April E-Newsletter

Introducing Whole Home Wi-Fi From Green Mountain Access

We all know that Wi-Fi is a critical part of your home network that you rely on each and every day. Often we don’t think about the number of devices that we are connecting to our network using a wireless connection. Historically, we relied on wired connections to do the heavy lifting, but in today’s wireless environment, we need a reliable, secure Wi-Fi network to provide coverage throughout your home.

Why It's Different
Unlike traditional Wi-Fi, which relies on a single access point (AP) to provide coverage, Whole Home Wi-Fi from Green Mountain Access utilizes multiple Access Points placed at strategic locations around your home to create an intelligent Mesh network that ensures consistent performance of high quality, whole-home Wi-Fi coverage. Each Wi-Fi access point connects to each other to act as a distributed, autonomous wireless network with a single SSID, traffic load balancing, and client and band steering. Steering technology ensures that all clients are pushed to the best access point and frequency band available at all times, countering the interference issues with 2.4 GHz.

Expand Coverage and Eliminate Dead Spots
Establishes a coordinated multi-AP Wi-Fi Network, extending Wi-Fi coverage throughout your home. Improved coverage and performance maximizes device connection speeds and overall home Wi-Fi capacity by steering clients to different access points and Wi-Fi bands/channels. Intelligent client and band steering features ensure seamless handover from access point to access point while moving around your home with your laptop or devices. Need additional coverage? No problem, simply add additional access points to increase coverage and eliminate “dead” spots.

Pricing
Whole Home Wi-Fi from Green Mountain Access is just $10.90* per month and includes two AirTies 4920 ac Wi-Fi access points. Additional Wi-Fi access points can be added for $5.45* per month for each additional access point if needed for your specific installation.

Want to learn more about our Whole Home Wi-Fi solution? Contact Richard at 496-8360.

*Whole Home Wi-Fi equipment requires Green Mountain Access high-speed Internet service and a DSL modem/router.

Win a $50 Gift Certificate to Greenhaven Gardens and Nursery

Each month, we raffle off a prize from a local business, so be sure to enter your name every month for your chance to win. Congratulations to last month's winner, Thomas Vanacore of Bridport who won a $50 gift certificate the Big Picture Theater & Cafe in Waitsfield. This month we have another great local prize, a $50 gift certificate to GreenHaven Gardens and Nursery in New Haven. To be entered into the raffle, simply click the link below and leave your name and contact information. The drawing will take place on April 21.

Click here to enter for your chance to win

Get Faster Internet and Make the Whole House Happy - Try Our Faster Speeds Free for 60-Days

How many family members are typically online at your house and what are they doing? Streaming movies and TV shows? Downloading music? Playing games? Connecting on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter? Times have changed and many households now need more Internet speed to handle more users and more devices.

If your speed is no longer adequate, you may be experiencing annoying slowdowns such as video buffering. Fortunately, you can get a lot more Mbps for a just a little more money!

To find out if higher speeds are available at your location, click here. Give us a call at (888)-321-0815 or e-mail us to learn more.

Learn More About Hosted IP Phone Service For Your Business

A reliable and efficient phone system is essential for your business to stay connected to your customers. You don’t want to think about it too much; you just want it to work so you can focus on your business. With Hosted IP Phone Service, you don’t have to purchase, set up, or maintain your own phone system; we take care of that for you. Instead, you get a powerful, business-class phone system with expanded capabilities and mobile options that will grow with your business.

For more information on our Hosted IP Phone service, visit www.wcvt.com or contact Kris Merchant at 802-496-8554.

WCVT In The Community

WCVT to Hold Mad River Valley Community Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8th

Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 8th when we will hold our annual Mad River Valley Community Easter Egg Hunt. The egg hunt will start promptly at 10:00 AM. Refreshments will be available beginning at 9:30 AM. The event will be held at the Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom business office located on Route 100. The egg hunt is open to children of all ages and is free of charge.

For more information, please contact Lorraine Keener at 496-3391 or via e-mail at lkeener@wcvt.com.

Being a local business means that our customers are also our neighbors and friends. At Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom, we feel strongly that community involvement is not just a nice thing to do; it is the right thing to do. If you have a community service project in the making and are looking for help, contact Alan Jones at 496-8328 or via email ajones@wcvt.com to see if we can lend a hand.

Community Events

Pond Skimming at Sugarbush - Saturday, April 8th

Take the plunge across a 120 foot pond at the base of Lincoln Peak. Whether you get wet or spectate from the crowd, be sure to participate in this Annual Rite of Spring. Registration at the Castlerock Pub beginning at 8:00 AM, first 110 people in line receive entry. For more information, visit http://www.sugarbush.com/event/pondskimming-040216/.

Tutorials/FAQ

Scam Alert - Don't Fall For This Hoax

Online scammers have many ways of spreading their malicious links, and like-farming is one of them. Here's how it works: The cybercriminals create a post on Facebook that involves something frightening that you would naturally want to like and share with friends to help them avoid the Big Bad. When the post gets enough likes and shares, it becomes likely to be shared with a broader range of users, based on Facebook's algorithm. At this point, the bad guys add a new component   a link that points to a malicious download.

The latest Big Bad being used as "bait" is a claim that the drug paracetamol contains the Machupo virus. While it's true that the Machupo virus is very serious, it's completely untrue that it's contained in any drug; medical experts have come forward to note that the virus cannot live in dry environments such as drug tablets.

You can help stop the spread of this hoax by following these guidelines:

~ If you see a post like the one described, click the down-arrow at the top of the post, select Report, then choose the option that best describes the issue and follow the instructions from there.

~ If you see any post that claims a Big Bad and asks you to forward the information, don't. Consider checking snopes.com to find out if the rumor is true.

~ Be wary of any post that promises something (the chance to win a vacation, for example) for liking or sharing.

~ In general, be choosy about what you like or share on Facebook. Be even more careful with posts whose authors you don't personally know.

Short Tutorial/FAQ - How To Stop Seeing Facebook Posts Without Unfriending

Question: I love my Facebook friends, but don't always love their posts.
Some are too political, some are too mundane, and others just post too much. Is there a way to minimize people's posts in my feed without unfriending them?

Answer: Yes, and it's easy to do. To unfollow a friend you don't want to see in your feed at all, take these steps:

1. Navigate to the friend's profile page.

2. Near the background photo at the top of the page, find the button labeled Following.

3. Click the Following button to display the drop-down list. From the list, select Unfollow.

If, instead, you simply don't want to see a certain type of post, here's what you need to do:

1. In your feed, identify the post you don't love.

2. In the upper-right corner, click the down-arrow.

3. Select Hide Post to see fewer posts like this.

Sites of the Month

Find Concert Dates

http://www.livenation.com/
Along with the weather, concert season is heating up. Use this site to find your favorite artist, or search by venue or city. Whether you love Adele, John Mayer, Depeche Mode, or all of the above, you can find where and when they're playing. Then click to find tickets.

Financial Wisdom

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/
Need practical financial advice? This site is a great place to find it.
You can start with tidying up your financial life and move on to selling your home, understanding your credit score, writing a business plan for a small side business, or finding financial inspiration online.

Bold Easter Egg Decorating

http://www.countryliving.com/diy-crafts/how-to/g1282/easter-egg-decorating-ideas/?
Tired of the same old, same old for Easter eggs? Check out these easy and amazing-looking egg ideas. Try using flowers, sparkles, and unusual colors. Or get even more creative with farm animal, fruit, confetti, or temporary tattoo eggs. Be sure to share your favorites on social media.

Seven Wonders

http://www.airpano.com/seven-wonders-world.php
Just one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still exists, but you can visit the new Wonders for the 21st century. They include the Christ Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, the Great Wall of China, and the Taj Mahal in India. Check this site for information and virtual tours.

More

Go Pinterest-ing! - Cool Stuff to Pin on Your Pinterest Boards

Spicy Chicken With Rice And Beans
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AdMpySsX-IJjUEF2TbIbfaZs7PDfi9bA6ZeaqTgs2yxOuvEyAHayXh0/

Meal Planning Board For Your Kitchen
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775864595336/

Carrot Dessert Cups: So Cute For Easter
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775864594882/

You haven't started pinning on Pinterest yet and you want to get started?
To sign up, go here https://pinterest.com/join/signup/

Free Featured Apps

myGarden Answers - A must for gardeners, this app gives instant answers about many plants and lets you know if your plant has pests or diseases.

WGT Golf - Now you can test your golf skills when you're off the course. The lifelike interface even allows you to golf with other players.

Retrica - Preserve your precious memories by creating and sharing beautiful selfies and videos with the unique filters in this fun app.

Two to View - A Couple of Amazing Videos You Don't Want to Miss

Boy Saves The Day At Game
After several attempts by players to retrieve a basketball stuck behind a basket, a young boy climbs up to free it.

Create Treasures From Trash
Check out these unique DIY projects made from throw-aways including shelves from a ladder and a chair from car parts!