Manors at Westridge Clubhouse Wi-Fi

This community clubhouse is fully Wi-Fi enabled for your wireless internet surfing. We have installed the latest wireless-n technology for faster surfing. It is also backward compatible for older technologies. So sit back, log on and and have a read of your favorite websites.

Wi-Fi Information

Does it cost?

No. It is totally free to owners and their guests.

What is the location and range

Where can I surf from? Well as long as you are in or around the clubhouse you will be able to pick up the 'Manors at Westridge' signal. The best signal is obtained in the lounge area of the club house and this was our primary aim. We wanted to offer the home owners and the rental guests a central place to go for their surfing. We also wanted to attract more use of the clubhouse and give rental owners an added marketing tool for their villa. The range has been tested using a simple PDA and a signal was obtained from further a field however we do not guarantee this. Please also note that the more objects like walls that are in the way and sometimes weather may affect the signal.

Are there PC's for us to use?

No. The clubhouse is unmanned and this would present a security risk. The customers and owners will have to provide their own PC/laptop devices and their own wireless connection equipment. Some PC's now come wireless (wi-fi) enabled and as soon as you are in range you will be able to search for a network and log on.

Do I need a password or special key?

No. We have left the network open for people to log on without special passwords and keys. The router does have the latest security available but it was felt that it may cause some problems for customers. However the router itself is secured by various protections.

What equipment do you recommend?

We can not be liable for recommendations but we can inform you what the manufactures recommend.

To get the best results it is advised that you use a Linksys WPC300N Wireless-N Notebook Adapter for your laptop. This will work in conjunction with the router at the optimum speeds. They can be purchased from Wal-Mart's and other retail outlets. Please follow the manufactures installation instructions.

You can also purchase the other wireless technology adapters for example wireless-G but they will not give you such a good performance.

Is there a limit to the number of users?

Yes but we do not anticipate ever reaching it, even on a clubhouse event night.

How do I connect to the internet?

With so many different operating systems and versions of we could not cover it all here, we recommend if you are going to purchase equipment and use the Wi-Fi that you seek proper advise for your personal set up.

To assist owners with the same set up as myself ( a dell laptop with windows XP) I will briefly take you through how I connect.

1. 1. Start up laptop.

2. 2. Look at the bottom right tool bar and you will see a pc screen with wave lines coming out, right click on this and select 'view available wireless networks'.

3. 3. This will pop up a selection box, pick the 'manors at westridge' and then connect.

4. 4. It may take a few seconds to connect to the network. You may also get some messages relevant to your security software which you will have to answer.

5. 5. Then you are connected and surfing. When you go back next time it is likely that it will detect the network automatically for you.

 Do you provide technical assistance?

No. It would be to complicated to do. The owner is responsible for their own PC and surfing and the HOA bares no liability at all. If you use the Wi-Fi you accept that the HOA is not responsible of liable for anything to do with your usage or PC/Laptop.

Tell me a bit more about the technical stuff.

The Wireless-N Broadband Router is really three devices in one box. First, there's the Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect to the network without wires. There's also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 Switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices together. Finally, the Router function ties it all together and lets your whole network share a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection.

The Access Point built into the Router uses the very latest wireless networking technology, Wireless-N (draft 802.11n). By overlaying the signals of multiple radios, Wireless-N's "Multiple In, Multiple Out" (MIMO) technology multiplies the effective data rate. Unlike ordinary wireless networking technologies that are confused by signal reflections, MIMO actually uses these reflections to increase the range and reduce "dead spots" in the wireless coverage area. The robust signal travels farther, maintaining wireless connections up to 4 times farther than standard Wireless-G.

With Wireless-N, the farther away you are, the more speed advantage you get. It works great with standard Wireless-G and -B equipment, but when both ends of the wireless link are Wireless-N, the router can increase the throughput even more by using twice as much radio band, yielding speeds up to 12 times as fast as standard Wireless-G. But unlike other speed-enhanced technologies, Wireless-N can dynamically enable this double-speed mode for Wireless-N devices, while still connecting to other wireless devices at their respective fastest speeds. In congested areas, the "good neighbor" mode ensures that the Router checks for other wireless devices in the area before gobbling up the radio band.

We hope that you enjoy this addition to our community and have a great time surfing and meeting new people in the clubhouse.