Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

ANNOUNCEMENT: Call to Nokia N810 WiMAX and XOHM users

Andyschism (Andy B.) at the Arundel Mills XOHM store is about to get alot more business as more of us in Washington, DC, and northern VA get our Nokia N810 WiMAX Editions, XOHM USB Adapters, and XOHM Modems.

In speaking with XOHM last night, we're welcome to use and test the XOHM network here in Washington, DC, and northern VA as unsupported testers until it becomes officially announced, at which point we'll be supported.

Feel free to add your contact information and Nokia N810 WiMAX experiences in this thread. We're trying to build up a contact list so we can share experiences and knowledge regarding XOHM, WiMAX, and the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition.

ROSTER: Nokia N810 Users of Washington, DC, and Northern VA:
Last Updated: Friday, November 21st, 2008 10:10 AM EST

Name: Ken Foreman
ID: promethh@xohm.com
Web: http://www.latheofdreams.com
Locations: Washington (DC), Baltimore (MD), Sterling (VA), Reston (VA)

Name: Laurent Delfosse
ID: delfosse@delfosse.com
Web: http://www.delfosse.com
Locations: Washington (DC)

Name: John Verdan
ID: johnverdan@mac.com
Web: http://www.johnverdan.com
Locations: Washington (DC), Manassas (VA), Manassas Park (VA)

Name: Mike S. Lee
ID: mslee@aarp.org
Web: http://www.curiouslee.com
Locations: Washington (DC), Baltimore (MD), Montgomery County (MD)

Name: Joe Crockett
ID: ...
Web: ...
Locations: Washington (DC)

Name: Richard Zak
ID: richard.j.zak@gmail.com
Web: ...
Locations: Annapolis (MD), McLean (VA), other random locations

Name: Carroll Barrett
ID: ...
Web: ...
Locations: Washington (DC), Reston (VA), Centerville (VA)

SALES: XOHM for MD, DC, VA

Arundel Mills XOHM
7000 Arundel Mills Circle
Space C-123A
Hanover, MD 21076
410.540.9060
http://www.xohm.com

Columbia XOHM
10300 Little Patuxent Parkway
Columbia, MD 21044
410-715-7078

NOTES:

As we get more experience, notes, and XOHM users online, I'll update this post and thread. Feel free to add yourself, your experience, or any information. Several of us are thinking of meeting up on a periodic basis at various locations so we can swap/share experiences, scripts, code, and more.

We looking forward to meeting you and sharing our experiences with you!

- Ken (aka Promethh)

Added rjzak to our list
 

Thanks, rjzak, for your PM. I added you to our list.

Look forward to seeing your around and your experiences with the N810 WiMAX and XOHM. :)

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

It'd be nice to have a WiMax forum to keep this stuff organised.

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

I agree. I think 2009 will be "the Year of WiMAX" assuming Sprint/Clearwire/XOHM really take off. If Sprint does collapse under their own weight or that of the economy, I'm hoping that XOHM survives with the help of another carrier?

Either way, we're going to need an ITT WiMAX forums soon.

Growing XOHM Users Group for metro DC area
 

Just added:

Name: Mike S. Lee
ID: mslee@aarp.org
Web: http://www.curiouslee.com
Locations: Washington (DC), Baltimore (MD)

Mike's joining us with a vast experience with the Classmate XO, Sugar, and the MIT Media Lab. I'm trying to get him to test the XOHM USB Adapter with the XO. :o

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

What's best: the XOHM USB Adapter or the XOHM PC card?

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

According to Andyschism's tests over in Arundel Mills, he's had better luck with the USB adapters than the PCMCIA ExpressCards.

Apparently the ExpressCards don't support an external antenna (RNA) adapter and the onboard antenna isn't as good as the USB adapter's antenna. Until a better ExpressCard is released, I'm recommending the USB adapter for own purchases here (currently 9 USB adapters in use).

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

It would be bad *** to have 9 XOHM USB adapters on one machine! Grab some USB hubs and let the good times roll!

XUG DC Meetup: Sunday, November 23rd, 2008 (6 USB, 1 N810 WiMAX)
 

EVENTS:
Meeting up with Andyschism (Andy B.) on Sunday, November 23rd, 2008 at:

Arundel Mills XOHM
7000 Arundel Mills Circle
Space C-123A
Hanover, MD 21076
410.540.9060
http://www.xohm.com

After getting our XOHM gear from Andy, we'll be going to DuClaw for drinks and dinner. For those not attending, I'll have your XOHM gear on Monday, November 24th.

INVENTORY:
* Need 6 XOHM USB Adapters
* Have 1 XOHM Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition

PRICES:
XOHM USB Adapter ......................... $60
XOHM PCMCIA Expresscard ............... $60
XOHM Modem/Router ....................... $80
XOHM Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition ....... $449

PLANS:
Pick-2 ........ $50/mo for lifetime, unlimited data to 2 devices
Mobile ........ $30/mo for one mobile device
Home .......... $25/mo for one home device
Daily ......... $10/day for any device

USERS:
1. Ken Foreman: 1 XOHM USB , 1 Nokia N810 WiMAX
2. Laurent Delfosse: 1 XOHM USB (1 N810W pending)
3. John Verdan: 1 XOHM USB (1 Modem pending)
4. Carroll Barrett: 1 XOHM USB (1 Modem pending)
5. Mike Lee: 1 XOHM USB (1 N810W pending)
6. Joe Crocket: 1 XOHM USB (1 Modem pending)
?. Bo Asinero: 1 XOHM USB (1 N810W pending)

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

Does everyone see this? WiMax brings people together! It should be part of Xohm's tagline. This is something 3G can't do.

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

There is also Tyler in XOHM Store at Columbia Mall
10300 Little Patuxent Parkway
Columbia, MD 21044
410-715-7078
Coming from DC it´s closer!

XOHM Users Group [XUG] of Metropolitan Washington DC
 

Facebook | XOHM User Group [XUG] (Washington, DC)
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1523...RZWM5DEHXBVZY4

In order to better manage, email, discuss, and get a handle on who-wants-what, we've formed a Users Group on facebook. Please feel free to join if you want to participate.

Current Members (as of Fri 11/21/2008, 3:55 PM EST):
* George Cherussery (Baltimore, MD)
* Joe Crockett (Washington, DC)
* Mike Lee (Washington, DC)
* Bo Asinero (Washington, DC)
* Kwasi Brown (Washington, DC)
* Lacoste Dee (Washington, DC)
* John Verdan (Washington, DC)
* Kenneth Foreman (Washington, DC)
* Carroll Barrett (Washington, DC)
* Richard J. Zak (Washington, DC)

XOHM Meetup: Sun 11/23/2008 5pm EST @ Arundel Mills Mall, MD
 

OK, 5pm this Sunday (November 23rd, 2008) sounds fine. It'll likely be me (Ken Foreman), my wife (Vicky Foreman), Laurent Delfosse (co-worker), John Verdan (Vicky's brother, co-worker), Andy (XOHM rep), and Mike Lee (AARP).

Len Kaplan (Fulcrum IT Services SVP) and Carroll Johnson (VoIP manager) are cc'ed on our emails, we've been trying to set up a demo with them as well. Laurent, John, and I work for Fulcrum IT Services.

We'll meet you there at the Arundel Mills XOHM Kiosk (across from food court). Vicky & I typically park near the Muvico and DuClaws. John Verdan will likely ride with Vicky and I. If Laurent is able to come, he'll meet us there.

We'll be meeting with Andy B (andyschism) to get 6 USB adapters for the team and for me to compare Nokia N810 WiMAX notes with him. We might get an additional Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition.

After we meet up with Andy at XOHM, we can go over to DuClaws for dinner and drinks. Probably get a large table or booth so we can swap stories, gear, and converse?

Look forward to seeing you.

- Ken

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

Promethh, you are one helluva community organizer!

...senator run next?

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

I'd settle for technical lead, testing manager and/or WiMAX/Nokia evaluations testing in Washington, DC. Should Nokia, Maemo, or XOHM make me an offer, I'd certainly consider it! :D

I work on Capital Hill... I have immense respect for McCain and Obama, I wouldn't want their jobs or to be president. There's a reason why Presidents go gray in four years.

WiMAX testing and eval, on the other hand. :D

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

I hear ya.

But I'm sure in a few months I'll be glad to have ANY job, personally...

are things getting worse before they get better
 

true.

For all this effort, I don't know where XOHM will be in a few months, let alone this time next year. Only reason I feel somewhat secure is that I'm working as a Sr. Systems Engineer on a government contract through 2012.

I'd love to be able to make Tim Samoff an offer, but we're all UNIX folks here. When I was at CSC, I could have worked something to bring him on as a GUI consultant/designer.

I hope things get better for us. Tim's in my prayers.

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

Did Tim lose his job too???

...

That's company I could have done without.

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

DC coverage maps are up!

Check them out over at:
http://www.xohm.com/apps/coverage-tracker/

If you have any questions drop Arundel a line at:
Arundel@xohmkiosk.com

Thank you!

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

Thanks, Andy! Wow... so will we be seeing an official announcement from XOHM for the DC area?

Wow... very cool news!

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

No idea when there will be an official announcement, its still listed on their site as coming soon, and when you search in the DC area it says:

"XOHM hasn't launched here. But we're currently building the network in this area, so you may see some neighborhoods that appear in coverage."

Either way exciting!

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

I'm intrigured by all the splotches in the suburbs. They seem too small to be a single antenna coverage area. There seems to be too many to be due to propagation anomalies. Even assuming that this map was meant for testing purposes rather than marketing, anyone have an explanation?

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

What factors may affect XOHM coverage?

Our coverage maps provide estimates of our coverage areas when using your device under optimal conditions. Coverage isn't available everywhere. Estimating WiMAX coverage and signal strength isn't an exact science.

There are gaps in coverage within our estimated coverage areas that, along with other factors both within and beyond our control (network problems, software, signal strength, your wireless device, structures, buildings, weather, geography, topography, etc.), may result in dropped and blocked connections, slower data speeds or otherwise impact the quality of services.

Estimates of future coverage areas are subject to change.

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

Thanks for the response but my question was more specific than what factors generally affect WiMax coverage. I am looking for a technical or data explanation of the map, for example, the minimal signal strength in dbs of the coverage areas, etc., not marketing/sales disclaimers.

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

The XOHM Developers Program (if you have not signed up for it) could possibly answer these questions.

http://developer.xohm.com/community/login.jspa

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

I have been using the XOHM USB adapter on several Notebooks, UMPCs and my Home Desktop for about two weeks now. I am located in Bethesda MD near Old Gerorgetown Rd and the 495 Overpass. Great Signal Strength so far,, getting 6000-7000 kbps up and 750-1200 Up. I have used all over Rockville MD and as far as Quince Orchard Rd and 270 in Gaithersburg (also connected at Clopper Rd and Mateny Dr). I will grab a few posts I made on another site and paste them here, they have some interesting facts and info.

Ron P
Bethesda, MD
XOHM USB adapter

n810 Non WiMAX. Hoping someone will write us a nice n810 to XOHM USB Connection Program.

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

That must be the poorest interface I've seen for a mapping application in years.
(All fields are required)

Why not settle for zip and let user zoom in?

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

It supposed to be sometime this month, give that we only have 8 days left, it is looking more and more like this will not happen. There promotion is supposed to end either the end of this month or next month (can't remember) which sucks for the peeps waiting for the official launch. I have notice more and more city and suburban areas that now have coverage, but the connection is never steady solid :(

J. Maravilla
N810WE
Washington D.C. (Georgetown)

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

any of you guys have nokia chat, I think it would be cool for all of us (WiMAX Edition Users) to stay in touch in real time.. Just an idea... :)

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

Is XOHM and WIMAX limited to the 810? I don't think I'll be able to upgrade from my N800 anytime soon. (Sorry for what probably is a dumb question.)

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

As far as the NOKIA n series goes, at present only the N810 WiMAX Edition is available with WiMAX built into the system. Many n810 (and others I am sure) are hoping to see a way to use the USB Modem with their devices, but that will require one to have a way to connect the Mini or Micro USB port of your tablet, to the Standard USB port on the XOHM USB Modem as well as writing an applet to connect he two devices. Certainly not a rocket science piece of work, but not in the realm of the average user.

If you go to the XOHM website you will see that several manufacturers are releasing new netbooks and notebooks with Built-in WiFi as well. HTC has just released a Smartphone in Eussia that is basically 4G across the board, WiMAX, Cellular etc. Has about every wireless protocol one could encounter. Problem with this piece is availability and, of course, pricing.

I think that most manufacturers are adopting a wait and see attitude before they get real Gung Ho about WiMAX.

But if they can get the system deployed in more places, keep the speed up and latency down, I will be one to say they ( XOHM / Clearwire ) could have a real hit on their hands. Considering the promotional "two fer" plan ( Desktop Modem and 1 Mobile device ) for $50 a month, at the speeds I am currently getting I could say goodbye to COMCAST.

But, in closing, we must remember there is basically no one on this system so we are seeing breakneck speeds. That will change as the system gets more subscribers, and that is where the proof will be in the pudding, how the system matures. But we must also be fairly confident ( this statement could rear up and bite me I know) that in the year 2008 XOHM/Clearwire are not building a 4G System that is not capable of handling growth efficiently. With the CDMA Carriers doing nicely with EVDO DATA as well as LTE nipping at their heels, and the GSM Carriers following right behind, they cannot introduce some half way system and expect to make it. Because they won't. They will need 2 things. Speed and Price. I should say 3 things and add customer service but face it, once your configured with Wireless DATA, I want to pay my Bill and connect. While I like excellent customer service, I will not pay an extra $20 or $30 a month for it. My rare case where I may need service, I can fake it through two or three times a year to save $240 or $360 a year!

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

And I believe the proper Facebook URL for the XOHM-DC community is: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=54179077320

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/...233680.jpg?v=0

To see pictures from our last meetup, see:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickyke...7609885630127/

To see our facebook group (thanks, rjzak!), see:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=54179077320

If you live in the MD, DC, VA area and you'd like to join us, please feel free to join:
facebook | XOHM User Group [XUG] (Washington, DC)

As we get more members and interest, we may start meeting on a monthly basis at various locations around the area. We are open to suggestions on where people would like to meet and what direction they'd like to see us take with XOHM, the OLPC XO, and the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition.

Despite two people not showing for our first meeting, Mike, Vicky, Andy, and I all had a great time. Mike and I are making strides on getting XOHM to work with the Mac and OLPC. We will soon be attempting Mesh networking with the OLPC and XOHM.

We hope you can attend our next meeting.

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

That's badass! I applaud the geekery and would love to join in at some point!

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

We'd love to have you join. Mike was actually kinda bummed that we already had 2 no-shows at our first meeting. One was sick, and the other couldn't leave his wife and daughter for a couple hours.

I gave Mike a XOHM USB adapter with perhaps another to follow, he loaned me two OLPC XO with instructions on how to rebuild them. He's working on getting XOHM to work with the Mac. I'm working on getting XOHM to work with the OLPC.

The mesh networking tech in the OLPC XO is actually very cool and very sensitive. 7 OLPC could be scattered across 3km, only 1 OLPC might have an internet connection, but it will mesh network with the other 6 to share internet between all. Mike's tested the mesh in the fields of Montgomery County, MD. I'm adding XOHM to the mix. :)

Re: Nokia N810 WiMAX Users of Washington, DC & Northern VA
 

If you are a member of the XOHM Development Community, you might be interested in our new discussion thread:
http://developer.xohm.com/community/thread/1063

I'm now rebuilding two OLPC XO and installing the XOHM linux drivers for a test of mesh networking with XOHM on the Capital Hill (Washington, DC). Hopefully I'll be able to report some interesting results later today. :D

XOHM Driver Downloads
 

In case anyone else is interested in XOHM drivers for their respective OS:

Windows Vista, XP:
http://www.xohm.com/en_US/support/downloads/

Mac OS X 10.4 or later:
http://developer.xohm.com/community/docs/DOC-1064

Linux:
http://www.linuxwimax.org/Download

Just set up 2 Windows XP boxes, 1 Windows Vista, 1 MacBook pro, and 1 PowerBook.

Next up: OLPC XO.

Re: XOHM Driver Downloads
 

Mac drivers coming soon it says for the PC Card and USB Adapter...

Edit: PC Card Adapter drivers for Mac: http://developer.xohm.com/community/docs/DOC-1064

Using WiMAX on the Virginia Railway Express (VRE)
 

Using the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition with XOHM on the Virginia Railway Express (VRE):
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3189/...79c1dd9b12.jpg

I’m getting spoiled using XOHM on the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition. While I can’t always get a connection while I wait for the VRE at Burke Center, I usually get a signal starting around Backlick Rd. By the time I get to Alexandria, I have a solid XOHM connection until we get to the tunnels near Union Station.

Today I was checking my mail, chatting with relatives in the Philippines via Pidgin, and surfing the web all from the comfort of the upper deck on a VRE train from Broad Run to Union Station. I didn’t take the time to check http://speakeasy.net/speedtest, but the rate at which WashingtonPost.com was loading pages on my N810, I knew I had a fast (4Mbps+) connection...

...continued at Spoiled Commuter: WiMAX on the VRE...

Re: Using WiMAX on the Virginia Railway Express (VRE)
 

No momentary signal drops/handoffs? That's pretty good.