Bragg Creek Network F.A.Q

February 28, 2024May 1, 2020 by Mage Networks

We’re excited to be part of the Bragg Creek community and even more excited to connect you to great Internet! You may have seen us around the community, testing the network or perhaps here online (we’re on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) busy answering questions.

For your convenience, we’ve compiled questions we’ve been asked so far. We’ll be updating the page regularly as we progress with the network.

What is the timeline for the Bragg Creek network deployment?

Our team has been busy since the fall of 2020 revising our deployment plans. We’ve been working closely with FortisAlberta and have submitted all necessary poles for approval (we expect to have a positive update soon.)

We know the hardship that lack of internet causes, so we understand the disappointment and frustration from people counting on us to get them connected.

To all of our customers who have signed up and are anxiously awaiting connection – thank you for your continued support and patience.

Mage Networks FREE community Wi-Fi coverage in Bragg Creek:

Who is Mage Networks?

Mage Networks is the Canadian Internet Technology company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta.

What does Mage Networks do?

Our network is a combination of fiber and our own technology, MagiNet™.

MagiNet™ is formed by hardware and firmware designed by our team and seamlessly uses wireless and wired connections to create wireless coverage over, under, and around any sized area without degradation in speed or consistency.

Is your technology as good as you say it is?

Our network is a new breed of mesh networks.

Unlike cellular towers, we use a series of interconnected nodes, instead of all units having to connect to one access point. We place as many nodes as needed, wherever they are needed to bring Internet access directly to a specific area and guarantee no data rate loss.

That means that even obstacles like trees or buildings – even the weather – do not impact the signal strength and you’ll have reliable high-speed Internet. In effect, the connection is made where it’s needed and not where it’s not needed (such as cows in a pasture getting great service from a nearby tower).

Where are Mage Networks deployed?

Mage has deployed networks in Alberta, Grand Cayman, Accra, Ghana, and Monrovia, Liberia. We are currently deploying in Powhatan, and Warrenton, Virginia. We’re currently rolling out service to areas in and around Bragg Creek, Alberta, including Redwood Meadows and Millarville.

How are you planning on delivering power to the nodes in West Bragg?

Units on power poles will get their power from the poles. There are a couple of areas in West Bragg that have buried cables. However, there are above-ground connection boxes that we will use. We will be working with the residents/homeowners/homeowners associations and/or whomever else we need, to come up with solutions to mount and power our equipment.

What kind of experience can we expect with Mage Internet?

Our technology, MagiNet™ provides symmetrical speed. This means that the upload and download speeds have the same maximum limit. Mage doesn’t cut corners on bandwidth and we’re the only ISP that has implemented Guaranteed Streaming Bandwidth™ (we cover that below.)

What is Guaranteed Streaming Bandwidth™, GSB™?

We don’t cut corners on our bandwidth and that’s why we’re the only ISP to offer Guaranteed Streaming Bandwidth™ (GSB™) This refers to the minimum speed of an Internet connection. Minimum speeds matter if you’re using services that require constant streaming. For example, Netflix requires that you have a speed of 5 Mbps to ensure you have a good experience with high definition quality (no buffering or spinny icons.) The design of our network allows us to guarantee that our minimum speed will never go below 7 Mbps.

Which tower does Mage Networks get a signal from?

Our Internet service isn’t based on a tower or cellular service; we use mesh technology. Our technology MagiNet™ directly connects any home and business in an area that wants our Internet service and does not get a signal from a tower. Mesh technology uses a series of small interconnected antennas. For example, in the community of Bragg Creek the Internet feed (backhaul) we connect to, comes from the Alberta SuperNet Fibre Network (there’s a Point of Presence (POP) in Bragg Creek.)

Does your technology rely on fiber or satellite?

Our network is a combination of fiber and our own technology, MagiNet™. MagiNet™ is formed by hardware and firmware designed by our team and seamlessly uses wireless and wired connections to create wireless coverage over, under, and around any sized area without degradation in speed or consistency. The Internet feed (backhaul) we connect to comes from the Alberta SuperNet Fibre Network.

Are networks built by Mage Networks 5G?

No.

3G, 4G and 5G are used by cell phones, whereas MagiNet™ uses Wi-Fi frequencies for the bases of the network.

What equipment and cables have to be installed?

MagiNet™ works by bringing the Internet to your home wirelessly. We install a small antenna (not much bigger than a smartphone) on the exterior of your home. This connects to our wireless network in the community. From the antenna installed on your home, we run an ethernet cable to a Wi-Fi router or directly to your computer.

Can we use our own router?

Yes. You may use your own router, both wired and wireless. You also have the option to directly connect your computer to the ethernet cable we provide. However, this limits the number of devices you can connect.

How long does installation take?

The actual installation time can vary based on the type of residence. However, the average installation time once our installer is on-site is approximately two hours.

How much do your Internet service packages cost?

We currently offer Residential Internet Service and Business Internet Service. To learn more about our packages, you can find more information here: https://mage-networks.com/braggcreek/

What are the Terms and Conditions?

We’ve done our best to simplify our Terms and Conditions so that you don’t need a law degree to understand them. You can find them here: https://mage-networks.com/conditions/

Are Mage Networks regulated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)?

We are regulated and licensed by the CRTC. Additionally, we meet the internet code which was applied to the Big 10 back in January (however, we do so voluntarily.) Here’s more information about the Internet Code and its applications: https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/internet/code.htm

How Secure is the network?

The Mage Networks ISP infrastructure encompasses the network components between the customer premise and the Internet Service Provider(s). Mage Networks is responsible for the security of the Mage ISP infrastructure. Mage Networks uses the most current wireless encryption protocols, stringent password controls, and internal best practices which generally exceed industry standards. Mage Networks has controls in place to monitor, review, and adjust security practices on an ongoing basis to ensure policies and standards are followed and regularly updated.

As a user, you have an integral role in making your communications secure:

Implement a secure Wi-Fi password on your router,
Use the latest routers and the best encryption,
Ensure that your computers and devices are updated regularly (companies are constantly identifying and fixing weaknesses in their operating system.)
Practice general safe and standard security practices.

What do ISPs mean when they use the term “up to”?

They don’t guarantee anything because there are too many factors out of their control. They don’t guarantee it if you are their only customer. With high usage, they don’t have a minimum performance no matter how bad it gets.

What is Mage’s Maximum Download Speed?

Currently, our maximum download speed is 100 Mbps.

What is Mage’s Maximum Upload Speed?

Currently, our maximum upload speed is 100 Mbps.

What are stepped Down Data Rates?

Other service providers say: “if you are a big user we’ll choke your speed to nothing to get you to stop using our network so much.”

Mage doesn’t do that.

Unlimited Data Rate: use our network as much as you want, the worst you’ll ever get is our GSB™ (7 Mbps)

How and when will you be addressing the Bragg Creek to Priddis corridor?

Our mission is to connect everyone, everywhere to reliable Internet – this includes the corridor between Bragg Creek and Priddis. The priority and order of regions we deploy our network in are determined by the number of homes, severity of connection, and the difficulty of reaching them (*trees and hills are difficult to go through.)

The regions we’ve zeroed in on were expedited as a result of mobilized residents. Homeowners and business owners who were looking for better Internet, helped bring awareness of our technology to their neighbours and key decision makers. The result is enough interest to make a region viable from a network and business perspective. From there, we design the network from the nearest POP. Our network is engineered to reach every single home within an area, connecting them to reliable Internet.

We encourage residents who are experiencing poor or unreliable Internet connection to speak with their respective MPs, MLAs, County Councilors, county, and municipal administrators, as well as their homeowner’s association.

What are the known health effects of MagiNet™? Learn More Here

Does Mage use satellites?

Our network (MagiNet™) doesn’t rely on towers or satellites. Unlike other service providers, we can go through and around trees, valleys, and difficult terrain to deliver high-speed broadband anywhere. We use data pipelines in a series of small hops where the locations are strategically selected to distribute the data from central locations. Those data pipelines carry multiple signals in multiple directions, intelligently choosing whichever routes will avoid obstacles and interference with other data pipelines. The data automatically zips on and off wired and wireless connections to maximize efficiency.

Looking for more information? Visit Our Company FAQ

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Wireless Broadband Installation in Waiparous

November 24, 2020September 20, 2018 by Mage Networks

Wireless Broadband Pilot in Thickly Treed Areas

Mage is very pleased to announce that we have now installed our equipment on homes in the Village of Waiparous, Alberta, a very thickly wooded and mountainous community west of Cochrane, Alberta.

First off, we wanted to thank the wonderful folks in Waiparous for their hospitality and support when we were out with Velocity Networks for the installation. As you know, we didn’t get to all ten houses as planned within these first two days. But we’ve connected five locations, with four homes receiving broadband as of today, since the first home is just the network starting point, and did not need broadband service from us.

Here’s the run down of our installation, which took place on August 21 and 22, 2018.

Day One

Getting the microwave links onto home #1 from the cell tower was not difficult, but the hop from #1 to home #2 was a tricky angle, with many trees, and caused a lot of debate and repositioning. Also, home #2 needed three units mounted on it, and we had some issues in getting the best positioning angles established. This put us behind our expected schedule, but we carried on to home #3 even though the first link wasn’t quite ideal yet. Luckily home #3 was an easy hop, with a strong signal, and the homeowners were very accommodating of our changing schedule! The day ended well, proving out our equipment’s robust capabilities through trees. It also helped us to learn a few things for the future, such as which kinds of tools we should bring to make the job easier, prepping our equipment setup, and simply having a sandwiches and water to get through the day. We were fortunate that the Velocity installers were so knowledgeable in the hardware, and helped us avoid some key technical problems.

Day Two

It seemed like everyone started the day exhausted from the day before (definitely sore backs and feet) and it required a good dose of patience to realize that we needed to move and reinstall equipment, partly due to following industry conventions of using rooftops as locations. In fact, we discovered trees are far better tackled at lower elevations than high ones, as the trees are thinner at the bottom. After some good hands-on tests of the signal strengths, we again found our momentum and carried on. We corrected and mounted the hops between homes #1 and #2, and then went on to connect #3 to the hop, which was a two-home site (owned by the same person), so we’ll call it #4/#5.

The hop from #3 to #4/#5 longer than expected. There are immediate trees around the homes, a ridge, a downhill, then and another uphill, then the house is even higher….we couldn’t see it at all, so it was nearly impossible to determine how to point the antennas. We were wandering through trees hanging our fluorescent vests as markers, trying to create straight lines to reach and find connect the two houses, and driving around as well. Finally, success! We found the correct aim, and got a great signal to a fence. The homeowners were super friendly and told us they’d just installed a conduit we could use to run a cable to their other home, so we got two homes for one hop! Yahoo!

Velocity stayed at these homes to finish the install of the home routers, and we went on to the house #6. We were really pleased to see that when Velocity was finishing at #4/#5, the homeowner had her iPad going, and her grandson came running out and excitedly asked, “Is there internet inside now?” After she nodded, we saw him run inside and then back out again, saying, “I need the password Gram!” Our guys had a good belly laugh when they heard her coyly reply to him, “Are your chores done?”

As to the unexpected location of the radio being low on her porch, the homeowner also told us she didn’t mind us mounting it there, saying she was glad they weren’t “big and ugly” like the satellite dishes on other homes.

By the time #4/#5 homes were fully installed, Adam, one of the Velocity installers seemed genuinely impressed. We heard him say to the homeowner there, “You’ve got internet, and you’ve got amazing speed!” Then he told us, “I just tested the speed, and we haven’t dropped any speed along the entire pipeline!” Gary (who was assisting Sisso) proudly replied, “That’s the magic in the Mage.” Despite this terrain and trees in Waiparous, everyone is now very confident that this actually is going to work!

Our team had a bit of time leftover on Day 2 to test the signal to home #6 well, using hand-held equipment. By then Velocity’s installers had some good suggestions as to how and where to locate the equipment. It appeared they were really getting the hang of it. The test worked very well, but we’d run out of time to implement and install it that day….in fact our install team had really run out energy – hiking through trees and doing this kind of work is quite physically demanding, and they were simply exhausted. We did tell the homeowner we’d be doing some fine tuning of the network and get back to him as to an installation date.

Network Performance

We had a few bumps in the first couple weeks after installation, and most of these have already been resolved. The network is running well, and we’ve seen data usage of the 4 homes in the network reaching as much as 22.9 GB/day. But it can do even better with some minor upgrades, which are being rolled out soon.

What’s happening next

1. Moving the starting point: The first hop (from home #1, which is only a mount location not receiving service, to home #2) is working, but we’re not entirely happy with its signal strength. We believe we might be able to start the network at house #2 instead. This would give house #2 a much stronger signal, and make the whole network run better.

2. Setting up monitoring: The existing network firmware does not allow Velocity’s monitoring software to access the information it needs; it requires a monitoring software layer set up, which we call this a VL2, a second “virtual layer”. Without VL2 functionality, homes can experience either very fast or very slow service depending on who else is using the network, and for what (e.g. watching video, or just doing emails). The software upgrade will monitor and regulate the use of the bandwidth and look for problems. Mage just completed development of the VL2 software this week, and we’re testing it now. Velocity should have it implemented and running some time next week.

3. Homes awaiting service: One of our lessons learned during this process is that the final four homes in the original network would probably not be reachable without some intermediate homes to provide full connectivity. We decided that rather than install the next homes when the first ones aren’t quite ready, we’d correct these ones and then get to homes 6 through 10. We do have one final issue: There is one hop that is too long to reach, and we are going to see if we can get permission to locate at an ideal spot. We might need another neighbour or two to join the network. Trees are very thick and sight lines difficult, but with another hop, we’ll should be fine. Velocity and Mage intend to identify the intermediate homes needed and/or select a new set of homes to connect. For now, we want to monitor and ensure the performance of the network is our satisfaction (and the homeowners’ too) before going any further. If you’re a homeowner in Waiparous, we encourage you to stay tuned for more information coming soon.

Learning to install wireless broadband through trees

We’re a far cry from being good woodsmen here, but we’ve come a long way in the past month, thanks to the folks in Waiparous and the ISP, Velocity Networks, giving us this opportunity. And while we’re on this topic, we must also mention the great skill and patience of the install team at Velocity Networks….they caught a few problems for us before they happened, and their skill and preparedness has been critical to our success so far. Thank you Jason, Bob and Adam!

The type of network we are deploying is a world wide first. There is no available research or knowledge covering the types of difficulties we are facing. Despite everyone’s tremendous experience deploying traditional networks we are all learning and discovering new concepts. We are continuing to work and develop the best configuration for Waiparous; it is making us better as a company and a technology, and we are not going to rest until there is have fast, beautiful internet service in the enchanting mountain forests of the Village of Waiparous!

Great Feedback from Taber

November 24, 2020June 28, 2018 by Mage Networks

We recently headed down to Taber to capture feedback on video for our pilot network there, which was installed in early April 2018. It was a terrific day – great weather, but moreover, the town had just taken delivery of a brand new firetruck and invited us up in the bucket to get some nice crane shots (photos and video of the town)! Wohoo – thank you Taber!

This was captured in the following video.

Note that since the media prefer to use raw footage in order to build their own stories, we left the footage raw and unedited!

The speakers, in order are as follows. The numbers mark the minutes and seconds, if you’d like to skip:

Cory Armfelt (0:00) – the Chief Administrative Officer of Taber
Kim Welby (4:01)- Community Economic Development Officer (provincial government representative) from Community Futures
Ben Young (9:48) – Economic Development Officer, Town of Taber (bearded fellow, black shirt)
Ken Holst (14:04)- Saunders Insurance, local business owner
Gary Drew (15:13)- Installation consultant to Mage Networks

Once again thank you the superbly articulate Cory, Kim, Ben and Ken for participating, and for your excellent feedback and to the fire crew who took our video crew up for the view!

Thanks also to our terrific video crew – Gary Drew and Han Siu for making this all happen. Good thing you guys weren’t afraid of heights.

Here are a few more photos to enjoy:

First Sales Deals in US & Canada

November 24, 2020June 14, 2018 by Mage Networks

New Wireless Broadband Technology Breaks the Mold of Traditional Internet Access

NEWS RELEASE

CALGARY, AB, June 13, 2018 – June 20 is World WiFi day, and Calgary-based Mage Networks Inc. is celebrating the successful commercialization of its breakthrough WiFi technology, MagiNet™, that it believes will change how high-speed internet broadband is deployed around the world,

Following a successful first installation and 2-month pilot in Taber, Alberta, Mage Networks is proud to announce that it has now inked its first two sales contracts, one in Brazeau County, Alberta, and the other for the City of Cape Coral in Florida, which are shipping in the next two weeks.

Mage’s new technology shifts the paradigm of wireless internet delivery. In traditional, tower-based networks, a signal is transmitted from a tower in a straight line. But terrain or objects in the way of the signal creates no-service areas where the tower cannot “see.” Most of the world’s research and development in the field, such as hot air balloons, satellites, and drones, all attempt to get higher to improve coverage. In contrast, MagiNet™ travels low, using wireless “data pipelines” over several small “hops” to carry broadband coverage over and behind hills or through trees, using tiny nodes (about the size of an iPad) placed only 3 – 5 meters from the ground. This method can overcome any rough terrain, trees and long distances without losing speed or signal strength as the wireless “pipeline” travels further distances.

Dr. Sayed Amr (Sisso) El-Hamamsy, founder of Mage Networks says, “We want to show how our system – at 1/3 to 1/20 the cost of traditional methods – can be installed in hours or a couple of days, and can give consistent performance of up to 50 Mbps upload or download speeds.” A veteran of the telecommunications sector with over 40 patents in his career, El-Hamamsy says, “We’re preparing for aggressive growth and getting processes in place to sell our equipment to internet service providers, states, and municipalities around the world.”

Mage is currently bidding on several deployments around Canada, the US and the Carribbean where live demonstrations of the technology have already been provided to local infrastructure buyers.

“It’s so easy and affordable for remote communities to have this technology,” adds El-Hamamsy. “There’s nothing like it out there now and it’s a technology with limitless potential. It can give hope to remote areas around the world that could otherwise not afford high speed broadband. And in time, it should mean a lot less construction of unsightly cellular towers.”

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Media Contact: Dominic Terry Communications at 403.615.0372 or dominic.terry@dominicterrycommunications.com

Interview Contacts:
Mage Networks, CEO: Dr. Sayed-Amr (Sisso) El-Hamamsy, (403) 616-5441 or info@mage-networks.com
Brazeau County, Reeve: Bart Guyon (780) 542-0999
Town of Taber, Communications: Meghan Brennan (403) 634-9824

Mage Installs First Permanent Network in Taber, Alberta

November 24, 2020April 18, 2018 by Mage Networks

Mage is thrilled to announce that as of March 26, 2018, the town of Taber, Alberta has installed a MagiNet™ network in its downtown commercial district. MagiNet™ is providing seamless outdoor high-speed WiFi throughout the zone, meaning shoppers, whether tourists or residents, can access free high-speed internet while walking from store-to-store, without having to log in multiple times or experiencing a drop in the signal.

Taber had been the first to respond when Mage Networks invited towns to apply to receive a free MagiNet™ network. “We needed approved pilot locations immediately, and asked them, ‘how fast can you move on this?'” says Mage’s VP Marketing Jacqueline Drew. “Taber’s memorable reply was, ‘faster than you can!'”

True to its word, Taber was able to get council approval, chamber approval, individual business approval, and an electrical contractor selected for the installation in record time, all while their equipment was on order. The installation itself took only a 2 days.

“Once we get our inventory fully stocked, we’ll be able to deploy quickly enough to promote Maginet™ for short-term use, like sudden disaster or emergency zones, or even large events like outdoor festivals,” says Drew.

Mage will be circling back to visit Taber after its first few weeks of using the system to get feedback from council and merchants in the new WiFi zone. With recent flooding in Taber, the town’s administration has been very busy, but their CAO, Cory Armfelt recently relayed his satisfaction with the system, “We’ve had a bit a crazy week. But wanted to touch base to let you know how much I appreciate this new system being brought into town.”