2009-10-10

Grrr, adverts

OK, some adverts wind me up...

Our favorite telco advertising "unbeatable wireless" compared to other broadband providers. I note they have changed from being twice as good presumably because someone else also does 802.11n.

For a start it is a mix up of different things. What has wireless range in your home got to do with a broadband provider. It is down to the specific wireless kit you buy. You can buy wireless kit and use it with (or without) any broadband providers. So why mix up the two separate issues FFS.

Then you have the fact that it is "unbeatable" because wireless systems work to specific standards and licencing which means that any system using the current best available standard will be basically the same (in terms of range). The key difference I find between wifi access points is how broken they are in other ways, like crashing. To be honest the best we have found are the airport express APs.

So, I am tempted to make a package that is a broadband line with broadband ethernet router and switch and two airport express APs and some cat5.

Having two APs in the package means it beats their wireless offering (in terms of range, which is what they are comparing). It only takes one broadband provider offering one such packet to defeat their claim on national TV adverts.... Hmmm

5 comments:

  1. go for it revk, I so hate the ASA and their bias towards our favourite telco, but I wouldnt be surprised if they still allow the advert.

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  2. Surely two APs wouldn't give you any better speed/range than one AP, unless you stuck a firebrick at both ends and bonded them :p

    The ASA are a dead duck when it comes to technology ads. Allowing 'unlimited' (subject to limits), allowing both BT and Virgin to say things that are untrue. I wonder how effective they are in other fields or whether it's just that the people with most money get away with it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Two APs give more range as you put them separately at each end of the house. Hence suggesting some cat5 as well.

    AFAIK they can work as a standalone booster as well, i.e. no need for cat5. I'll check the spec on them.

    ReplyDelete
  4. HAHA yes do it now! That advert annoys the hell out of me too. Why do companies purposefully word those adverts and deal to confuse the matter even more, why couldn't they just explain it properly.

    ReplyDelete

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