Post date: Mar 17, 2013 8:42:22 PM
Previously I have written that I helped JHC-CDCA switch to Yota as their internet provider. After two and a half months, I can report that the download data rate has been excellent. We had a brief period when it did not meet the contract speed, but a visit from the technician (after several phone calls, however) fixed that easily. Contracted rate is 2,500 kbps and we often measured 4,000 kbps and once 8,000 kbps to the Yota server. (Of course, rates farther afield are affected by bottlenecks between Yota and the source, but these are not under Yota control.)
I also discovered that the routers that Yota sells (Draytek VigorFly 200) are rated to operate at 45 degrees Celsius. This is hot, but home routers commonly sold in US are only rated to 35 C, and un-cooled offices in Managua often rise above 35 c on weekends. We fried at least three routers prior to making this discovery. Before I changed equipment, the normal morning routine was to reboot the routers. One Yota router had been operating for three months without being touched. Big difference.
The older Cisco professional switches and access points are rated to 45 C so they survived two months without a glitch.
My biggest problem was learning the terms used in configuring routers. Turns out it was not necessary, because the setup software built into all the routers provided default values that were functional, so I could ignore terms such as 'gateway', 'DNS server' were not needed. However, having three wireless routers all broadcasting within two feet of one another may cause some interference, which may not be automatically overcome by the routers.
All in all, I think my term as 'IT person' in Nicaragua was a help.