Wi-Fi Archives - Vilo Talk

FCC Considering Fixed Wireless as a Solution

Posted on February 24, 2023May 16, 2023 by vilo

NICHOLASVILLE, KY—On Tuesday, Commissioner Brendan Carr of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) met with Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) and Kentucky Fi owner, John Gill. The two spoke about the essential role small Internet Service Providers (ISPs) play in bringing connection to underserved areas as they stood by one of John’s 60-foot internet towers.

“The small farms and family homes that are spread across rural Jessamine County, Kentucky have been stuck on the wrong side of the digital divide,” Commissioner Carr tweeted on Tuesday. “That’s now changing thanks to John and his scrappy Internet upstart, which is now offering 100 Mbps high-speed service.”

The small farms and family homes that are spread across rural Jessamine County, Kentucky have been stuck on the wrong side of the digital divide.

That’s now changing thanks to John and his scrappy Internet upstart, which is now offering 100 Mbps high-speed service. #CarrTrip pic.twitter.com/0Q9nPXHnk1
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) February 22, 2023

Later in his Twitter thread, Carr noted how ISPs like Gill are facing “federal headwinds” because “the government is poised to treat these customers getting 100 Mbps as if they get 0, then waste scarce [funding] overbuilding them.”

Carr is referring to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, a $42.5 billion program intended to fund the expansion of high-speed internet access and use to unserved areas. The issue lies in the NTIA’s current parameters for areas considered to be unserved, which are areas without access to 100/20 Mbps service and/or relies on unlicensed spectrum.

Gill’s Kentucky Fi provides 100 Mbps service to its customers, but because the network relies on unlicensed spectrum, the NTIA doesn’t recognize Kentucky Fi’s service, thus the potential for overbuilding and the wasting of BEAD funds as noted by Carr. What’s more, ISPs that don’t meet the NTIA’s current criteria, like Kentucky Fi, can’t qualify for BEAD funding.

*Photo of Commissioner Brendan Carr (left) and Kentucky Fi Owner John Gill (right)* *from Carr’s Twitter profile*

Gill’s optimism after meeting with the Commissioner

After meeting with Commissioner Carr, Gill says he’s optimistic for the future of fixed wireless providers now that the FCC is beginning to understand their value. “[Carr] was very taken aback by how affordable fixed wireless is compared to fiber,” Gill explained. “I told him the tower we were standing by cost me $2500 and serves 25 customers within a three-mile radius, which is quite the difference compared to the $30,000 – $60,000 per mile rate for fiber.”

While fiber can provide superior speeds and better stability, Gill says wireless is the better fit for rural areas. “When there are only ten homes for every mile, fixed wireless is the better solution,” he explains.

According to Gill, Carr appeared pragmatic when it comes to providing internet to rural areas. “Carr is an ally for not just fixed wireless but the right solution for the job,” Gill said, indicating Carr’s consideration for WISPs using unlicensed spectrum as a viable option in certain circumstances.

*Image of one of Kentucky Fi’s towers provided by John Gill*

Another roadblock for many smaller ISPs hoping to qualify for the BEAD program is the NTIA’s minimum speeds requirement. Gill indicated that the topic came up in his conversation with the Commissioner. “From what I gather from Commissioner Carr, and my personal experience as an ISP, families of four can easily get by on 25/2 Mbps,” says Gill. “You’re not disconnected. Your kids can still play video games and watch Netflix.”

Gill also asked Carr about whether or not the FCC is considering pushing for fining ISPs who report inaccurate Broadband Data Collections (BDC). Intentionally falsifying BDCs is an insidious tactic in the industry that hurts small ISPs. Earlier this year, Ohio-based ISP Ryan Grewell discovered that one of his competitors lied about their network’s service area to the FCC with the intention to block funding to Grewell.

Carr indicated that the FCC will be looking into such cases and intends hold people accountable who abuse the system, according to Gill.

This visit with John Gill and Kentucky Fi is one of many to come for Commissioner Carr as he’s currently embarking on a two-month road trip to meet with providers. And after meeting with Carr, Gill is confident that the FCC is considering fixed wireless as a solution. “I feel like now we’re not overlooked,” he says. “He’s seeing what we’re doing and taking it into consideration.”

Why am I reading this on Vilo’s website?

Vilo Living is a managed mesh Wi-Fi solutions provider that partners with ISPs like John Gill of Kentucky Fi. Gill and Vilo have had a working relationship ever since Gill first met the Vilo team at Wispapalooza 2021. Vilo is committed to being a trusted ISP partner and serving the WISP community. “At Vilo, we care about your business, because your success is our success,” says Vilo CEO Jessie Zhou.

At last year’s Wispapalooza conference, Gill was invited to be a keynote speaker and sported a Vilo hat as he spoke about starting Kentucky Fi in September 2020 and growing from a handful of customers to having coverage to over 900 homes.

“One of the reasons I continue to work with Vilo is that they’re doing so much in the market of listening to us WISPs,” Gill said in his Wispapalooza address. “You tell them what you need and they’ll work to get it to you in the next release. It’s kind of like what we’re doing for our customers when we go to a customer’s house. The customer wants a satisfying product, and Vilo does the same thing for an ISP.”

Vilo Living provides complete Wi-Fi hardware and remote management solutions that empower ISPs of any size to delight your customers, reduce your operating costs, and grow your business. Schedule a demo today!

The Vilo 6 and Beyond

Posted on February 1, 2023February 1, 2023 by vilo

It’s no secret that when Vilo first launched its Wi-Fi 5 mesh routers in July 2021, the product had its fair share of limitations as it initially was a consumer-oriented product. But thanks to the feedback and suggestions from Internet Service Providers (ISPs), the original Vilo mesh Wi-Fi system experienced a significant evolution within a year’s time. With the first iteration of the Vilo’s Wi-Fi 6 model on the market today, it’s only a matter of time before the value of the Vilo 6 incrementally increases too!

In July 2021, the first Vilo mesh Wi-Fi router became publicly available. Initially developed for end users, the Vilo’s meshing capabilities provided a scalable home Wi-Fi option and remains one of the most affordable mesh routers on the market.

However, after hearing from ISPs who needed a comprehensive Wi-Fi management platform at Wispapalooza 2021, the Vilo team realized a greater potential for their product and made it their mission to become a trusted ISP solutions provider.

*Vilo Co-Founders Man Zheng (left) and Amie Hsu (right) at Wispapalooza 2021*

Immediately, they began partnering with ISPs to see what new features were needed to solve their pain points, even launching a public roadmap where ISPs could post their requests. In addition to performance and speed improvements to the Vilo router, new features were implemented like bridge mode, port-forwarding, remote configuration, and more. Vilo also wasted no time launching its cloud-based ISP Management Portal in October 2021.

As Vilo’s name grew in the industry, so did Vilo’s mesh Wi-Fi system’s capabilities, making it an even more powerful and feature-rich mesh system. Some ISPs have even taken notice of how quick Vilo has been to increase the value of its products.

“You know when you provide feedback? There are multiple vendors out there I provide feedback for that goes nowhere,” said Tom Magg of Community Broadband Networks at Wispapalooza 2022, exactly a year after Vilo’s initial launch. “With Vilo, every piece of feedback I’ve provided to them I actually see coming out in this next release.”

Flash forward to December 2023, Vilo launched its next generation of mesh Wi-Fi routers, the Vilo 6. The Vilo 6 is an AX1800 router that provides up to 2,000 sq. ft. of coverage per unit and speeds up to 1 Gbps. Meshing a 2-pack together provides up to 4,000 sq. ft. of coverage. Other noteworthy features include Hardware NAT, IPV6 support, WPA3, and more!

And like Vilo’s Wi-Fi 5 model when it was first released in 2021, this is just the beginning for Vilo’s Wi-Fi 6 model. In fact, new features are on the horizon already, including VLAN management and VLAN tagging, which are anticipated to be available in the second quarter of 2023; not to mention all the other feature requests from ISPs that will potentially be available in the future!

You can click here to order your Vilo 6 today and hop on our public roadmap to let us know what features you’d like to see implemented next! If you’re curious to see how far Vilo’s solutions have come since 2021, you can check out our public release notes here.

ISP of the Month: Rob Johnstone of Stroud Media

Posted on January 20, 2023January 20, 2023 by vilo

Rob and Jill Johnstone co-founded their Stroudsburg Pennsylvania-based ISP (Internet Service Providers), Stroud Media, in 2020. Today, they have more than 500 subscribers and even provide service to remote areas in Kingston, New York. Having only two full-time employees who primarily do installations and respond to service calls, Stroud Media is run by just four people. But according to Rob, their rag-tag team has an advantage over their big-name competitors.

The Stroud Media Advantage

“Our niche is customer service,” Rob explains. “We’ve gotten a lot of people that’ll tell us that they’re not treated very well by the local cable company—that they’re just a number to them.” When these same individuals discover Stroud Media, Rob says they’re immediately impressed by the quality of service.

“It’s hard to compete on price. It’s hard to compete with a company that’s ten times bigger than us,” he continues, “but we can compete in the area of providing excellent customer service and being able to not treat every one of our customers like they’re a number, and even going the extra step. And I think that’s where Vilo comes in.”

Stroud Media began replacing their Ubiquiti routers with Vilos in the summer of 2022. For Rob, who’s been involved in the wireless internet business since the mid-2000s and holds some of the top certifications in his field, it was imperative that he deployed a reliable Wi-Fi unit that could also be managed remotely.

“A big part of what we offer is the ability to remotely access our subscribers’ routers from our office so we can help customers without having to go out,” he says. “I think that’s where we excel and that’s one of the reasons why, when we found Vilo, we said, ‘hey, this is a product that fits in with what we want to do and what we want to offer our customers.”

Since they began deploying Vilo, Rob says he hasn’t received complaints or calls for service from his subscribers and that Stroud Media will be exclusively using Vilos moving forward.

*Rob Johnstone of Stroud Media LLC | Vilo ISP of the Month*

From WISP to FISP

As of late September 2022, Stroud Media, a mostly wireless ISP, has begun building out their fiber networks. “We kind of made the decision to go move 100% in the next few years into a fiber-based network.”

As local cable companies don’t provide FTTH (Fiber to the Home), Stroud Media is the first provider in Monroe Country, PA, to bring fiber to both businesses and the home. Today, 30-40% of Stroud Media’s customers get their internet through fiber, including several MDUs (Multi-Dwelling Units).

“So, we’re starting to actively build fiber in a lot of neighborhoods, and we’ve installed a lot of fiber in the last two or three months. We’ve made a lot of good strides in getting our fiber up on the poles and getting it to a lot more of our customers.”

*Stroud Media LLC | Vilo ISP of the Month*

Challenges of transition to fiber

Any WISP (Wireless Internet Service Provider) switching to fiber knows the process is not without its potential kinks. Rob relayed to the Vilo team some of the challenges Stroud Media has faced when building out their fiber networks.

“I think the biggest challenge for us is permitting some of the poles and some of the engineering that’s required to get what they call the make ready done,” he explains, “which is basically when we want to get up on a telephone pole and say the cable company or telephone company has to move their cables to make room for us on the pole, so that has been our biggest obstacle.”

Regarding the wait time for completing all the steps involved, Rob says, “it’s probably three to five months from the time we say we want to put fiber on the pole to when we’re actually out there putting fiber on the poles.”

When talking about the shift to fiber, Rob mentioned his interest in trying out the new Vilo 6 mesh Wi-Fi system. “We’re definitely going to be getting some Vilo 6’s on board and playing them!”

Despite the sometimes slow-going process, Rob is optimistic about Stroud Media’s fiber-based future. “In the next year, we’re hoping to expand on the fiber we’ve already built and get into more neighborhoods,” he says.

“I always tell everybody if it was easy anyone could do it. In this industry, my experience is there’ve been a lot of challenges and hurdles you have to get over, but if you stick with it, it’ll turn out in the end.”

Discover Vilo’s ISP Solutions!

ISP of the Month: Matthew Thomas of WON Communications

Posted on December 21, 2022December 27, 2022 by vilo

WON Communications officially opened for business in Fall 2015 when two small Internet Service Providing companies, U-Link and Wide Open Networks, merged. “It turns out a company from Virginia had a trademark on the term wide open,” WON Co-Owner and Network Engineer Matthew Thomas chuckled.

“They enforced their trademark and wanted us to stop using it. So, when we merged the two companies, we just turned it into an acronym, and that’s where WON Communications came from.”

The name is suiting, according to Matthew, as WON (pronounced “one”) keeps things simple for their business and residential customers by providing a single point of contact. “[O]ne phone number, one invoice – hence, the ‘WON’ of WON Communications,” he says.

*Some of the* *WON Communications crew. Matthew and Cameron employ a team of 10.*

Self-taught from the Days of Dial-up

Matthew earned degrees in electronics and industrial management from Missouri State University and is a “Distinguished Alumnus” of Ozark Technical Community College. Despite not having any formal networking experience, though, he jumped into the internet industry in the early 2000’s.

“I just taught myself everything I needed to know,” he says. Matthew’s first internet-related experience was setting up Wi-Fi in his house back in the day when dial-up was the standard.

“I went and bought one of those Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Routers, the black and blue ones you can get from Walmart,” he recalls. “I tried figuring out how to use it—taught myself how to set the computer up as a proxy for the dial-up that was coming in so I could take dial up and send it out as a Wi-Fi and try and use the Wi-Fi throughout the house.”

After that experience, Matthew began setting up Wi-Fi for apartments and hot spots. He even landed a city gig providing Wi-Fi to buses. Those experiences led him to starting his own ISP around 2005 called U-Link.

Slicing Pie for Co-Owners

In the mid 2010’s, Matthew met Cameron Rose, whose background was primarily in construction, while they were shopping for internet equipment at the same forum. “We met up and had this shared vision of starting a project in the downtown Springfield area,” Matthew recalls. The two of them started Wide Open Networks shortly thereafter.

They divvied up ownership according to the Slicing Pie operating model, which provides a template for owners where equity splits are fluid according to how much time and resources each respective owner puts into the business.

“We didn’t have to argue over who owned how much of the business or was putting in the most time and all that kind of stuff,” says Matthew. “What that unique model let us do was, as long as we recorded how much time and resources we put into the business, the business ownership dynamically adjusted.”

The Slicing Pie approach was so successful for Matthew and Cameron that they recommend it to anyone looking to go into business together. “It’ll take away all the confusion [surrounding ownership],” Matthew added.

WON Communications and Quality Over Quantity

After Wide Open Networks began earning a positive cash flow, Matthew and Cameron incorporated Wide Open Networks with U-Link to make WON Communications in 2015. With the merger, WON had about 700 subscribers in their first year of business. Today, they serve around 1,330 subscribers in Springfield, Missouri and the surrounding areas; as North as Humansville and as South as Chadwick.

Pointing to the 5.0 customer review rating on WON’s Facebook page, Matthew explains how their focus is more on quality than quantity when it comes to growth. “We prefer to put time and effort into upgrading our network and taking care of existing customers before we run out there and try to just grow the network like crazy,” he says.

“Vilo solved a lot of our problems”

To further emphasize quality, WON began deploying Vilo mesh Wi-Fi systems earlier this year. After meeting some of the Vilo team at WispAmerica, Matthew tried some of the Vilos out. Much to his relief, the Vilos maintained coverage and didn’t require multiple reboots a day like the Cambium systems they had previously deployed.

“Vilo solved a lot of our problems, plus, they provided a mesh solution for some of these larger residential homes, and they just made sense, so we jumped in with Vilo and it’s just been great ever since,” says Matthew.

A staff member on WON’s support team estimates that they’ve already seen a 50% reduction in support calls since deploying Vilo. Matthew also loves that his support team can access network insights with Vilo’s ISP Management Portal. “It gives us all the information we need,” he added, “which has helped us out in situations that’ve been pretty tricky for us.”

Speaking about the Vilo Mesh Wi-Fi systems, Matthew says, “the Vilo maintains and supplies a good through-put for the standard 1200 to 1500 sq. ft. residential. The stuff stays on and works, we haven’t had problems with them rebooting.” For larger residential spaces, WON will install a sub Vilo for an additional $5 a month.

In closing, Matthew stressed the importance of having reliable equipment, like Vilos, in the customers’ homes. “Customers think that Wi-Fi is the internet. It is to them,” he explains. “And if the Wi-Fi doesn’t perform well, you’re the problem. It’s a straight line to the ISP. Understanding that is important for customer retention.”

Streamline your Vilo install to save money and time

Posted on December 8, 2022December 8, 2022 by vilo

Did you know Vilo isn’t just cost-efficient hardware? We’re also an ISP partner who wants to help you save time on installations because time is money. So here is our recommended Vilo installation procedure.

Prerequisites:

3-pack of Vilos that have been scanned into inventory
Have the home ready for Vilo with an RJ-45 cable
A network that uses DHCP (Recommended), Static-IP, or PPPoE (VLANs are currently not supported)
Happy installer

Go ahead, and pull out any Vilo from your 3-pack to install as the main. It’s best to place the main Vilo in the middle of the home if circumstances permit. Plug the Vilo into your CPE network, fire up your Vilo App, and follow the installation steps.

*Vilo Install Image submitted by Ben Cantymagli of Hometown Internet*

When you reach the “add Vilo to network” portion of the walk-through, the Vilo may take a minute or two to establish connection. This is a good opportunity to ask your customers about coverage issues and potential dead spots they’ve experienced in the home. Some of our ISP partners recommend asking simple, yet relatable questions. John Gill from Kentucky Fi has a go-to ice breaker: “Do you have trouble watching TikTok on the toilet?”

Beyond just breaking the ice or filling the silence, though, this is an excellent opportunity to upsell an additional sub Vilo for a small monthly fee. For more information on how to maximize revenue with Vilo, click here.

With Vilo’s pre-configured mesh design, installing one or two sub units from the same pack is easier than ever. Just plug them into rooms around the house and they will mesh automatically. It’s best to have no more than 2 walls (drywall) between the main and sub-Vilo.

If you are unsure about whether or not your mesh has a strong connection, the Vilo will flash blue if the signal is too low on a sub. Once everything is set up, we recommend updating the firmware. This is a great time to get the customer to sign any paperwork or even pick up your tools.

A note about remote configuration

We can’t talk about streamlining Vilo installs without mentioning remote configuration. Remote configuration allows an ISP to remotely configure a Vilo network from the ISP Portal before or after deployment to a customer’s home. Once the Vilo has been configured, it can be installed remotely. However, Vilo will need to be plugged in and connected to the modem via the WAN port. This can be done entirely from the ISP Web Portal, excluding the need for the app.

To learn more about Vilo’s remote configuration, click here.

Like you, the Vilo team wants your installs to run smoothly and quickly. If you have any questions or suggestions about the Vilo set up process, consider joining our “Vilo Living ISP Chapter” on Facebook or contacting our support team.

ISP of the Month: Byron Sierra of Central TV and Internet

Posted on November 29, 2022November 29, 2022 by vilo

Byron Sierra, a Network Engineer at Central TV and Internet, earned his degree in Network Engineering in November 2017 and started working for Central just a few months later. Central TV and Internet provides internet and cable to some 15,000 subscribers in the Cayo and Belize districts of Belize.

Byron’s interest in tech began when he was just 14. “My first choice was actually to become a doctor like my dad,” he explained, “but I found out pretty quickly that I don’t like to see blood.” Side-stepping blood-related work, Byron began taking apart old laptops from the hospital his dad worked at and putting them back together instead. “And I was really good at that, so that’s what got me started.”

Today, he takes pride in the work he’s doing at Central TV and Internet, specifically noting the company’s dedication to customer satisfaction. “Anytime a customer calls with any issue, we try to resolve it within 24 hours,” he explains. “But that has been difficult as of late because of the hurricane.”

Vilo Central TV and Internet — *Image of Central TV and Internet employees setting up fiber*

On Wednesday, November 2, Hurricane Lisa made landfall as a category 1 hurricane near the City of Belize. With wind speeds of 85 mph, Lisa engulfed many areas in the region with 4 ft of water. “It mostly affected the Belize district,” Byron recalls. “It brought down a lot of lamp posts where our fiber was connected, so we had a lot of fiber down and services were down for a couple of days in the City of Belize.”

Since then, Central TV and Internet has been doing all they can to accelerate repairs and bring internet back to the area, even recruiting some of their 130 employees from other regions to speed up the recovery process. According to Byron, they still don’t have an estimate of the total dollar amount in damages caused by Lisa.

When asked what he enjoys most about working for an ISP, Byron spoke to the sense of fulfillment he gets from connecting people to the internet. “You’re basically in charge of the internet—you provide internet services to people and provide connection to resources and entertainment. It’s your job to ensure that they get the quality that they want.”

“It can be a pretty tough job,” he added, “since you constantly have to be monitoring for network outages, but it’s satisfying at the end of the day to know that people are able to do whatever they want using your connection.”

One of the reasons why Central TV and Internet began partnering with Vilo, according to Byron, was to ensure a more stable and consistent connection for their subscribers. “With the Wi-Fi mesh units we were using before Vilo, we would get customer calls about slow speeds and weak connections in certain areas. But since we started installing Vilos, we’ve stopped getting complaints.”

Byron discovered Vilo during this year’s WISPAmerica convention in Louisiana. “We were researching for Wi-Fi solutions that would meet all our needs and Vilo actually was the one that stood out the most,” he recalls. “So when we got to the show, [the Vilo team] was one of the first ones I wanted to talk to.”

The two things that immediately piqued Central’s interest was Vilo’s affordability and manageability. “We’re a small company, so we were looking for something affordable that, at the same time, works well, and Vilo works really well. Like I said, we had many complaints with our previous Wi-Fi units but haven’t heard any with Vilo.”

Since first partnering with Vilo after WISPAmerica in March, Central TV and Internet has deployed around 70 Vilos and expect an increase in deployment in the coming weeks. “Our main Wi-Fi units will be the Vilo mesh units,” Byron added.

“Being able to manage our Wi-Fi […] was one of the biggest things for us,” he said referring to Vilo’s ISP Management Portal. “Instead of having to send out techs to resolve issues, we can just go into the portal and see which device is connecting, which ones have low signals, etc.”

Central TV and Internet’s experience with the Vilo team has also been a highlight of their partnership so far, according to Byron. “We’ve had a great experience especially when it comes to support,” he says. “They usually answer me the same day, sometimes within hours or minutes.”

Lastly, having just received his samples of the Vilo 6, Byron is excited to try them out and voiced his interest in deploying them. “I’m pretty sure we’ll be requesting some boxes of the Vilo 6 so we can roll them out to customers!”

Vilo 6 AMA Webinar Recap

Posted on November 17, 2022November 17, 2022 by vilo

The Vilo 6 is finally here! The same day pre-orders became available, Vilo held an Ask Me Anything Webinar with Vilo 6 Product Manager Eva Wu, Account Executive Jared Lubas, and Support Engineer Mark LaManna to answer all your Vilo 6-related questions. Before jumping straight into the Q&A’s, though, let’s visit some Vilo 6 highlights.

Aside from the obvious fact that the Vilo 6 is a Wi-Fi 6 system, there are some other noteworthy features. For instance, channel selection and channel width selection, both on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, are available on the Vilo 6. Other improvements include IPv6 and Smart Queue Management powered by Cake Algorithm. Of course, the Vilo 6 also offers superior speeds and coverage.

On the coverage side, a single Vilo 6 covers up to 2,000 sq. ft. per unit, and 4,000 sq. ft. per 2-pack. As far as speeds go, the Vilo 6 gets 600 Mbps on 2.4 GHz, and up to 1200 Mbps on 5 GHz. Last week, we went over some speed test results with the 6, but in case you missed it, see the infographic below.

*Infographic of speed test results of the Vilo 6 vs the Vilo (Wi-Fi 5)*

Without further ado, let’s dive into some questions!

Q: Will the Vilo 6 work seamlessly with any Wi-Fi 6 chipset that is an 802 standard chipset for Wi-Fi 6?

No. While the Vilo 6 does have the 802 standard chipset, it will only mesh with another Vilo 6.

Q: How many units can I mesh together in the same set up?

Currently, three Vilo 6’s can be meshed in the same set up. However, by the time pre-orders are fulfilled in January, we’re aiming to increase the capacity to six at a time.

Q: Can you mesh a Vilo with the Vilo 6?

No.

Q: Where can I buy if I don’t live in the USA?

Outside of the USA, you cannot buy Vilo 6’s from Vilo directly, but we do have distributors in Canada, South America, Africa, and New Zealand. Click here for more details. When in doubt, if you cannot find a distributor in your area, reach out to our sales team and we’ll work to make that happen.

Q: Is there a way to order Vilo 6 units that aren’t pre-configured with mesh?

Yes, you can order single packs, even in bulk. There’s no price incentive to buy 2-packs vs buying singles.

Q: What’s the pricing for the Vilo 6?

Retail pricing for a 1-pack is $79.99 and $154.99 for a 2-pack. During the pre-order period, a case of 15 1-packs go for $1,049.85 and a case of 8 2-packs will cost $1,119.84.

If you have a question that wasn’t answered during this AMA Webinar, or if you’d like to keep up with all things Vilo-related, join our Vilo Living ISP Chapter group on Facebook. If you’re looking to place an order to secure a Vilo 6 today, visit: https://store.viloliving.com/vilo-6. Lastly, if you’re curious about half-pallet and pallet pricing, get in touch with our sales team at sales@viloliving.com.

ISP of the Month: Dalton Gilmore of SpeedFi Inc.

Posted on October 25, 2022November 29, 2022 by vilo

When Dalton Gilmore, 27, started SpeedFi Inc in 2017, it fulfilled one of his childhood aspirations. “It always was my dream to supply internet to people, honestly,” he says. “When I was 12 years old, that was my dream.”

Dalton grew up on a farm in the Manitoba province of Canada, where he opened his own computer repair shop, PC Mini Tech, when he was barely 16. “I didn’t know how internet worked at the time, so I started the computer repair store instead, but I always played with wireless stuff and loved it.”

As often as he could, Dalton would dabble in internet-related side projects, including providing internet to his childhood home and his family’s farm. “I also worked with a radio station and TV station back in the day, and they let me use their tower and equipment,” he recalls.

Dalton built the station’s dedicated links for their video-on-demand livestreaming before Twitch was even a thing. One of the most notable projects he was involved in was helping the local TV station broadcast a Safeway Select Curling game, which is a big deal in Canada.

SpeedFi Inc in Kingston, Canada

SpeedFi Inc, Dalton’s WISP, was initially a subdivision of his computer shop, but come 2018, SpeedFi would incorporate PC Mini Tech. “I realized the computer business wasn’t profitable anymore because people throw things away so easily these days.”

Today, Speedfi Inc provides internet to 300 customers in and around the City of Kingston in Ontario, Canada. Daring to go where big-name ISPs won’t, SpeedFi serves several remote locations, including Wolfe, Howe, Simcoe, and Amherst Islands. Because of the challenging nature of their area of service, and since SpeedFi only has four employees in total, Dalton says he prefers to buy “very expensive equipment” while prioritizing integration and automation.

“So we deal with a lot of remote, frustrating locations where a lot of bigger ISPs don’t want to go. And I don’t blame them, honestly.” According to Dalton, a simple 15-minute service call to one of the islands can take several hours because ferry wait times can be extreme, thanks to the region’s high volume of tourism.

“We’ve had a service call before where a router died, and the one call took us 6 hours,” he says. “This is why having Vilo has been mission critical to us; we have to be sure the Wi-Fi routers we install work.”

*A google maps image of Kingston, Canada, and the islands to where SpeedFi provides internet services.*

SpeedFi and Vilo

Dalton first discovered Vilo at a conference in Ottawa in March last year and was skeptical because of the Vilo’s competitive price point. “I thought, ‘how can you sell a router at this price and expect it to perform?’ We had even just purchased some more expensive routers that we thought were better at the time, and it was one of those things where Vilo was about a third of the price of this other one, and I was like, ‘you know what? Let’s buy it. Let’s try it out.’”

Prior to putting Vilo to the test, Dalton had a Ubiquiti UniFi Wi-Fi system installed in his house. Despite having an access point (AP) on each floor, he was unsatisfied with the performance he was getting. “I would go outside, just 10 ft. away from one of the AP’s where my hot tub is, and I still couldn’t use the Wi-Fi.”

Hoping to finally stream TikTok’s from his tub, Dalton swapped his UniFi system with Vilo’s. “And it worked. The mesh worked seamlessly. I switched over to the Vilo network and was getting like 100 Mbps in the hot tub through my house’s metal siding and everything,” he recalls. “I was very shocked with the results, and I’ve had no issues with it.”

As SpeedFi relies heavily on automation and integration, Dalton has been making good use of the Vilo ISP Portal. “We are very happy with the ISP Portal, and like I said, I like to have everything tying in, and so being able to look at the dashboard and see device statuses, run speed tests remotely, to lock channels—being able to select channels—has all been huge for us.”

By April 2021, Dalton was deploying Vilo as SpeedFi’s Wi-Fi system of choice. “We’ve been pulling another vendor’s out like there’s no tomorrow,” he says.

“We’ve only had one truck roll involving a Vilo and it was because of bad power at the place—it cooked a lot of other devices in that house, so I’m not going to blame Vilo for that one,” he continues. “But I still get reminded, sometimes weekly, about issues with our other vendor’s routers where we have to do a truck roll and put a Vilo in.”

An Airbnb and a lot of profanity

Things can get hairy when you’re providing internet to islands, especially when Airbnb’s are involved. Just last week, Dalton found himself in one of the most frustrating situations of his ISP career.

One of his customers who runs an Airbnb missed their scheduled appointment for a Wi-Fi installation and told Dalton that he could send the Vilo in the mail, and they would set it up themself. A few days later, he found out it was never installed when he got a call from the Airbnb’s guests.

“There was a lot of frustration,” he recalls, “They couldn’t figure out how to install the app. It was constant profanity on the phone. It was next level! They couldn’t even figure out the password on the bottom of the router.”

To complicate things further, Dalton was unable to do a remote installation on his end as the particular Vilo system came from an earlier batch and didn’t have the latest firmware upgrades. “The customer was irate.”

*One of SpeedFi’s towers in Kingston, Canada*

“So I gave Vilo a shout and asked if there was a possibility to get this password since I had the serial number. I got a text message a half an hour later with the password. I emailed it to the client; I have not heard from them since. Clearly, we see bandwidth coming through, and they stopped calling the Airbnb owner every two hours.”

“So we followed up with the owner, everything’s good now. You guys helped us through that when I don’t know if any other vendor would have,” he said. “So yeah, working with the Vilo team has been amazing.”

What’s next for SpeedFi?

Apart from providing internet, SpeedFi Inc has data center and consulting divisions. According to Dalton, they are aiming to deploy 5G networks soon, but are waiting for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Division (CRTC) to lay out their new spectrum. He also expressed his excitement for upcoming Vilo releases, including the Vilo 6 and API integration.

“I can’t wait to get my hands on the Vilo 6,” he laughed.

Discover Vilo’s ISP solutions!

Best Practices: Installing Vilo in MDU Spaces

Posted on September 20, 2022September 22, 2022 by vilo

The purpose of this guide is to provide best practices, suggestions, and prerequisites to be aware of when installing Vilos in multiple dwelling units such as apartments, hotels, condos, etc. While we lack POE support and an official Vilo-licensed wall-mount, we believe our hardware and software are primed for installation in these environments.

How can this help you and your customers?

We’ve introduced multiple features to help maximize your time when it comes to the installation process. Utilizing our remote configuration suite in combination with our separate pre-mesh feature, ISPs can complete most of the leg work prior to installing Vilos on-site at a customer’s home. Once the Vilo has been configured, it can be installed remotely (as long as you are using a DHCP configuration and the firmware is on version 19, and the Vilo is plugged in and connected to the modem via the WAN port).

Pre-Setup & Installation

This section will help prepare you for the installation process:

Be sure to scan all Vilos into the Vilo inventory. We suggest doing this as soon as you get your inventory.
If the firmware version of the Vilo is lower than v197, you will need to manually install the Vilo via the app. This must be completed to configure Vilos remotely.
If you are using a DHCP configuration, our remote configuration feature allows you to set up a Vilo network with a Custom SSID and password prior to installation, eliminating the need for the Vilo app. You can do this for multiple Vilos using our Bulk Actions option.
If you are using PPPoE or Static IP, the remote configuration feature will not be an option. We suggest setting up the Vilos in a testing environment first when upgrading the firmware, eliminating the need to be completed once on site. With the Vilos scanned into inventory and the firmware up to date, this will cut back on installation times so that end-users can connect to the network without first having to wait for the firmware upgrade to complete. Other bulk actions that may be useful:
1. Assign: You can use our assign function from the inventory page to associate routers with customers created on the Customers Page. This is exclusive to the portal and only serves as an organizational feature. It is not the same as assigning a network to a customer from the app, allowing them to download the Vilo App and manage the network themselves.
2. Update Note: The “Update Note” feature allows you to create notes for different Mac addresses, such as addresses or customer information that you may find on the customer’s page.

Scenarios & Reminders

This section will provide helpful reminders, as well as scenarios to keep in mind:

If you opted for one network that is shared between multiple customers, we suggest adding additional sub-Vilos where necessary to meet coverage demands. Reminder: Setting up a network in this particular scenario would disallow service for everyone on the network. The only workaround would be to block connected devices of the customers who have not paid.
If you opted to install a single network per unit (hotel room, apartment, etc), then we suggest optimizing the Wi-Fi to address any Wi-Fi interference issues that may arise. This can be done in the Vilo ISP Portal or the Vilo App.
While there is no official Vilo wall mount, we encourage the use of third-party options to get around this. Below is one example of a third-party wall mount provider.

*These Vilo wall mounts were 3D-printed by Brian Gregory. For ordering and pricing information, email Brian at gregory3dcreations@gmail.com.*

Post-Setup: Wi-Fi Networks & Bulk Actions

This section will cover the different ways in which our portal can help you manage your customers after installation.

While there are more individual settings that can be viewed by clicking into each network, our bulk actions provide a list of tools to help with network maintenance and troubleshooting, while also making it easy to disallow service if necessary:

Network maintenance: Upgrade Firmware, Turn on/off Automatic Firmware Upgrade
Troubleshooting: Run Speed Test, Restart Vilos (Optimizes Wi-Fi networks)
Billing issues: Allow/Disallow Internet Access

Upcoming features:

VLAN Support
Setup Without Internet Connection

With more awareness of how our Vilo ISP Portal can help decrease installation times for MDU setups, we hope these best practices can help you reach more customers in less time, increasing your user base while ensuring your customers have hardware and service they can rely on.

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Work From Home trends for ISPs in 2022

Posted on August 8, 2022August 9, 2022 by vilo

With more and more people working from home (WFH), having efficient and reliable Wi-Fi has never been more crucial. Understanding current WFH trends will help Internet Service Providers (ISP) anticipate their subscribers’ needs and ultimately, provide the best possible service.

The volume of Americans who work from home has dramatically increased since the onset of the pandemic. While it was merely a temporary adjustment for some, WFH has become a permanent practice for nearly half of the country’s workforce.

According to Gartner, a technological research and consulting firm, 48% of employees will work remotely or follow a hybrid model in the post pandemic world. On a global scale, a 2022 study from Owl labs found that 62% of workers between the ages of 22 and 65 claim to work remotely at least occasionally.

Your subscribers need Wi-Fi that can handle telecommunication demands

Telecommunication services like Zoom, Slack, and RingCentral are integral to any business’s success in the WFH era. This is evident in the stark increase of video-based communication use. For example, at the end of 2019, Zoom only averaged 10 million daily users, but come mid-2020, the average amount of daily users shot up 300 million.

Zoom became so ingrained in the day-to-day of America’s workforce that the New York Times listed “Zoom” as one of the phrases that defined 2020, and TIME listed “on mute” as one of 2020’s defining phrases, which denotes a person speaking while muted on a Zoom call. Long story short, Zoom and other video-based communication platforms are ubiquitous in the WFH era.

So, what does this trend mean for ISPs? While it’s obvious that ISPs should ensure they’re offering Wi-Fi that can run the minimal rate of Mbps that video calls require, subscribers may not think to divulge all the necessary information. For instance, a subscriber who WFH may tell you they use Zoom daily but glance over the fact that they also need to run their browser to take notes or screen share during their calls. Getting these details from your subscribers is an important step to providing them with adequate connectivity while offering the lowest possible rates.

The rise of the freelancers

The pandemic not only catapulted America’s workforce out of the office and into their homes, but it also changed the landscape of employment. In fall of last year, Forbes reported that more than 59 million Americans had performed freelance work that year. That means that more than one-third of working citizens are independent contractors, most of whom rely on the internet for their labor.

The bulk of these freelancers (75%) are artists. What does that mean for ISPs? Of course, most creative design software programs, like any one of Adobe’s applications, don’t require internet to operate. However, most freelancers have to upload their completed projects online in order to deliver them and ultimately get paid. That means that any freelancer working from home will require fast uploading times (unless they want to wait 22 hours for their Premiere Pro project to upload to Google Drive).

On the flip side, high downloading speeds are equally important for freelancers. Creative applications periodically need to update, and it’s not uncommon for freelancers to collaborate on projects, which can require downloading files.

Vilo Living for ISPs

Understanding your subscriber’s specific needs is essential to providing unparalleled internet service. If you’re looking for a way to provide consistent Wi-Fi throughout a subscriber’s home so that they can work from their couch or their kitchen, Vilo Living’s Wi-Fi Mesh System is the most affordable mesh system on the market.

Vilo Living’s ISP Portal allows ISPs to quickly check to see which devices are using the most bandwidth, which will come in handy if you have a subscriber trying to do freelance work in a home with Fortnite-playing kids. The Portal also gives you network insights so you can resolve certain issues without a truck roll. To learn more about how Vilo Living can help you accelerate your business, click here.