Travel Wifi: Difference between revisions
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== Criticisms == |
== Criticisms == |
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===Costs=== |
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{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2010}} |
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Operating an ISP inside warzones is costly due to the existing infrastructure, unconventional methodology, danger placed upon employees, and the maintenance and use of the satellites that are required to get the bandwidth in and out of the OIF theatre. None of these constraints exist in the U.S. and other developed parts of the world. Also, bandwidth costs in the U.S. and elsewhere are nowhere near those found in Iraq because of America's Internet and [[Wi-fi|Wi-Fi]] infrastructure, the surplus of [[Fiber optics|fiber optic]] backbones and high speed cable lines to propagate [[Bandwidth (computing)|bandwidth]]. With the infrastructure in place now within these camps, the Garrison Command ensures no soldier directly interferes, tampers, or destroys any of the wireless capabilities the Sniperhill contract has brought. The most common repair to such equipment is from normal wear and tear from the excessive heat and sand. Occasionally interferance occurs from the hosting teleport. |
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Soldiers performing logistical operations within Sniperhill's area of operation temporarily RON (rest over night) at these various camps. The "Target Practice" service is the most widely used option for the troops whose obligations involve convoy movement, as their stay is most likely to be less than 48 hours. This service costs $10 a day. |
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===Latency=== |
===Latency=== |
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Network [[Latency (engineering)|latency]] is the delay between requesting data and getting a response, or in the case of one-way communication, between the actual moment of broadcast and the time actually received at destination. Compared to ground-based communication such as [[fiber optics]] or cable lines, geostationary satellite communications experience higher latency than that of ground-based communications due to the signal having to travel 22,000 miles out into space to a satellite in geostationary orbit and back to Earth again. |
Network [[Latency (engineering)|latency]] is the delay between requesting data and getting a response, or in the case of one-way communication, between the actual moment of broadcast and the time actually received at destination. Compared to ground-based communication such as [[fiber optics]] or cable lines, geostationary satellite communications experience higher latency than that of ground-based communications due to the signal having to travel 22,000 miles out into space to a satellite in geostationary orbit and back to Earth again. |
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Revision as of 15:48, 9 February 2012
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Satellite communication |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas USA |
| Website | http://www.sniperhill.net/ |
Sniperhill Internet Services, LLC or Sniperhill is an American commercial Internet service provider (ISP) that operates on US and NATO Bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. It provides unlimited wired and wireless commercial Internet access to US and Coalition Armed Forces, direct-hire DOD, Department of the Army (DA) and State Department civilians, and authorized civilian contractors and International businesses participating in Operation New Dawn (OND) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).
Summary
As of February 2012, the company's base-wide operations on US and NATO Bases throughout Afghanistan and Iraq were located in: Baghdad, Kirkuk, and Um Qasr in Iraq and Bagram Airfield, Jalalabad, Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar e-Sharif, Camp Dwyer and Shindand Air Base in Afghanistan. The Internet provider is expanding base-wide operations on US/NATO bases in Afghanistan and is set to bring commercial Internet services to several other US military installations throughout the country according to its website.
Customers
Sniperhill's website[1] touts that its customer base includes every branch of the US Armed Forces, DOD, DA and State Department civilians, defense contractors and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Services
Services offered are titled "Internet Forces" and are tiered by download speed and length of each plan. The different plans range from 24-hour service entitled "Recon" all the way up to "Expert", 30 days of unlimited service with a download speed of up to 512kbit/s. The maximum length of each plan is 30 days. Businesses supporting US/NATO missions can opt for small business plans. According to the company's website, there is no equipment to buy; no contracts, no credit checks, no automatic billing, and no time or download limits for any of the service plans the provider offers.
Technology
 | This section contains wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information. (July 2010) |
Users can sign up from the privacy of their tent or containerized housing unit (CHU), sometimes referred to as "Combat Housing Units". Users auto-obtain connectivity using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)-IP addressing. Upon launching their Internet browser, subscribers are redirected to a captive portal homepage where they can either sign up or logon using an existing account to immediately surf the net.
Technical Solution
In each area of operations, technicians position a satellite earth station and erect and operate a main communication tower. Sectoral flat panel antennas affixed to the main tower provide 360 degree coverage for up to three square kilometers. A point-to-multi-point or terrestrial fiber optic backbone distributes and allocates bandwidth throughout the combat living areas. Each communication tower transmits an encrypted “invisible” signal through the use of licensed frequencies to commercial-grade wireless router antennas and wireless access points located throughout the U.S. base. Data is encrypted between the company's hosts using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)-256 encryption algorithm.
Criticisms
Latency
Network latency is the delay between requesting data and getting a response, or in the case of one-way communication, between the actual moment of broadcast and the time actually received at destination. Compared to ground-based communication such as fiber optics or cable lines, geostationary satellite communications experience higher latency than that of ground-based communications due to the signal having to travel 22,000 miles out into space to a satellite in geostationary orbit and back to Earth again.
Limitations
The signal delay can be as much as 900 milliseconds or more, which makes most satellite-based Internet service unusable and unstable for applications requiring real-time user input, such as online games or remote surgery. The functionality of live interactive access to a distant computer can also be subject to these problems caused by high latency. These problems are more than tolerable for just basic email access and web browsing and in most cases are barely noticeable but are problematic for real-time applications and those requiring large amounts of bandwidth such as 512 kbit/s or 1 Mbit/s.
History
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Sniperhill was founded in 2004. It began its first operations in Iraq in early 2007; the exact month and day is unknown. In March 2009, the company rebranded its webpage and slogan. While it kept its "Sniperhill" brand name it changed its positioning statement or tag line from "surf the net safely" to "Click | Move | Communicate", an adaption of US Army jargon, "shoot, move, communicate". According to this report in 2010 http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sniperhill-becomes-first-fiber-optic-based-internet-service-provider-in-iraq-91716349.html, the provider was the first American ISP to bring fiber optic Internet services to US forces in Iraq. On October 26, 2011, SniperHill was awarded a longterm contract by The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (The Exchange) to provide subscription based in-room Internet services on US/NATO bases throughout Afghanistan. In December, 2011, the ISP was awarded a similar contract by The Exchange to provide the same services in Iraq. In early 2012, the official SniperHill website changed its look from an all-black appearance to an all-white appearance. While the SniperHill logo appeared to be a new version on the new-look website, the "Click | Move | Communicate" tag line remained unchanged.