Increasingly churches are meeting in temporary facilities
such as a schools or theaters. In some instances the church is able to
negotiate the use of the Internet at the temporary location. However, in many
instances they cannot and they are unable to leverage Internet-based tools like
Fellowship One Check-in. Until recently there were not many alternatives,
however, with the advent of wireless broadband technology, this is now an
option for some locations.
Wireless broadband is a fairly new technology that provides
high-speed wireless Internet and data network access over a wide area. Just as
the mobile phone revolutionized voice telephony by freeing the user from wires
and stationary constraints, mobile broadband is doing the same for high-speed
data. Most of the major carriers now offer mobile broadband cards that can be
easily attached to a laptop pc. Our experience shows that you need to find a cellular
provider that supports at least the 3G network. What is exciting is that
providers are already working on support for new, even faster and more
reliable, wireless network technologies such as 4G or WiMax. For now a
broadband card that supports 3G should suffice.
Because different carriers may utilize different
technologies and have different coverage areas it is highly recommended that
your church tests a wireless broadband card from a prospective carrier before
signing any type of contract. You should test the entire check-in process at
your meeting location, including the adding and editing of records. Be sure
that you are happy with the performance you are experiencing before implementing
this solution.
If you choose to use a broadband wireless, we recommend that
you get a separate card for each computer you plan to connect to the Internet. Using
the local computers' Internet Connection Sharing or daisy chaining a wireless
router off of the laptop has not proven effective in localized testing.
We did come across a new device that may helpful in sharing
a single broadband card. Linksys has developed a router than can share a
wireless broadband connection. Simply plug in the wireless broadband card from
your carrier into the Linksys router and then connect the check-in computers to
the router. We recommend that you hard-wire the Check-in computers to the
Linksys router. Please note that the Linksys router is carrier specific. So
check with your hardware provider to ensure that the Linksys router will work
with your specific carrier and wireless broadband card.
Unfortunately, due to the number of variables with this
solution, Fellowship Technologies cannot guarantee the results at your
location. Should you have any questions regarding the use of wireless broadband
for Check-in, our Infrastructure Support Team is available to assist in
answering questions that may arise.
- jventry