How well is your town connected?

With cities across the country now offering free Wi-Fi within their town centres, has the Wi-Fi revolution reached your local town? With Birmingham Council announcing last week that it is the latest city to jump on board the Wi-Fi wave, following on from London and York, are local towns ensuring they are as up to speed as the big cities?

Pilot schemes like the Portas bid have breathed new life into smaller struggling towns with multiple unoccupied stores. Using display banners within empty stores to encourage new ownership and ensuring the current stores have inviting store displays and the marketing support they need to survive.

But is Wi-Fi really that big a pull? Absolutely, not only does offering free Wi-Fi allow customers to use their mobile devices, tablet or laptop around the town but, it also encourages publicity of the town itself. With people mentioning the town across social networks, tweeting about the deals that they have got whilst in town that day or a local event or even a new store. The free publicity alone can easily pay for the initial outlay of installing a Wi-Fi hot spot.

And local businesses can also use the network to advertise their latest deals, sales and promotions. Offering a code only available if you’re connected to the local town network not only ensures that stores can track where the promotion has come from but will also, again, encourage local footfall in order to gain from the offer.

The free Wi-Fi can also help smaller coffee shops that may not be able to offer the service independently but need to compete with chains such as Starbucks and Costa. The same goes for smaller boutique stores who don’t get the marketing boost that larger chains do.

But it’s not just stores, which can benefit. By introducing free Wi-Fi at local children’s skate parks, youths are encouraged to utilise the towns facilities whilst parents can rest assured their children can always be contacted via their mobile device. Homework can be completed in the local café as a treat while the parent enjoys a cup of coffee and can save on expensive home broadband tariffs.

If your local town is not connected, ask them why not and encourage them to connect to drive traffic back to our local towns and businesses.

St Jude's Storm, did your internet survive

The usual routine for most mornings I am sure, the alarm goes, normally the alarm on your phone, snooze is tapped for the extra 5 minutes in bed, phone beeps again. Okay, definitely time to get up, roll over to turn the lamp on, why has it not turned on? Power cut, thanks to the St Jude’s Storm. But, here’s the kicker, not only is there no power leaving your mobile dangerously low in battery but there is also… no internet connection as you have no Wi-Fi at home due to the power outage and not even a mobile signal due to the local mobile mast being off-line. 

Panic stations; there is no electricity to make coffee, some toast, to connect your laptop or mobile devices, no Internet and no phone service. So what do you do?

The usual daily routine of checking your emails, connecting to your bank or just even checking your social media updates before you have left for the office or in some cases, whilst you are still in bed, is rudely interrupted by the simple fact you are unable to connect to the Internet.  

We have only had the use of the commercial Internet services since 1995, but it is sensational, how big a part it now plays in our every day lives. We have, in the past, suffered with power cuts and have learnt to keep candles and torches near by for these kind of emergencies. However, the minute our mobiles die this instils a different kind of fear of not being able to communicate.

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Due to the power outage there was a distinct lack of storm related statuses on Facebook, this left the newsfeed free for several hours while the signals remain down across most of the county. In times of crisis when there is a need to be kept abreast of the minute-by-minute changing news and weather, we don’t wait patiently for the next edition of the newspaper; we connect and check Twitter and Facebook for the very latest updates, pictures and news. The moment our Internet goes down, so does our link to the outside world. Heaven forbid we actually need to call people to find out what’s going on rather than relying on email or social media networks.

3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi, however fast the technology is developing and changing there is one thing it cannot change and that is the good old British weather. Trees will still fall, cables will go down, we will lose power and our links to the outside world will stop functioning as will our laptops, desktop PCs, tablets and mobile phones.

High winds and the falling of trees damaged many overhead power lines and telephone cables; this meant that individuals and businesses were without Internet access for a prolonged periods of time, causing many business to grind to a halt.  The ability of not being able to communicate with other offices, suppliers or clients or even the simplest of tasks of updating ordering portals or receiving information alerts, caused lots of business to reduce their trading on Monday.  Many staff were stranded at home, unable to travel.  Those that did brave the storms arrived at the office, to find out there was no Internet or even power.  Therefore many businesses closed their doors and the staff set off to find a Wi-Fi service at a coffee shop or restaurant, just to check their emails and keep in touch with work colleagues, customers or family and friends. 

However APC has deployed many wireless high-speed data networks over the last few decades for its customers and during this time of Internet silence, APCs clients were able to continue working as normal, as they weren't reliant on the overhead telephone cables that the wind damaged during the storm.  Many businesses have backup solutions for power, such as diesel generators, but many hadn't factored in the issues that no Internet can bring. 

Would you stay in a hotel without Wi-Fi?

Would you stay in a hotel without Wi-Fi? Could you survive without connecting your phone, tablet or laptop? For some, a weekend break, a two-week holiday or even just a single night away, is time away from a busy office environment.  But for others, the office has to go with them and become a mobile operations centre. More commonly, small business owners cannot disappear for prolonged periods of time without being able to communicate with their office or clients, and therefore the need for Wi-Fi Internet access is a must.

So what would happen when you arrive at the hotel, only to find your Wi-Fi connection picks up nothing? We rely so heavily on being able to connect to the cloud wherever we are, be it at the office, a shopping centre, a train, a taxi or even a plane these days. But to find a business such as a hotel without Wi-Fi is extraordinary, and for many, Wi-Fi is an essential part of our basic need to be able to communicate.

Not only does it affect the consumer but also the hotel, many guests choose their hotel by the amenities the hotel has to offer. For example; swimming pool, gym, fitness centre and room service to name a few. But the percentage of people now choosing their hotel due to Wi-Fi and Internet access has become colossal.  Many guests will choose an alternative hotel even if the hotel has Wi-Fi, even if they charge for it. However, if you are paying for a hotel and the amenities are available to you, should the Wi-Fi not also be free? And not only free but high-speed and offer coverage in all the main areas of the hotel; rooms, restaurants, and even by the pool and bar areas? 

And how can you leave that great review without free Internet access? Yes, you can wait until you get home but aren't you more likely to do it when you actually have time whilst on holiday? How can you tweet or post about your stay and make all your friends and work colleagues jealous? Upload pictures to Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram of the great view? Who doesn't check Trip Advisor or social networks before they book their hotel for the real reviews of the place? Hotels can live and die by a review and rating, having Wi-Fi to enable customers to do this, should be essential.

Yes, we can connect using our mobile data plan but for anyone who has tried to check his or her Facebook account whilst abroad, only to come home to an extortionate mobile bill knows, Wi-Fi is the only way to go. By not offering a connection, you’re forcing your clientèle to leave your hotel in search of an alternative venue that supplies Wi-Fi connectivity. Why stay in the hotel bar or restaurant and order that coffee when you are unable to connect to the internet, when across the street the local coffee house will let you connect for free.

So the questions are, could you stay in a hotel without Wi-Fi or more importantly, why should you? Furthermore, how can a hotel survive without offering its clientèle this simple service, of free Wi-Fi access?

The invention of Li-Fi

You thought you’d heard it all when it came to Wi-Fi but now, they've invented The Li-Fi. A light bulb, which emits its own Wi-Fi signal. Researchers from the Fudan University in Shanghai have developed a prototype which they are naming the Li-Fi.

The micro-chipped LED bulb can be used to connect up to four wireless devices using light frequencies rather than radio waves. The microchip produces a signal at 150Mbs per second, which is believed to be considerably faster than the average Wi-Fi connection in China.

Obviously, you need to keep the light on to keep the connection in place but surely this is a small price to pay for faster Wi-Fi? While the product is still in the research stages, it is set to be unveiled at the International Industry Fair in Shanghai next month.

For all the latest news from APC Solutions follow us @apcsolutionsuk

The 17th October marked the annual East of England Business Awards which saw APC nominated in three categories – It’s Group Sales Director, David Bell for Business Person, Harry Woolmore, APC Engineer for Employee of the Year and APC for Service Excellence.



Harry Woolmore, who has been with the company a little over a year, scooped runner up in the Employee of the Year category. At just 20 years old, this is a huge achievement for Harry and all at APC. Lee Collis, APC’s Technical Project Manager won the award the previous year. 

This is David’s second year being nominated for Business Person and he narrowly missed out this year with Dee Clayton winning for the second year running. Can he bring it home in 2014?

All in all a great achievement for APC being nominated in three categories. We’ll be back next year.

Jetson style driving thanks to wireless

OFCOM has outlined plans or future use of the radio spectrum, which could include the use of wireless technology to manage the UK’s roads.

Currently, the use of cameras across the nation’s motorways manages the complex map of traffic and incidents. Live traffic updates can be found online, on your phone or through the radio. But, after this week’s latest OFCOM report that could all be set to change.

By installing monitors on vehicles wheels it would be possible to monitor and track a cars location, their speed and if they are stuck in traffic. This, in turn, could be transmitted back to the data centre to change the current speed on the roads therefore aiding in eliminating traffic jams.

It is predicted the installation of such devices could save upwards of £1 billion a year, which, we would hope, could go back into maintain the nation’s roads and fixing the never-ending pothole problem?

So, aside from the obvious big brother profiling of the system knowing where your vehicle is… this smarter way of driving could knock hours of your daily commute. Being forewarned of the traffic via a linked app on your phone along with a new route plan pinged to your sat nav, perfect.  Forget about traffic alerts and navigate me round this delay just as I’ve gone past the last junction, this is driving, Jetson style.

But OFCOM’s plans don’t end there. The use of smart pill pots which can monitor if a patient has taken their pills and automatically re-order their prescription? Patient heart rate monitors which deliver test results directly to your doctor? Routine check-up appointments purely for these checks could be eliminated therefore finally freeing up precious doctors appointments and giving you the chance of actually getting an appointment.

Even the energy companies are looking to get on board by managing user’s electricity use and the times of day the usage drops therefore enabling the power companies to perform on a supply and demand basis rather than one constant amount. This, not only saves the energy companies money which can, hopefully, be passed onto the consumer but also, the planet.

And while we’re talking about the planet, there’s also the possibility for farmers to utilise the technology by monitoring water levels within the soil, therefore knowing how much or how little to water and fertilise the crops; a blessing when dealing with organic crops when levels can’t be controlled by pesticides.

So, wireless isn’t just to connect you to the internet, its possibilities and capabilities within nearly every sector are endless. And more often than not, they are also far more economical than traditional monitoring methods saving man power, and associated energy costs.

So save the planet, save money – and go wireless!

APC Solutions finalists in three categories of the East of England Business Awards

APC Solutions is delighted to announce it is a finalist in three categories of the East of England Business Awards. Group Sales Director, David Bell, is short-listed for the second year running as Business Person of the Year. Wireless Communications Engineer, Harry Woolmore is short-listed for Employee of the Year and APC Solutions itself for Service Excellence. An outstanding achievement for the company and the team.

Harry is the youngest member of the APC team and has been with the company a little over a year; at just 20 years old to be nominated for Employee of the Year is a huge achievement.

David Bell is one of the founding partners and a Director of the company. David has previously won Business Man of the Year at the Essex Business Awards and was a finalists for last year’s East of England Awards. Will this be his year?

APC Solutions was established in 1996. Now, just 17 years later is has its head office in Kelvedon, Essex but also satellite offices in Cape Town, South Africa and Ohio, North America providing wireless solutions for companies across the world.

The awards take place on the 17^th October at Tewin Bury Farm in Hertford.

For all the latest news leading up to the awards follow us @apcsolutionsuk