About the OfficeXpats Internet Service
One of the basic services you get, whether as a member, a conference room renter, or a guest, is our stable, fast Internet. But what does that mean? And what about reliability? Let’s dive into the details.
Internet Source and Speed
Our Internet is fiber-based. It is a 1GB dedicated pipe that isn’t shared with anyone outside the office. It comes from a service provider called Net253 that connects directly to Kitsap Public Utilities District (KPUD) service. When Comcast is down, we usually are just fine.
Wi-Fi
From the point at which our service provider cables get to our office, they go into our router and firewall, then more cables take the signal to our access points throughout the office, and these access points are where your wireless Internet comes from.
Network Access
Members of OfficeXpats access our Wi-Fi simply by logging in to their member account (only needed one time per device), and we do not have a general password that provides guest access. However, when someone rents a room, their confirmation email provides a “token” that gives time-limited access to the network. and is good for many guests as well. We can also provide temporary tokens to guests as needed, for instance on Free First Fridays. That token is always “COWORKING” but it won’t work except on those first Fridays.
On a side note, our member management system integrates with network access for automated time tracking! If you have one of our part-time memberships, either a Cafe 20 or Cafe 50 (20 or 50 hours per month, respectively), your time on our network is what determines the tracking of your hours. You can always check how many hours you have used when you log in to your member account. And, if you need a few more to get you through the month, you can log in and purchase an extra 10 hours here.
Network Reliability
First let’s hear directly from our provider, Net253. Yes, they get a little techy, but that’s why we don’t have to worry about reliability.
“Our equipment can stay operational even during a multi week PSE power outage. We have dual source power supplies in all our networking gear for reliability. Our racks have independent UPS (uninterruptible power supply - battery backup) equipment, redundant electrical switchgear and wiring, and a secure (concrete walled vault), redundant (dual) air conditioned space to house the servers that transport your data and phone traffic via KPUD.
“All networking gear we use is cold spare redundant; we have copies of all parts we use in the data center, pre-configured and ready to be deployed in the unlikely event of a catastrophic hardware failure. This is a minimal downtime, from 5 minutes to 15 minutes depending on tech availability, and has been required once in 12 years of operation.
“Net253 is only as reliable as KPUDs fiber optic network. KPUDs network is very reliable, and faults (tree falling, storm damages) are cleared very quickly. Your data is on the same network fibers as Kitsap county fire departments, police stations, schools, and governmental offices. That’s pretty good company.”
But just because Net253 can keep its Internet pipe flowing to us in a power outage, we still need to keep the router alive. Our uninterruptible power supply (UPS) keeps everything alive for 15-30 minutes, which gets us through temporary power blips. But we also have a gas-powered generator that gets tested periodically, which will keep going for as long as we keep it gassed up. See the previous topic for longer-term power outages!
