How many weeks was I trying to get internet access at our lodge? I’m not sure, but I first wrote about it on this blog on May 21, so about a month. I started by searching the net for a possible provider. Came up with Xplornet. Found a dealer who led me down the garden path. Finally after many follow-up calls on my part I called the Smoky Lake county office and asked if they had a supplier or knew of one who serviced the rural areas of the county. The person I contacted was extremely helpful and put me in touch with the local computer store (read my previous post). Craig took the particulars of my property location and said he would forward this on to MCSNet and they would be in touch in a few days to let me know if they thought they could get access for my location.
The next day I got a call from someone at MSCNet to say that they had a tower within range, but would have to do a site visit before they could guarantee it would work. We set up an appointment for today (Friday, June 13th!) at 2 pm. So this morning I packed up for my weekend at the lodge and headed out at around 11:30. Sandra is in Ottawa visiting her mother, and the kids have other commitments this weekend, so I’m on my own.
Shortly after 2 I got a call from Earl, the installer for MCSNet wondering exactly where I was located. It turns out he was just at the base of the hill of our property where the road intersects with another and takes a jog… it’s a bit confusing as to which road is the continuation of our road.
The long and short of it is that we now have access. This is the receiver. We had to mount it on the back of the garage/shop roof to get a clear signal which is nice in a way because it is completely out of sight. In the picture above it looks rather large and imposing, but below is a shot showing the receiver in the context of the building so you can see it’s really not obtrusive at all. And since it is at the back of the shop it really doesn’t show at all.
The only thing I have left to do is to bury the cable. We considered stringing overhead through the trees, but I thought burying it would be the most esthetically pleasing… as long as someone doesn’t dig it up some day!
We’ll now be able to work on our websites at the lodge, which is great (rustic-lodge-lifestyle.com and smart-heart-living.com)
MCSNet is based on St. Paul, Alberta. I was told that they intend to service all of northern Alberta (north of Edmonton). Based on my experience today, I highly recommend them. And if you’re in an area they service, ask for Earl to do the install! He was great… very friendly, but intent on finding the location for the best signal. They can be reached at 780-645-4417.
