downloadable app. In this guide, we analyse our top 10 choices, looking at security, prices, subscription levels, ease of use, and any other standout features that you might find useful.

The best email client for Windows: Our top choices

1. Microsoft Outlook

Pros	Cons
Integrated calendar, contacts, and other features	No free plan available
Excellent desktop and web apps	Resource-intensive at times
User-friendly Windows interface

Microsoft Outlook has been a leader in the world of email since its inception in the 1990s, and it continues to provide exceptional service to this day. Notable features include integrations with a powerful calendar, advanced search functionality, and a neat task manager to help you organise your life.

Unfortunately, the Windows version of Outlook is only available with a paid Microsoft 365 subscription. Business plans start from £4.50 per user a month with an annual subscription, and there’s also a one-month free trial available. Along with Outlook, these provide access to various other Microsoft apps and services. Note, though, that you can access the Outlook web app for free at any time.

One thing that stands out about Microsoft Outlook is its versatility. It’s extremely easy to customise the appearance of your inbox, and powerful mail filtering options are available.

On top of this, Outlook comes with one of the most impressive feature lists we’ve seen. Recent additions include an AI-based sorting algorithm, automatic payment tools, and the MyAnalytics data analysis add-on.

There are also apps available for Android and iOS mobile devices, enabling you to access and manage your emails on the go.

Read our full Outlook review.

Free plan?	✖
Web app?	✔
Desktop app?	✔

2. Mailbird

Pros	Cons
Impressive app integrations	Limited email filtering options
In-app web browser	Search options are quite poor
Highly-customisable user interface

If you’re looking for a high-quality, reliable email client that’s designed to work with third-party apps, Mailbird could be the right choice. Featuring integrations with various calendar, task, messaging, and other apps including WhatsApp, Google Docs, Slack, and Dropbox, this platform is designed to help you streamline everyday workflows.

On top of this, Mailbird is designed to work with virtually any email account provider. It also supports unlimited accounts, which means you will be able to have all of your emails in one place.

Unfortunately, there’s no free-forever version, although there is a limited free trial, so you can test the platform. Prices start from £2.58 a month for a Personal plan, or £3.92 a month for a Business subscription. Alternatively, sign up for a lifetime Personal license for a one-time fee of just £75.

Free plan?	✖
Web app?	✖
Desktop app?	✔

3. eM Client

Pros	Cons
Excellent free-forever plan	Free version is limited to two accounts
Impressive suite of advanced features	Doesn’t always update automatically
Fast, straightforward setup

eM Client is a versatile Windows email client that’s designed to boost productivity through a suite of advanced features. There is a free version, which supports email, task-management, and calendar tools. However, this is constrained by the two-account connection limit and the inability to access many features.

Upgrading to a Pro account unlocks unlimited email connections and an array of additional tools. One-time license fees start from £44.95 for a single user, with volume discounts available for those who need multiple licenses.

With the Pro version, you can also migrate data from another email client with the click of a button, and all data will be automatically backed up at regular intervals.

Additionally, eM Client features a suite of customisation tools so that you can personalise your inbox. Change the layout, colour scheme, and more to ensure you have a workspace that you’re comfortable with.

Free plan?	✔
Web app?	✖
Desktop app?	✔

4. Hiri

Pros	Cons
Excellent productivity tools	Won’t work with all email accounts
Various subscription options available	No mobile apps available
Designed to help you save time

If you use a Microsoft email service, such as Hotmail or Outlook, Hiri could be the perfect option for your needs. It focuses on making ongoing email management fast and straightforward, with a suite of time-saving tools designed to put you back in control of your inbox.

For example, the smart dashboard presents information about your account in one simple place. Discover how many unread messages you have, whether any of them need a priority reply, and whether there are any other actions you need to take.

You will also benefit from the cleverly designed Compose window, which only includes the base options you will need to write a new message. With this, you won’t get bogged down by unnecessary formatting or editing tools.

Lifetime licenses are available for just £94.97 per user, or you can pay annually for £31.13 a year. There is also a neat seven-day free trial available, so that you can test the platform before paying for full access.

Free plan?	✖
Web app?	✖
Desktop app?	✔

5. Inky

Pros	Cons
Excellent anti-phishing technology	No native email client
Designed to secure your organisation	Lack of pricing information
Powerful machine-learning technology

Inky isn’t a Windows email client as such, but it’s gained a place on this list due to its excellent security features and industry-leading anti-phishing tools. Basically, this tool can be integrated with any other client you use, such as Outlook or Mailbird.

When you receive a new email, Inky will analyse it to ensure it doesn’t contain potentially dangerous phishing links. It’s extremely powerful, with the ability to identify links that would look genuine to the majority of users. The software is based on a powerful machine learning algorithm, which means that it will continue to adapt to new threats over time.

If a suspicious email is detected, you will receive an immediate notification in the form of a banner across the top of the message in question. You will still be able to click the “suspicious” link if you want to, but we’d highly recommend not doing so.

Unfortunately, pricing information isn’t available on the company website. However, a free demo is available, and prices are developed on a case-by-case basis.

Free plan?	✖
Web app?	N/A
Desktop app?	N/A

6. Claws Mail

Pros	Cons
Free, open-source mail client	Setup can be difficult for some providers
Numerous free plugins available	Can be a little confusing for beginners
Excellent mail filtering tools

Claws Mail is an advanced open-source email client designed for Linux users, but it also comes with a Windows port that enables it to be used with Windows devices. It’s an excellent option for those who are looking for a streamlined, responsive email client, although it can be a little difficult to set up and confusing for new users.

One thing that stands out about Claws Mail is the fact that it’s 100% free, forever. As an open-source project, anyone can access the client and all of its features without paying a cent.

On top of this, countless extra features can be added via the array of available plugins. For example, you could integrate an antivirus plugin for extra security, a calendar to manage your work, or even add a custom theme from the numerous designs available via the platform website.

The main downside is that automatic setup isn’t available for some email accounts, but this shouldn’t be too much of a problem if you’re willing to spend a little time to familiarise yourself with the platform.

Free plan?	✔
Web app?	✖
Desktop app?	✔

7. Spike

Pros	Cons
Fully functional free plan	Storage and file upload limits
Excellent team-management tools	Few self-help resources
Very user-friendly platform

Spike combines the power of more traditional Windows email clients with the ease of use of social apps such as WhatsApp. Rather than using a traditional email layout, it turns emails into attractive chat conversations, streamlining workflows and making communication easier than ever.

Basically, the platform is designed to remove any unimportant information from your email thread. Things such as repeated headers, threads, signatures, and other non-essential info are hidden, enabling you to focus on the important parts of your email messages.

On top of this, there’s an attractive free plan that includes virtually everything you need for basic email communication. Business plans start at £6.39 a month per account, and Enterprise options are available for those who need a large number of accounts.

All paid accounts come with unlimited message history and priority support - and you will have access to note, task, and calendar tools to streamline other aspects of your daily life. Note, though, that you will be constrained by file upload size and storage limits.

Free plan?	✔
Web app?	✔
Desktop app?	✔

8. Thunderbird

Pros	Cons
Excellent customisation options available	Have to install extensions for some features
Plugins can be installed for extra security	Easy to misconfigure your account
100% free, forever

Thunderbird is a free Windows email client from Mozilla. With a great range of impressive features and inbox customisation tools, there’s a lot to like here.

For one, Thunderbird stores a copy of your emails on your computer, which means that you can restore accidentally deleted or lost files. On top of this, it’s possible to connect various calendar apps, along with an RSS reader and various other extensions.

Downloading and installing Thunderbird is very straightforward. You will have a fully functional email client from the beginning, but it’s also possible to personalise your inbox to ensure you have the appearance and tools you need.

In addition, Thunderbird comes with a suite of security and privacy tools. Benefit from built-in features such as remote content blocking and do not track protocols, and rest assured that your private information is as secure as can be expected.

Free plan?	✔
Web app?	✖
Desktop app?	✔

9. TouchMail

Pros	Cons
Optimised for touchscreen devices	Only available for Windows
Very competitively priced	Account limits can be an issue
Attractive, intuitive user interface

If you use a Windows touchscreen device, TouchMail could be the perfect option. It has a very neat, block-based layout that’s designed for those using Windows tablets, but it works equally well on normal laptops or desktop computers as well.

One of the best things about TouchMail is its highly customisable user interface. Personalise the appearance of your email client by changing colour schemes, resizing elements, and changing the way your emails are presented.

On top of this, TouchMail lets you colour-code messages by sender or type of email. Delete large numbers of spammy or unwanted emails at the click of a button (or tap of a screen), and ensure you don’t miss important mail with customisable notifications.

TouchMail is available for purchase through the Microsoft App Store. It’s priced at a competitive £19.99 for a one-time license.

Free plan?	✖
Web app?	✖
Desktop app?	✔

10. Postbox

Pros	Cons
Streamlined integrations with numerous apps	No mobile apps available
Excellent 30-day free trial	Customer support could be better
Impressive range of advanced features

Postbox is an attractive, feature-rich email client available for both Windows and macOS users. It’s designed for those who are looking for a streamlined, time-saving client to help them optimise their daily workflows. In particular, Postbox is targeted at busy professionals across a range of industries, with features to help users organise and stay on top of their mail.

The sheer number of advanced features available here is truly impressive. For example, Postbox supports integrations with a suite of third-party apps, including Slack, MailChimp, Evernote, Dropbox, and more.

There are also numerous security tools to help you protect your email, including tracking prevention, end-to-end OpenPGP encryption, and Google Safe Browsing to reduce the risk of phishing. In turn, Postbox is compatible with any POP or IMAP email account, including Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and numerous others.

A 30-day obligation-free trial is available for those who want to test the program before committing to a purchase. Lifetime licenses start from £63 per user, with volume discounts available for those who need numerous licenses.

Free plan?	✖
Web app?	✖
Desktop app?	✔

Read our guide to the best email clients
There's also our guide to the best email client for Linux

UsenetServer review

Richard Sutherland — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:20:08 +0000

UsenetServer is one of the most popular Usenet providers, with servers in the US and Europe. This usenet provider is rated highly for its pricing, speed, and clarity. This UsenetServer review delves a little deeper into the detail.

One of the earliest internet-based discussion group systems, Usenet is now primarily used as a file-sharing alternative to BitTorrent. Select from one of the best Usenet providers, and you can have access to over ten years of uploaded files, all available to download at speeds of up to a staggering 1GB/s. Just be sure you don’t download copyrighted files without the author’s consent.

UsenetServer: Plans and pricing

UsenetServer has a one-month, three-month, and 12-month plan. These plans don’t differ much except for how much you pay each month and for how long. All offer unlimited downloads and access to servers in the US as well as the EU.

If you need a VPN, you’ll get one for free on the 12-month plan. Otherwise, you’ll pay an additional £3.37 to £4.21 a month for it. However, this is billed as a "zero-log" VPN.

Opting to pay monthly will cost up to £151.24 a year compared to the £80.43 annual fee. Therefore, choosing UsenetServer makes the most sense if you’re willing to commit to a longer contract after the 14-day trial is over.

UsenetServer's pricing plans

	One month	Three months	12 months
Price per month	£12.61	£7.55	£6.70
Downloads	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
US and EU Servers	.	.	.
VPN	£4.21 a month	£3.37 a month	Included

UsenetServer: Features

One of the benefits of selecting Usenet over peer-to-peer file sharing like BitTorrent is that files are retained on servers for years, even if few people are interested in downloading them. This means Usenet has a huge archive of content. However, many UseNet providers only store files for a few months on their servers because of the exorbitant costs of archiving so much data.

UsenetServer works well with popular Usenet client SABnzbd (Image credit: SABnzbd)

UsenetServer keeps files for 5,205 days (and rising - about 13.5 years), so you can find long-forgotten files uploaded over a decade ago. The service claims this is the best to be found anywhere. On offer also is a web-based Usenet search tool to subscribers. It can be used to search for files and download an NZB, the equivalent of a torrent file. This NZB file is imported into your Usenet client software, which then downloads the file from UsenetServer.

Global Search from UsenetServer is a simple way to search for files on its servers (Image credit: UsenetServer)

Though it’s a nice free feature, Global Search is quite basic, with a barebones user interface that offers only a few ways to filter files. Most UsenetServer users will likely prefer to source a more feature-rich Usenet indexer to find NZB files.

All UsenetServer’s plans include unlimited data transfer with a large number of concurrent connections (looking through the website seems to suggest this figure is actually around 20 concurrent connections). Considering that the 12-month plan with bundled VPN can be had for just £6.70 a month, this makes UsenetServer one of the most competitively priced Tier-1 Usenet servers available today.

It also covers 110,000 global discussion groups with over 99% completion promised,

UsenetServer: Interface and in-use

To use NZBGet with UsenetServer, fill in your UsenetServer hostname, username, and password on the News-Servers configuration page (Image credit: NZBGet)

A UsenetServer account doesn’t come with a Usenet client, so you’ll need to source your own. Popular free options include SABnzbd, NZBGet, and PowerNZB. While not including any software for browsing and downloading from Usenet helps keep costs low, it does make the installation process trickier for users who haven’t previously used Usenet.

UsenetServer’s speeds are reasonably good. We tested the US and EU servers and found that they both maxed out our 100Mbps internet connection. If your internet connection can handle it, you may be able to get up to 1GB/s with UsenetServer.

However, some users with fast connections report that the service does occasionally slow down or feel throttled.

UsenetServer: Support

UsenetServer’s support pages are quite rudimentary, with just a few articles on the basics of Usenet (Image credit: UsenetServer)

UsenetServer only has one support channel: an email ticketing system. Tickets are handled on a first-come, first-serve basis, but it can take days to receive a reply to your query.

There are basic FAQ and learning sections on the UsenetServer website that summarise what Usenet is and the basics of how to use it. But there’s nothing in-depth there.

Since UsenetServer doesn’t offer much support and expects customers to source and set up their own Usenet client software, it’s better aimed at intermediate Usenet users than those completely new to Usenet.

UsenetServer: Security

PrivadoVPN has servers in 46 countries (Image credit: UsenetServer)

256-bit SSL connections are included for free on all plans. For even better protection, you can pay extra for a VPN (and one is included for free on all 12-month plans).

The VPN that you get is PrivadoVPN, which has apps for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Fire TV, and Android TV. It has a basic interface but could be used as your primary VPN because it unblocks Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+. It includes an effective kill switch that will stop all internet traffic if the VPN fails for any reason. However, some users have reported below-average speeds and very slow connect times when using the VPN.

Alternatives to UsenetServer

UsenetServer is owned by Omicron Media, which also owns Newshosting. These two Usenet providers operate on the same Usenet backbone and offer remarkably similar services, with just a few tweaks here and there. The most significant difference is that Newshosting is pricier, but you do get a full-featured Usenet client.

Another great alternative is Tweaknews, especially for users in the EU, as the servers are based in Holland. Tweaknews offers a comparable retention rate to UsenetServer and has block subscription pricing available, where you only pay for the data that you transfer.

UsenetServer: Final verdict

UsenetServer is a great choice for your primary Usenet provider if you already have a favourite Usenet client. Files are kept on the servers for over 13 years, and you can search through them using the free Global Search function.

For an unlimited service, UsenetServer is priced well. You don’t get any bundled Usenet client, though, and the support system is basic. Still, users looking for the best deal might prefer UsenetServer over pricier options that include features that they don’t need.

TweakNews review

Richard Sutherland — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:20:06 +0000

To take advantage of Usenet, you need an account with one of the best Usenet providers. Enter TweakNews, a long-running Dutch Usenet provider with remarkable speeds and reasonable pricing. Our TweakNews review aims to help you make up your mind about whether it’s the best Usenet provideo use.

In case you didn't know, Usenet is an online distributed discussion system first created in 1979 that was a precursor to web-based forums. While it still has a few applications for business in market research and company outreach, Usenet is now mostly used for file distribution.

TweakNews: Plans and pricing

TweakNews has two pricing plans. It's per month subscription costs €8.99 and includes unlimited downloads and speeds, 99.99% file completion, 4,200 days of retention in all newsgroups, 60 SSL-secured connections and a free newsreader with search functionality. It also sports a free zero-log VPN.

Its Ultimate + VPN is a 12-month subscription, which works out at €6.67 per month and includes everything in the per-month subscription as well as a 49% lifetime discount.

The service did offer block accounts but any mention of this appears to have disappeared from the website during this article update.

TweakNews: Features

TweakNews offers consistent speeds, essentially maxing out our 100Mbps connection at an average download speed of around 80Mbps when testing from a computer in Southeast Asia.

The TweakNews servers are in Holland, so expect better performance if you’re located in Europe, and potentially slower speeds in the US. We did find it took longer for the download speed to reach maximum than it did with most other Usenet providers we’ve tested, and the results of searches often took up to ten seconds, making the software feel sluggish in comparison. It also prides itself on owning its own servers rather than reselling someone's else at a markup.

The Usenet client bundled with TweakNews has a connection graph you can use to monitor performance (Image credit: TweakNews)

Binary retention refers to how long Usenet providers retain files after they’ve been uploaded. Most cheap Usenet providers delete files older than a few weeks or months because of the high storage cost.

TweakNews has 4,200-day binary retention, so you can download files that were uploaded over 11 years ago. This is on par with the best in the business. It also guarantees a completion rate of over 99.99%, which means that very few files available on TweakNews are missing any pieces.

Because of its long binary retention rates, you can still find public domain content that was uploaded to Usenet over a decade ago (Image credit: TweakNews)

No Usenet provider stores all parts of every file on Usenet. If you only use one provider, you can often find you’re missing just one part of a file, which can be frustrating. You can plug the gaps using a second provider as a backup, or backfill, provider.

In Usenet clients like SABnzbd, it's easy to set up TweakNews as a backup server (Image credit: SABnzbd)

To keep costs low, it’s common to use one unlimited bandwidth provider and back it up with a block subscription from another company. TweakNews’ competitive block subscription pricing makes it an excellent choice as a backup Usenet provider.

TweakNews: Interface and in-use

Finding open-source software on Usenet with UsenetWire is made simple thanks to the powerful search (Image credit: UsenetWire)

After signing up for TweakNews, a copy of UsenetWire will automatically download. This is TweakNews’ recommended Usenet client software, and we like it a lot. But it’s a free client that’s available to everyone regardless of whether you have a TweakNews subscription.

Installation of UsenetWire on Windows, macOS, and Linux is easy, and all you must do is fill in your TweakNews username and password to get started. With UsenetWire, you can easily browse through newsgroups or perform searches to find the files you need. Results are filtered by file type, and preview images are available by hovering over results.

TweakNews: Support

TweakNews has a considerably basic support site consisting of five pages. Email support is available in English and Dutch but expect a turnaround time of up to five days.

With TweakNews, you’re on your own, so if you’re new to Usenet, you’ll need to find tutorial content elsewhere.

TweakNews: Security

If you don’t use an encrypted connection when connecting to any Usenet provider, then it's possible for your ISP to see the servers you are connecting to and even which files you download.

All TweakNews plans can be configured to use SSL via ports 443 or 563. This encrypts all content sent to and from the TweakNews server. But if you use SSL alone, it’s still possible for your ISP to see the servers you are connecting to and potentially throttle your internet speed.

The Ultimate plan from TweakNews includes a VPN from PrivadoVPN. This VPN encrypts all your traffic, and your ISP cannot tell what you’re doing online at all. Privado features a kill switch that will disable all outgoing connections if the VPN fails for any reason.

PrivadoVPN has support for WireGuard, IKEv2, and OpenVPN, three different VPN protocols. Each has their own pros: WireGuard connects extremely quickly, IKEv2 works well on intermittent connections, and OpenVPN has the tightest security. It’s useful to be able to choose the best-performing protocol for your specific needs.

Alternatives to TweakNews

TweakNews only has EU servers. If you prefer your servers to be stateside, we recommend UsenetServer or Newshosting. These long-running Usenet service providers have excellent retention rates, high completion, and great speeds.

If you don’t already have a favourite Usenet client, we’d recommend Newshosting because it comes bundled with a robust client with search functionality. If you’d prefer to save a few dollars a month and use your own client, however, UsenetServer is the cheaper choice.

TweakNews: Final verdict

TweakNews offers good speeds, competitive pricing, and a useful set of bundled software. Its binary retention is excellent, and it has better-than-average completion, so you'll more than likely be able to find the files you’re looking for on TweakNews.

Its Usenet search response time could be improved, and there’s not much support documentation to help new users with the service. But the inexpensive block subscription pricing means TweakNews is a good choice for either your primary Usenet provider or for backfill.

NewsLeecher review

Richard Sutherland — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:20:04 +0000

NewsLeecher is a Usenet service provider owned by Florida-based HW Media, with servers in the US and Europe. A $9.49 monthly subscription from NewsLeecher gives you access to the majority of the content that’s been uploaded to Usenet over the past 13 years. Our NewsLeecher review looks at whether it should be considered one of the best Usenet providers you can choose from today.

Some may be surprised that the ancient Usenet network, first developed in 1979, is still relevant today. While social media and internet forums made online discussion via Usenet virtually obsolete, Usenet continues to thrive as a method of sharing files.

Usenet transmission speeds are lightning-fast, and it’s often possible to find files that have long disappeared from peer-to-peer file-sharing platforms. Remember, however, that downloading or sharing copyrighted material without the copyright holder’s content is illegal, so be careful about what you download.

NewsLeecher: Plans and pricing

NewsLeecher works a little differently than other Usenet providers. NewsLeecher Usenet access and the Newsleecher Usenet software application (newsreader) can be bought together or separately.

The NewsLeecher Usenet client application, or newsreader (also called NewsLeecher), can be downloaded for free. It works with any Usenet provider. The free version’s features are limited, though. For £3.36 a month, you can add Usenet search (“SuperSearch”) and automatic downloading (“SuperLeech”) features.

Newsleecher also has its own Usenet servers. You can get unlimited access to the servers without the NewsLeecher client for just £7.98 a month, or pay £10.08 a month for both the Usenet client and Usenet access together. Using PayPal for your payments instead of a credit card incurs a 83p a month fee.

Newsleecher's pricing plans

	Client Plus	Pure Usenet	Ready-To-Go
Price per month	£3.36	£7.98	£10.08
Usenet access	✖	✖	✖
NewsLeecher software	✖	✖	✖
SuperSearch service	✖	✖	✖
SuperLeech service	✖	✖	✖

NewsLeecher: Features

Retention refers to how long a Usenet provider keeps files on its servers. NewsLeecher keeps text newsgroups for 4,625 days and binaries for 5,325 days. These figures are always rising. Effectively, this means that if a file has been uploaded to Usenet over the past 14.6 years, you should be able to find it on NewsLeecher. This competes with the best in the industry.

However, the SuperSearch functionality doesn’t return results from the entire archive of files, only those from the past 761 days, making finding those older files challenging. Many users on the NewsLeecher forum have vented their frustration at the search’s poor functionality over the past few years. NewsLeecher stated in a blog post that it is working on the problem, but that was back in July 2021. (Since this article was last updated, this figure appears to have decreasedase from 1,133 days.)

NewsLeecher suggests you should be able to download at over 500Mbps from its servers if your internet connection is fast enough. We tested the service on a 300Mbps connection and were able to max out our entire bandwidth availability, so we know that at least 300Mbps speeds are achievable.

Downloading open-source files from NewsLeecher used all our available network bandwidth (Image credit: Newsleecher)

The NewsLeecher client has a “SuperLeech” feature, which essentially means a periodic Usenet search will automatically be performed. If a file is found that matches the filters you specify, it’ll automatically be downloaded. This functionality is only available on Client Plus and Ready To Go plans.

Video files can be further filtered based on quality and language. Superleech works quite well, and even excludes files identified as spam. Downloading the latest beta version of the NewsLeecher client software (released in 2019) resulted in an inability to log in to NewsLeecher with our new user credentials. Not a good start. Downgrading to the 7.0 Final version solved the issue, though.

With SuperLeech, you can set up files to automatically download as soon as they appear on Usenet (Image credit: Newsleecher)

The NewsLeecher client interface feels a little dated and takes some time to get used to. This is perhaps to be expected from software designed to connect to something as archaic as Usenet, but better clients like NZBGet and SABnzbd have been able to modernise how we interface with Usenet.

NewsLeecher also supports the following options.

Importing NZBs (so you can search for files on a third-party Usenet indexer then download them with NewsLeecher)
Multiple NNTP servers (so you can use NewsLeecher with multiple Usenet providers concurrently)
Download speed scheduling (so you can set limits on the amount of bandwidth NewsLeecher uses at particular times)

You can set different download speeds for each hour of the week with the Speed Scheduler (Image credit: Newsleecher)

A limited version of NewsLeecher is available for free download, so you can try it yourself without worry.

NewsLeecher: Support

The NewsLeecher Service Status page shows statistics on the current load on SuperSearch and SuperLeech (Image credit: Newsleecher)

NewsLeecher has a comprehensive Service Status page that shows the current binary and text group retention, status of the US and EU servers, and current server usage. These graphs are updated hourly.

There’s also a semi-active community forum with over 20,000 discussions on NewsLeecher that include technical support, bug reports, and FAQs. While NewsLeecher staff used to post on these forums, their last reply was in 2019. This forum seems to have been overtaken somewhat by spam posts in the Technical support sub-forum).

Support is available through an email contact form. Some users have received replies to emails within a day, whereas others report it took two weeks or more to receive a response.

Alternatives to NewsLeecher

If you’re looking for an alternative to NewsLeecher with unlimited downloads and a Usenet search feature, UsenetServer is an inexpensive choice. At £6.70 a month, the 12-month plan comes in cheaper than NewsLeecher, and even throws in a VPN subscription from PrivadoVPN.

If you prefer a provider that bundles in a standalone Usenet client, we prefer News hosting. The Newshosting Usenet software client works better than the NewsLeecher software does, and a 12-month unlimited plan can be yours for £10.57 a month.

NewsLeecher: Final verdict

The NewsLeecher software feels somewhat abandoned, with the last stable version released in 2016. The SuperSearch function, too, isn’t so super, as it doesn’t return results from the entire catalogue of files.

So, for many users, the best option from Newsleecher is the Pure Usenet plan that foregoes the buggy software and gives you everything that’s good about NewsLeecher—the fast speeds, unlimited downloads, and long binary retention—all for just £7.98 a month. You’ll need to source your own Usenet client, but free clients that are slicker than the Newsleecher client are a dime a dozen.

Newshosting review

Richard Sutherland — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:20:00 +0000

To take advantage of Usenet, you need a Usenet service provider. Newshosting has become one of the best Usenet providers available today, chiefly thanks to its competitive pricing and industry-leading retention rate (how long files are kept on the server before deletion). In our Newshosting review, we look at what makes it stand out from the rest of the pack.

For users who download many files, Usenet is a popular alternative to torrenting because the speeds are faster, it’s arguably more anonymous, and files are often available for longer. Usenet’s discussion threads can also be used for advertising, marketing, and building business partnerships.

Newshosting: Plans and pricing

Newshosting offers three plans. The Lite plan must be paid monthly, but the Unlimited and XL Powerpack plans also have six-month and one-year options that include a discount of up to 21% on the monthly fees. With the Lite plan, you can only download 50GB a month, though your unused data will roll over to the next month.

A VPN costs an additional £4.07 on the Lite and Unlimited plans, whereas it’s included as standard on the XL Powerpack plan. So, if you do need a VPN, the XL Powerpack plan is undoubtedly the best value.

All plans offer a 14-day or 30GB trial, whichever comes first.

Newshosting's pricing plans

	Lite	Unlimited	XL Powerpack
Price per month	£8.17	£10.57*	£12.93*
GB per month	50	Unlimited	Unlimited
Connections	30	30-100**	60-100**
Zero-Log VPN	Available	Available	Included

* When paid monthly

** You get more connections when you pay annually

Newshosting: Features

When choosing between Usenet providers, the retention rate is an important statistic. It refers to how long files are kept on the Usenet server before being purged. A long retention rate means you’re more likely to be able to find older content.

Newshosting boasts a 4,909-day retention rate, so anything that’s uploaded to the 125,000+ newsgroups will be archived for over 13 years. This is the best in the industry.

Due to Newshosting's long retention rates, you can find files dating back over a decade (Image credit: Newshosting)

The exact speeds you’ll get from Newshosting will depend on your location, internet connection, and whether you use a VPN. The max speed that you can get from Newshosting is a blistering 1GB a second.

In our real-world test, we were able to download a five-year-old Kali Linux ISO at a consistent 85Mbps, essentially maxing out our internet connection even when the VPN was engaged. Users sometimes report occasional slowdowns, but these are quickly rectified.

Download speeds using Newshosting are typically much faster than peer-to-peer file sharing (Image credit: Newshosting)

No single Usenet provider has a complete copy of all the files uploaded to Usenet. Many users choose both a primary provider like Newshosting and a second pay-as-you-go backup for filling in their main provider’s file availability gaps.

Newshosting's excellent completion means most files will download without issue (Image credit: Newshosting)

Completion rate refers to the percentage of content that a provider has. Newshosting states that it has a 99.99%+ completion rate, which is quite high. This means missing files should be a rare occurrence.

Newshosting: Interface and in-use

The Newshosting app has a powerful search for finding content on Usenet (Image credit: Newshosting)

Newshosting comes with free client software for Windows, macOS, or Linux. Installation is straightforward, though it sometimes takes around 30 minutes for your account to be activated so you can use Newshosting.

You can browse through newsgroups by choosing them from the list or search for content using the powerful search. Searches can be filtered into categories like videos, audio, and software.

The interface can display graphs for your current speed, NNTP activity, and messages from Newshosting regarding your account. Overall, the interface might not win any design awards, but it’s certainly a convenient way to browse content available on Usenet.

Of course, if you prefer to use alternative Usenet clients, like SABnzbd, Newshosting supports them.

Newshosting: Support

Contacting Newshosting is done through a contact form (Image credit: Newshosting)

Newshosting has an introductory support section with around 30 FAQs that cover the basics of the service and how to set it up to work with software like Grabit, Newsleecher, NZBGet, and SABnzbd. A practical Newshosting Newsreader QuickStart Guide shows new users how to get started with the software.

You’ll also find a Learning Center that offers the bare minimum advice on getting started with Usenet in general. Human support is through a basic ticket system. It’d be nice to see a live chat function for faster resolution of simple queries.

Newshosting: Security

You can take your pick from the most popular VPN protocols in PrivadoVPN (Image credit: Newshosting)

Choose the optional VPN from Newshosting, and you get a secondary subscription to VPN provider PrivadoVPN, which has its own client for Windows, Mac, and mobile devices. You get a separate login and password for PrivadoVPN, and you need to remember to start the VPN software before using Newshosting if you want your internet traffic to be encrypted.

PrivadoVPN has servers in 46 countries. The company is based in Switzerland, which has one of the strongest consumer privacy laws worldwide. Some logging is kept, but nothing that could be used to connect activity to an individual user, according to the provider.

The software includes an automatic kill switch that stops all network activity if the VPN connection fails for any reason, potentially preventing information on your online activities from leaking to your ISP. You have the choice to connect via OpenVPN, IKEv2, or WireGuard protocol, enabling you to balance the speed and security of your connection.

Alternatives to Newshosting

UseNet Server is a popular Usenet provider that offers services similar to Newshosting. This is undoubtedly because they both share the same parent company, Omicron Media, a multinational company that owns many of the biggest Usenet providers operating today. You may prefer UsenetServer over Newshosting because it bundles in a great Usenet client as part of the deal and offers slightly more connections.

We can also recommend Tweaknews. It’s competitively priced and has the option to pay only for the data that you use. This makes it a great backup server for finding the file parts missing from your main provider’s servers.

Newshosting: Final verdict

Newshosting is a top choice for your primary Usenet provider. The service is fast, the completion rate is good, and the retention is outstanding. Newshosting’s free desktop client is powerful without being unwieldy, and the optional VPN has enough features to become your go-to for all online encryption needs.

Newshosting doesn’t offer too much support or new user hand-holding, but the installation and setup of the software are straightforward. Overall, it’s an excellent Usenet provider at a top price.

Eweka review

Richard Sutherland — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:18:36 +0000

Eweka is a Netherlands-based Usenet provider with servers in Holland and Germany and POP locations in Amsterdam, London, Frankfurt, and more. With a monthly plan from Eweka, you gain access to virtually all the content that’s been uploaded to Usenet over the past 13 years. In our Eweka review, we evaluate its pricing, features, and performance to decide whether it deserves to be considered one of the best Usenet providers.

Usenet may have been all but forgotten as an online discussion channel, but it’s still favoured for sharing files because of its snappy speeds and high retention (how long files are kept before being pulled from servers). Eweka is an affordable, no-frills Usenet provider that gets you access to this archive.

Eweka: Plans and pricing

Eweka has two prepaid pricing plans and one subscription plan. With prepaid plans, you can either buy one month, three months, six months, or 12 months in advance.

The subscription plan is virtually the same as the prepaid plans in terms of features and pricing unless you choose to subscribe for 12 months. Then, you get a substantial discount on pricing (around 27%), unlimited speed, and more concurrent connections. The subscription plan also has a seven-day free trial.

Compared to most Usenet providers, then, Eweka is on the cheaper end of the scale, particularly when you consider that all plans include unlimited data.

Eweka's pricing plans

	Prepaid Standard	Prepaid High-Speed	Subscription High-Speed
Price per month	£6.59	£6.15	£8.43*
Speed	200Mbps	300Mbps	Unlimited*
Downloads	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Connections	20	20	50*
SSL	Yes	Yes	Yes

*When you choose a 12-month plan

Eweka: Features

Because of Eweka's long retention rate, it's possible to find open-source software uploaded over a decade ago (Image credit: Eweka)

A good Usenet provider will keep the files shared on Usenet for long enough that you’re able to grab them. The number of days a Usenet provider stores files after they’ve been uploaded is known as the binary retention. Eweka is a provider with an extended retention of 5,201 days (and growing). This means files are archived for over 14.25 years on Eweka’s servers, an impressive length of time.

However, Eweka has a middling completion rate of 99.5%. Completion rate refers to the percentage of Usenet binary files parts stored on a server. A 99.5% completion rate suggests that around one in 200 file parts are missing from Eweka, so sometimes you won’t be able to download all the parts of the files you need. In such cases, a secondary backfill Usenet provider will be required.

All Eweka plans include an unlimited amount of data. Even the cheapest plan only limits the speed to 200Mbps. For most users, the speeds Eweka offers should be enough to use all their available download bandwidth.

The service also includes free 256-bit SSL-secured connections on all plans.

Downloading an open-source movie using Eweka was quick thanks to the service's fast speeds (Image credit: Eweka)

We downloaded an open-source movie file at an average of 153.4Mbps. This essentially maxed out all the available bandwidth on our office connection and shows you can get fast speeds when downloading from Eweka.

Bundled full-featured Usenet client

You’re free to use any Usenet client you want with Eweka, such as popular options SABnzbd or NZBGet. But Eweka comes bundled with NewsLazer, a native client for Windows, Mac, or Linux.

The same software is also available when you sign up with TweakNews, though it’s under a different name. While we like this Usenet client, it’s worth noting that, unlike most Usenet providers, Eweka doesn’t offer any bundled VPN software. So, if you want your ISP to be in the dark about the servers you connect to and the files you’re downloading, you may want to choose from one of the best VPN services.

Eweka: Interface and in-use

You can see video previews of open-source movies by hovering over them in the NewsLazer search results (Image credit: NewsLazer)

If you do choose to use NewsLazer as your Usenet client, you’ll find it’s a fast, user-friendly native client with excellent search features. Search results can be filtered into video, audio, audiobooks, ISOs, software, and images, and you can check the contents of video files by hovering over them to see a screen capture.

NewsLazer has some other useful features like NZB import, automatic searches, and SafeSearch filtering. You can easily set up backup NNPT servers for when files aren’t complete on Eweka, but Eweka will always remain the primary Usenet provider for downloading files.

Eweka: Support

Eweka has a service status page that lists any ongoing issues (Image credit: Eweka)

Eweka's support is minimal. There’s a service status page, a single FAQ page (which is out of date), and a contact form.

According to the Eweka website, the helpdesk is open from 9:30 am-5:00 pm CET each day, but support is only available via the technical support form, and replies will take up to three days. However, Usenet providers typically take five days or longer to respond to queries, so Eweka’s three-day turnaround should be considered reasonably quick.

Alternatives to Eweka

Eweka is owned by Omicron Media, which also operates Newshosting and UsenetServer.

Though the services are similar, both Newshosting and UsenetServer operate on a different Usenet backbone and have better completion than Eweka. This means you’re less likely to be frustrated by missing files if you choose one of these providers instead of Eweka. On the other hand, Eweka is cheaper and was faster overall in our extended speed tests.

Giganews is another top provider with fast speeds and competitive pricing, especially if you opt for a 12-month subscription. You get a VyprVPN subscription thrown in too, so your activities on Usenet will be hidden from your ISP. However, Giganews’ binary retention rate doesn’t match Eweka’s excellent rate.

Eweka: Final verdict

Eweka’s fast speeds, long retention rates, and relatively low pricing make it a good choice for users looking for an unlimited Usenet subscription plan.

With no bundled VPN or browser-based Usenet search, it’s a bare-bones service, and we have concerns about the 99.5% completion rate, since many files can’t be downloaded in their entirety.

But Eweka does come with a great native Usenet client, and it’s easy to add a backup pay-as-you-go provider for any file parts not found on Eweka.

Easynews review

Richard Sutherland — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:18:34 +0000

The best Usenet providers offer fast, unlimited access to the immense library of text and binary content that’s been uploaded to the Usenet network. Easynews is one such Usenet provider offering unlimited access to Usenet via its servers in the US, Netherlands, and Germany. It has been going since 1996, so it is one of the oldest Usenet providers in the market.

Our Easynews review looks at whether it’s the best way to search through and download the content on Usenet. While user discussion via Usenet newsgroups has all but vanished since the advent of web-based forums and social media, Usenet is still a popular service for people sharing files online. Easynews is an interesting way to access Usenet because it includes a browser-based interface to Usenet as well as a web-based Usenet search interface and an Android app.

Easynews: Plans and pricing

Easynews has three plans—Classic, Plus, and Big Gig. All plans have a 14-day free trial. A VPN is included in the Big Gig plan, whereas it’s an add-on that costs £2.52 on the other plans.

Easynews distinguishes data transfer made via its website (via HTTP) and a Usenet client (via NNTP). This is the biggest differentiator between the plans, as the Big Gig plan includes unlimited data via NNTP. This costs an additional £8.42 a month on the cheaper plans.

So, Easynews’ cheapest unlimited plan costs £16.26 a month, making it pricier than most of the competition.

Easynews' pricing plans

	Classic	Plus	Big Gig
Price per month	£8.41	£12.62	£25.23*
Monthly transfer	20GB	40GB	150GB
Connections	60	60	Unlimited
Unlimited NNTP	£8.42	£8.42	Included
VPN	£2.52	£2.52	Included

*After the initial first three months, which is priced at $9.99 a month

Easynews: Features

Easynews represents one of the simplest ways to search and download content on Usenet (Image credit: Easynews)

Many Usenet providers only market access to their servers. Then you must use a software client to connect to them. Easynews is different, as it includes a strong browser-based interface you can use to search for files and even download them through your browser.

Because of the browser-based interface, you could technically get by using Easynews without standalone Usenet software at all. But though you can search through the threads on text-based newsgroups using the browser-based interface, note that there’s no way to post new replies to them or create new threads, and speeds are slower.

Thanks to the long binary retention rates of Easynews, you can still find open-source software uploaded over a decade ago (Image credit: Easynews)

Binary retention refers to how long a provider keeps Usenet files on its servers. Longer binary retention means you’re more likely you’ll be able to find the content you need.

Easynews has a massive 5,205+ day binary retention, so most files that have been uploaded over the past 14 years are archived. This is on par with the best Usenet servers available today.

Advanced Usenet search

Searches accept wildcards, so power users can quickly find the files they need (Image credit: Easynews)

The advanced search feature of Easynews’ web-based interface is particularly powerful, allowing you to filter your search by file type, extension, size, and even video format. The advanced search functions allow users to download multiple files at the same time. There is also a group search function that enables searching by group name, then filter and browse results.

There is a zip manager that allows users to view list of files in a Zip queue, edit the name of the queue, as well as sending the queue for processing or to be cleared.

Besides binary searches, you can perform text and group searches to find Usenet discussions on the topics that interest you. Searches can also be saved in the Advanced Search function for use in the future. Saved Searchers will even surface the number of results available and the date the last search was run.

Easynews: Interface and in-use

By using a Usenet client instead of your browser, you can get faster speeds (Image credit: Easynews)

Easynews lives up to its name by being one of the most accessible ways to access Usenet. As soon as you sign up, you can search Usenet and download files through the website interface. Go to the website interface, search for a file, and it’s available for immediate download. This is a lot easier than installing and setting up Usenet client software.

Instead of downloading files directly, you have the option to get an NZB file that can be imported into your Usenet client software. Using this method, with the unlimited transfer add-on or the Big Gig plan, you can download an unlimited amount of content each month.

When downloading a Linux ISO through the web interface, we got an average speed of 3MB/s. Downloading through NNPT using open-source Usenet client SABnzbd, we averaged 10MB/s, which meant that the connection to Easynews was using 100% of the bandwidth we had Cavailable.

We can be sure, then, that Easynews is able to deliver speeds of at least 10MB/s, which is pretty fast, as long as you use NNTP to download. If you have a faster internet connection, you will be able to get even more speed. It’s notable, though, that you’ll need to use a Usenet client to get full speeds, as downloading directly through Easynews’ browser interface is certainly slower.

Easynews: Support

Easynews has around 50 support articles that should help you troubleshoot any issues you have with your service (Image credit: Easynews)

Easynews has a bare-bones support section on its website. It doesn’t include screenshots or in-depth guides on how to work with Usenet, but there are some useful articles on troubleshooting certain networking errors you might come across when using the service.

Directly contacting support can be done through an email ticketing system. Don’t expect a quick reply, though—it takes up to five working days to get a response. By that time, you may have already been able to fix your issue by researching solutions online.

Easynews: Security

PrivadoVPN has a few useful features, such as a kill switch and auto connect upon app launch (Image credit: Easynews)

Easynews has SSL support on all plans. But for even better security, you can use PrivadoVPN, free with the Big Gig plan and just $2.99 with cheaper plans. This will keep your online activities completely private from your ISP or anyone else monitoring your internet activities.

Though you could use any of the best VPNs to perform the same function, PrivadoVPN is a solid option, with 321 servers in 46 countries, a failsafe kill switch, and a simple, unassuming interface. This sports a zero-log service and comes with apps for Windows, Android, macOS, iOS, Fire TV Stick, and Android TV.

Alternatives to Easynews

Easynews’ standout feature is its useful browser-based interface, but if that doesn’t interest you, then you can get a much cheaper service from UsenetServer. As UsenetServer operates on the same Usenet backbone as Easynews, the speed and file availability are comparable, too.

Tweaknews is another good option that’s fast and has excellent file retention. You might want to choose Tweaknews over Easynews if you prefer to pay only for the data you use, as block subscription pricing is available.

Easynews: Final verdict

Easynews initially looks like a hard sell because of its relatively high pricing, but its excellent browser-based interface will appeal to inexperienced Usenet users who haven’t got to grips with Usenet indexers or Usenet clients like SABnzbd and NZBGet.

Throw in its fast download speeds via NNTP, 5,205+ days binary retention rate, and optional unlimited data transfer, and Easynews is a compelling choice for new users.

What is Google Groups?

Paul Maplesden — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:18:31 +0000

What is Google Groups?

Google Groups is a Google product with both individual and business uses. Businesses can use Google Groups to collaborate and communicate across their organisation. Individuals can use Google Groups as a discussion forum, and to search, read, and interact with information originally posted on Usenet.

Usenet is a collection of forums known as “newsgroups” that was created in the early days of the internet. Google Groups is just one way to access Usenet newsgroups. For more great options, see our detailed guide to the best Usenet providers.

What does Google Groups do?

Google Groups is different for individuals and businesses, and has multiple applications (Image credit: Google)

Google Groups behaves slightly differently depending on if it’s used in a business setting as part of Google Workplace, or if it’s used by individuals.

Google Groups for individuals

For individuals, Google Groups is mostly used as a research and discussion forum, based on an old internet system called Usenet, an early internet technology launched in 1980.

Usenet is made up of a hierarchy of newsgroups, with each newsgroup dedicated to discussions around particular niches and topics like politics, sports, entertainment, or news. Multiple people can create and contribute to conversations around specific topics. Group members can choose to receive emails for each reply to conversations within the group, or as a daily digest.

Newsgroups and their posts are still visible and usable through Google Groups. Although Usenet is an old technology, some Usenet newsgroups remain active, with conversations happening on a regular basis.

Much of the functionality of the original Usenet has been updated and improved upon through modern internet forum software and social media like Reddit and Facebook Groups. Despite this, Usenet and Google Groups contain a great deal of original and historic information that continues to prove interesting and useful to some modern users.

Google Groups for Business

Google Groups for Business is part of Google Workspace, Google’s suite of productivity products for businesses that include Gmail, Docs, Calendar, Meet, Chat, Sheets, and similar. As part of Workspace, Google Groups provides several helpful features for business users:

Create email and distribution lists: Google Groups allows you to create lists for sending emails to people within your organisation
Invite group members to meetings: You can send out and manage meeting invites for all group members
Share content with group members: You can share documents, videos, calendars, and other media across your group membership
Set up and use a collaborative inbox: You can use a team inbox to receive, manage, and respond to email
Create and contribute to group conversations: You can share and add to information and discussions across group memberships
Dynamically manage group membership: Certain users can automatically add and remove people from specific groups depending on specific criteria

How individuals and businesses can use Google Groups

You can create groups and utilise them across other Google apps like Gmail (Image credit: Google)

How you use Google Groups will depend on if you’re using it as an individual to access Usenet newsgroups and posts, or as a business for managing communications in your organisation.

Individuals can research old Usenet posts and newsgroups

Google Groups provides individuals with access to Usenet newsgroups. You can use these newsgroups to research older discussion topics, split across eight main hierarchies: comp, news, sci, rec, soc, talk, misc, and alt. Due to Usenet’s former popularity, many of these newsgroups contain valuable historic discussions.

Individuals can contribute to public groups and Usenet conversations

Some Usenet newsgroups are still being actively used. Google Groups lets you join the conversation or start new discussions of your own.

Individuals can use Google Groups to create new groups

You can easily use Google Groups to create a new discussion forum, where people can post and contribute to conversations about your favourite topics.

Businesses and individuals can search for previous content

Google brings the full power of its search functionality to Google Groups. All users can search information either across all groups or within specific groups, using keywords or other queries. This is particularly helpful in businesses, as users can easily view previous discussions between team members and other employees.

Businesses and individuals can get email updates for conversations

Anyone who uses Google Groups can choose to get email updates. These are available in three formats:

Email for each message: Messages are sent individually as they’re posted to the group
Email digest: Up to 25 complete messages are combined into single emails and sent daily
Email abridged: Summaries of up to 150 messages are combined into single emails and sent daily

Businesses can create new Google Groups for discussion and Q&A forums

You can invite others to join, or be invited to join, various Google groups (Image credit: Google)

Business users can set up groups based around teams, departments, projects, or anything else they want. These groups can function similarly to web forums, allowing for discussions around specific topics. Other groups can be useful resources for sharing information or posting questions and answers.

Businesses can set up mailing and distribution lists

If you want to send email to specific users, you can do that using Google Groups. It allows you to add specific email addresses to mailing lists, so you can easily share information with the whole group. Users can share messages to the group and mailing list without having to enter everyone’s email address separately.

Businesses can label discussions and groups for easy reference

Google Groups for Business features a labelling system allowing users to tag specific groups and discussions. This can be very helpful for categorising by team, project, business area, or other topics.

Businesses can set permissions on who owns and manages groups

Google Workspace administrators can set permissions for who owns and manages Google Groups. This can create good practices around group usage, limiting who can create or delete groups, add users, delete posts, etc.

Businesses can invite group members to events

Google Groups integrates with other Google services like Gmail and Google Calendar. This makes it easy to invite everyone to group events, for example all-hands, departmental, or team meetings.

Google Groups integration isn’t limited to calendar events. Users can also share other Google products like Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms. This is extremely useful if you want to get feedback from everyone on a particular document, or gather information from departments or teams.

Businesses can create collaborative inboxes

Google Groups can be set up as collaborative inboxes. This allows multiple group members to manage and respond to conversations and other areas. Members of a collaborative inbox group can:

Volunteer to respond to specific conversations themselves
Make another group member responsible for responding to a conversation
Mark conversations as complete, duplicate, or no action needed
Search for conversations according to the resolution status or who it's assigned to

How much does Google Groups cost?

If you want business access to Google Groups, you'll need a Google Workspace account (Image credit: Google)

Google Groups is free for personal use. You don’t even need a Google account to view posts in public groups. You will need a Google account if you want to create or post to Google Groups: Google accounts are free.

Google Groups is available to businesses as part of Google Workspace, which also provides access to many other Google productivity apps. The cost for Google Workspace depends on the services and storage you need:

Business Starter: £4.14 per user a month, access to all Google Workspace apps, 30GB storage per user, meetings with up to 100 participants, standard security controls
Business Standard: £8.28 per user a month, access to all Google Workspace apps, 2TB storage per user, meetings with up to 150 participants, standard security controls
Business Plus: £13.80 per user a month, access to all Google Workspace apps, 5TB storage per user, meetings with up to 500 participants, enhanced security controls

Enterprise pricing is available for larger businesses.

Google Groups Usenet FAQs

Below, we've answered a series of frequently-asked questions relating to Google Groups.

Can I search and access Usenet newsgroups through Google Groups?

Yes, Google Groups has a complete archive of Usenet newsgroup posts. through Google Groups?

Can I contribute to Usenet newsgroups through Google Groups?

Yes, you can create and respond to newsgroup conversations through Google Groups provided you have permission, and the newsgroup allows for new conversations. Please note that many of the older Usenet newsgroups are archived, and may not allow for new posts or responses.

Do I need to pay to access Usenet newsgroups through Google Groups?

No, it’s free for individuals to read and contribute to Usenet groups and discussions.

Is Google Groups the only way to access and contribute to Usenet newsgroups?

No, you can access newsgroups through various Usenet services. Discover our recommendations for the best Usenet providers.

Main takeaways for Google Groups

Google Groups provides different functions and features depending on if you’re an individual or a business user. For individuals, it provides a fast, easy, and accessible way to search, access, and contribute to Usenet newsgroups—one of the original uses of the internet.

For businesses, Google Groups is a great option for sending out messages, managing communications, promoting collaboration, and sharing documents and files.

The Big 8 Usenet newsgroup hierarchies and what they cover

Paul Maplesden — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:18:29 +0000

Newsgroups are specialised discussion forums that are part of an old internet technology known as Usenet.

Originally developed more than 40 years ago, Usenet is still operating today, accessed via the best Usenet providers and providing dedicated Usenet newsgroup forums via the best newsgroup readers. These allow people to share files and take part in conversations.

Usenet provides several advantages for users including anonymity, rapid file sharing, group communications, long file retention times, and a clear organisational structure for newsgroups. Due to the sheer amount of information posted on Usenet, newsgroups are themed around certain areas, based on a “hierarchy” of topics.

We’ll explore each of the eight main hierarchies of newsgroups on Usenet, and explain what type of content you might find in each one. You’ll have a good starting point for researching particular areas of internet culture, participating in threaded conversations, and downloading files based on your topics of interest.

The Usenet newsgroup hierarchy structure and naming conventions

Usenet newsgroups are based on a “hierarchical” organisation—grouping newsgroups together into common themes and then subdividing those areas into smaller and smaller niches and subcategories. At the top of the hierarchy, you have the “Big Eight” main structure. All newsgroups either fall into one of these eight master categories, or a ninth, unofficial category known as “Alt.”

Every newsgroup has a distinct name, which explains where it is in the Usenet hierarchy. It’s helpful to illustrate this with an example. There’s a newsgroup dedicated to sharing jazz music called:

alt.binaries.sounds.mp3.jazz

Let’s break that down:

The first part of the name, “alt”, means this is a newsgroup in the “Alt” master category
The second part, “binaries”, defines this newsgroup as specifically for sharing files
The third part, “sounds”, shows you can expect to find audio files here
The fourth part, “mp3”, lists the file format
The final part, “jazz”, indicates the MP3 audio files are for the jazz genre

All newsgroups follow similar naming conventions. For example:

rec.sport.baseball.redsox would be discussions on the Boston baseball team
comp.graphics.apps.photoshop provides information and conversations for the popular Adobe software
sci.astro is for conversations on astronomy

Generally, the more sections of the newsgroup name (separated by periods), the more niche the subject matter. Users can refer to collections of newsgroups using the “*” wildcard character. For example, if you wanted to describe all newsgroups that fall under American political discussion, you might reference: talk.politics.us.*

An overview of the Big Eight newsgroup hierarchies

You can access Usenet content across a range of topics via the "Big Eight" hierarchies (Image credit: Getty Images)

The “Big Eight” newsgroup hierarchies are defined and managed by the Big 8 Management Board. The mission of this management board is to:

Create well-named, well-used newsgroups in the Big 8 Usenet hierarchies
Make necessary adjustments to existing groups
Remove groups that are not well-used
Assist and encourage the support of a canonical Big 8 newsgroup list by Usenet sites

The name “Big Eight” is a slight misnomer, as a newsgroup can actually belong to one of nine main areas—eight “official” categories and a ninth, unofficial grouping known as “Alt.” The eight official categories are:

Comp: information on computer science, coding, development, engineering, and similar topics
Humanities: files and discussions for literature, music, art, and similar topics
News: discussion about Usenet itself, although this has widened to more general news topics
Rec: conversations about games, hobbies, crafts, and other recreational activities
Sci: topics including physics, chemistry, biology, and some other STEM subjects
Soc: socialising, general chat, and discussion of social subjects
Misc: miscellaneous topics that don’t fit into one of the other main hierarchies
Talk: discussion of controversial subjects like politics or religion

The ninth category, “Alt,” covers topics that don’t fit into any of the other eight main areas. As the name suggests, “Alt” is home to a diverse range of newsgroups covering many different niche interests. The “Alt” grouping is outside the control of the management board.

Country, language, and regional newsgroup hierarchies

Newsgroups can also belong to one of several country, language, or regional hierarchies. Examples of these categories include:

aus.*: Australian newsgroups
ba.*: discussions for the San Francisco Bay area
ca.*: conversations about California
can.*: Canadian newsgroups
cn.*: Chinese newsgroups
chi.*: discussions about the Chicago area
de.*: discussions in German
ec.*: discussions about Ecuadorian culture and society
fr.*: discussions in French
fj.*: discussions in Japanese
hawaii.*: discussions local to Hawaii
hk.*: Hong Kong newsgroups
it.*: discussions in Italian
nl.*: Dutch newsgroups
no.*: Norwegian newsgroups
pl.*: Polish newsgroups
uk.*: discussions on matters in the United Kingdom

Other Usenet newsgroup hierarchies

In addition to “Alt,” other top-level hierarchies include:

biz: business-related topics and discussions
bionet: covering biology-related content
k12: resources for K12 educations
microsoft: discussion of Microsoft products

There are specific newsgroups aimed at file sharing, with a huge amount of storage indexed annually (Image credit: FlippyFlink/Wikipedia)

Usenet newsgroups make it easy to upload, download, and share files. These files include images, music, movies, games, videos, and many types of multimedia and other content. Although users can upload and download files to most newsgroups, there are some newsgroups dedicated only to sharing digital files. You can identify these through the word “binaries” in the newsgroup name.

Binary files are often subject to “retention limits”, which define how long the file will be available after its uploaded. Retention times do vary between Usenet providers. Some users even take advantage of newsgroups to host data backups. Usenet can be a helpful source of user-created works, open-source software, and public domain material.

If you’re interested in newsgroup files, you can use dedicated newsgroup reader software applications designed specifically to search for and download files. Our round-up of the best Usenet readers covers two of the most popular binary-only applications, SABnzbd and NZBGet.

If you decide to download binary files from Usenet newsgroups, be aware of the following:

Some of the files uploaded to Usenet newsgroups may be hacked, pirated, or otherwise compromised: this is particularly common on newsgroups with “warez” in the name, although you may find such files posted across many binaries newsgroups
Always ensure that you will not be in breach of any laws, policies, copyrights, EULAs, or similar restrictions through uploading, downloading, installing, using, or interacting with any files
Uploaded files may contain malware: always check files carefully for viruses, trojans, or other malicious payloads

The website binsearch.info allows users to view how many files are uploaded to alt.binaries.* newsgroups. This equates to more than 40 petabytes of data and more than 1.1 billion files over the last two years.

If you want to download content from Usenet, then you’ll want to prioritise unlimited connection speeds and bandwidth when choosing a Usenet provider. A number of providers offer unlimited bandwidth for downloads, including Newsleecher, Newsgroup Ninja, and GigaNews.

Creating and removing newsgroups within the Big Eight hierarchy

Although there are a vast number of existing Usenet newsgroups, anyone can request the formation or deletion of a newsgroup. The Big 8 Management Board uses a formal process for requesting newsgroup creation, and another for deletion.

Newsgroups may also be moderated, requiring moderator pre-approval of posts prior to release into the newsgroup, or unmoderated, which allows all posts. Moderated newsgroups often have “.moderated” appended to the end of the group name.

“Alt” newsgroups are not under the purview of the management board, and do not follow these policies.

How to access Usenet newsgroups across all hierarchies

If you want to search and interact with newsgroups, then you will need specialist software and access. You can’t access Usenet through a standard web browser—instead, you’ll need both a Usenet newsgroup reader and a Usenet provider.

Usenet newsgroup readers are the software applications you can use to access content on the Usenet network
Usenet newsgroup providers are the services that provide that network access

You need both of these to access newsgroup content. We’ve researched the readers and providers and can recommend the right technology for you to explore newsgroup hierarchies:

The best Usenet newsgroup readers outlines our guide to the software you can use to access, read, post to, and download from newsgroups
The best Usenet providers explores low-cost ways for you to access Usenet through dedicated services

Explore your favourite Usenet newsgroups

Once you have a newsgroup reader and a Usenet provider, it’s time to explore. Fortunately, the strict ordering of many newsgroups within these hierarchies, and fully-featured newsgroup reader software, makes this fast and easy. Enjoy!

Six of the best Usenet newsgroup readers

paul.maplesden@gmail.com (Paul Maplesden) — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:18:26 +0000

Usenet newsgroup readers are a valuable tool that enable you to access Usenet, an early internet technology that allows people to discuss topics and share files on themed bulletin boards known as ‘newsgroups’.

Usenet newsgroups are the technological forerunners of popular social networking platforms and forums such as Reddit.

Originally invented in 1980 and used as an early communications platform, Usenet (or ‘Unix Users Network’) contains a vast collection of millions of posts and binary files across hundreds of thousands of groups, topics, and discussions.

Usenet newsgroups still exist, and allow people to search current and historic content, create new discussions, upload, and download files, or respond to previous conversations.

However, there’s one big difference between Usenet and more modern discussion forums. If you want to read, contribute to, or download from Usenet newsgroups, you need specialist software. This is known as a newsgroup reader.

A newsgroup reader is needed as Usenet uses a different protocol known as the Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP).

This protocol is used to download articles and post new articles. Usenet also runs on a different network—you can’t access it via the standard internet. Luckily, dedicated Usenet newsgroup readers make it fast, easy, and intuitive to interact with this massive library of knowledge.

We’ve studied some of the most popular newsgroup readers, and highlighted the best software for researching, posting, responding to, and downloading from Usenet discussions.

Usenet newsgroup readers: Features and functions

Before we get into specific Usenet newsgroup readers, it’s helpful to understand some of the functionality and features of the software. Here are some of the areas we looked at:

Search: How easy it is to search for, sort, filter, and access specific Usenet posts and files
Binary file formats: Newsgroups provide access to binary files, and readers should support the “NZB” format for access to the widest range of files for downloading
Binary file retention: How far back in time you can go to access binary files
Binary file download limits: The total bandwidth you can use to download files
Operating systems: The operating systems that Usenet newsgroup reader clients can run on
Price: The cost of accessing newsgroups through the software, on a monthly or yearly basis

Newsgroup readers vs newsgroup providers

Here’s an important distinction:

Usenet newsgroup readers are the software applications you can use to access content on the Usenet network
Usenet newsgroup providers are the services that provide that network access

You need both of these to access newsgroup content. If you’re getting a newsgroup reader without built-in provider access, you’ll need to pay for that separately via one of the best Usenet providers. Read on to see our top six newsgroup readers!

NewsLeecher

(Image credit: Newsleecher)

NewsLeecher is a low-priced Usenet reader and also a Usenet network service provider. You can choose to access the software or the network individually, or combine the two for a more comprehensive service.

NewsLeecher is only available for Windows users.

NewsLeecher file formats, retention, and downloads

(Image credit: Newsleecher)

NewsLeecher supports all popular file formats and retains binary files for more than 5,000 days. There are no monthly limits on how much you can download.

This service also provides unlimited download speeds, which is an added bonus.

NewsLeecher pricing

NewsLeecher offers three subscription plans, one for just the software, one for just Usenet provision, and one combining both features.

This includes:

Client Plus at $3.99 (£3.15) a month, providing access to the Usenet newsgroup reader software only; you will also need to purchase Usenet provider access
Pure Usenet at $9.49 (£7.49) a month, providing access to the Usenet network only; you will also need to purchase Usenet software
Ready-to-Go at $11.99 (9.47) a month, providing both the Usenet newsgroup reader software and access to the Usenet network

Other Newsleecher features

NewsLeecher provides a “SuperSearch” feature, SSL encryption, and download automation that will automatically download files shortly after they have been uploaded.

Newshosting

(Image credit: Newshosting)

Newshosting is a Usenet network service provider that provides a free, basic Usenet newsgroup reader as part of its subscription plans.

Newshosting is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.

(Image credit: Newshosting)

Newshosting file formats, retention, and downloads

Newshosting supports all popular file formats, and retains binary files for almost 5,000 days.

There are some monthly limits on how much you can download depending on your subscription plan. Newshosting provides unlimited download speeds.

Newshosting pricing

Newshosting offers three subscription plans:

Lite at $10 (£7.89) a month, allowing 50GB a month of downloads
Unlimited at $12.95 (£10.22) a month, allowing unlimited downloads
XL Powerpack at $15.93 (£12.50) a month, allowing unlimited downloads together with a VPN service and an Easynews account

Annual discounts are available if you subscribe in advance.

These subscription plans include both the Newshosting newsgroup reader and access to Usenet, as Newshosting is also a Usenet provider.

Other Newshosting features

Newshosting provides built-in search and file previews.

Easynews

(Image credit: Easynews)

Easynews is a fast and simple Usenet newsgroup reader. Even better, Easynews is also a Usenet provider, so you don’t need to pay for separate access.

This service provides access across multiple operating systems and file formats, together with generous download limits.

Easynews is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android operating systems. You can access newsgroups from a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

Easynet allows you to search, view, and download files directly on Safari, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and other web browsers.

(Image credit: Easynews)

Easynews file formats, retention, and downloads

Easynews supports all popular file formats, and retains binary files for almost 5,000 days—more than 13 years.

Monthly download limits vary between 20GB and 150GB a month, depending on your subscription plan. Easynews provides unlimited download speeds, and some plans feature VPN access.

Easynews pricing

Easynews offers three subscription plans:

Classic at $9.98 (£7.88) a month, allowing 20GB a month of downloads
Plus at $14.97 (£11.82) a month, allowing 40GB a month of downloads
Big Gig at $29.94 (£23.64) a month, allowing 150GB a month of downloads

These subscription plans include both the Easynews reader and access to Usenet, as Easynews is also a Usenet provider.

Other Easynews features

Easynews provides SSL encryption, mobile web browser access, referral bonuses that increase download capacity, and dedicated 24/7/365 support.

SABnzbd

(Image credit: SABnzbd)

SABnzbd is an open source, free Usenet newsgroup reader. It does not include Usenet access, so you will need to purchase that separately from a Usenet service provider.

The service is specifically designed to search for and download files. It does not support other newsgroup activities like contributing to discussions.

SABnzbd is available for Windows, Mac, and Unix systems. According to their website, apps like Sonarr, SickChill, Radarr, Headphones, Lidarr, and more "can integrate with SABnzbd and automate your download process”.

SABnzbd file formats, retentions, and downloads

SABnzbd supports all popular file formats. It allows you to manage download jobs for individual files. Retentions and downloads will vary depending on your Usenet service provider.

SABnzbd pricing

SABnzbd is open-source and free, although you can donate to support further development. Your only cost will be for Usenet provider access.

Other SABnzbd features

SABnzbd features a responsive interface, system checking, optional download speed throttling, and an “active connections” review.

Newsbin Pro

(Image credit: Newsbin Pro)

Newsbin Pro is a fully-featured Usenet newsgroup reader with standard and enhanced searching. Newsbin Pro does not include Usenet access, so you will need to purchase that separately from a Usenet service provider.

Newsbin Pro is only available for Windows.

Newsbin Pro file formats, retentions, and downloads

Newsbin Pro supports all popular file formats. It allows you to search back around 3,000 days of history, equivalent to over eight years. It features advanced spam filtering, file integrity support, multiple servers, and advanced downloads.

Newsbin Pro pricing

Newsbin Pro costs £30 (£23.69) to buy, and this includes a one-year standard search subscription. You can install Newsbin Pro on up to three machines for this price.

Other Newsbin Pro features

Newsbin Pro provides an “AutoPAR” feature that automatically downloads all files in a set, repairs damaged files, and extracts files from an archive. You can search files and posts up to 3,000 days in the past.

Newsbin Pro also provides an automatic download scheduler, download prioritization, MP3 tagging, and several other helpful features.

NZBGet

(Image credit: NZBGet)

Another open source service, NZBGet is a free Usenet newsgroup reader.

It's also worth noting that NZBGet does not include Usenet access, so you will need to purchase that separately from a Usenet service provider.

Like SABnzbd, NZBGet is specifically designed to search for and download files. It does not support other newsgroup activities like contributing to discussions.

SABnzbd is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android systems.

NZBGet pricing

NZBGet is open source and free, although you can donate to support further development. Your only cost will be for Usenet provider access.

Other NZBGet features

NZBGet features a special feature for PAR files that automatically downloads all files in a set, repairs damaged files, and verifies them.

We hope this helps you find the perfect Usenet reader software for sharing files, discussing topics, and historic research.

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Jane

Dave

Rory

Dave

Jane

Dave

Jane

Dave

Jane

Dave

Rory

Dave

Jane

Dave

Rory

Dave

Rory

Dave

Rory

Dave

Rory

Dave

Jane

Rory

Jane

The IT Pro Podcast: The crisis in rural connectivity

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