OutlawNet is revolutionizing how you connect to the Internet in Sisters
Since 1996, OutlawNet has provided cutting edge technology to the Sisters School District - technology that has helped to make Sisters High School one of the most technologically advanced schools in the state. Now we are deploying a wireless mesh network that will make Sisters one of the most technologically advanced cities in the nation! The news of this new network has resulted in lot of questions: What is a wireless mesh network? What services does OutlawNet provide? How does OutlawNet support Sisters schools? Some of these questions are new - and some we have been hearing for years! We hope this website will answer your questions about Sisters' local Internet provider. You can also call us at (541) 504-6605 for additional information - we'd love to hear from you!
Question: What is a wireless mesh network, and what will it do for Sisters?
OutlawNet has partnered with Community Broadband of Redmond, Oregon to deploy a state-of-the art wireless broadband mesh network in Sisters. This network is one of the first of its kind in the nation and delivers unmatched performance for high-demand wireless broadband applications. The network will allow OutlawNet to establish a wireless hot zone in the city that will deliver high-speed Internet connectivity to computers or other devices that support "Wi-Fi". Once the network is launched in the coming weeks, OutlawNet will provide visitors with free Internet access for a limited period of time, plus unlimited access to many local resources (such as the Sisters Chamber of Commerce website, local events calendars, etc.) Free wireless Internet access will encourage tourism and drive economic growth in Sisters.
Residents can purchase unlimited access to the Wi-Fi hot zone for only $29.95 a month. Homes and businesses in Sisters and outlying areas will also continue to have access to other OutlawNet services, including always-on, always-secure high-speed Internet and all-new VoIP phone service.
Based on a completely new scalable mesh networking architecture developed by SkyPilot Networks, this innovative broadband solution is designed to overcome the limitations associated with earlier generation broadband wireless services. The network is built with multiple sectorized antennas engineered to provide industry-leading range and 360° coverage. The result is a wide "blanket" of Internet connectivity called a hot zone that extends over most of the town. Much larger, more reliable and more secure than a traditional Wi-Fi "hot spot", a wireless mesh hot zone offers a new level of broadband connectivity. Field tested in the most demanding environments across the globe, wireless mesh has been proven to deliver reliable performance everywhere from the dense Chilean forests to the harsh desert conditions of Nigeria. Security is also a hallmark of wireless mesh technology - advanced encryption and authorization technologies are employed to ensure that the wireless network is secure and hack-proof.
Question: Is OutlawNet wireless Internet secure?
The foundation for the OutlawNet mesh network is a SkyPilot Carrier-class Broadband Wireless System that delivers airtight security.
Security within the SkyPilot system achieves four critical objectives: confidentiality, message integrity, node authentication and network authentication. Confidentiality provides privacy by preventing others from accessing network traffic in its cleartext form. Message integrity ensures that network traffic is delivered unaltered to the intended recipient. Node authentication provides trust between two nodes on the network, which ensures that only authorized nodes are permitted to join the network. Without node authentication, confidentiality and message integrity are difficult to achieve. Network authentication ensures nodes join only trusted networks. The latest industrial-strength encryption and authorization technologies are employed to implement these security provisions. The result is that the broadband wireless network is secure and hack-proof.
Question: What services does OutlawNet provide?
Wireless high-speed Internet access via the OutlawNet Wi-Fi hot zone will be available soon in Sisters. OutlawNet will provide visitors with free hot zone access for a limited period of time. Residents can purchase unlimited hot zone access for only $29.95 a month.
Other OutlawNet services are already available to homes and businesses in Sisters and many outlying areas. These include always-on, always-secure high-speed Internet and low-cost VoIP phone service. High-Speed Internet starts as low as $29.95 a month. Home Service Bundles start at only $59.95 a month and include high-speed Internet, feature-loaded VoIP phone service, and long-distance calling (Continental U.S. & Canada). Dial-up Internet access starts at just $10.00 a month. Business services, Home Office Bundles and network design and support services are also available.
Click here to view our complete service list.
Whatever your communication needs, we can help. We've been in this business for over a decade and know many ways to improve your connectivity while saving you money! Call (541) 504-6605 for a no-obligation consultation or a quote, or write to outlaw@outlawnet.com for more information.
Question: I don't live in town. Can I get OutlawNet Internet service?
Yes. The new wireless hot zone downtown will provide Internet access to Wi-Fi-enabled computers, but whether you live in Sisters or an outlying area, OutlawNet offers several ways to connect to the Internet. OutlawNet wireless Internet service and DSL are high-speed Internet services available to many homes and businesses outside of town (regardless of whether your computer is "Wi-Fi" ready or not). Dial-up Internet is also available just about everywhere. New OutlawNet low-cost VoIP phone service is now available in many areas as well.
Even though our complete suite of communication services may not be available everywhere just yet, we are working hard to provide all of our neighbors with access to reliable and affordable high-speed Internet and phone service. Call (541) 504-6605 today to learn how we can serve you!
Question: What is OutlawNet? How did OutlawNet start?
OutlawNet has been Sisters' local Internet provider for over a decade! Social studies teacher Jon Renner launched OutlawNet in 1996 from an office at Sisters High School. In his words, here is how and why OutlawNet came to be:
Sisters School District is located in the High Desert country of Central Oregon, and we are a long way from the rest of the world in many ways. As a social studies teacher, this isolation bothered me, and I saw a need to improve my students' understanding of the larger world in which they lived. Because of my technical background, I saw the Internet as a way to do this.
Initially, I developed a project for one of my classes that required each student to do extensive research about each state in the union using the very first version of AOL. We started with three outside telephone lines and had to make long distance calls to a city across the Cascades to connect to dial-up Internet service. Soon, it became clear that although this technology was "pretty cool," it was too expensive for our little school to support.
At that time, there were no federal or state programs to support this kind of technology in the K-12 world, so I decided that if we were to have this technology, we were going to have to find another way to provide and fund it. As a guy who had made his living in the high-tech world before returning to the classroom, I knew what it was going to take to make this happen. I developed a business plan in which a new company could provide the entire school district with free Internet access and network services if the district would agree to lease the business an onsite office space at commercial rates. A campus office was important because I wanted the students directly involved in building and operating the business.
The business plan included a detailed cash flow analysis, equipment and personnel requirements, time lines, and a proposed contract with the school district that detailed the arm's length relationship between the district and the new company. When completed, I shopped for a funding angel. Eventually, a friend made a personal loan to me for the necessary start up money - a bit over $50,000. OutlawNet, Inc. was ready to go.
Why "OutlawNet"? The high school's mascot is the "outlaw" stallion and our teams are all "Outlaws". What else could we have named our new company? OutlawNet was the natural choice.
Students were initially recruited from math and science classes to contribute. They were very surprised when they discovered that starting up a new service business involved lots of time on the phone making cold calls to our community. In each call, the student would need to explain the Internet (still a relatively unfamiliar commodity in Sisters at the time) and why people should pay to have Internet service in their home. Other students designed and produced business forms. Many also competed in our logo design contest (won by a young man who earned the princely sum of $50 for his design!)
Students were also responsible for installing the service. Our installation teams consisted of an upperclassman and an underclassman (a driver and a trainee). When the business first started, installation was free to our customers. But soon we began charging $45 for the service and included a free hour of Internet training. Our Internet and computer tutoring services are still very popular today.
Some students were interested in the technical aspects of this business and they learned how to diagnose and repair all kinds of computer problems. We also began working with the StRUT (Students Recycling Used Technology) program, and many students gained valuable hands-on experience "making butterflies" from donated computers. As part of Intel's Challenge 10000 program, these students assembled, tested, and delivered hundreds of new computers to schools throughout Central Oregon.
Today, as OutlawNet's market has become more sophisticated, most new customers do not need as much student support. Instead, students now spend their time learning advanced skills like web site development and management, graphic arts, and general science including the chemistry and physics involved in the semiconductor industry. Students also spend time refurbishing computers for use in the district, and maintaining our extensive district network. A few students also have work-study positions in OutlawNet's office, and work directly with staff and customers.
OutlawNet still provides free Internet access to all students, teachers, and administrators in the district. It also hosts hundreds of school produced web sites that are dedicated to everything from a 4th Grader's snowman illustration to Advanced Art projects from the high school. OutlawNet also manages technological donations to the school district, and the refurbishment and distribution efforts of students participating in the StRUT program - this program has fielded hundreds of computers in our schools, and places free computers in the homes of students who cannot afford one of their own. Many of these computers are provided with free OutlawNet dial-up Internet access accounts.
Initially, our little community was unserved by Internet services. OutlawNet provided these services and used the funds raised by customer subscriptions to support services provided to the schools in our district. Over the past nine years, other ISPs have entered our market area, and to remain competitive, OutlawNet has added new services and formed partnerships with other firms. Today OutlawNet offers a full suite of business and residential communication services, including wireless high-speed Internet, DSL, dial-up Internet access, VoIP phone service, networking design and support, commercial website development and hosting services, computer and technical equipment sales and service, and more. We also provide well respected training services to those in our community who would like personal, in home technical tutoring (a service that has been particularly appealing to members of our senior community). Our attractive rates and personal service continue to make OutlawNet a success.
The OutlawNet staff appreciates the community support we have received over the years. We will continue to work diligently to maintain the highest standards in service to our customers. Where once there was just a trickle of Internet traffic in our schools, today's traffic sometimes reaches 4.5 million bytes per second - that's a lot! And all of it is supported by the OutlawNet team and our loyal customers. We truly appreciate the opportunity to be of service. If you have any questions about OutlawNet, please do not hesitate to call us at (541) 549-1054 or write to outlaw@outlawnet.com.
Question: How does OutlawNet support Sisters schools?
OutlawNet is an independent business, founded in 1996 by Sisters High School Social Studies teacher Jon Renner. Named for the school's stallion mascot, the OutlawNet mission was to bring high technology and free Internet access to the Sisters School District. Jon funded the enterprise through proceeds generated by providing Internet services to the residents of Sisters. OutlawNet soon became a success and an important supporter of Sisters schools.
Although demand for Internet services by the school district has increased dramatically over the past decade (what was once just a trickle of network traffic now reaches 4.5 million bytes per second - that's a lot!) OutlawNet still provides FREE Internet access and technical support to Sisters schools and district offices, plus free email accounts to students and staff. These contributions have saved the Sisters School District hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past decade - real budget savings that have allowed the schools to invest in other critical areas! In addition, OutlawNet through Jon Renner's direction has been instrumental in making Sisters High School one of the most technologically advanced schools in the state.
OutlawNet is proud to invest in our children, but these contributions would not be possible without our many valued customers! By choosing OutlawNet, you can help to provide:
Question: How can I learn more about OutlawNet?
Call (541) 549-1054 or write to outlaw@outlawnet.com. Give us a call to learn how we can serve you - and help us uphold a great tradition of community service!