Monday 3 February 2020

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a rapidly growing technology that is now being used for unified communications across the world and businesses are capitalising on this technology for increased value-added realisation. That said, would it be correct to say that VOIP will have it's own share of advantages and disadvantages when compared to traditional phone systems? In this blog, you are invited to join in as we explore the potentials and options for voice over IP as a feasible technology for business communication and phone calls.




What is VOIP and are there Key Considerations for Small Businesses?
VOIP a network technology based service that allows users to make calls over the Internet as the primary communication medium instead of traditional phone lines. VOIP service primarily converts analogue signals into digital transmission packets and rout them from source to destination using the internet as the connectivity medium.

Upon arrival at the receive end, these datagram packets are then converted into voice signals via a decoding engine so humans can understand them in intelligible forms.

Are There Identifiable Advantages of Voice Over IP for Small Businesses?

The answer is Yes! With VoIP small businesses across the globe are able to leverage functionalities and services that were once privileged by only large enterprises. Amongst these obvious key benefits are:

Lower Costs

Small businesses with limited budgets are now able to leverage massive cost-savings through the introduction of VOIP technology without breaking the bank for such benefits. Also, unlike traditional PSTN telephone systems which tool long time to install and proved overly expensive to maintain and make calls VoIP introduces minimal hardware and software purchasing requirements for similar technology experiences.

Additionally, when compared to conventional phone systems, VOIP call costs are significantly cheaper than the monthly fees for the same call time and destination.

We've also seen scenarios where VOIP services providers are offering 24/7 support to their clients for VOIP services, which means which means IT operation expenditures can now be budgeted for upfront without worrying about unexpected surprises.


Higher Scalability

Having VoIP implemented within your business doesn't mean the buck stops there. The flexibility of the service readily lends it to easy growth and expansion via quick addition of extra lines, extension numbers and licenses agreement revision. This means that tart-ups and small businesses can define their technology road-map and gradually scale their operations and services through a deliberate strategy than lends itself to the strategy of the business instead of being wagged about by restricted arrangements.

With this approach, it is least likely that a business that doesn't have a healthy budget at the outset is least likely to overspend on technology that is not yet meet their needs, this is a wonderful benefit that VOIP brings to the table.

As more and more businesses get warm up to the concept of VOIP, it is clear that they can budget upfront and only pay for service usage based on consumption. No longer is there a need to purchase dedicated hardware, fixed-line packages and rigid contracts that cost an arm and leg. Flexibility is now the new way for saving cost and let technology facilitate organic brand growth.

Increased Security

With VOIP being established on internet protocol (IP) technology, it is possible to harness security layer features for improving data privacy and threat mitigation. One such features applicable for VOIP based telephony is identity management and encryption.

By integrating these two key security features into VOIP, data protections and threat mitigation from cyber attacks is achievable. Although technology becomes obsolete rapidly, it will take some time before these security features become irrelevant. Therefore, the possibility for increased data communication and protection against eavesdropping is now achievable.

Friday 10 January 2020

The Impact of 5G Emergence on Technology in 2020 and Beyond


What is 5G

the emergence of 5G in 2020 and beyond
5G is deemed to be the fifth generation of wireless network technology for mobile communication and with it comes numerous benefits and speculations for signal and data transfer rates. According to numerous technology update sources online 5G technology promises faster download speeds, reduced latency and more reliable connections between devices. 

Although currently under development in 2019, this technology is being gradually deployed across multiple regions of the United Kingdom and the rest of the world. 

It is expected that wider deployment of 5G wireless network technology will take place with reach across global market segments and the rest of the world from 2020 and beyond.

To technology enthusiasts and experts, 5G is the long awaited upgrade that mobile communication was longer for.  The "G" in 3G, 4G, 5G, etc. stands for generation and now we are heading for the latest revision which is 5G.  

It is often referred to as "the network of networks" due to its ability to integrate multiple existing and future standards for residence and throughout demands., including current advanced LTE (4G) networks.

Many UK mobile phone networks have started rolling out 5G as part of their ongoing wireless network strategy. Common player for 5G implementation includes O2, EE, BT, Vodafone, and Three and it is expected that other players will join these player rather sooner than later.


How Fast is 5G?

Given the nature of 5G technology, existing terrain and implemented hardware, it is expected that data transfer speeds will vary between locations, countries, carriers and devices. Although with that said, the average internet speed for devices connected to 5G networks should be atleast 20 times faster greater than what is delivered by existing  4G networks.

There are speculations that 5G wireless transmission speeds can be anything from 100Mbps to 1GBps and that's some really serious speed we are talking about, since most home networks don't even get throughout beyond 16Mpbs.If these predicted speeds are correct, it is possible that would mean getting up to around 60 times faster than most home broadband data rates.

How Will 5G Make Our Lives Better?

The roll out of 5G will enable autonomous cars to move from the conceptual stage into reality with promises of safer and more reliable transportation network. Confidence behind 5G's reliability is hinged on its latency capabilities which means less time difference between data transfer thus improved accuracy. 

This could somewhat be perceived as near real time data communication, since signal received and sent are almost simultaneous. This could enable autonomous cars to travel in close constant to each other resulting in more organised vehicular traffic control and predictable destination arrival times.

Another perceived benefit of 5G technology has to do with wireless network connected concepts such as smart city infrastructure, live streaming, and online entertainment at our finger tips, whenever you like.

5G Will Help IoT Infrastructure Much Faster

IoT solutions should should also rapid boost in development and implementation efficiency resulting from larger data volume at faster data transfer speeds to vast number of connected devices. Currently, IoT will experience data throughput limitations with 4G and previous network generations because of their inherent latency factors and bottleneck deficiencies. 

With 5G wireless network infrastructure, it is expected that although it will not be completely perfect, this level of performance will usher in a new benchmark for network reliability, and data transfer rates between devices that is second to none, since this is the first of its kind.

Tuesday 21 May 2019

Broadband Internet Problems

As we become more reliant on the use of internet for homes and business needs, there are significant issues being faced daily due to broadband internet problems. Over the last few years, the growth in technology has driven traditional network speed to a grinding halt, with many Internet Services providers now scratching their heads as to how best to meed demands for greater internet speed due to sever broadband problems.

Many computer users in the UK feeel like sitting ducks as there are no real support for the many broadband problems they are facing, espcially when not getting desired support from their ISP to rectify complicated or the simplest internet connectivity issues. Even with the birth of fibre broadband across the capital many areas are yet to enjoy the benefit of what its like to finally overcome long standing broadband internet problems which has for many, had resulted in years of uncessary frustrations due inadequate coverage or poor internet speed coming into their properties.

Finding a reliable broand intenet support comany is like goal for many of these home and business users as they now have the voice to finally understand and challenge previous technical jargon thrown on them in the face of technology ignorance.

For many of these internet users, technical conversation regarding broadband internet problems is like mumbo jumbo and tweedle-dom messages that makes absolutely no sense, which leave many conversations conculded and leave cuch users like sitting ducks.
 Broadband Internet Support London - Home and Business Users

Broadband Troubleshoot

Typical problems broadband internet problems faced by home and business users includes:
  • I can't connect to the Internet
  • I can connect but the connection is slow
  • I have internet problems but not sure how to describe

Typical Broadnband Performance Pain Points & Considerations

  1. Number of connected internet users - in this case, considing the UK
  2. Number of devices connected throughout the UK
  3. Average Internet Connection Speed in London
  4. Fastest Internet Connection Provider
  5. Areas Worst Impacted by Broadband Internet Problem

BT Outage Map (click on the image)


 http://downdetector.co.uk/problems/bt-british-telecom/map/
 
Speedtest Mac from the Past






Wednesday 6 January 2016

Do you Remember the Netgear 108Mbps Wireless Firewall WTG624 v3 Router?

There were times when the this Netgear firewall router was seriously sought after, due to its unique security functionalities, size and network bandwidth capabilities.

So, how has things changed since this firewall router was top of the chart? We'll let you in on some of the most modern secrets driving network technologies and security requirements:

  1. Most network routers are now capable of delivering wireless bandwidth within the wireless N range, with speeds of up to 1300Mbps compared to 108Mbps.
  2. The advent of fibre broadband, mobile apps and responsive websites do not present any critical issues, but have minor impacts on internet connectivity within the home.
  3. Security protocols have now advanced to include TKIP and WPA2 alongside the once popular WEP shared wireless security key.
  4. There are different colour routers of the same size - seriously, some people are very fussy about colours of their gadget, so we have to bring it to your attention!

So what are the key selling points of the Netgear 108Mbps Wireless Firewall WTG624 v3 Network Router and where can you get one to buy for old times sake?


Firewall Router - Netgear WTG624 Cable RouterProduct Information
The NetGear WGT624 Wireless-g Router is a wireless-g router that comes with stateful packet inspection (SPI) and network address translation (NAT) to provide secure connectivity.

This NetGear router uses NAT firewall with multi-virtual private network (VPN) pass-through for added protection against Internet attacks. The NetGear WGT624 Wireless-g Router uses Super GTM Technology to deliver speeds of up to 108 Mbps, and provides lag-less multimedia streaming over long ranges.

This wireless-g router supports up to 253 networked computers, and auto-partitioning on each port. Last, this NetGear router supports MAC Address Control and Wireless Access Control (SSID), and is Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) Pre-shared Key upgradable.

Product Identifiers
Brand Netgear
Model WGT624

Key Features
Wireless Technology - Wireless G
Wireless Speed 108 Mbps
Port Speed 10/100
Connectivity Wired & Wireless
Router Functionalities DHCP Server, Firewall, VPN Pass-Thru, Wireless Access Point
Port Qty 4-port Built-In Hub
Antenna Type Detachable Antenna x 1

Interfaces
LAN Interfaces 10/100 Base-T, 10/100M
WAN Interfaces 1 x 10/100 Base-T
Console Port Type Ethernet RJ-45

Standards
WLAN Standards IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11g/b

Protocols
General Protocols DHCP, IP, IPSec, L2TP, PPPoE, PPTP, TCP
Remote Management Protocols HTTP
Routing Protocols Static Routing
VPN Protocols IPSec, IPSec Pass-Thru, L2TP, L2TP Pass-Thru, PPTP Pass-Thru

Firewall / VPN
Firewall Features Content Filtering, DoS Prevention, MAC Address Filtering, NAT, Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI)
VPN Encryption WPA
VPN Tunnels Up to 2 VPN Tunnels
VPN Protocols IPSec, IPSec Pass-Thru, L2TP, L2TP Pass-Thru, PPTP Pass-Thru

Wireless
802.11b Data Rates 11 Mbps, 5.5 Mbps, 2 Mbps, 1 Mbps
802.11g Data Rates 108 Mbps, 54 Mbps, 48 Mbps, 36 Mbps, 24 Mbps, 28 Mbps, 12 Mbps, 9 Mbps, 6 Mbps, 5.5 Mbps, 2 Mbps, 1 Mbps
Nonstandard Data Rate 108 Mbps (802.11a), 108 Mbps (802.11g), 54 Mbps (802.11g)
Modulation 16QAM, 64QAM, BPSK, CCK, DBPSK, DQPSK, DSSS, OFDM, QPSK
Security WEP, WPA, WPA - PSK, WPA2
WEP Encryption Length 128 bit, 152 bit, 40 bit (=64 bit)

Other Features
LED Indicators Activity, Link (Per Port), Power, Speed, Test / Diagnostic, WLAN (Wireless LAN)
Included Adapter PCI Wireless Adapter
Additional Features Auto Crossover (MDI/MDI-X), DMZ Support, UPnP Certified

Dimensions
Height 1.1 in.
Width 6.9 in.
Depth 7.41 in.
Weight 0.66 lb

Miscellaneous
Release Date (Year) 2003

So where can you get one of these Netgear 108Mbps Wireless Firewall WTG624 v3 Network Router to buy?


We have see this firewall router on eBay with the started network security features and it's likely that they will continue to exist within newer products.

So, if you are looking to setup a wireless network or improve system security against identity theft, hacking or other crucial security requirements, let Solid Rock IT UK help you progress the design, implementation and support every step of the way.

Wednesday 26 August 2015

Samsung Galaxy Note Tablet Models

There are numerous models and sizes for the Samsung Galaxy Note range, including:
  • Galaxy Note 8.0
  • Galaxy Note 10.1
  • Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition

  • Galaxy Note Repairs London
    Samsung Galaxy Note are based on the popular Android Operating System which like Microsoft Windows has grown to dominate the tablet world and smartphone domains. All Samsung Galaxy phone and tablet devices are produced and marketed by Samsung Electronics. 

    The Samsung Galaxy Note models have huge market success due to massive improvement in technological capabilities, processing speeds and storage capacity which are the key features that users desire when choosing a tablet type and make.

    To date, the most popular Samsung Galaxy Note model we have come across is the 10.1-inch model which exist as the 2014 Galaxy Note Edition. Solid Rock IT UK also discovered that for simplicity, many users are now turning to the Galaxy Note 8.0, due its pocket size capability, which means music and other audio media can be listened whilst this portable computer is neatly tucked away in the pocket or small luggages. Galaxy phablet siblings are also now becoming main stream devices, with many sporting the long awaited S-Pen stylus.

  • Later Galaxy Note generations have distinct features which makes them more desirable than their predecessor. At Solid Rock IT UK, we offer Tablet Screen Repairs for all the Samsung Galaxy models, including those that referenced in this post. Call us now on 07951 878 703 or simply request your Professional Samsung Galaxy Tablet Screen Repair today.

Monday 27 April 2015

Google Fi Project

Google Fi Project
Google investing in their own WIFI, with the "Fi" system which piggyback on the Sprint and T-Mobile network. So, what is the Project Fi?

Google acknowledge Project Fi as a program to explore and introduce new ideas which takes wireless experience to another level. Tablet and smart watch users, look out...

Wednesday 7 January 2015

CCTV Camera Default Password Compromise

Nearly 1 in 50 homes across London now have CCTV camera solutions installed for protection against intrusion, yet there are fundamental flaws with many of the popular IP cameras due to user installation errors.

It is alarming to know that some online sites are now using this lack of security to "Peep inside secured zones" and observe personal activities within home and offices This became such an alarming issue that many news channels had to deliver a public broadcast for prompt user action and increased public awareness.

To get an idea of over 77,000 camera online visitors could view online from a single website, check out this CCTV Camera link.

Thankfully, Solid Rock IT UK is here to help, with professional CCTV installation for home and offices, available as direct cable CCTV configuration, or IP CCTV camera implementation.

Our CCTV camera solutions are designed to protect and alert you of possible intrusion and we pride ourselves with security at the forefront of everything we do.  This means that customers can also benefit from post-installation care in the form of support contracts or "pay-as-you-go" services for dedicated maintenance where required.

To discuss your specific CCTV installation or support needs, simply call us now on 07951 878 703. Alternatively,
CCTV Camera Installation & Maintenance London